When driving in Singapore or any big town in Malaysia, if you want to buy a motor spare part, you would look for a fairly large motor accessories shop. If you are interested to find out the proprietor's surname and dialect group, it would not be difficult to learn that most of these big spare parts shops are owned by the Ongs from Futsing Kanao. How the Ongs from Kanao come to dominate this trade is the theme of this story.

The motor-car came into Singapore in 1890 when the Casey Brothers Co. brought over from Germany a well-known car Benz and sold it to Eastern Development Cable Co's Vloster. At the beginning of this century, Mrs Owen brought in from foreign countries three small cars. In 1906 a European car company started business in Orchard Road following which English, French, German and American cars were imported. In 1917, the car population in Singapore exceeded 1,000 and in 1927 it reached 4,500.

Ong Ban Koh the Pioneer from Futsing

The expansion in the car business gave rise to the car spare parts trade. Ong Ban Koh from Futsing Kanao was the first to start this business. He established Guan Hoe Hin Company to do business in motor accessories and had the sole agency for the well-known English bicycle Raleigh. Ong Ban Koh's business management was good and Guan Hoe Hin Co. prospered.

Ong Ban Koh encouraged many of his relatives from the Ong clan to come to the south and got them into the motor spare parts business. Because of this, Ong Ban Koh can be said to be the founder of the motor accessories business. Ong Ban Koh's treatment of his relatives was one of great love and concern. He would encourage them after learning the trade to set up their own business and establish a home here. It's a pity that after his death there was no one to continue the business and the pioneer Guan Hoe Hin Co. wound up its business.

A little later than Ong Ban Koh came Ong Cho Teck from Futsing to Malaya, first to Seremban, then Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur to establish Hock Hoe Co. dealing in Ford and other car spare parts and English bicycles. Ong Ban Koh and Ong Cho Teck can then be said to be the first generation Futsing Kanao Ong to deal in the motor accessories trade. The two gentlemen have already passed away.

(An excerpt from a longer article)