Still sprightly: Ang celebrating her 102nd birthday with much enthusiasm. — GLENN GUAN/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: At 102 years old, Ang Kim Choo is still very lively and has kept her sense of humour.
“It is the hard work that keeps me going,” she said.
She has never flinched from a difficult job, having joined the police force in 1954, becoming one of only four women in her batch of special constables then.
One of her roles as a police constable was to monitor unruly school students at a school.
“They were very naughty and fought among themselves all the time.
“For example, when they were given a meal, they would throw the bowls on the floor,” she said, adding that the students were suspected to be gang members.
However, Ang said she was unafraid of them and would reprimand them for their bad behaviour.
“There were times when these students would run to hide in the jungle and I would go out and haul them back to school,” she added.
Ang was the sole breadwinner of her family back then and had to care for her four daughters and one son.
“I decided to join the police force because times were hard for my family,” she said.
Her parents had passed away when she was in her teens.
To earn more income, she would offer laundry and shoe shining services to her colleagues in the force.
“I had to earn my keep,” she added.
In her heyday: Ang (left) posing in uniform with her colleague back in the 1950s.
Ang worked as a special constable for about six years and left the service in 1960.
She also worked as a housekeeper in a house owned by a British family and did odd jobs to raise her family.
Due to her perseverance, all five of her children and 12 grandchildren managed to complete their education.
She also has nine great grandchildren.
Her youngest grandson, Ooi Yeong Boon, 35, said that Ang took care of all her grandchildren and they are very close to her.
“She used to tell us stories of her younger days,” said Ooi, who is a lawyer and the managing director of his own law firm.
Ooi said his grandmother lives with her 82-year-old daughter, Yeoh Saw Gaik, and grandchildren in Penang.
“My grandmother still cooks for the family and is active at home,” he said, adding that he enjoys his grandmother’s Nyonya dishes.
A mini celebration was held in conjunction with her birthday yesterday.
Among those who attended were Malaysia Crime Prevention Club chairman Datuk Seri Johnny Ch’ng Ewe Gee and social activist Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.
Lee praised Ang for her contributions to the country.
“I am very impressed with her career. All Malaysians should be proud of her,” he said.
Ch’ng said that it was very inspiring to meet with Ang, whom he referred to as a national treasure.
“She is an example of the strong patriotism of Malaysian Chinese to the country,” he said.
Ang, he added, is an example for all Malaysians and someone who can inspire Chinese youth to join the Police Volunteer Reserve.
