Two years ago, we published a story about W. Bro David Woon Soong of Harmony Lodge No 5835 when he received the Harrow Heroes Award for his service to the local community. His work still goes on and recently another accolade was discovered on Facebook which is attributed to the Stories of South Harrow pages. This is reproduced below and is the copyright of the Admins of that Group and we give due citation.
https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=122111203778603152&id=61568094561463&_rdr
This is their story:
“In May of 1962, David Woon Soong arrived at Gatwick Airport after a long journey from his home in Georgetown, Guyana. He carried little more than a suitcase and a small photograph of his uncle—a man he had never met before that night. Although small in comparison to its Black and Indian populations, the Chinese community had been established in Guyana for nearly a century by the time David embarked on his journey. Now, he was set to stand out once again, joining the wave of Caribbean migrants arriving in Britain as part of the Windrush generation. His uncle easily spotted him among the predominantly Black and Indian arrivals, marking the third continent that David’s family would call home over three generations—from Asia to the Americas, and now to Europe.
David has now lived at the same house on Scarsdale Road in South Harrow for over 50 years. While the area has evolved over the decades, one constant has been David’s continued support for his neighbours. Last month, his dedication was formally recognised when he won the ‘Good Neighbour’ award at the Harrow Heroes ceremony, honouring his decades of selfless service to the community.
Retiring at the age of fifty, David embraced volunteer work, particularly in the world of sport. He has been a familiar face at major events, from marathons to football and cricket matches. One of his most cherished memories is volunteering at the opening ceremony of the Cricket World Cup in 2018. The next time you see him around, be sure to ask him about his favourite sporting matches between the West Indies and England—he’s bound to share a story or two.”
W Bro David embraces the attributes we strive to achieve in our freemasonry in the community and these kind of articles are testament to this.
See also:
https://middlesexfreemasons.org.uk/a-true-community-hero/
