By the Mural

Due to the Depression, life for the WONG family was hard in the 1930s. In 1937, at 16 years of age, my dad William WONG [黃潮惠], returned home to New Zealand after six years living with his grandparents in the Gwa Leng [瓜嶺] village in China. He was fluent in Cantonese, and had to relearn his spoken and written English language.

During World War ll,  in 1941, he was called up for army service. On completion of training he was then transferred to the Royal New Zealand Air Force in January 1943. He graduated as a Pilot Officer in 1944. He was one of only two Chinese people to be commissioned. The skills he learned and friendships made over this time helped his assimilation back to a happy and successful working and family life in Dunedin. I am very proud of my dad and thankful that he passed on his Chinese heritage to me.

Air Force Costume Photo

My dad William, known as Bill Wong, returned from Gwa Leng [瓜嶺] village with the Chinese men's pyjamas which are now donated to the Toitū Otago Settlers Museum in Dunedin. Our family still has his air force hat and log book which records his training flights in the DH82 Tiger moth at RNZAF Taieri; the Harvard at Woodbourne airbase and the 200 HP Kitty Hawk at Ohakea airbase. Dad returned to civilian life at the end of February 1945.

Carolyn KING

2018

William WONG Family

I posed Carolyn KING [黃嘉玲] and her mother Ivy WONG Lowe Lai Wah [黃劉麗華], at the Octagon, in front of a mural painted by Dan MILLS.  The mural is of her father and Ivy’s husband William Chui Wai WONG [黃潮惠] and thus became another family reunion photograph. William was honoured as one of only two Chinese commissioned officers in the New Zealand Armed Forces in World War II. Together with Leslie WONG [黄閏樵] and his brother George [黃潮福], William was known to have built a name list of the Chinese gravestones of the Southern Cemetery in Dunedin.

When I asked curator Seán BROSNAHAN of Toitū Otago Settlers Museum if the museum has kept any objects of William in the Air Force, I was shown a pair of his Chinese pyjamas that he brought from China instead. At the time I worked in the Museum for this project, William’s Air Force log book and his portrait photograph in uniform were kept by Carolyn in Dunedin, and the Air Force hat was kept by her brother Brian WONG [黃立文], in Auckland.

I decided to digitally integrate these objects with the pair of pyjamas for a virtual get-together photograph. In reality, one would feel hilarious to wear pyjamas at work. For the family, I would wish that this virtual-reality scene is gracious and respectful.

King Tong HO

2018

在壁画旁

一九三零年代，因经济大萧条，黄家生活艰难，父亲黄潮惠便回到中国瓜岭村、与祖父母一起居住了六年，因而他的广东话说得很流利。一九三七年，年仅十六岁的父亲重返纽西兰，他需要重新学习英文口语和书写。

第二次世界大战期间，于一九四一年他被征召入伍，训练完毕后、于一九四三年一月被派往纽西兰皇家空军，一九四四年成为空军少尉，是两个受委任的华裔之一。这期间他学会的技能、建立的友谊，使他在但尼丁事业有成、享受家庭生活。我以父亲为荣，并感谢遗传了他的中国文化素养。

空军制服照片

父亲黄潮惠的英文名是 William，亦名Bill，他从瓜岭村回来时，带着一件中式男装睡衣，此睡衣捐给了 Toitū Otago Settlers Museum。家族收藏了他的空军帽和飞行日志。日志记载了他在 RNZAF Taieri 的 DH82 Tiger Moth、在 Woodbourne 空军基地的 Harvard 和在 Ohakea 空军基地的 200 HP Kitty Hawk 的训练及飞行记录 。一九四五年二月末，父亲退役。

黄嘉玲
2018

黄潮惠家族

我请黄嘉玲和她母亲黄刘丽华站在位于 Octagon 她父亲黄潮惠画像前，拍摄她们的［家庭团聚照］。这壁画是由 Dan MILLS 创作的。二次世界大战期间，纽西兰武装部队的委任官员中，黄潮惠是两名获荣誉的华裔中的一位。他亦因与弟弟潮福和黄闰樵合编了但尼丁南区墓园的华裔墓碑名册而闻名。

当我欲了解 Toitū Otago Settlers Museum 收藏黄潮惠在空军时的物品，策展员 Seán BROSNAHAN 却拿出了黄潮惠从中国带回来的一套睡衣。住在但尼丁的黄嘉玲藏有父亲的空军日志和他穿着空军制服的照片；而居住在奥克兰的弟弟黄立文则藏有他的空军帽。我在博物馆做此硏究计划时，便决定把这些物品与睡衣、用数码结合成虚拟的荟集照片。在现实生活中，穿着睡衣工作，似乎有㸃谐趣，但从家庭的角度，我希望这疑幻似真的景象，是亲切和受尊敬的感觉。

何经棠

2018

在壁畫旁

一九三零年代，因經濟大蕭條，黄家生活艱難，父親黄潮惠便回到中國瓜嶺村、與祖父母一起居住了六年，因而他的廣東話說得很流利。一九三七年，年僅十六歲的父親重返紐西蘭，他需要重新學習英文口語和書寫。

第二次世界大戰期間，於一九四一年他被徵召入伍，訓練完畢後、於一九四三年一月被派往紐西蘭皇家空軍，一九四四年成為空軍少尉，是兩個受委任的華裔之一。這期間他學會的技能、建立的友誼，使他在但尼丁事業有成、享受家庭生活。我以父親為榮，並感謝遺傳了他的中國文化素養。

空軍制服照片

父親黄潮惠的英文名是 William，亦名Bill，他從瓜嶺村回來時，帶着一件中式男裝睡衣，此睡衣捐給了 Toitū Otago Settlers Museum。家族收藏了他的空軍帽和飛行日誌。日誌記載了他在 RNZAF Taieri 的 DH82 Tiger Moth、在 Woodbourne空軍基地的 Harvard 和在 Ohakea 空軍基地的 200 HP Kitty Hawk 的訓練及飛行記錄 。一九四五年二月末，父親退役。

黄嘉玲

2018

黄潮惠家族

我請黃嘉玲和她母親黃劉麗華站在位於 Octagon 她父親黄潮惠畫像前，拍攝她們的［家庭團聚照］。這壁畫是由 Dan MILLS 創作的。二次世界大戰期間，紐西蘭武裝部隊的委任官員中，黄潮惠是兩名獲榮譽的華裔中的一位。他亦因與弟弟潮福和黄閏樵合編了但尼丁南區墓園的華裔墓碑名冊而聞名。

當我欲了解 Toitū Otago Settlers Museum 收藏黄潮惠在空軍時的物品，策展員 Seán BROSNAHAN 卻拿出了黄潮惠從中國帶回來的一套睡衣。住在但尼丁的黃嘉玲藏有父親的空軍日誌和他穿着空軍制服的照片；而居住在奧克蘭的弟弟黃立文則藏有他的空軍帽。我在博物館做此硏究計劃時，便決定把這些物品與睡衣、用數碼結合成虛擬的薈集照片。在現實生活中，穿著睡衣工作，似乎有㸃諧趣，但從家庭的角度，我希望這疑幻似真的景象，是親切和受尊敬的感覺。

何經棠

2018