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Ann Elizabeth Wee

January 01, 1970

Ann Elizabeth Wee (née Wilcox; 19 August 1926 – 11 December 2019) was a British-born Singaporean academic and social worker, who was called the founding mother of social work in Singapore. She was known for pioneering professional social work in Singapore and as the longest-serving head of the Department of Social Work in the National University of Singapore. She was the inaugural recipient of the lifetime volunteer achievement award of the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports in 2009, was honored with the Meritorious Service Medal in 2010 and was inducted into the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame in 2014.

Ann Elizabeth Wee
Born
Ann Elizabeth Wilcox

(1926-08-19)19 August 1926
Corbridge, Northumberland, England
Died11 December 2019(2019-12-11) (aged 93)
Singapore
NationalityBritish, Singaporean
Other namesAnn Wee
Occupation(s)educator, social worker
Years active1950–2009
Known forestablishing the profession of social work in Singapore

Early life edit

Ann Elizabeth Wilcox was born on 19 August 1926[1][2] in Corbridge, Northumberland, England to a middle-class family. Her father was an insurance salesman and her mother was a homemaker.[2] After finishing her A-levels, in 1944 Wilcox joined the Red Cross[3] and worked as a live-in domestic at Howick Hall. The former home of the Prime Minister Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, for whom the famous tea is named, had been turned into a military hospital, during World War II.[2][4]

When she completed her service, Wilcox began attending the London School of Economics, reading economics. In 1945, the school was evacuated because of bombings to Cambridge University. While continuing her studies in Cambridge, Wilcox met a Singaporean law student, Harry Lee Wee, at a social function and they began dating. In 1946, both Wilcox and Wee returned to London. He completed an internship as a legal clerk and took his law examination and she finished her undergraduate degree in economics in 1947 and began her master's studies in social anthropology.[3][5][6] Harry returned to Singapore in 1948, while Wilcox remained in London to complete her schooling. She also did relief work in the slum neighborhoods of London, taking social surveys when the war ended.[3] In March, 1950, Wilcox began the three-month voyage to reunite with Harry in Singapore[5] and on 28 June 1950, the couple were married[2] at St Andrew's Cathedral.[3]

Career edit

Soon after her marriage, three teachers resigned from posts at the Methodist Girls' School and Wee was urged by her mother-in-law to apply for a position.[2] She would teach at the school for four years.[3] In 1952, she also began teaching social work classes at the National University of Singapore (NUS), which at the time was known as the University of Malaya in Singapore, on a part-time basis. Throughout 1955 and 1956, Wee worked in the Social Welfare Department of the government.[2] She worked as a training officer and was required to make home visits for the counseling and advice section. During her assessments in shanty towns and shops in Chinatown, she had to learn Cantonese and Hokkien on the job, so that she could communicate with her clients.[3] At the end of 1956, Wee left government service when a full-time teaching post opened up at the university[2] in the Social Studies Department.[7]

In 1967, Wee applied for the post of Department Head for the university's Department of Social Work and formally assumed the post in 1968.[2] Over the next two decades, she worked to implement policy and change the perception that social workers were not professionals but suppliers of "tea and sympathy". When other departments were eliminated, she fought for social work to be retained and an honours course to be added to the department's curriculum.[3] In 1970, Wee began working with the Juvenile Court as an advisor in child protection.[5] She also served as an advisor to the Ministry of Social Affairs on women's and girl's issues and on the board of both the National Youth Leadership Training Institute and the National Trades Union Congress, advising on a program to implement dental care.[8] She was awarded the Bintang Bakti Masyarakat by President Benjamin Sheares in 1973.[8] Working as the department head until her retirement in 1986,[2] her career spanned the longest term as department head in the history of the university.[1] Despite retiring as head of the department, Wee continued teaching as an associate professor at NUS.[2] In 2004, she authored Social Work in the Singapore Context, the "only textbook on social work in Singapore".[3] Wee continued her involvement as a social worker with the juvenile courts until 2009,[2] retiring with almost four decades of service.[3]

