A New Team for a New Season

Nyonya Peggy Jeffs traces her Peranakan roots through to her paternal great grandfather, Baba Tjong A Fie, a Kapitan Cina of Medan, and his daughter Nyonya Queeny Chang. The late Queeny is Peggy’s paternal grandmother, who wrote the book, The Memories of a Nonya. Given this distinguished lineage, Peggy has always had a passion for our Peranakan culture. Volunteering from a young age, Peggy has served for 45 years in various capacities in NGOs and charities. She was a member of Lions Club International for 26 years and was President of its Singapore chapter for a time. Peggy also served on the committee of the International Red Cross when she lived in the UK and helped to raise funds for the London organisation. Upon her return to Singapore, Peggy chaired the Singapore Red Cross gala dinner and bazaar organising committees from 2007 to 2022. Peggy’s contributions to the Red Cross were recognised when she received in 2019 the Singapore Red Cross’s Outstanding Service Award from its Patron, President Halimah Yacob. The Chinese Women’s Association had also invited Peggy to sit on its Executive Committee and to help it to raise funds from 2007 to 2019. She was the Chairperson of the Organising Committee for TPAS’s 120th Anniversary Virtual Peranakan Ball held in September 2021.

Contact: genevievejeffs@peranakan.org.sg

Edmond Wong is a third generation Singapore Peranakan on his paternal side. Armed with degrees in political science and computing from universities in Britain and Australia, Edmond has thrown himself into the family business. At the same time, Edmond has for many years served Singapore as a grassroots leader. His extensive contributions with the People’s Association have earned him the Public Service Medal (Pingat Bakti Masyarakat). He is presently serving as a District Councillor at the Central Singapore Community Development Council. Not to forget his past contributions to our association, for nearly nine years, from 2009 to 2018, he was a General Committee member of The Peranakan Association Singapore and served as its Webmaster and Assistant Hon Treasurer.

Contact: edmond@peranakan.org.sg

Nyonya Theresa Tan is an IT professional with over 25 years’ experience in the industry. In the past few years, she has been volunteering at Lions Club, HCA Hospice, Children’s Wishing Well and various other voluntary welfare organisations, especially in fundraising. Theresa is a recent graduate of Lasalle College of the Arts & Goldsmiths University of London Master of Arts (Research) in Asian Art Histories. Her graduating thesis Countering Stereotypes of the Nyonya in Popular Culture: Photographs of Peranakan Women in the Straits Settlements from 1844 to 1942 aimed to give a voice to past and future nyonyas, beyond material culture. Theresa brings with her a wide range of skill sets and work experience that will surely benefit the community.

Contact: theresatan@peranakan.org.sg

Nyonya Wai Kuan brings to the General Committee with a wealth of work experience and a wide network of contacts. An Honours Science graduate from the National University of Singapore, Kuan has a varied 25-year career starting with banking at Citibank, in quality service management at the National Library Board, and, presently, front office management at RHT Law Asia LLP. She has volunteered to assist in events management, help in Secretariat admin, and has also accepted responsibilities as The Peranakan magazine’s Advertising Manager. Kuan is also actively involved in The Peranakan Museum’s docent programme.

Contact: secretariat@peranakan.org.sg

Baba Ronney Tan was TPAS’s Honorary Secretary during the 2018-2020 term and as Hon Treasurer during 2020-2022, he regularised the filing of the association’s records and accounts with the Registrar of Societies. Ronney is a 7th generation Melaka Baba who has served as a GC member since 2016. A retired Fellow Chartered Accountant and auditor, Ronney now also devotes his time as President of the Keng Teck Whay, a private mutual benefit society founded in 1831 and acknowledged as the oldest Baba association in Singapore. His accounting credentials and work experience will better serve the association as its Honorary Treasurer. Ronney has done extensive research on his family genealogy. He is also a docent at the Peranakan Museum and a volunteer docent with the Preservation of Sites and Monuments Board. Ronney is an ardent contributor to THE  PERANAKAN magazine.

Contact: treasurer@peranakan.org.sg

Baba Tony Tan is the founder of Betel Box Hostel & Tours on Joo Chiat Road. The hostel which has been a part of the Joo Chiat community since 2003, won industry awards in 2007 and 2008, and was awarded the Tripadvisor Certificate for Excellence in 2012 and 2015. Tony has created over 30 food and heritage tours in Singapore. These in-depth and experiential tours led to Betel Box winning STB’s Singapore Experience Awards for Best Travel Experience category in 2010. Other ventures included Betel Box Bistro, which was a Peranakan cuisine restaurant, and SCC Travel Services which is an Online Travel Agent that aimed to mobilise maritime tourism between Indonesia and Singapore. Tony is a licensed tourist guide, a qualified Advanced Certificate in Training & Assessment (ACTA) trainer and has served on the executive committees of the Singapore Heritage Society and Waterways Watch Society. His extensive experience in business management, heritage activism and information technology will bring unique perspectives to the team. Tony is a graduate of the University College London, UK.

