SEETO, BING SHIM, MBE
(June 9, 1907 – March 13, 1994)
Businessman and Philanthropist
Owner, Wing On Tiy, grocers and bakers, with signature bread brand – the Procera loaf.
President, St Vincent de Paul Society.
Cofounder, Father Law Home.
Leadership roles in community organisations including: the Kuomintang, the Rotary Club, the Red Cross, the Chinese Arts Club.
Awards: Member of the British Empire (MBE) medal by Queen Elizabeth II in 1971; Nationalist Chinese Government award by President Chang Kai Shek; award by the Pope in Rome for his work with the St Vincent de Paul Society; and Lifetime Achievement award from the British Red Cross.
By Joseph Seeto.
This is the story of Bing Shim Seeto ( 司徒炳璇 ) who was born in Hoiping China in 1907. His mum died shortly after he was born and his dad went to Fiji in 1910 to seek his fortune. So he was left in the care of his grandmother Mary Jen and then his aunty Monica Pui Fong. Bing’s family was not wealthy and so he spent his early years working to help support the family. He was also baptized into the Catholic Church by missionaries who had arrived in the province. So Bing had a Christian as well as a Confucious upbringing. These principles stayed with him throughout his adult life.
Bing’s Grandmother Mary Jen.
The house in Hoiping China where Bing was born.
At the tender age of 19yo, he decided to go to Fiji to look for his dad. He travelled by ship to Suva and reunited with his dad who had worked for short periods in both Lau and then Kadavu before settling in Suva. Bing studied English and Bookkeeping at the St Paul’s Church of England School when he first arrived. He also worked for a distant relative Harm Bing Nam who owned a grocery and bakery store called Wing On Tiy. When he had saved enough money, Bing returned to China in 1934 and married Maylin Yee ( 余美連 ) from a relatively affluent family. They both returned to Suva and soon started a family comprising 10 children:
Lawrence, Fannie, Joan, Mary, John, Dorothy, Josephine, Joseph, Catherine and Mark.
Maylin and Bing when they got married in 1934.
Maylin and Bing’s wedding day in 1934.
Bing’s Dad Seeto Mun Chew’s 69th birthday in Suva.
Through his business acumen, intelligence and hard work Bing bought the Wing On Tiy business from Harm Bing Nam who had decided to switch his attention to starting up a butchery.
Bing standing in the middle in front of Wing On Tiy.
Then came World War 2 and by that time Bing’s first two children were born and there was a lot of anxiety about a possible invasion of Fiji. So he moved the family from Knolly Street in Suva to stay with a distant relative on a farm just outside of Suva. Three more of the children were born during these troublesome times.
Bing’s original house on Knollys Street, Suva.
Bing’s house on Knollys St with an upgraded frontage.
Bing’s business survived the war and blossomed when the war ended. His bakery’s signature bread was the Procera loaf which was the favourite of most bread lovers in Fiji. He made further improvements by installing a fully automated bread making facility in his new bakery in Procera House, overseen by his eldest son Lawrence.
The remaining children were born after the war and can be labelled the lucky baby boomers. Their upbringing was left in Maylin’s capable hands while Bing was busy elsewhere.
Wing On Tiy’s new bakery modernized and relocated to Procera House.
Bing started to take a more active role in ensuring his kids and others get a good education, education which included the Chinese language and culture. Together with other businessmen and friends, he helped to establish the Fiji Chinese Primary School which has now become the Yat Sen School. Bing was a board member initially and then he also took over the role of school manager from 1949 to 1974. He was instrumental in introducing many changes and improvements to the school making it one of the top-ranking schools in Fiji.
Bing (seated left) and other founding members of the Fiji Chinese School (1945).
Yat Sen School in 2012 which was originally the Fiji Chinese Primary School.
Yat Sen School in 2012 which was originally the Fiji Chinese Primary School.
Father Law Home
Not satisfied with his achievements in education, Bing set his eyes on improving the lives of others around him. One of the ways he did this was by joining the St Vincent de Paul Society. He was a very active member and soon he became its president. It was during his presidency in 1954 that the Fr Law Home was established in Lami for homeless elderly men. Money was received through donations, sale of used clothing and movie nights at the crypt of the Suva Cathedral. The service provided by St Vincent de Paul to the underprivileged is well known to everyone. Today Bing’s family continue to support Father Law Home through their donations.
Bing at the opening of Fr Law Home in 1954.
Mr Bing Shim Seeto, Founder and Former Manager Father Law Home, shaking hands with Dr. Desmond Beckett, later a medical superintendent at the leprosarium at Makogai in 1960s and assistant director of medical services in Suva between 1965 to 1970. Seated behind Mr Seeto is Father Petero Mataca who was a priest when the photo was taken and became the first Fijian Roman Catholic Archbishop of Fiji in 1976.
Bing’s second eldest son, John Seeto, visits the Father Law Home.
Bing chauffeuring a visiting cardinal around Fiji in 1966.
Bing also took up leadership roles in many other community organizations including the Kuomintang, the Rotary Club, the Red Cross, the Chinese Arts Club. He did not have much spare time for himself and even gave up playing tennis, the sport that he loved.
For all his tireless work, Bing was awarded the Member of the British Empire (MBE) medal by Queen Elizabeth II in 1971 “in recognition for his outstanding contribution to Fijian society”. He was also recognized by the Nationalist Chinese Government with an award by President Chang Kai Shek and by the Pope in Rome for his work with the St Vincent de Paul Society. He also received a lifetime achievement award from the British Red Cross. Bing was indeed a very well-respected member of the Fijian community.
Bing as a keen tennis player.
Bing receiving the MBE medal from the British governor in Fiji (1971).
Bing (left) and KMT members photographed with President Chang Kai Shek in 1963 visit to Taiwan.
Bing receiving a warm welcome from President Chang Kai Shek in 1963.
After many years of dedication to the service of people in Fiji, Bing finally retired in 1975 and he and Maylin migrated to Australia to spend their remaining years accompanied by most of their children in Sydney. They were welcomed with open arms by their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Bing passed away in 1994 at the age of 87 and Maylin passed away in 2003 at the age of 89. Both were laid to rest in Macquarie Park cemetery in Sydney. They will never be forgotten.
Bing celebrating his 84th birthday with the family in 1991.
Entry By: Joseph Seeto, Sydney, Australia.