In 2009, Wee became the inaugural honoree for the lifetime volunteer achievement award presented by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports[2] to recognize her work with the Juvenile Courts.[9] She was honored with the Meritorious Service Medal in 2010 for her pioneering efforts in social work, often being referred to as the "founding mother" of the field in Singapore.[3][10] In 2014, she was inducted into the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame.[10] She published her memoir, A Tiger Remembers: The Way We Were in Singapore in 2016.[5][1] The Ann Wee NUS Social Work Alumni Award, is presented in her honor by the National University of Singapore to recognize excellence in social work.[1]

Death and legacy edit

Wee died on 11 December 2019 at age 93. She is remembered as the 'founding mother' of social work in Singapore.[11]

Works edit

  • — (1963). "Chinese-Malay Relationships: The Conflict of Social Values in a Plural Society". In Szczepanik, E.F. (ed.). Symposium on Economic and Social Problems of the Far East: Proceedings of a Meeting Held in September 1961 as Part of the Golden Jubilee Congress of the University of Hong Kong. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. (Also known as the Hong Kong University Symposium on Economic and Social Problems of the Far East.)
  • — (1972). Some Social Implications of Rehousing Programmes in Singapore. Hong Kong University Press.
  • —, ed. (1973). Two studies of social work in the field of abortion: Virginia Heng and Laily Ibrahim. Univ. of Singapore Dept. of Social Work. ASIN B000XCOH7C. OCLC 220566890.
  • —; Vaithilingam, D. K. (1973). Family planning and family organisation. OCLC 251422982.
  • —; Galvez, Cherie; Singapore Council of Social Service (1986). A survey of youth-work agencies. The Council. OCLC 226123049.
  • — (1986). "Early social work resource literature in Singapore". In Kapur, Basant K. (ed.). Singapore Studies: Critical Surveys of the Humanities and Social Sciences. Singapore Studies: Critical Surveys of the Humanities and Social Sciences. Vol. 1. Singapore University Press. pp. 65–81. ISBN 978-9971-69-105-9. OCLC 1080552938.
  • — (1992). Demographic trends: The era of the ageing society: A matter of concern for women and for women's organisations. ASEAN Confederation of Women's Organisations, 5th General Assembly. Brunei. OCLC 1103286613.
  • — (2002). "Social work education in Singapore". In Tan, Ngoh Tiong; Mehta, Kalyani (eds.). Extending frontiers: Social issues and social work in Singapore. Eastern Universities Press. ISBN 981-210-216-7. OCLC 51231611.
  • Mehta, Kalyani K.; —, eds. (2004). Social work in context: A reader. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Academic. ISBN 978-981-210-310-9. OCLC 58536062.
  • — (2011). "Where we are coming from, social and welfare interventions when Singapore was a British colony". In Mehta, Kalyani K.; Wee, Ann Elizabeth (eds.). Social Work in the Singapore Context (2nd ed.). Singapore: Pearson. ISBN 978-981-06-8651-2. OCLC 741539477.
  • — (2011). "Concepts in context, concepts are there to make learning easier". In Mehta, Kalyani K.; Wee, Ann Elizabeth (eds.). Social Work in the Singapore Context (2nd ed.). Singapore: Pearson. ISBN 978-981-06-8651-2. OCLC 741539477.
  • Ho Chi Tim; — (2016). Social services. Singapore: Institute of Policy Studies / Straits Times Press. ISBN 978-981-4747-49-3. OCLC 962171475.
  • — (2016). A tiger remembers: The way we were in Singapore. Singapore: Ridge Books. ISBN 978-981-4722-37-7. OCLC 960841593.

