No Excuse to Turn to Crime for Income

Septuagenarian would rather fix shoes than stay idle at home
By CAVINA LIM cavina@thestar.com.my

GEORGE TOWN: Like a surgeon holding a scalpel, septuagenarian Cheong Len Then @ Cheong Pei Chee takes great care as she works a stitching awl onto a shoe that she is repairing.

Sitting on a stool under a makeshift tent surrounded by all sorts of footwear and tools, the 74-year-old cobbler broke into a grin after she successfully stitched a hole in the shoe.

“I learnt the ropes of repairing shoes from my late husband, who worked at the job for about 40 years from his father's time,” she said when met at her workplace along Jalan Thean Teik in Bandar Baru Air Itam, where they had been operating for about four decades.

A mother of three and grandmother of two, Cheong took over the trade from her husband after he passed away in March last year. He had suffered from high blood pressure.

The business, she said, had helped to put food on the table and sent her children to school.

“I would drop by to help him after fetching our children from school and after completing the daily chores,” she recalled.

Although her children now a son aged 37 and two daughters aged 42 and 45 are capable of supporting her, Cheong said she did not want to depend on them entirely.

“My eldest daughter, who is living in Johor with her husband and two children, would constantly persuade me to go over to stay with her.

“My other children also advised me to stay at home and enjoy my golden years' but I think age does not matter when it comes to work. I still enjoy being a cobbler.”

“Furthermore, I can earn extra income and my working hours are flexible. I am happy that despite my age, I can still be independent,” said the bubbly woman.

Cheong, who is now staying with her youngest daughter and only son, also expressed pride that her children would always see to it that she was well taken care of.

“They make sure I eat properly. My daughter will bring me to Youth Park for weekly exercises. That is how I keep myself fit and healthy. Repairing shoes is like a past time. I do not like being idle at home,” she said.

Cheong runs her business at least six days a week from 10am to 3pm daily.

However, she noted that there were fewer customers these days.

“Now, I have about two to three customers daily compared to at least 10 in previous years.

“I think it's because shoes are cheaper nowadays so people prefer to buy new ones instead of repairing them,” she added.

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