SCWO bids farewell to a dear friend, Mrs Elizabeth Choy. 1910-2006

Elizabeth Choy was a woman who made a difference. War heroine and legislator, Elizabeth is an icon of the strength and resilience of women in Singapore. She was one of the founders of the Singapore Council of Women, a pioneer who played a pivotal role in shaping Singapore’s social and legislative structure.

“Elizabeth is a role model who worked towards a better future for women and society. Her determination to overcome barriers and her courage to fight for what she believed in is inspirational. We will remember her as a woman who cleared the path for us and opened up many possibilities that we enjoy today. She has always been very supportive of SCWO and attended many of our events. Just last year, we were most happy to be graced by her presence when we launched our Wall of Fame, of which she was one of the honorees. I remember her always as a gracious lady, tireless in her efforts to help” said Mrs Wee Wan Joo, President of the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations.

“She was a lovely woman in every sense of the word. It’s sad to lose her,” added Mrs Tisa Ng, Immediate Past President, SCWO.

SCWO Wall of Fame - Elizabeth Choy

Mrs. Elizabeth Choy was the first and only women to be nominated to the Legislative Council. In 2005, she was honored by SCWO as one of the outstanding individuals who have made ground breaking contributions to the status and condition of women in Singapore. Immortalised on the SCWO Wall of Fame, her achievements and countless contributions will inspire and encourage the generation of today to understand that the future is ours to shape. The feudal social setting prevailing in the fifties was loaded against women. The status of women in the family and society were inferior to men, polygamy was common, very few were given education, jobs were not easily available and pay was never equal for both genders for the same job. Elizabeth Choy’s was instrumental in the move for women’s emancipation in Singapore.

Bazaar organisers

Urban - Feature

A bit of everything

28 September 2006, Straits Times

Bazaar organisers Lynette Ee and Germaine Lim deal with this&that and everything else in between, like running a wedding boutique, a wine retailing business and a spa. KUEK LIN reports

What do you name a business that dabbles in this and that? Why, this &that of course.

Owners Lynette Ee, 41, and Germaine Lim, 39, started their venture as a fair-organising business earlier this year.

It is now a spa, bazaar, wine retailer and wedding boutique all rolled into one.

Drop by That Boutique Bazaar and That Spa in River Valley Road, and you will find a one-room spa with two beds tucked in a 100-year-old conservation shophouse.

After the spa session, you can browse through an array of arts and craft items from a $100 abstract painting done by a Singaporean to a $300 hand-painted shawl from Nepal.

Imported from all over the world by the vendors that this&that engages, these wares change every two weeks.

Then there is Anything But White, the bridal arm which customises wedding dresses for rebels of white weddings.

There is also That Wine Bazaar, which sources for premium wines like the Chilean Los Vosco Ledix and French Guigal Chateau Nuf De Pape from local distributors which supply to restaurants and hotels.

Both these ventures do not have a physical store, but are among the services that this&that offers. Simply walk into That Boutique Bazaar and work out a personalised plan with Ee and Lim.

The two met at a fashion show in August last year and hit it off instantly.

Lim was a general manager with consumer giant Procter & Gamble, while Ee, a former buyer at Ikea Asia-Pacific, ran her own home gallery that sold handmade jewellery.

They decided to pool their 25 years of marketing and retail experience and organised their first bazaar at Hilton Hotel in May this year.

They rented the venue and leased out the space to vendors, who paid $600 per booth.

The two-day fair was a hit. Over 9,000 people visited the more than 80 booths and the total vendor takings were estimated to be about $250,000 based on credit card sales.

Their second bazaar was held at the same hotel last weekend and saw takings jump to an estimated $440,000.

Ho Shufen, catering and sales manager at the Hilton Hotel, says of the organisers: 'They brought in a variety of products that were unique and could not be found anywhere else.'

These range from vintage clothing to tableware.

Ee explains: 'We aim to provide what others can't, so the products that our vendors sell have to be unique and upmarket.'

While they used to 'shop' for suitable vendors, they now have interested parties calling them daily to ask for a booth in upcoming fairs.