References edit

Citations edit

  1. ^ a b c d NUS Press 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l The Straits Times 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Sim 2011, p. C4.
  4. ^ Wee 2016, p. xx.
  5. ^ a b c d Suk-Wai 2016.
  6. ^ LSEAAS Magazine 2013, p. 8.
  7. ^ Desker & Kwa 2012, p. 67.
  8. ^ a b Khng 1973, p. 2.
  9. ^ Soin & Thomas 2015, p. 264.
  10. ^ a b Singapore Council of Women's Organisations 2014.
  11. ^ Yong 2019.

Bibliography edit

  • Desker, Barry; Kwa, Chong Guan (2012). Goh Keng Swee: A Public Career Remembered. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Company Ltd. ISBN 978-981-4291-39-2.
  • Khng, Pauline (4 May 1973). "The 'star' women of Singapore". Singapore: New Nation. p. 2. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  • Sim, Melissa (19 September 2011). (PDF). The Straits Times. Singapore. p. C4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 March 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  • Soin, Kanwaljit; Thomas, Margaret (2015). Our Lives To Live: Putting A Woman's Face To Change In Singapore. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Company Ltd. ISBN 978-981-4641-99-9.
  • Suk-Wai, Cheong (11 December 2016). . The Straits Times. Singapore. Archived from the original on 11 December 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  • Wee, Ann (2016). A Tiger Remembers: The Way We Were in Singapore. Singapore: National University of Singapore Press. ISBN 978-981-4722-37-7.
  • Yong, Michael (11 December 2019). . CNA. Singapore. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  • "Ann Wee's 90th Birthday and the Pre-Launch of Her Book, "A Tiger Remembers"". Singapore: NUS Press. 24 August 2016. from the original on 31 October 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  • (PDF). LSEAAS Magazine. No. 40th Anniversary Commemorative. Singapore: London School of Economics Alumni Association of Singapore. 2013. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 February 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  • . Singapore Women's Hall of Fame. Singapore: Singapore Council of Women's Organisations. 2014. Archived from the original on 14 August 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  • . The Straits Times. Singapore. 11 December 2016. Archived from the original on 11 December 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2018.

