David WONG and sisters

I first met oral historian David WONG [黃德衞] when I attended his talk about the Chinese history of Auckland’s CBD at the Auckland central library, a few years ago. Since then we met regularly and he told me many stories about the Chinese.  Interestingly, when he agreed to participate in my project, he mulled over for a long while to find inherited objects from the family. Eventually he recalled that he has a collection of glass plate negatives of his parents’ wedding and again it took him many weeks to locate the negatives. Dating back, it was only the rich families that could afford to hire a professional studio for their wedding photographs. These glass negatives are kept in excellent condition and are rare to find today.

Things weren’t set ready to go yet. Making a time for him and his three sisters Margaret [黃麗潔], Joana [黃麗貞] and Susan [黃麗蓮] to gather together at AUT’s studio for the photographs wasn’t easy.

At last, they arrived one Saturday late morning to the studio. In joy, laugh and tease, they wandered with their ancestors through touching, scrutinising and chitter-chattering.

I am pleased that the photo session was deemed a memorable experience for them together as a family and my photographs are valuable traces of their generation in the years to come.

King Tong HO

2016

黄德衞及姊妹们

数年前, 我在市区图书馆聆听纽西兰华裔史的讲座，讲者是口述历史学者黄德衞, 那是我们初次见面。之后, 我们的几次会面, 他都告诉我很多华裔的故事。有趣的是当他答应参与我这研究计划时, 他沉思良久, 细想有那些祖辈留下的物品。最后, 他想起一套他父母婚礼时拍摄的照片玻璃底片, 这又让他花数星期、在储藏的物品中找出来。在那年代, 只有富裕家庭才能雇用专业摄影师为他们的婚礼拍摄, 而那套现在已很难得一见的玻璃底片, 他们保存得非常好。

拍摄还不能开始, 因为要约他及三个姊妹黄丽洁、黄丽贞和黄丽莲齐集一起在奥克兰理工大学的影室拍摄, 并不容易。

终于, 一个星期六的早上, 他们来到影室, 在欢乐、笑语和互相开玩笑的气氛下, 他们透过商议和聊天, 感受深刻地与祖辈神游。

很高兴那次的拍摄, 成了他们一家人一起的难忘经验, 而我的照片将会成为以后他们世代的宝贵印记。

何经棠

2016

黃德衞及姊妹們

數年前，我在市區圖書館聆聽紐西蘭華裔史的講座，講者是口述歷史學者黃德衞，那是我們初次見面。之後，我們的幾次會面，他都告訴我很多華裔的故事。有趣的是當他答應參與我這研究計劃時，他沉思良久，細想有那些祖輩留下的物品。最後，他想起一套他父母婚禮時拍攝的照片玻璃底片，這又讓他花數星期、在儲藏的物品中找出來。在那年代，只有富裕家庭才能僱用專業攝影師爲他們的婚禮拍攝，而那套現在已很難得一見的玻璃底片，他們保存得非常好。

拍攝還不能開始，因為要約他及三個姊妹黃麗潔、黃麗貞和黃麗蓮齊集一起在奧克蘭理工大學的影室拍攝，並不容易。

終於，一個星期六的早上，他們來到影室，在歡樂、笑語和互相開玩笑的氣氛下，他們透過商議和聊天，感受深刻地與祖輩神游。

很高興那次的拍攝，成了他們一家人一起的難忘經驗，而我的照片將會成為以後他們世代的寶貴印記。

何經棠

2016