Elizabeth Choy
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| 'Elizabeth Choy Su-Mei (蔡素梅)' | |
| Born | Yong Su-Mei (杨素梅) 29 November 1910  Kudat, Sabah, North Borneo |
|---|---|
| Died | 14 September 2006 |
| Cause of death | pancreatic cancer |
| Other names | Dayak Woman of Singapore |
| Known for | War Heroine of Singapore |
Elizabeth Choy-Yong Su-Mei OBE, (simplified Chinese: 蔡杨素梅; pinyin: Cài-Yáng SùMéi) was a notable person in Singapore history, and people who knew her remember her strong will and resilience in character, her penchant for wearing traditional Chinese and Indian clothing, qipaos and bangles and thus earning the nickname "Dayak Woman of Singapore". She was born to a Hakka family in Kudat, British North Borneo (now known as Sabah) Her roots in Kudat came from her great-grandparents who first came to the place from Hong Kong to assist German missionaries in their work. Subsequently they set up a coconut plantation in Kudat. Elizabeth's father was the eldest in a family of 11 children, worked as a civil servant after completing his early education in China with some English education in North Borneo. He later married the daughter of a well-respected priest in North Borneo, had himself transferred to work in Jesselton and later promoted to District Officer, moving on to Kalimantan. When Elizabeth was born she looked after by a Kadazan nanny, and thus acquired Kadazan language as her mother tongue.[1]
During World War II during the Japanese occupation of Singapore she was imprisoned for 193 days. Following the war she joined the Legislative Council in 1951, the first and only woman to have ever done so. She also posed nude for two sculptures, Serene Jade and Flawless Crystal, created by the sculptress Dora Gordine. Furthermore, she was the first principal, as well as a teacher, at the Singapore School for the Blind.
Her story of World War 2 Resistance was told thru a TV series called "Life Stories", a MediaCorp production Other than that, she always ends the phrase: "Let us have peace," with "No more war." She died at the age of 95 as a result of pancreatic cancer. Notably, when she was informed of the diagnosis, she refused treatment, saying that she was ready to go to heaven.[citation needed]
