GEORGE TOWN: There will be a grand reunion of the Oh clansmen and women when 180 out of 628 descendants from China, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Switzerland, Singapore, Poland and Malaysia gather in Penang.
They are all down-liners of a Teochew clan family tree, started by the great grandfather Oh Ah Choot @ Oh Han Cheng, who had two wives and 18 children.
It was a painstaking task initiated a few years ago to trace the 628 descendants from various parts of the world.
One of the organisers Oliver Oh, 48, who had lived in Europe for 30 years, told theSun that the family had relied on the online world to reconnect.
“Penang was chosen as it is the closest to the Oh ancestry home in Parit Buntar (Perak) and it has good attractive facilities to accommodate overseas relatives.”
“The event has only made possible by good timing – it has always been a dream idea but never realised before,” said Oh.
This clan’s progenitor had the usual rags to riches tale of a great grandfather, who did dirty labour jobs and came into wealth when he was awarded a contract by the British to light the kerosene lamps in the Krian district.
The clan has traced their original roots to Shantou (Swatow) in China.
The family was also known as the previous owner of the Red Omnibus Company in Perak, which provided stage bus services in the state.
