101-Year-Old S’pore Uncle Reunites With Family From Indonesia After Covid-19 Pandemic Kept Them Apart

Elderly Uncle In Singapore Has Reunion With Indonesian Family For First Time Since Covid-19 Pandemic

While international borders have opened up for the most part since the Covid-19 lockdowns, it looks like there are still many family members who have yet to see each other since the pandemic struck.

Up until recently, an elderly uncle living in Singapore was one of them.

With his whole family living in Indonesia, he had not seen them in four years.

After his story went viral in a video by TheSmartLocal (TSL), Scoot partnered with them to give the uncle a reunion with his Indonesian family.

Viewers first met 101-year-old uncle through TSL challenge video

The tale of Uncle Wee first came to light in a video by TSL on 5 Dec.

@thesmartlocalsgJohn didn’t expect such a heartwarming conversation when he was out trying to find some strangers to have a chat with over lunch 👉🏽👈🏽 For many like Uncle Wee, a 101-year-old from Indonesia who spent most of his life away from his home country, family gatherings don’t happen often enough. Despite the rain, we definitely left lunch with a fuzzy feeling because of his warmth and optimism towards life. As we said bye, Uncle Wee waved and smiled, leaving us wanting to catch him again for another meal. Should we do it?♬ original sound – TheSmartLocal

It started as a challenge for TSL content creator John Edward Lim to get strangers at a hawker centre to have lunch with him.

After multiple rejections, John chanced upon Uncle Wee, who was sitting in a corner all by himself.

As they started conversing over Milo gah dai, Uncle Wee revealed that he was 101 years old.

John asked him what his secret to a long life was, to which he said he does not smoke, drink, scold people, or get mad at them.

What came next, however, was the real kicker, as Uncle Wee claimed he does not drink even one glass of water each day.

Instead, he takes orange juice with extra sugar, leading John to exclaim in disbelief.

Uncle left Indonesian family behind in 1938 to come to Singapore

With 101 years of living under his belt, it goes without saying that Uncle Wee has led quite a life.

In the video, he recounted coming to Singapore in 1938 from an island in Indonesia called Pulau Bangka.

Since then, his family has spawned six generations, which recently expanded to include two newborns.

Sadly, Uncle Wee has not seen the babies, nor has he been back to his hometown since moving away.

His last visit from his Indonesian family was four years ago, before Covid-19.

He went on to express how much he misses and loves all of them. If they visit him in Singapore, he would simply like for them to relax, dine out, and just be happy.

TSL teams up with Scoot to fly Uncle Wee’s grandnieces to Singapore

After the video went viral, numerous viewers called for a part two in which Uncle Wee could reunite with his family.

It did not take long for TSL to notice, and a day after the video was posted, it tagged Scoot in a comment that read, “Up for a reunion?”

In return, Scoot hinted at greater things to come, responding with, “We’re touched… let’s see!!”

Less than two weeks later, Uncle Wee’s dream became a reality.

On 16 Dec, TSL posted a new video titled ‘A Special Surprise for Uncle Wee’.

@thesmartlocalsg [CALL FOR STORIES OF CONNECTION] Uncle Wee’s first ever TikTok dance captured on camera 🕺📱 It all started when John approached Uncle Wee randomly for a chat over some kopi on a rainy day. Little did Uncle Wee know that he will be meeting John again, this time with his relatives! Thank you @flyscoot for making this happen and reminding us to spend quality time with our loved ones, just like Uncle Wee and his grandnieces. If you have someone in your life whom you’ll like to reconnect with, share your story in the comments by 14 January 2024, 2359. Scoot might just bring everyone together for some extra special quality time! #ScootWithHeart ♬ original sound – TheSmartLocal

As it turns out, TSL had teamed up with Scoot to fly Uncle Wee’s grandnieces, Esti and Ely, over to Singapore.

Prior to the trip, John had planned the surprise with the grandnieces via video call, both of whom were ecstatic at the chance to finally see their granduncle again.

During the call, they also talked about what a pity it was to see him living alone, especially given his age.

Uncle likens joy of family reunion to ‘striking the lottery’

Upon Esti and Ely’s arrival in Singapore, John escorted them up to their athai (granduncle)’s flat.

As soon as Uncle Wee saw them, he sat up with a look of utter shock on his face.

His grandnieces rushed over to hug him, and he embraced them for the first time in four years.

He then told them how happy he was that they could meet again, and likened the feeling to striking the lottery.

As Esti and Ely sat down to reflect on the reunion, they teared up over the fact that he lives by himself despite being over 100 years old.

Halfway through the reunion, John revealed yet another surprise — they were going to have a family day out at Gardens by the Bay, courtesy of Scoot and Pelago.

Uncle spends reunion with Indonesian family at Gardens by the Bay

The next day, Uncle Wee, his grandnieces, and John set out for Gardens by the Bay.

Everyone was all smiles as they explored and took photos throughout the park together.

At one point, Uncle Wee even participated in the ‘Flower’ TikTok dance, inspired by the song of the same name by Blackpink member Jisoo.

“Even at such an age, today has been the happiest day of my life,” gushed Uncle Wee.

John was deeply moved by the reunion as well and said he was inspired to give his own grandparents a call later that night.

Scoot seeks to reconnect people like Uncle Wee with loved ones

Uncle Wee’s reunion was part of Scoot’s #ScootwithHeart campaign and was also possible with the help of the Lions Befrienders.

Through the campaign, the airline hopes to encourage the community to treasure the human connections in their life and spark meaningful conversations once again.

Scoot has now teamed up with TSL to seek out stories from more people like Uncle Wee who have not seen their loved ones in a while.

Those interested can share their stories under TSL’s TikTok video or Instagram Reel for a chance at a happy reunion of their own.

To learn more about the #ScootwithHeart campaign, visit their website here.

Disclosure: MS News is a brand under TheSmartLocal Media Group.

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Featured image adapted from @thesmartlocalsg on TikTok.