Alice Pennefather

Alice Edith Wilhelmina Pennefather (née Patterson; 1903 – 1983) was a Singaporean sportwoman who excelled in various sports such as badminton, field hockey, netball, and tennis. In 2016, she was inducted into the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame, maintained by the Singapore Council of Women's Organisations.[3]

Alice Pennefather
Alice Pennefather in 1935
Personal information
Birth nameAlice Edith Wilhelmina Patterson
Full nameAlice Edith Wilhelmina Pennefather
Born(1903-10-16)16 October 1903[1]
Singapore, Straits Settlements
Died24 February 1983(1983-02-24) (aged 79)[2]
Singapore
Sport
Country Singapore
SportBadminton/Field hockey/Netball/Tennis

Early life

Alice Patterson was born in Singapore on 16 October 1903, and was of Japanese and Scottish descent.[1] She was educated at the Raffles Girls' School and had no particular interest in sports until she met Lancelot Maurice Pennefather, an all-around sportsman in 1918.[1][4] Under Lancelot's guidance, she initially took up badminton and later expanded her sporting resume to include field hockey, netball, and tennis.[3]

Sporting career

Pennefather joined the Girls' Sports Club in 1930 and quickly established herself as the club's standout player.[5] She won the Singapore Open women's singles in 1931, 1932, 1934 and 1937. In 1931 she also won the women's doubles title, with Maude Lewis, and in 1947 and 1951 she won the mixed doubles. She was also Singapore Ladies Tennis Champion in 1936, 1937 and 1938, and the first non-European to win that title.[3]

Pennefather played hockey for the Girls' Sports Club, captaining the team from 1931 to 1958 (except during the Japanese occupation of Singapore, 1941-1945).[3] The Jansenites Hockey Club began at her home in Jansen Road, and celebrated its 35th anniversary with a magazine in which she was said to have been described as "Physically and character wise she was a towering person, always full of love". She was also a "leading player" of netball.[6]

Due to her sporting success and longevity, she was commonly referred to as "The Grand Old Lady of Sport".[3][6]

Personal life

She married Lancelot Maurice Pennefather in 1919, when she was 16 years old; they had two sons, Percy and Ashton. Percy captained Singapore in Field hockey at the 1956 Summer Olympics and his daughter Annabel became the first woman on the Singapore National Olympic Council and first female president of the Singapore Hockey Federation.[3] When Annabel was awarded Her World's "Woman of the Year" in 2004 she spoke of her grandmother as "her role model for life" and "a strong sporty woman".[7]

Pennefather celebrated her 60th wedding anniversary in 1979, at which time she was still in employment as a section head at Shaw's Rentals. Asked about the secret of a happy marriage she said "Love, tolerance and understanding", and advised any new bride to "Give in to your husband even if he's wrong or you're angry. You'll find life more pleasant."[4]

Death

Pennefather died on 24 February 1983, roughly a year after her husband's death in 1982.[3]

Honours and awards

In 1980, at the Girls' Sports Club (GSC) 50th anniversary celebrations, Pennefather was named as "The Outstanding Playing Member of the GSC".[3]

In 2016, she was inducted into the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame posthumously for her significant contributions to women's sports in Singapore.[3]

References
  1. "Personalities In Sport: Mrs. L. M. Pennefather". Sunday Tribune (Singapore). 30 August 1936. p. 20.
  2. "Grand old lady of sport dies". The Straits Times. 25 February 1983. p. 42.
  3. "Alice Pennefather". The Honored Inductees to the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame. Singapore Council of Women's Organisations. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  4. "Diamond Wedding". Straits Times. 3 March 1979. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  5. "The Sporting Granny Who Started It All". The Straits Times. 30 August 1980. p. 6. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  6. "Breaking through barriers: inspiring Eurasian women: Anabel Pennefather" (PDF). The New Eurasian. April–June 2014. p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 August 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  7. "2004 Annabel Pennefather Her World Woman of the Year". SPH Magazines. Archived from the original on 9 November 2018. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
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