January 01, 1970
elizabeth, née, wilcox, august, 1926, december, 2019, british, born, singaporean, academic, social, worker, called, founding, mother, social, work, singapore, known, pioneering, professional, social, work, singapore, longest, serving, head, department, social,. Ann Elizabeth Wee nee Wilcox 19 August 1926 11 December 2019 was a British born Singaporean academic and social worker who was called the founding mother of social work in Singapore She was known for pioneering professional social work in Singapore and as the longest serving head of the Department of Social Work in the National University of Singapore She was the inaugural recipient of the lifetime volunteer achievement award of the Ministry of Community Development Youth and Sports in 2009 was honored with the Meritorious Service Medal in 2010 and was inducted into the Singapore Women s Hall of Fame in 2014 Ann Elizabeth WeeBornAnn Elizabeth Wilcox 1926 08 19 19 August 1926Corbridge Northumberland EnglandDied11 December 2019 2019 12 11 aged 93 SingaporeNationalityBritish SingaporeanOther namesAnn WeeOccupation s educator social workerYears active1950 2009Known forestablishing the profession of social work in Singapore Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Death and legacy 4 Works 5 References 5 1 Citations 5 2 BibliographyEarly life editAnn Elizabeth Wilcox was born on 19 August 1926 1 2 in Corbridge Northumberland England to a middle class family Her father was an insurance salesman and her mother was a homemaker 2 After finishing her A levels in 1944 Wilcox joined the Red Cross 3 and worked as a live in domestic at Howick Hall The former home of the Prime Minister Charles Grey 2nd Earl Grey for whom the famous tea is named had been turned into a military hospital during World War II 2 4 When she completed her service Wilcox began attending the London School of Economics reading economics In 1945 the school was evacuated because of bombings to Cambridge University While continuing her studies in Cambridge Wilcox met a Singaporean law student Harry Lee Wee at a social function and they began dating In 1946 both Wilcox and Wee returned to London He completed an internship as a legal clerk and took his law examination and she finished her undergraduate degree in economics in 1947 and began her master s studies in social anthropology 3 5 6 Harry returned to Singapore in 1948 while Wilcox remained in London to complete her schooling She also did relief work in the slum neighborhoods of London taking social surveys when the war ended 3 In March 1950 Wilcox began the three month voyage to reunite with Harry in Singapore 5 and on 28 June 1950 the couple were married 2 at St Andrew s Cathedral 3 Career editSoon after her marriage three teachers resigned from posts at the Methodist Girls School and Wee was urged by her mother in law to apply for a position 2 She would teach at the school for four years 3 In 1952 she also began teaching social work classes at the National University of Singapore NUS which at the time was known as the University of Malaya in Singapore on a part time basis Throughout 1955 and 1956 Wee worked in the Social Welfare Department of the government 2 She worked as a training officer and was required to make home visits for the counseling and advice section During her assessments in shanty towns and shops in Chinatown she had to learn Cantonese and Hokkien on the job so that she could communicate with her clients 3 At the end of 1956 Wee left government service when a full time teaching post opened up at the university 2 in the Social Studies Department 7 In 1967 Wee applied for the post of Department Head for the university s Department of Social Work and formally assumed the post in 1968 2 Over the next two decades she worked to implement policy and change the perception that social workers were not professionals but suppliers of tea and sympathy When other departments were eliminated she fought for social work to be retained and an honours course to be added to the department s curriculum 3 In 1970 Wee began working with the Juvenile Court as an advisor in child protection 5 She also served as an advisor to the Ministry of Social Affairs on women s and girl s issues and on the board of both the National Youth Leadership Training Institute and the National Trades Union Congress advising on a program to implement dental care 8 She was awarded the Bintang Bakti Masyarakat by President Benjamin Sheares in 1973 8 Working as the department head until her retirement in 1986 2 her career spanned the longest term as department head in the history of the university 1 Despite retiring as head of the department Wee continued teaching as an associate professor at NUS 2 In 2004 she authored Social Work in the Singapore Context the only textbook on social work in Singapore 3 Wee continued her involvement as a social worker with the juvenile courts until 2009 2 retiring with almost four decades of service 3 In 2009 Wee became the inaugural honoree for the lifetime volunteer achievement award presented by the Ministry of Community Development Youth and Sports 2 to recognize her work with the Juvenile Courts 9 She was honored with the Meritorious Service Medal in 2010 for her pioneering efforts in social work