By Sutherland, Duncan written on 07-Feb-2009
National Library Board Singapore

Comments on article: InfopediaTalk

Checha Davies, née George (b. 1898, Kerala, India - d. 2 September 1979, Singapore) was a social worker, women's activist, and community volunteer. She was prominent in various organisations, including the trailblazing Singapore Council of Women, which fought for womens civil rights; and the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA), where she ensured the successful completion of its Fort Canning Road hostel.

Early life
Davies was the daughter of Methodist lay preacher T. D. George. She followed him in this activity, and also lectured at a college in Kerala after receiving a B.A. and M.A. in Economics and English History. In 1925 she gave up her teaching career upon moving to Singapore to start a family, but remained very active in the church and voluntary sectors. 

Major accomplishments
She often preached at the Tamil Methodist Church in Singapore, and lectured abroad on speaking tours. These took her to Europe, the Middle East, North and South America, and included a four-month tour of the United States undertaken for the Methodists. Davies also attended international meetings, such as the World Missionary Conference. Her interest in travel was reflected in a book exploring India and Ceylon, which she co-authored for classroom use. In 1931 she founded Singapore's first Indian ladies' club, the Indian-Ceylonese Club, later called the Lotus Club. Despite its well-heeled membership, the club had no permanent premises and met in the YWCA, of which Davies was a member. (Following the Japanese occupation, during which all clubs were suspended, the Lotus merged with its less affluent rival the Ladies' Union to form the Kamala Club.) In the postwar period she was also a founder member of the Singapore Inner Wheel Club for Rotarians' wives, and helped with the Samaritans of Singapore, known as SOS. 

Campaigning for women's rights
After liberation and the restoration of British rule, there were hopes that the reconstruction of Singapore society would ameliorate the deplorable conditions in many women's lives. In late 1951 she was invited by Shirin Fozdar, who had campaigned in India and worked with the League of Nations on women's rights, to consider how to address these problems at a gathering of representatives of different women's groups. This meeting gave rise to the Singapore Council of Women and Davies sat on the committee that authored the council's constitution. The council, launched formally in April 1952, was different from other contemporary women's organisations, which performed charity work or taught traditional skills and crafts. It sought to foster friendship between women of all races, and campaigned to improve womens economic, educational and social status in the colony. Davies served on its executive committee and with Fozdar, drafted the appeal to the governor to grant Singapore women the same legal protection against polygamy and arbitrary, one-sided divorce as women enjoyed in Britain. She was an active spokeswoman for the council, eloquently promoting its objectives at universities, service clubs and other public forums, and became treasurer in 1954. By 1957 she had left the executive committee but still addressed the council's anti-polygamy rally at Happy World Stadium the following year. In 1961 the Legislative Assembly passed the Women's Charter, meeting many of the council's demands including a ban on polygamy for non-Muslims. With this, and Fozdar's departure from Singapore, the council lost momentum and folded in 1971.

Legacy to the YWCA
The other organisation in which she played a leading role was the Young Women's Christian Association, which she joined as a teenager. From the 1930s she networked with YWCA branches in other countries during her extensive travels. She served as president of the Singapore YWCA from 1960 to 1964 and again from 1966 to 1968, but it was while chairing the building committee that she demonstrated exceptional initiative and selflessness. In the late 1960s the association's largest project to date was a six-storey hostel on Fort Canning Road for women on low income or travelling with young children. The committee discovered they could only afford four storeys and were amending their plans with the contractors, when Davies proposed that members donate one dollar for each pound they weighed. When this realised enough for the two remaining floors but not a lift, she sold her house in Johore and thus raised the remaining funds needed. The building, opened in 1969, gave the association a new base and generated income through rent. For this and her other services to Singapore over the years, she was awarded the Bintang Bakti Mashrakat, or Public Service Star, in the National Day honours of 1970. Her humour and generosity were missed and a gap was created in Singaporean civic society when she died of cancer on 2 September 1979.

Publications
Davies, E.V. and C. (1937). A Visit to India and Ceylon. [Microfiche: MFC 0008/040-1] Singapore: Malaya Publishing House.

Family
Husband: Edward Vethanayagam Davies (d.1963) was a Ceylonese-born teacher, headmaster, chief inspector of schools under the Japanese and city councillor. Children: two daughters, Shanta Sundram and Sushila Devi; one son, Mohan; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren in 1979.



Author
Duncan Sutherland



References
Arora, M. (2007). Small Ssteps, giant leaps: A history of AWARE and the women's movement in Singapore (p.45). Singapore: Association of Women for Action and Research.
(Call no.: RSING 305.42095957 SMA)

Chong, S. (1979, October 8). Woman of laughter: Tribute to a very special lady Checha Davies [Microfilm: NL 10359]. The Straits Times, Section 2, p.5.

Chew, P. L. C. (1999). The Singapore Council of Women and the women's movement (p.4, 7, 26, 31). Singapore: Association of Women for Action and Research.
(Call no.: RSING 305.42095957 CHE)

Davies, C. (1969). The well-nigh 100 years of the Y in Singapore.  In Fourth ideal home exhibition programme (pp.18-19). Singapore: YWCA.
(Call no.: RCLOS EPHE 0404 v.1)

Government Gazette (GN No. 2507 - National Day honours, pp.3036-3047). (9 August 1970).  Singapore:  [s.n.].
(Call no.; RSING 959.57 SGG)

Lam, J. L. (Ed.) (1993). Voices and choices: The women's movement in Singapore (p.90, 98-9). Singapore: Singapore Council of Women's Organisation and Singapore Baha'i Women's Committee.
(Call no.: RSING 305.42095957 VOI)

Lim, H. S. (Interviewer). (1981, July 6). Oral history interview with Rajabali Jumabhoy (transcript of Cassette Recording No. 74/32). Retrieved November 15, 2008, from the National Archives of Singapore Web site: http://www.a2o.com.sg

Lim, J., & Raveentheram, P. (Interviewers). (2002, May 9). Oral history interview with Mangalesvary Ambiavagar (Cassette Recording No. 2367/02/01).  Singapore: National Archives of Singapore.
(Not available in NLB holdings)

Morais, J. V. (Ed.). (1957). Leaders of Malaya and who's who 1957-58 (p.158). Kuala Lumpur: J.V. Morais.
(Call no.: RCLOS 920.0595 LEA)

Singapore Council of Women of Mrs Shirin Fozdar. (1951-1993). Papers of Shirin Fozdar and minutes of the Singapore Council of Women [Microfilm: NA 2044]. Singapore: National Archives of Singapore.
(Not available in NLB holdings)

Pioneer social worker dies [Microfilm: NL 10321]. (1979, 3 September). The Straits Times, p.9.

Young Women's Christian Association. (1995). YWCA: 120 years (p.96). Singapore: Young Womens Christian Association.
(Call No.: RSING 267.59597 YOU)



The information in this article is valid as at 2009 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.