Mary Quintal

Mary Quintal (née Voon; born 1929) was an Assistant Superintendent of Police from 1961 to 1974 and a former badminton player. She was the first female police inspector in Singapore, and was inducted into the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame in 2014.

Mary Quintal, pictured in 1950

Early life and badminton career

Quintal was educated in Raffles Girls' School and initially aspired to be an interior decorator or a physical training instructor.^[1] When the police force first announced plans to recruit women, she decided to join the force, despite her mother's wish for her to study medicine instead.^[1]

She won the Singapore Badminton Association mixed doubles title with Ong Poh Lim in 1956.^[2]

Singapore Police Force

Quintal was one of the first ten women selected to join the Singapore Police Force, undergoing training at the Thomson Road Police Training School.^[3] She joined the Singapore Police Force on 1 March 1949 as a constable, and was promoted to the rank of inspector six months later, becoming the first female inspector in Singapore.^[4] In 1950, she was chosen to go on a four-month trip to the United Kingdom to study police methods in Great Britain.^[5][6] She participated in the investigation of the murder of Lim Yew See in 1955.^[7] By 1959, she was the only one of the original ten women to have remained in the force, and commanded the Woman Police Constabulary.^[8][9]

In October 1961, Quintal was promoted to the rank of Assistant Superintendent, making her the first woman to achieve the rank in Singapore.^[10][11] Following her retirement, her position as Assistant Superintendent was taken over by Mandy Goh, who joined the force in 1952, thus making her the second woman to hold the title of assistant superintendent of the police in Singapore.^[12]

Personal life

Quintal married assistant Marine Department engineer Victor Quintal on 24 September 1953.^[13][14] She and Victor had a son.^[9]

On 10 July 2010, she was taken to Singapore General Hospital due to a suspected overdose on sleeping tablets.^[15][16] On 14 July, she was taken off the "dangerously ill" list.^[17] On 17 July, her condition was reported to have been "improving".^[18] She was discharged from the hospital on 19 July.^[19]

Following her retirement, she and her family moved to Perth, Australia.^[20]

Legacy

Quintal was inducted into the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame in 2014.^[1] The 2015 television series Mata Mata is inspired by Quintal.^[21]

References

1. "Mary Quintal". Singapore Women's Hall of Fame. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
2. "Ong, Mary are mixed champions". The Straits Times. Singapore. 15 November 1956. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
3. Attenborough, Islay (17 August 1954). "Mary Voon, the girl who keeps law and order". The Straits Times. Singapore. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
4. "It's the end of the beat for Mary". New Nation. Singapore. 2 November 1973. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
5. "Inspector Mary Voon In The Caledonian Road". The Straits Times. Singapore. 25 September 1950. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
6. "Spores Only Woman Insp. Leaves For UK". Singapore Standard. Singapore. 13 August 1950. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
7. "DIAL 'M' for MARY". The Straits Times. Singapore. 4 March 1955. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
8. Ee, Boon Le (5 April 1959). "Women police tops as undercover agents". The Straits Times. Singapore. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
9. "Women's police force has proved its strength to society". The Straits Times. Singapore. 11 May 1961. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
10. "Insp. Mary Quintal to be promoted". The Straits Times. Singapore. 8 May 1961. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
11. "First woman ASP". The Singapore Free Press. Singapore. 27 October 1971. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
12. "Mary takes it easy..." New Nation. Singapore. 29 December 1973. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
13. "The police girl is now a bride". The Straits Times. Singapore. 25 September 1953. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
14. "The police girl is now a bride". The Straits Budget. Singapore. 1 October 1953.
15. "DOCTORS BATTLE FOR ASP MARY QUINTAL'S LIFE". The Straits Times. Singapore. 10 July 1970. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
16. "DOCTORS FIGHT TO SAVE TOP POLICEWOMAN". Eastern Sun. Singapore. 10 July 1970.
17. "Mary Quintal better". The Straits Times. Singapore. 15 July 1970. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
18. "Mary Quintal". The Straits Times. Singapore. 17 July 1970. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
19. "Mary Quintal is home". Eastern Sun. Singapore. 20 July 1970.
20. Soh, Chung Kiat (8 March 1999). "There's something about Mary...". The Straits Times. Singapore.
21. Yuen, Sin (29 July 2013). "Girlmata power". The Straits Times. Singapore.