The second world war
The arrival of the second world war touched Sylvia in a
series of remarkable events.
Sinister 7 December 1941 marked not only the
catastrophe of Pearl Harbor, but the landing of Japanese
forces on Kota Bahru, Kelantan on Malaya’s east coast.
The next day, the first bombs fell on Singapore causing
61 deaths and over 700 injured. Sylvia who then trained
as a nurse at the then General Hospital, came face to
face with the horrors of war.From an early age, Sylvia could
draft, cut and sew a pattern
all by herself, impressing her
needlework teachersNeedlework in her blood
Presenting three heirs and eight heiresses to the Wong
family, Kim Siew ruled the roost in Kanching. All
girls were given sewing and beadwork lessons daily.
Discipline reaped rewards. Fifth daughter Sien Moy,
or “Sylvia”, could from an early age draft, cut and sew a
pattern by herself impressing her needlework teacher
to such an extent that she was asked to teach her peers
upon attending school in later years. She also sewed
Peranakan-style bed accessories for the nuptials of her
father’s estate workers. Her siblings were equally capable.
Their wise mother ensured that there was a time to
play and work, and a time to pray. Her Christian beliefs
firmly instilled in her children from a very early age
shaped their characters and formed the cornerstone
of Sylvia’s ventures. The five girls briefly attended
Selangor’s and subsequently Singapore’s Methodist
Girls’ Schools.
During the Depression, the family moved to Senai,
Johor and they managed to attend school in Singapore
where Sylvia ably looked after her sisters, a fact which
was never forgotten in later years. Her entrepreneurial
streak had begun to surface as she utilised her skills
and love for sewing to support her siblings. Handmade
Chinese-style “frog” buttons sold for two cents each.
“Special” ones cost $5 each! She could sew Peranakan-
style slippers for men and women or embroider
cushion covers.
below The Singer No.103
sewing machine used by
Sylvia to sew all her dressesR iGht Sylvia’s niece, Susan
dressed in a simple, classic
bridesmaid dress in 1964