Contact: membership@peranakan.org.sg

Baba Raymond has served on the association’s General Committee for a total of six years, the last four as its Second Vice-President. Baba Raymond’s paternal Peranakan grandmother, Nyonya Lee Kim Choo, founded Kim Choo Kueh Chang in Joo Chiat in 1945. Today, it is a successful family-run heritage food business, renowned for its quality nyonya kueh chang and kueh. Since 2005, Raymond has honed his passion for kebaya-making and Peranakan beadwork and has built a reputation for his craftsmanship. In 2016, he was commissioned by the Singapore government to create a Peranakan sulam shawl which was gifted to Mrs Michelle Obama during PM Lee Hsien Loong’s state visit to the US. Raymond strongly believes in making Peranakan culture relevant for our youth. The Accounting & Finance graduate from Deakin University (Melbourne) lectures part-time at Lasalle College of the Arts, where he teaches kebaya sulam to Fashion Textile students. As an astute business owner, Raymond brings his business and financial management skills to TPAS.

Nyonya Anne is a Marketing Communications specialist with more than 20 years’ experience in various sectors such as real estate, hospitality and the built environment. She was part of the Organising Committee for TPAS’s 120th Anniversary Peranakan Ball which was postponed and revised to become a very successful virtual dinner in September 2021. Anne brings with her a spirit of resourcefulness and new ideas. Her deep experience in exhibitions and events management will be an asset for TPAS. With her interest in the Peranakan culture, she will be putting her professional skillsets in branding, marketing and events management to use in TPAS. She is a third-generation Peranakan on her late mother’s side.

Contact: events@peranakan.org.sg

A second-generation Singaporean with strong family ties to Riau, Indonesia, Nyonya Stella Clare lives and breathes heritage. This history graduate from Washington State University has spent most of her working life in education and outreach in the cultural and heritage sector as well as at the National University of Singapore. She also holds a Post Graduate Diploma (Secondary Education), spending nearly a decade as an educator. In between that. she has dabbled in fashion retail and F&B. Besides her full-time job in the public service, she is a mother of three, a parent volunteer at her Alma Mater, a volunteer docent with the Pasir Panjang Heritage Guides and a safe distancing volunteer at church. She was part of the support team that helped at the 2nd Peranakan Literary Festival in March 2022. Stella’s love for sharing heritage and history extends beyond the classroom and workplace as she is also a licensed tourist guide.

Contact: stella.c.wee@peranakan.org.sg

Nyonya Josephine Tan is passionate about her culture, coming from an illustrious lineage. Her great-grandfather, the late Baba Tan Kheam Hock, was a staunch past supporter and Committee Member of the Straits Chinese British Association. She has been solely responsible for the association’s branding. Early in her term, Josephine refreshed TPAS’s corporate logo using her skills in design. She has also designed all TPAS’s meaningful event marketing collaterals. Josephine is a senior lecturer at a local Polytechnic where she leads in the development of “User Interface & User Experience” (UI/UX)-related modules for both mobile & web interface development. She is also competent in print media and environmental design where she provides professional consultancy for many community and industry projects.

Contact: josephinetan@peranakan.org.sg

Baba Bryan Tan has been a volunteer with TPAS for six years. He has been responsible for organising the association’s Malam Jolly events and is a senior member of TPAS’s magazine’s Editorial Committee. Bryan is well loved for his series of Chakap Habis stories, woven around the exploits of the evil and irascible Bibik Soh Bee Neo. Bryan brings a fresh millennial outlook and youthful dynamism to the GC. With his tertiary education in Melbourne and Tasmania, Bryan’s strength and experience is evidenced by his mastery of language in his work as a freelance writer in advertising and journalism. He will continue to do what he does best: to encourage renewal and increased interest in the magnificence that is the Peranakan culture and heritage.

Contact: bryantan@peranakan.org.sg

Nyonya Liz was the association’s Assistant Honorary Treasurer during the 2018-2020 term when she diligently ensured that the association’s current and future financial obligations were met.  She stayed on as a committee member during 2020-2022 She has worked in the finance industry for more than 30 years. Liz was born and raised in Melaka, where she helped her maternal grandmother in the kitchen, after school. Fond memories of her late grandmother ignited her interest in her Peranakan identity. She joined TPAS in 1999 and has participated in many of its activities. Liz was a choir member of The Main Wayang and has participated in several Peranakan events including The Chingay 2006, TV sitcom “Sayang, Sayang”, the Siapa Baba musical, and NOP 2009. She is very passionate about cooking, especially Peranakan cuisine. She is a qualified Advanced Certificate in Training & Assessment (ACTA) trainer and conducts cooking classes from time to time. She has been featured on TV Tokyo, Channel 12’s Danshi Gohan Cooking Show. She has also demonstrated Peranakan dishes and kueh kueh at the Baba House.

Baba Philip Yeo has been heading our Private Data Protection Act (PDPA) sub-committee since 2018. He graduated with a Science degree (Chemistry) from the University of Singapore. It explains his very data-based perspective and scientific approach to resolving issues and matters that the GC faced from time to time. Philip is a fifth generation Baba from Melaka where he was born and raised, before basing himself in Singapore for his tertiary education and work life. Now a Singaporean, he retired five years ago from the Maritime Port Authority of Singapore where he held successive senior management positions in policy design and enforcement in respect of hazardous chemical materials.

Contact: philipyeo@peranakan.org.sg