A DEVOTED father, a national hero and a legend to all is what Late Sir Moon Pin Literati Quan will be remembered for.
These were the sentiments highlighted yesterday during a memorial service for Late Sir Quan held at Holy Cross Cathedral.
The service was attended by Chief Justice Sir Albert Palmer and his wife, other dignitaries from the government, non-government organisations, members of the business community, family members and friends of Sir Quan who was called to rest on 30th August 2021 at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.
Sir Quan was born in Kirakira, Makira Ulawa Province on 23rd December 1943. He was the eldest of 10 children – seven sons and three daughters – of a Chinese trading family.
He was a devoted member of the Catholic Church who often asked if his family could join him for mass at a nearby Catholic Church.
He was a devoted father, national hero and a legend to all as he was a Member of Parliament during the sixth parliament in which he was Minister of Agriculture and Primary Industries.
The congregation yesterday heard that Sir Quan enjoyed performing public service and loved serving the great nation of Solomon Islands alongside his fellow countrymen.
In the non-government sector, Sir Quan served as chairman of Solomon Islands Red Cross Society, an organisation he contributed towards greatly.
In his spare time, he involved in teaching martial arts. In fact, he was the grandmaster of Wing Chun Kung Fu School in Honiara.
His students were his pride and he treated them as his children.
For all his contribution to the country, Late Sir Quan received the Knight of the Order of St John, the Knight of the British Empire (KBE) and an Officer of the British Empire (QBE) for his services to commerce, national development, community and youth development.
He once told his children that “this is my world and I am not scared to change it for a better tomorrow”.
In their farewell message to their late father, Sir Quan’s children said: “Our father lived a full life and he loved all of us and he wished all of us the best each and every day.
“He would want every one of us to be happy and smiling.
“Our father will be missed by all of us.
“Father, we all love you so dearly.
“May you rest in peace and you will live on forever in our hearts.”
Yesterday’s service was led by Fr. John Galvin with prayers, hymns and Holy Communion.
Ms Wendy Ho the secretary of Solomon Islands Chinese Association acknowledged with deep appreciation for the many expressions of love, concern and kindness shown to Sir Quan’s immediate family during this time of bereavement.
Late Sir Quan was 78 years old at the time of his passing.
By LACHLAN EDDIE
Newsroom, Honiara
