As Kevin Loo enters life as a family man, he reflects on the family trees in his life and how our roots play an important part of who we are and where we go.
When I was around six or seven years old, we were given a homework assignment. My teacher smiled excitedly at the class, peering over her moon-shaped glasses. “Did you know that many of us have great great great grandparents that probably came from England by boat to Australia? Go home and ask your parents to help you trace back your family tree!”
A week later, my classmates returned to school with large pieces of paper. Their sheets showed large trees with branches extending across many generations of English, Irish, German, French, Scottish and other miscellaneous European ancestors.
“My great great great great grandfather was sent as a prisoner because he stole a loaf of bread!”
“My second cousin’s husband’s aunty’s grandmother worked for the Queen!”
“My family owns a vineyard castle in Europe!”
Meanwhile, my family tree was more of a small shrub than an impressive oak. “What happened to your tree, Kevin?” my teacher asked with a kind gesture. “I don’t know. We don’t have much information going that far back…”
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Kevin Loo