HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Tan Sri The Malay language has a complex system of styles, titles and honorifics which are used extensively in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the southern Philippines. Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and several provinces in Indonesia regul ...
Loke Wan Tho (;
Pha̍k-fa-sṳ Pha̍k-fa-sṳ is an orthography similar to Pe̍h-ōe-jī and used to write Hakka, a variety of Chinese. Hakka is a whole branch of Chinese, and Hakka dialects are not necessarily mutually intelligible with each other, considering the large geogr ...
: ''Lu̍k Yun-thàu''; 14 June 1915 – 20 June 1964) was a Malaysian-Singaporean business magnate,
ornithologist Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...
, and photographer. He was the founder of
Cathay Organisation Cathay Organisation Holdings Limited is one of Singapore's leisure and entertainment groups. It has the first THX cinema hall and digital cinema in Singapore. The group has operations in Singapore and Malaysia. History Associated Theatres L ...
in Singapore and Malaysia, and Motion Picture and General Investments Limited (MP&GI) in Hong Kong.


Early life and education

Born in Kuala Lumpur on 14 June 1915, Loke Wan Tho was the ninth child of
Loke Yew Loke Yew (), born Wong Loke Yew, CMG, LL.D. (1845–1917) was a Chinese-born, of Cantonese descent, business magnate. During his lifetime, he played a significant role in the development of Kuala Lumpur and was also one of the founding fath ...
, an
ethnic Chinese The Chinese people or simply Chinese, are people or ethnic groups identified with China, usually through ethnicity, nationality, citizenship, or other affiliation. Chinese people are known as Zhongguoren () or as Huaren () by speakers of s ...
businessman of
Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding a ...
descent, and his wife of mixed
Hokkien The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages ...
-
Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...
ancestry named Loke Cheng Kim. Loke was only 2 years old when his father died. His early education was at
Victoria Institution The Victoria Institution is the oldest secondary school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is a memorial school, so-called because it was partly funded by public subscription intended for the erection of a permanent memorial to commemorate the Golden ...
, Kuala Lumpur, a school set up by the British for Chinese boys which counted his father as one of its founders. In 1929, due to his delicate health, Loke with his two younger sisters was taken by his mother to Chillon College in Montreux, Switzerland. He was the Swiss County (Vaud) long jump champion in 1932. Loke then went to
King's College, Cambridge King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the cit ...
where he obtained an Honour's degree in English Literature and History in 1936. For a brief period after that, he was at the
London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 milli ...
. Loke returned to Malaya just before the outbreak of the Second World War.


Biography

In February 1942, Loke boarded a ship, Nora Moller, to leave Malaya to escape the Japanese but the ship was sank by a Japanese aircraft in the Strait of Bangka. He was rescued from the sea, temporarily blinded and severely burned. Later he was hospitalised in Batavia (Jakarta) and then evacuated to India. He survived his injuries and after arriving in Bombay, he was introduced to the Indian ornithologist Dr.
Salim Ali Sálim Moizuddin Abdul Ali (12 November 1896 – 20 June 1987) was an Indian ornithologist and naturalist. Sometimes referred to as the "''Birdman of India''", Salim Ali was the first Indian to conduct systematic bird surveys across Indi ...
, who eventually became a lifetime friend and a frequent companion on many major expeditions. Loke credited Salim who inspired his passion and wrote in his book ''A Company of Birds'' : "Under the guidance of an expert (Salim Ali) my interest in birds which hitherto had been but of a dilettante kind blossomed into a deeper passion." Later in 2014, Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai published a coffee table book on Lokes collection of beautiful bird photographs as "Loke Wan Tho’s Birds" as a tribute to the man. A huge collection of his bird photographs is kept in the library of the Bombay Natural History Society at Mumbai.


