Sprint queen, humour writer and educator among 10 lauded

They are now part of the 192 inductees of the S'pore Women's Hall of Fame

- Thian Wen Li

When educator and author Hadijah Rahmat started out as a writer in the 1970s, many fields were dominated by men.

"I was very determined to show (my male friends who were writers) that I'm capable, I'm as good, or in certain areas, I'm better," said the 66-year-old.

Her first Malay-language short story, titled Idah Tidak Menangis Lagi (Idah No Longer Cries), was published in a student magazine in 1974. She wrote it to remind all girls not to give up, she told The Straits Times.

"They should have a strong sense of fight, and be positive about the future. They can shape their own future, not the people around them." Dr Hadijah was among the 10 women inducted into the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame on March 8, which is International Women's Day.

The others include sprint queen Shanti Pereira, former national bowler and charity fund-raiser Grace Young, and mountaineers

Sim Phei Sunn and Vincere Zeng, who are the first Singaporean women to summit the two highest peaks in the world, Mount Everest and K2.