Loke Wan Tho

Tan Sri Loke Wan Tho (; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ''Lu̍k Yun-thàu''; 14 June 1915 - 20 June 1964) was a Malaysian business magnate, ornithologist, and photographer. He was the founder of Cathay Organisation in Singapore and Malaysia and the chairman of Cathay Organisation, which included Cathay Cinemas and Cathay-Keris Film Productions. He was associated with the Motion Picture and General Investments Limited (MP&GI) in Hong Kong.

Early life and education

Born on 14 June, 1915, in Kuala Lumpur, Loke was the ninth child of Loke Yew, an ethnic Chinese businessman of Cantonese descent, and his wife Loke Cheng Kim, who was of mixed Hokkien-Hakka ancestry.

When Loke was 2 years old, his father died. His early education took place in Kuala Lumpur at the Victoria Institution, a school established by the British for Chinese boys, of which his father was one of the founders.

In 1929, because of his fragile health, Loke, along with his two younger sisters, was taken by his mother to Chillon College in Montreux, Switzerland. In 1932, Loke became the long jump champion of the Swiss County (Vaud).

Loke later attended King's College, Cambridge, where he obtained an honours degree in English Literature and History in 1936. Subsequently, for a short time, he studied at the London School of Economics before returning to Malaya shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War.

Biography

During World War II, in February 1942, Loke boarded the vessel Nora Moller, in order to leave Malaya before the Japanese army could arrive. The Nora Moller was sunk by a Japanese aircraft in the Strait of Bangka. He was rescued, but suffered from temporary blindness and severe burns. Later, he was hospitalised in Batavia and then evacuated to India. He survived his injuries, and, after arriving in Bombay, was introduced to the Indian ornithologist Dr. Salim Ali, who eventually became a lifelong friend and a frequent companion on many major expeditions. Loke credited Salim with inspiring his passion and wrote in his book ''A Company of Birds'': "Under the guidance of an expert (Salim Ali) my interest in birds which hitherto had been but of a dilettante kind blossomed into a deeper passion."

In 2008, Bombay Natural History Society, published the book ''Loke Wan Tho's Birds''. A large collection of his bird photographs is kept in the library of the Bombay Natural History Society at Mumbai.

Business career

Loke inherited a large fortune of tin mines, plantations, and properties from his father, and went on to grow the company which he formed together with his mother in 1935 called Associated Theatres Ltd. The Pavilion Cinema in Kuala Lumpur and the Cathay Cinema in Singapore were built. Partnerships were forged with other filmmakers such as Ho Ah Loke to form the Cathay cinema circuit, which counted 80 cinemas at its peak. Associated Theatres Ltd. later changed its name to Cathay Organisation in 1959.

By 1953, Loke and Ho had started the production of films at Cathay Keris Studios, which were purpose built. Loke's other studios have produced various films, such as Pontianak, Orang Minyak, Bawang Puteh Bawang Merah, Hang Tuah, and Hang Jebat.

Loke also bought a Hong Kong film studio in 1955 and started to produce a library of Chinese films to supply to his chain of cinemas which stretched from Singapore to Bangkok. The films were also distributed to the region and Cathay stars like Ge Lan, You Min, Lin Dai, and Yeh Fung. The films became household names in Indochina, Thailand, Burma, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Sarawak, Borneo, as well as Singapore and Malaya.

The Cathay Organisation, of which Loke was chairman, owned and operated cinemas and film studios, produced Malay and Chinese films, and owned and operated hotels and restaurants. (The Cathay Hotel, Ocean Park Hotel, and their attendant restaurants in Singapore; and Grand Pacific Hotel and The Cathay Hotel Lautoka in Fiji.) He also had interests in rubber, palm oil, and coconut plantations in Malaysia.

From the end of the war, Loke had become increasingly involved in the business world. Besides his own companies, he was Chairman of Malayan Airways Ltd, Singapore Telephone Board, Malayan Banking; and was among the board of directors at Wearne Brothers, Sime Darby, Kwong Yik Bank, Great Eastern Life, H.A. O'Connor's Ltd, Straits Steamship Co. Ltd, and Rediffusion Singapore Ltd.

In his lifetime, Loke was honored by the state of Kelantan in Malaysia, from which he received his Datoship.

Personal life

In September 1963, Loke married his third wife, Mavis Chew, in London.

On 20 June 1964, Loke and his wife were killed in the crash of Civil Air Transport Flight B-908, along with his chief executives, leaving Taichung after attending the 11th Asian Film Festival.

Honours

Honour of Malaya

* :
** Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (PMN) – Tan Sri (1961)

Memorials

* Loke Wan Tho Photography Exhibit is housed on 3rd floor of Singapore Photography Society
* Loke Wan Tho Library in Singapore Jurong Bird Park
* Wan Tho Avenue in Potong Pasir, Singapore
* Loke Wan Tho Star, No. 38 Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong
* Museum open to the public housed on 2nd floor of The Cathay

Publications

*''A Company of Birds''. Michael Joseph, London 1959
* ''Angkor'', by Malcolm MacDonald and Loke Wan Tho, Jonathan Cape, London, 1958,59,60.
* Text by Malcolm MacDonald, with chapters including "The History of Khmers"。"The Ruins of Khmers"。 111 Black and White Plates of Angkor Wat, taken by Loke Wan Tho and M.MacDonald。

References

External links

*
Black Naped Tern, photograph by Loke Wan ThoCathay OrganisationLoke Wan Tho map collection at the National Library of Australia

{{DEFAULTSORT:Loke, Wan Tho
1915 births
Malaysian people of Hokkien descent
Malaysian people of Chinese descent
1964 deaths
Malaysian chief executives
Malaysian emigrants to Singapore
Malaysian people of Cantonese descent
Naturalised citizens of Singapore
Singaporean art patrons
Singaporean chief executives
Singaporean people of Cantonese descent
Singaporean ornithologists
Malaysian people of Hakka descent
Singaporean photographers
Businesspeople from Kuala Lumpur
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1964
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Taiwan
20th-century zoologists
Commanders of the Order of the Defender of the Realm
20th-century philanthropists