Business career

Although Loke had inherited a vast fortune of tin mines, plantations and properties from his father, he went on to grow the company which his mother had formed together with him in 1935 called Associated Theatres Ltd. The Pavilion Cinema in Kuala Lumpur and the Cathay Cinema in Singapore were built. Partnerships were forged with Ho Ah Loke and others to form the Cathay cinema circuit that counted 80 cinemas at its peak. Associated Theatres Ltd later changed its name to
Cathay Organisation Cathay Organisation Holdings Limited is one of Singapore's leisure and entertainment groups. It has the first THX cinema hall and digital cinema in Singapore. The group has operations in Singapore and Malaysia. History Associated Theatres L ...
in 1959. By 1953 Loke and Ho had started production of Malay films at the Cathay Keris Studios which were purpose built. Many a classic film has come from these studios located out in East Coast Road Singapore – Pontianak, Orang Minyak, Bawang Puteh Bawang Merah, Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat and many more. Loke also bought over an existing film studio in Hong Kong in 1955 and started to produce a library of Chinese films to supply to his chain of cinemas which stretched from Singapore, Malaya and Borneo to Bangkok. The films were also distributed to the region and Cathay stars like Ge Lan, You Min, Lin Dai and Yeh Fung became household names in Indochina, Thailand, Burma, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Sarawak, Borneo and of course Singapore and Malaya. The Cathay Organisation, of which Loke was its chairman, not only owned and operated cinemas and film studios, produced Malay and Chinese films but also owned and operated hotels and restaurants in Singapore (The Cathay Hotel and Ocean Park Hotel and their attendant restaurants) and Fiji (The Grand Pacific Hotel
Suva Suva () is the capital and largest city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rewa Province, Central Div ...
and The Cathay Hotel Lautoka). He also had interests in rubber, palm oil and coconut plantations in Malaysia. From the end of the war Loke had become increasingly caught up in the business world. Besides his own companies, he was Chairman of Malayan Airways Ltd, Singapore Telephone Board, Malayan Banking and was on the board of directors of numerous companies including Wearne Brothers, Sime Darby, Kwong Yik Bank, Great Eastern Life, H A O'Connors Ltd, Straits Steamship Co Ltd and Rediffusion (Singapore) Ltd. In his lifetime Loke was honoured by the state of Kelantan in Malaysia from whom he received his Datoship, Cambodia, Japan and Malaya. Always the philanthropist he supported many charities, associations and educational institutions.


Personal life

In September 1963, Loke married his third wife, Mavis Chew in London. On 20 June 1964, Loke and his wife were killed in the crash of
Civil Air Transport Flight B-908 Civil Air Transport Flight 106 was a Curtiss C-46D Commando, registration number B-908 (C/N 32950),"Ci � ...
, along with his chief executives, leaving Taichung after attending the 11th Asian Film Festival.


Honour


Honour of Malaya

* : ** Commander of the
Order of the Defender of the Realm The Most Esteemed Order of the Defender of the Realm ( ms, Darjah Yang Mulia Pangkuan Negara) is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country. The Order Motto are 'Dipeliharakan Allah-Pangkuan Negara' (By the Grace ...
(P.M.N.) - Tan Sri (1961)


Memorials

* Loke Wan Tho Photography Exhibit is housed on 3rd floor of Singapore Photography Society * Loke Wan Tho Library in Singapore
Jurong Bird Park Jurong Bird Park is an aviary and tourist attraction in Jurong, Singapore. The largest such bird park in Asia, it covers an area of on the western slope of Jurong Hill, the highest point in the Jurong region. It is one of the parks managed by ...
* Wan Tho Avenue in
Potong Pasir Potong Pasir is a housing estate located between Toa Payoh and Sennett Estate in the Central Region of Singapore. For urban planning purposes, it is classified under the Toa Payoh area. Politically, Potong Pasir had been the longest-held oppo ...
, Singapore * Loke Wan Tho Star, No. 38
Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong The Avenue of Stars (), modelled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, is an avenue located along the Victoria Harbour waterfront in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. It honours celebrities of the Hong Kong film industry. History Establishment In 1 ...
* Museum open to the public housed on 2nd floor of
The Cathay The Cathay is a mixed-use 17-storey cinema, shopping mall and apartment building located at Handy Road and Mount Sophia in the Museum Planning Area of Singapore. History Owned and managed by Cathay Organisation, the original building was open ...


Publications

*''A Company of Birds''. Michael Joseph, London 1959 * ''
Angkor Angkor ( km, អង្គរ , 'Capital city'), also known as Yasodharapura ( km, យសោធរបុរៈ; sa, यशोधरपुर),Headly, Robert K.; Chhor, Kylin; Lim, Lam Kheng; Kheang, Lim Hak; Chun, Chen. 1977. ''Cambodian-Engl ...
'', by Malcolm MacDonald and Loke Wan Tho, Jonathan Cape, London, 1958,59,60. Text by Malcolm MacDonald, with chapters including "The History of Khmers"。"The Ruins of Khmers"。 111 Black and White Plates of Angkor Wat, taken by Loke Wan Tho and M.MacDonald。


References


External links

*
Black Naped Tern, photograph by Loke Wan ThoCathay OrganisationLoke Wan Tho map collection at the National Library of Australia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loke, Wan Tho 1915 births Malaysian people of Hokkien descent Malaysian people of Chinese descent 1964 deaths Malaysian chief executives Malaysian emigrants to Singapore Malaysian people of Cantonese descent Naturalised citizens of Singapore Singaporean art patrons Singaporean chief executives Singaporean people of Cantonese descent Singaporean ornithologists Malaysian people of Hakka descent Singaporean photographers People from Kuala Lumpur Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Taiwan 20th-century zoologists Commanders of the Order of the Defender of the Realm 20th-century philanthropists