Farewell, Alan: A tribute to Alan Ng Hiok Kwang
A man never knows when an encouraging word given to another may change the course of that person’s life, and in turn, add value to his world.
Alan Ng Hiok Kwang, 56, was such a person.
His demeanor. His sincerity. His passion. His enthusiasm to learn. His creativity to create. His smile.
What does it mean to leave a legacy? What does it mean for a cyclist to leave a legacy?
To Alan, his legacy was in fostering and nurturing a community of cycling enthusiasts, to leave the places and the people he met a little better than he had found them.
He left an indelible mark on whomever his paths crossed.
On 31 December 2022, the end of a calendar year marks the end of Alan’s illustrious and humble life.
A cardiac arrest whilst taking part in a 205km cycling challenge took him on that fateful day. He was 56.
ShinMin Daily News, 1 January 2023
Lianhe Zaobao, 2 January 2023
The eldest son in his family, he was a filial son. Though he was no longer staying with his 85-year-old mother, he makes it a point to buy dinner for her every day.
If he had an overseas photography assignment, he would notify his mother in advance. He was a dedicated son and brother and a loving husband and father [to his two daughters] – In fact, Alan had just celebrated the birthdays of her two daughters in December 2022.
Riding a bike and holding a camera was everything to Alan. The friendship and camaraderie he had with the cycling and photography communities were the be-all and end-all of his life.
A selfless man, Alan was also a brilliant photographer. A photographer is akin to a creator with magical hands and a keen sense of timing. They scattered their seeds of creation wherever they go and were content to know that the seeds may not bear fruit until long after they have moved on. The art of photography requires that sort of faith.
Alan held true faith in the idea that we have not lived in vain, and those precious moments were captured before the currents of time had engulfed them. Indeed, through his craft, the world of many became a little different.
Yet Alan dies not whilst the world, at once his photography and his bicycle, remains. His name may be lost, but the breath he breathed still stirs the finishing line of every cycling trip, the sounds of the words he spoke echo on through space and time, and his finishing touches colour the lives through posterity; Indeed, his passions are the cause of life; the joys and sorrows that he knew are our familiar friends too.
Though death will surely overtake us also, do know that Alan was merely taking his leave early to prepare a party ahead for his family and friends from the cycling and photography communities, as he has always been doing all his life – being selfless and putting others before himself.
Do not be sad. Alan died whilst doing what he loved most. Be happy for him.
To those who miss him, remember that though you feel the pain, be glad that you were there [with Alan].
Isn’t that the very essence of cycling? Feeling the pain, but glad that you’re there and had suffered.
As American cyclist Kristin Armstrong once said, “Embrace your sweat. It is your essence and your emancipation".
The late Alan Ng Hiok Kwang's wake is at Block 10, Toh Yi Drive, S(590010), and his cremation is scheduled to take place on 4 January 2023 (Wednesday) at Mandai Crematorium, 9.40 a.m.
All images are obtained from Alan Ng's Facebook page
