Grit Before Glitter

Meet four tough cookies who pursued their dreams to make the going better for others.

- ​Mary Lim

simon wong

co-founder, Triquetra.sg

For Simon Wong, Vespa sidecars should do more than ferry tourists from one heritage stop to another. He launched SingaporeSidecars tours in 2018, after garnering positive response to a charity fundraiser for people affected by the catastrophic earthquake in Nepal in 2015.

During the circuit breaker in Singapore, Wong also mobilised his fleet and drivers to help deliver meals donated by luxury hotels to hospitals. “Sidecars are excellent for transporting huge volumes of food. The frontline workers were clearly delighted to see the sidecars; they were taking pictures,” he recalls.

Born in the UK to parents who hailed from Hong Kong, Wong was always curious about his Asian roots. He’s been based since 1999 in Singapore and remains fascinated by its unique mix of cultural idiosyncracies and practices. That’s why he now wants to help steer local tourism out of the Covid-19 doldrums.

Describe your first encounter with the Vespa sidecar.