Bound for Canada – September 1953
1953 saw the beginning of a new chapter in Florence’s life. On 7th September, 1953, having gained a place on a Preliminary (Std.13) course, prior to her degree in Social Sciences, Florence left Malaysia in a quest to further her education flying from Ipoh, via Singapore, Saigon and Guam Island til she reached her final destination of Ontario in Canada. Her whole family turned out in force to see her off at the airport. Unlike some of her siblings, Pixie, Bernard and Alan who went to Australia to study, Florence sought her own independence and chose Canada with the hope of ‘seeing America’ at the same time. This was indeed a very daunting experience for Florence as she began her journey not knowing what to expect or even where she was going to stay! It was a very distressing and worrying time for her family too as moving so far away in those days was almost unheard of.
When she arrived in Toronto, she had no idea where to go so she jumped in a taxi which promptly took her to Mc Master University, Hamilton. However, to her dismay, upon arrival she found the place deserted and all locked up. By pure chance, the Dean of Women happened to be there preparing for the start of term, and upon seeing this young lady laden with luggage and nowhere to go, kindly rallied round to fix her up with a room and lodgings til the start of term which was still a week away. Needless to say, this was the beginning of a strong friendship between the them, with the Dean of Women, Marion Bates, often referring to herself as Florence’s ‘Canadian Mum’!
Florence’s student years are filled with plenty of good memories. Whilst studying hard, she enjoyed travelling around the country, staying with fellow students at their homes at weekends and during vacations. Florence also sought employment during the vacations, working at various places over the years, such as The Dundas Golf Club, Post Office Sorting Office, farms and Convalescence homes to name but a few.
Florence’s time in Canada culminated with her graduation in May 1958, of which both her and her family were extremely proud. In July 1958, she made the decision to return home to Malaysia via England to visit her sister, Pixie, who was working as a dentist in London. Unbeknown to her, this particular path would send her life into a completely new direction…..
Graduation – May, 1958
