Ng Teak Boon, affectionately known as Uncle Boon, one of Singapore’s last licensed itinerant hawkers, has died at the age of 92. He was cremated on Saturday, June 22, without a wake. For over 50 years, Uncle Boon was a familiar sight outside Sim Lim Tower, selling traditional ice cream blocks from his mobile pushcart.
The news of Ng’s passing was first shared by hawker Melvin Chew on the Facebook group Hawkers United – Dabao 2020. Earlier this year, Ng revealed to 8days.sg that age had made it difficult for him to split the frozen ice cream blocks. As a result, he switched to selling pre-packaged ice cream from a supplier.
As the ice cream pushcart trade declined, Ng’s sales dwindled, earning him only a few hundred dollars a month. He lived alone in a sparsely furnished one-room rental flat in Geylang Bahru. During the Circuit Breaker period, when many stayed home, netizens rallied to support him by boosting his ice cream sales and improving his living conditions.
Mr. Chetan, a business owner at Sim Lim Tower and a regular customer since 2007, fondly remembered Uncle Boon: “I would always buy ice cream from Uncle. He was always earlier than me to start his day for business. Very nice uncle, very humble.”
Uncle Boon’s legacy as a beloved ice cream vendor and humble figure in the community will be remembered fondly by those who knew him.
