Vale Lee Fong

WELL known Aberdeen man Lee Fong passed away on Saturday evening in Maitland Hospital aged 87.

Lee Fong came to Australia in 1954 from Guangzhou, China.

Lee Fong in his younger years behind the tractor.

When he arrived in Aberdeen he worked alongside Jackie Lee in his market garden on the New England Highway just north of Aberdeen.

Lee Fong later took over the market garden, which he ran for more than 30 years.

Many people throughout the district would remember stopping at the roadside stall of the market garden to pick fresh fruit and vegetables.

Even in retirement he loved his garden, continued to grow an array of vegetables which he took great pleasure in delivering to his many friends around Aberdeen, said his daughter Nancy Lee.

“What he really loved was the opportunity to visit all of his mates in Aberdeen,” said Ms Lee.

“He loved a laugh, his politics, going to the Golden Oldies in retirement and table tennis in his younger years,” she said.

Lee Fong overseeing his garden in retirement.

“Despite the Chinglish he always saw himself as an Aberdeen boy,” she said.

“At one stage he was considering being buried in China, but concluded he wanted to stay in his home town with his friends in Aberdeen,” she said.

“When he arrived in Australia so many local people embraced him, helped him to learn English and took him in as family and I am so grateful that in his final days there were so many members of the Aberdeen community were so good to him and our family,” Nancy Lee said.

UPDATE: The funeral will be held on Tuesday, July 4 at 2pm at the Aberdeen Law Cemetery and the wake will be held afterwards at the Aberdeen Bowling Club. The family has requested that instead of flowers a donation is made to the Aberdeen Men’s Shed or the Golden Oldies.