This is my story - 20

This is not Plagiarism. I was about to write my next chapter on our wedding. Seeing my wife has already written her article on the same subject, I decided to use hers. She will be posting this in her blog www.livingforjesus-pcfong.blogspot.com

THE FIRST NATIONAL OFFICERS ARMY WEDDING
In 1957 Lieut. Colonel John and Mrs. Helena Blake, from Australia Southern Territory, and serving in the Pakistan Territory, were appointed here as the new Command leaders. With the commissioning of the Faithful Session in July 1957, we now had a whole bunch of Lieutenants. We were joined by Lieutenant and Mrs. Ken and Betty Spikin from Australia and Lt. Moira Wright from New Zealand.

We planned our wedding to coincide with the Command Anniversary the following year. We felt that this would help the officers stationed outside Singapore with travelling arrangements. Fortunately permission was granted, so I was farewelled from Malacca at the end of May 1958 and stayed with Ku Ma in Singapore a few days before the event. Lieutenant and Mrs. Ken and Betty Spikin, in charge of Singapore Children’s Home, very kindly arranged a “kitchen shower” for us among the officers. This was all new to us, but their thoughtful gesture was much appreciated. Our guests came with articles for kitchen use, like a rolling pin, a spatula etc. Later on we found there was also a combined gift of a clock from all the officers in the command! It was all right because we were ignorant of its significance among the Chinese who are superstitious!

Our wedding took place on 7th June 1958, the Saturday morning of the anniversary weekend. We still have a copy of the order of service conducted by Lt-Colonel John Blake, the Officer Commanding, and Major Arthur Hall, the Corps Officer of Central Corps. Lieut. Ken Spikin was the flagbearer, Lt-Colonel Bertha Grey, the Social Secretary prayed; Captain Norina Staples read the Bible; and Lieut. Ruth Ong and her sister Janet Ong of Balestier Corps, sang a duet. Captain Tan Eng Soon was the bestman while my sister Fong Pui Sim (Angela) and Lieut. Chan Chin Chye were my bridesmaids. Ku Cheong (uncle) Mr. Ho Pak Khuan “gave me away in marriage.”

Most of the wedding guests came from the Balestier and Singapore Central Corps. However, a few of the boys from the Youth Group, led by Ng Kim Loh, cycled from Malacca, staying overnight at a police station on the way. It took them more than one day to make the journey!

We were married in uniform of course. I also wore an Salvation Army tricoloured sash over the white uniform dress. We needed to hire a car, so my request was for a red car, and decorated with white ribbons. My beloved could not find a car with that colour, as almost all cars were black in those days. Major Hall was very kind and loaned us his personal dark green car which he had bought with a legacy from his father. So I had pink ribbons, but they were almost white by the afternoon, being in the hot sun! The driver was Enche Aziz from CHQ.

Immediately after the wedding service a reception was held in the front garden of a Home for missionaries at Cairnhill Road. The English people who ran this place did a very good job when they catered for the wedding of Lieut. and Mrs. Douglas and Jean Kiff the year before. They were just as kind and good in doing the same favour for us. It was an English garden buffet tea party, serving finger-food like sandwiches, cakes etc. There was a carpet in the middle of the lawn for our three-tiered wedding cake on a small table. The top tier was a real cake, but the other two were dummies. When we cut into the bottom cake, a trap door opened, and inside were slices of fruit cake wrapped in silver foil, ready for distribution to the guests. It was made to order from a shop in Orchard Road, costing $75.00 which was half my monthly income! We did not have ready cash, so my beloved and I took turns to draw from our post office savings accounts for the various expenses leading up to the wedding.

We did not have a dinner, not even for our relatives. My father and our overseas friends were sent by airmail each family a piece of the wedding cake, packed in a special box. Years later, I heard from our stepmother in Hong Kong that Father was very pleased.

That evening we travelled by train to Kuala Lumpur on the first leg of our honeymoon, staying at a Chinese hotel. The next morning we went out to buy a newspaper and were recognised by the vendor who showed us a photo of ourselves in the Sunday Times! This happened, due to the initiative of our Public Relations Secretary, Major Stanley Gordon. We made news because it was the first Salvation Army wedding of national officers in this command, though we were number 9 in the wedding register.

On our return from furlough (in this case our honeymoon) I joined my husband in united service at Balestier Corps.