Sim Lim Tower ice cream cart hawker Ng Teak Boon passes away at 92
He was one of the last few original licensed itinerant hawkers in Singapore, and had been plying his trade selling old-school ice cream blocks in the area for over 50 years.
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Known affectionately as Uncle Boon, he was a well-known sight outside Sim Lim Tower, where he has been selling old-school ice cream blocks from a mobile pushcart for over 50 years. 
News of his passing was first announced by hawker Melvin Chew on his Facebook group Hawkers United - Dabao 2020. He wrote: “Sad to announce the passing of Sim Lim ice cream uncle Ah Boon last night. Uncle Boon will be cremated this evening at Mandai [crematorium]. I will be dropping by later to pay my last respects to Uncle Boon. Two weeks ago I saw him at Jalan Besar hawker centre. And I still talked to him. Passed some kopi money to him. Today he passed on. RIP Uncle Boon.
As ice cream pushcarts become a dying trade, Uncle Boon’s sales gradually dwindled over the years. He earned a few hundred dollars a month selling ice cream, and lived alone in a one-room rental flat in Geylang Bahru.
When his income took a huge hit during the Circuit Breaker when everyone stayed home, netizens rallied to help him sell more ice cream and spruce up his rental flat, which was sparsely furnished.
One Mr Chetan, a business owner working in Sim Lim Tower, told 8days.sg that he had been patronising Uncle Boon’s ice cream cart since 2007. He shared: “I would always buy the ice cream from Uncle. He was always earlier than me to start [his day for business]. Very nice uncle, very humble.”
Photos: Larry Lai/ Melvin Chew
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