Alice Edith Wilhelmina Pennefather (née Patterson; 1903 – 1983) was a Singaporean sportwoman who excelled in various sports such as

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players pe ...

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ci ...

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a court by two teams of seven players. It is among a rare number of sports which have been created exclusively for female competitors. The sport is played on indoor and outdoor netball courts and is specifical ...

, and

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

. In 2016, she was inducted into the

Singapore Women's Hall of Fame The Singapore Women's Hall of Fame is a virtual hall of fame that honors and documents the lives of historically significant women in Singapore. The hall is the creation of the Singapore Council of Women's Organisations (SCWO), and grew out of an ea ...

, maintained by the

Singapore Council of Women's Organisations The Singapore Council of Women's Organisations (SCWO) is an umbrella organisation founded in 1980 in order to coordinate the efforts of women's groups in Singapore. The organisation represents many diverse women's groups and advocates for women's r ...

Early life

Alice Patterson was born in Singapore on 16 October 1903, and was of Japanese and Scottish descent. She was educated at the

Raffles Girls' School Raffles Girls' School (RGS) is an independent girls' secondary school located in Braddell, Singapore. Established in 1879, it is one of the oldest schools in Singapore. RGS, together with its affiliated school Raffles Institution, offers a six- ...

and had no particular interest in sports until she met Lancelot Maurice Pennefather, an all-around sportsman in 1918. Under Lancelot's guidance, she initially took up badminton and later expanded her sporting resume to include field hockey, netball, and tennis.

Sporting career

In 1930, Pennefather joined the Girls' Sports Club founded by

Eurasian Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelago ...

women and quickly established herself as the club's standout player. She started competing in badminton tournaments and won her first Singapore Open women's singles title in 1931. Her initial success propelled her to win three more singles titles in 1932, 1934 and 1937. In the doubles events, Pennefather secured her only Singapore Open women's doubles title in 1931, with Maude Lewis. In 1947 and 1950, she triumphed in mixed doubles with partners Quek Keng Chuan and

Ong Poh Lim Ong Poh Lim (; 18 November 1923 – 17 April 2003) was a Malayan/Singaporean badminton player who had won numerous national and international titles from the late 1940s to the early 1960s. Known for his quickness and his aggressive, unorthodox ...

respectively, with the latter victory achieved at the remarkable age of 47. In addition to her success in Singapore, Pennefather also claimed victories at the inaugural Malayan Open, securing the women's singles and doubles titles alongside Ong Siew Eng in 1937. She added another women's doubles title in 1948, with Helen Heng. Another significant milestone for Pennefather occurred in 1936 when she became Singapore's women's tennis champion. This achievement was historic as it marked the first time a non-European had won that title. She claimed the singles crown by defeating Pat Coleman in the tournament final. In the same year, she also reached the women's doubles final with her clubmate Maisey Eber, but they were defeated in straight sets by the European pair of Pat Coleman and Mrs. Taylor. In the subsequent years, Pennefather continued to sustain her high standards of play and remained actively involved in tennis where she would again, reach the finals of both the women's singles and doubles events in 1939 and 1940. An accomplished field hockey player, Pennefather played for the Girls' Sports Club (GSC) and served as the team's captain from 1931 to 1958, except during the

Japanese occupation of Singapore , officially , was the name for Singapore when it was occupied and ruled by the Empire of Japan, following the fall and surrender of British military forces on 15 February 1942 during World War II. Japanese military forces occupied it after ...

from 1941 to 1945. Under her leadership, the GSC hockey team achieved recognition as one of the top teams in Singapore. Additionally, she was also selected to represent Singapore in the initial editions of inter-state tournaments against Malayan states such as Perak and Selangor. The Jansenites Hockey Club, which 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". Pennefather was also a prominent player in

, contributing to the success of the Girls' Sports Club as they secured two consecutive Singapore netball league titles in 1939 and 1940. Due to her sporting success and longevity, she was commonly referred to as "The Grand Old Lady of Sport".

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 The Singapore Hockey Federation is the sports governing body, governing body of field hockey in Singapore. It is affiliated to IHF International Hockey Federation and AHF Asian Hockey Federation. The headquarters of the federation are in Singapor ...

. When Annabel was awarded '' Her Worlds "Woman of the Year" in 2004 she spoke of her grandmother as "her role model for life" and "a strong sporty woman". 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."

Death

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

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". In 2016, she was inducted into the

posthumously for her significant contributions to women's sports in Singapore.

Sporting achievements

Badminton

''Women's singles'' ''Women's doubles'' ''Mixed doubles''

Tennis

''Women's singles'' ''Women's doubles''

Netball

; Girls' Sports Club *Singapore Netball League **''Winners'': 1939, 1940

References

External links

Photograph of Alice and Lancelot Pennefather at the GSC 50th anniversaryGenealogical information on Alice Edith Wilhelmina Patterson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pennefather, Alice 1903 births 1983 deaths Singaporean female badminton players Singaporean female tennis players Singaporean female field hockey players Singaporean netball players Singaporean people of Japanese descent Singaporean people of Scottish descent 20th-century Singaporean women