Their bazaars have caught the attention of Clarke Quay's landlord, CapitaLand, which approached the women earlier this year to stage fairs at the riverfront attraction.

Three are slated, on the last weekend of each month from next month.

But money, as the two women would tell you, is not everything.

At the first Hilton fair, they gave two prime stall spaces near the doors to the National Committee for Unifem Singapore and waived the rental.

Unifem is an organisation under the United Nations umbrella which represents female rights.

Fazlin Abdullah, general manager of the National Committee for Unifem Singapore, says: 'We were tucked in one corner in previous fairs, but with this&that, we were given the best locations.'

The committee took in 40 per cent more than they did at previous fairs, selling donated items such as second-hand clothing. The two women behind this&that are busy thinking up more ideas for their business, and say work is now a pleasure.

'If we are any 'holic', it has to be shopaholic,' Ee says.

After all, it was their passion for shopping that brought them together.

That Bazaar @ Clarke Quay will be held at the Central Fountain Square at Clarke Quay on

Oct 28-29, Nov 25-26 and Dec 9-10.

That Boutique Bazaar is at 289 River Valley Road, tel: 6735-4868, www.thisandthatbazaar.com

NUS Pro Bono Group’s “Break the Bonds” campaign Feb 2006

Law student defends less fortunate

By Michelle Chen

A yellow plastic chain tied around a red lantern was seen hanging from a pole in the NUS Central Library block on March 2.

Joseph Wong, a fourth-year law student, explained the significance of the exhibit to interested passers-by. He said the red lantern represented child prostitution while the yellow plastic chain represented the factors that bind children to the trade.

The symbols are used in the NUS Pro Bono Group’s “Break the Bonds” campaign to fight against child-sex tourism. Students were given a pair of pliers to cut a link from the plastic chain after signing their names in a book as a show of support.

“Break the Bonds” is a legal reform project initiated by the Association of Women for Action and Research and supported by Pro Bono. Wong is the founder of the latter advocacy group.

The law student calls Pro Bono a community service group with a legal slant. He said Pro Bono approaches non-profit organizations and assists them with their law reform projects.

Wong also sends Pro Bono members, who are law students, to legal clinics to assist volunteer lawyers. At these clinics, people can receive legal advice for free.

Wong explained he supports legal clinics because he believes in making the law “more accessible” to people who lack the financial means to hire lawyers. He said he would like to volunteer part-time at a legal clinic in future.

Wong also feels strongly about the importance of student welfare and education. He relates this to having grown up in a lower-middle income family.

“I am keenly aware of the opportunities that I had (in order) to climb to the next socio-economic class, and I am keenly aware of how important education is,” he said.

Wong has combined his beliefs about student welfare and education with his commitment towards helping the less fortunate. Despite being busy with law reform projects, he is involved in a free tutoring scheme started by Michael Tan, a friend of 21 years.

The scheme recruits tutors from tertiary institutions and provides free tuition to primary school students from lower-income families.

Tan said he loves having Wong around to help out with the tutoring scheme because Wong is “capable and is unafraid to be unconventional.”

He also called Wong’s idea to begin Pro Bono “excellent.”

“The group has been set up extremely well and I am very impressed by the scope of activities it initiated,” Tan said.

Cassandra Ow, second-year law student and current president of Pro Bono, has also praise for Wong.

“He founded the group and developed it into today’s size of 35,” Ow said. “I think that is enough said.”

Wong continues to be active in Pro Bono. He is currently exploring the possibility of getting Pro Bono to work with The Law Society of Singapore to write a research paper on reforming the criminal legal justice system.

He said he also wants to continue being involved in Pro Bono after graduation even though he may not be in Singapore then.

Wong, whose area of specialty is corporate and financial law services, said he hopes to work in “bigger American cities or London.”

Until he embarks on his professional career, Wong said he hopes to continue working on campaigns such as “Break the Bonds” to capture the attention and imagination of students.

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breaking the bonds

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World Vision: Child Sex Tourism Prevention Project
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