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Bing’s family joined a flood of refugees fleeing the devastation of their home caused by Japanese occupation. But the journey was not easy. It took 3 years for them to make it across China to Hong Kong, where they finally boarded a ship headed for Sydney.

The family reunited with Bing at Sydney wharf after 10 years of not having seen each other. It was 1948. His son, Ken, was 17 and did not remember much about his father. Having been through a long, harrowing separation, Bing was keen to settle with his family and create a better life for them with the many opportunities his new home had to offer.

Affordable land on the outskirts of Western Sydney drew many post-war migrants, and the suburb of Fairfield is where the Lee family would call home for over 50 years. Bing put his savings from working for the last 10 years into the purchase of a local fruit market. Ken, not wanting to leave his father to support the family alone, put his study ambitions on an indefinite hold to work in the family business.

Ken worked hard, but he also found the time to enjoy his new life, socialising and making Australian friends. As the only son, Ken wanted to show his parents that he was capable of not only working in the business but taking it over when his father was no longer able to run it.

THE RISE OF THE BING LEE BRAND

In the 1950s, Bing Lee was at the forefront of the new consumer age. He traded his fruit shop for an electrical repair shop, which he and Ken developed into an electrical retail store which also offered installation and repairs, tapping into a brand new market. Bing put faith in his customers by providing credit to fellow migrants, who would usually not have this option due to their lack of financial history. It provided previously out-of-reach technology, such as television, to the working class of Western Sydney. It was the dawn of an iconic brand. The Bing Lee rise to success was just beginning.

The post-war boom and Bing’s determination to give customers a good deal was the perfect recipe for success. In 1963 the family expanded the business by establishing a second store in Cabramatta.

Meanwhile, Ken was at the beginning of something great in his personal life. He met a young woman named Yenda, the daughter of a well-established Chinese merchant. The family was from the same part of China as the Lee family. They began courting and fell in love. Yenda was familiar with Ken’s passion for the family business, as she had seen her father’s business prosper through his hard work and dedication, so she knew what she was getting into when she married Ken on April 25th, 1959.

BING’S LEGACY

Ken became the driving force behind the growth of the family business in the late 1960s. It was at this time that Ken and his wife, Yenda, began their own family. In 1966 their first son, Lionel was born followed by Greg in 1972. Yenda was busy raising their sons while Ken worked hard in the business. During this time, Lionel and Greg became close to their grandfather, Bing. As their father spent more time on the business, the boys were spent more time with their grandparents. In 1987, aged 81, Bing passed away.

Lionel Lee was 21 when his grandfather passed away. As the first son, Lionel was in line to be his father’s successor. Having attended Kings School, he was well educated, but Lionel knew from the age of 13 that he would one day be the CEO of his grandfather’s legacy. The day after his final HSC exam, Lionel began working full time for Bing Lee. With big shoes to fill, Lionel took the role seriously and continued to work alongside his father to expand the Bing Lee empire. Ken had successfully passed on his work ethic to his eldest son, just as his father had to him. Bing Lee was now a third generation business.

But Ken wasn’t about to leave his son to run the show. He wanted nothing more than to ensure the business stays true to the company’s humble origins of staying low-cost and down to earth. Ken truly enjoyed spending time in the different stores, chatting to staff and meeting customers, even on the weekends. It was his “relaxation” time. And Yenda was always by his side.