A Grave Situation
Writen by Robert Wong with a body of work that is timeless My Approach to the Enormous Task of Photographing and Inventorying the Chinese Cemetery in Maitland, Cape Town, South Africa. Photographs are windows to a moment in time. Both family history and community history are recorded in words chiseled in the stones of the local graveyard - and because that record is waiting to be read, recorded, transcribed, and preserved, I worked with collecting gravestone information and gravestone photographs at the Chinese Cemetery. There is NO complete inventory of the Chinese Cemetery In Maitland and is one of the oldest cemeteies in South Africa and an inventory is long overdue. And over the next weeks and months I plan to write such an inventory. I have always been interested in recording tombstone images, and learning about unique stories, traditions and customs concerning cemeteries. When I am at the cemetery, I always look for the unusual, the unique or the strange. But the major reason to do this is to learn of the history of the Chinese community and of its people. I consider a tombstone and the information chiseled in stone a word picture into the past. And it is that “picture of the past� I am trying to collect as I photograph gravestones and transcribe the words and information written upon them.
A short synopsis of the LING family Grand father CHUNG LING ( ??/??/1856 —20/11/1927) came to South Africa in ?? Year. Probably more for survival and seeking wealth rather than for pleasure. Married Grandmother BOK CHANG WANG LING (10/04/1891—23/05/1968) in 1911 or 1912 in China Two sons KIM YEAN LING (28/09/1910 - 11/04/1997) MENG YEAN LING (18/02/1912 - 08/06/1995) Came back to South Africa 1921. Ran couple of stores in different parts of Cape Town. Eventually settled in RETREAT KIM YEAN LING married WAN ENG LING (28/20/1914 - 25/05/2002) +-1933 in China and returned to South Africa 1935 Twelve children Tam Shen Ling Nancy Johnson Violet Leeson George Ling Sam Ling Rose Keeson Gordon Ling Percy Ling Daisy Lee Ann Green Norman Ling Ronnie Ling
28/02/1934 21/11/1935 26/04/1937 15/09/1938 - 15/08/1940 03/10/1940 19/04/1942 27/10/1943 05/11/1944 - 00/00/2018 29/11/1047 15/06/1949 02/11/1950 18/01/1953
Taiwan JHB Canada Deceased Cape Town Cape Town Cape Town Deceased Canada JHB JHB Cape Town Supplied by Dr Gordon LING
CHUNG LING
Photo: Dr Gordon Ling
BOK CHANG WANG LING
KIM YEAN LING and WAN ENG LING
Photo: Dr Gordon Ling
Photo: Dr Gordon Ling
Photo: Dr Gordon Ling
Photo: Dr Gordon Ling
Photo: Dr Gordon Ling
Photo: Dr Gordon Ling
Photo: Robert Wong
Law Chong Sing Manley Date Of Birth : 02 January 1926
Date Of Death : 18 February 1960
On 18 February 1960 Law Chong Sing Manley also known as Johnson Manley, was among a party of 5 people fishing at Rooi Els in the Strand, Cape Town. Johnson and two friends, Mr Mias and Mr Binneman were fishing from the rocks when a freak wave washed them off the rocks and into the turbulent sea. All three men drowned. The other two people, Law Ming Sing Manley and Alan Lo were fishing at a different spot. Rooi Els and the surrounding coastline is well known for its rip currents. Johnson’s body was never found. Johnson’s wife, Hannah, was left with five children ranging from 4 to 12 years: Jean 12, Pearl 10, MayLing 8, WinKee 6 and Charmaine 4. Supplied by WinKee Manley
Photo: Robert Wong
Photo: Robert Wong