Appa's family in 1977. Photo: R. Simon Solomon
My father, or Appa as we lovingly called him, would have been 95 today, on Sept 10, 2024. His absence has left a profound void in our lives, one that can never be filled.
Born in Sentul on Sept 10, 1929, my father, the late R. Solomon Samuel, lived through the Japanese Occupation in Malaya. During those difficult years, he worked in a sawmill in Batu Arang, bringing home a sack of rice on his shoulders each week. This act of love and sacrifice ensured that his family – his father, the Rev L.A. Samuel, his mother K. Elizabeth, and their 16 children – could eat rice instead of tapioca, which caused beriberi, a severe malnutrition disease.
