The remarkable story of inter-generational links between Swansea and Singapore has reached a wonderful new chapter, with a daughter graduating from the same university as her mother 74 years later.
In 1949, Singaporean student Lim Poh Luan, known to her Welsh friends as Rose, came to Swansea University, then named University College Swansea, to study youth leadership under Jeffrey Jones.
When she returned to Singapore, she became a teacher and school principal before joining the Ministry of Education staff. In 1954, she got married and took her husband’s surname, Tay.
Now, her daughter, Verena Tay, 58, a renowned writer, storyteller, theatre practitioner, and voice teacher, has become the second family member to graduate from the University.
For her PhD in Creative Writing, Verena wrote a novel, A Dance for Daughters, which draws on the history and mythology of her home region; her mother’s rich and vivid memories provided fertile ground for her work.
Speaking to the University in 2016, Mrs Tay told of her pre-war schooldays in Singapore’s Chinatown and taking her O-levels on the day the first Japanese bombers raided the island. She spoke of the harshness of the Japanese occupation, her relief at being able to rebuild her life after the war, and her journey to Wales to study at Swansea.
She also spoke of the great pride she felt knowing her daughter would be renewing a family connection that reached back so far.
Mrs Tay said: “Verena has been very creative ever since she was in primary school. It’s all she’s wanted to do, and I’m glad she’s decided to place herself with other writers at Swansea.”
Mrs Tay was the third Girls' Brigade International President (1978-1983) and is still a much-respected figure in her local Methodist church in Singapore. Having celebrated her 100th birthday in April, she is also one of the University’s oldest surviving graduates.
While her health sadly prevented her from attending her daughter’s ceremony in person, her time at Swansea lives on through Verena.
Verena said: “I have always loved stories, real or fiction. As a child, I would read quaint fairy tales and novels about faraway places, but I loved listening to my mother and aunts tell family stories even more.
“I remember my mother telling me how she resided in the University’s Beck Hall and visited Mumbles to have ice cream, a luxury for her then as she had a very tight budget. We’re also lucky enough to have voice recordings in which she speaks about how, although the city bore the marks of the war, people were friendly, and she enjoyed her experience there.
“My connection to the University only grew when I had the pleasure of meeting Swansea’s Director of Creative Writing, Professor D.J. Britton, early in my career at one of his writers’ workshops in Singapore. Swansea University was a natural choice for me, one which I’m glad I made.”
Verena has already published two short story collections, Spectre: Stories from Dark to Light (2012) and Spaces: People/Places (2016), and four plays, In the Company of Women: Selected Plays (2004), In the Company of Heroes (2011), Victimology (2011) and The Car and Other Plays (2016).
She has also edited various fiction anthologies, including the popular Balik Kampung series (2012-16).
On her future plans, Verena said: “I hope to one day publish A Dance for Daughters, which would serve as an incredible tribute to not only my home region but also a place where my family holds dear, Swansea.”