Maria Fong See, Gerry Chan’s paternal grandmother

Maria Fong See was born in 1890 in a small village in Guangdong, China. She married in 1909 and in 1912 she emigrated to New Guinea with her husband. Family oral traditions record that they carried all their possessions with them – 19 pieces of clothing. The young couple settled in Rabaul in 1912. There were less than 100 Chinese there when they arrived. Maria Fong See’s husband (Ngo Chan) worked as a carpenter. They had nine children. Maria Fong See died in 1969 and is buried in Rabaul cemetery. Most of her children and her grandchildren now live in Australia.