often being referred to as the founding mother of the field in Singapore 3 10 In 2014 she was inducted into the Singapore Women s Hall of Fame 10 She published her memoir A Tiger Remembers The Way We Were in Singapore in 2016 5 1 The Ann Wee NUS Social Work Alumni Award is presented in her honor by the National University of Singapore to recognize excellence in social work 1 Death and legacy editWee died on 11 December 2019 at age 93 She is remembered as the founding mother of social work in Singapore 11 Works edit 1963 Chinese Malay Relationships The Conflict of Social Values in a Plural Society In Szczepanik E F ed Symposium on Economic and Social Problems of the Far East Proceedings of a Meeting Held in September 1961 as Part of the Golden Jubilee Congress of the University of Hong Kong Hong Kong Hong Kong University Press Also known as the Hong Kong University Symposium on Economic and Social Problems of the Far East 1972 Some Social Implications of Rehousing Programmes in Singapore Hong Kong University Press ed 1973 Two studies of social work in the field of abortion Virginia Heng and Laily Ibrahim Univ of Singapore Dept of Social Work ASIN B000XCOH7C OCLC 220566890 Vaithilingam D K 1973 Family planning and family organisation OCLC 251422982 Galvez Cherie Singapore Council of Social Service 1986 A survey of youth work agencies The Council OCLC 226123049 1986 Early social work resource literature in Singapore In Kapur Basant K ed Singapore Studies Critical Surveys of the Humanities and Social Sciences Singapore Studies Critical Surveys of the Humanities and Social Sciences Vol 1 Singapore University Press pp 65 81 ISBN 978 9971 69 105 9 OCLC 1080552938 1992 Demographic trends The era of the ageing society A matter of concern for women and for women s organisations ASEAN Confederation of Women s Organisations 5th General Assembly Brunei OCLC 1103286613 2002 Social work education in Singapore In Tan Ngoh Tiong Mehta Kalyani eds Extending frontiers Social issues and social work in Singapore Eastern Universities Press ISBN 981 210 216 7 OCLC 51231611 Mehta Kalyani K eds 2004 Social work in context A reader Singapore Marshall Cavendish Academic ISBN 978 981 210 310 9 OCLC 58536062 2011 Where we are coming from social and welfare interventions when Singapore was a British colony In Mehta Kalyani K Wee Ann Elizabeth eds Social Work in the Singapore Context 2nd ed Singapore Pearson ISBN 978 981 06 8651 2 OCLC 741539477 2011 Concepts in context concepts are there to make learning easier In Mehta Kalyani K Wee Ann Elizabeth eds Social Work in the Singapore Context 2nd ed Singapore Pearson ISBN 978 981 06 8651 2 OCLC 741539477 Ho Chi Tim 2016 Social services Singapore Institute of Policy Studies Straits Times Press ISBN 978 981 4747 49 3 OCLC 962171475 2016 A tiger remembers The way we were in Singapore Singapore Ridge Books ISBN 978 981 4722 37 7 OCLC 960841593 References editCitations edit a b c d NUS Press 2016 a b c d e f g h i j k l The Straits Times 2016 a b c d e f g h i j Sim 2011 p C4 Wee 2016 p xx a b c d Suk Wai 2016 LSEAAS Magazine 2013 p 8 Desker amp Kwa 2012 p 67 a b Khng 1973 p 2 Soin amp Thomas 2015 p 264 a b Singapore Council of Women s Organisations 2014 Yong 2019 Bibliography edit Desker Barry Kwa Chong Guan 2012 Goh Keng Swee A Public Career Remembered Singapore World Scientific Publishing Company Ltd ISBN 978 981 4291 39 2 Khng Pauline 4 May 1973 The star women of Singapore Singapore New Nation p 2 Retrieved 2 March 2018 Sim Melissa 19 September 2011 Founding mother of social work PDF The Straits Times Singapore p C4 Archived from the original PDF on 2 March 2018 Retrieved 2 March 2018 Soin Kanwaljit Thomas Margaret 2015 Our Lives To Live Putting A Woman s Face To Change In Singapore Singapore World Scientific Publishing Company Ltd ISBN 978 981 4641 99 9 Suk Wai Cheong 11 December 2016 Tiger tiger burning bright The Straits Times Singapore Archived from the original on 11 December 2016 Retrieved 2 March 2018 Wee Ann 2016 A Tiger Remembers The Way We Were in Singapore Singapore National University of Singapore Press ISBN 978 981 4722 37 7 Yong Michael 11 December 2019 Ann Elizabeth Wee founding mother of social work in Singapore dies aged 93 CNA Singapore Archived from the original on 11 December 2019 Retrieved 11 December 2019 Ann Wee s 90th Birthday and the Pre Launch of Her Book A Tiger Remembers Singapore NUS Press 24 August 2016 Archived from the original on 31 October 2016 Retrieved 2 March 2018 Alumni Portrait A E Wee PDF LSEAAS Magazine No 40th Anniversary Commemorative Singapore London School of Economics Alumni Association of Singapore 2013 p 8 Archived from the original PDF on 17 February 2017 Retrieved 2 March 2018 Ann Elizabeth Wee Pioneer in social work education in Singapore Singapore Women s Hall of Fame Singapore Singapore Council of Women s Organisations 2014 Archived from the original on 14 August 2017 Retrieved 2 March 2018 Jobs kept falling into her lap The Straits Times Singapore 11 December 2016 Archived from the original on 11 December 2016 Retrieved 2 March 2018 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ann Elizabeth Wee amp oldid 1170943564, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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