Ellice Handy
{{Short description|Singaporean educator}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Ellice Handy
| image = Ellice_Handy.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name = Ellice Zuberbuhler
| birth_date = 1902
| birth_place = Singapore
| death_date = 30 May 1989
| death_place = Eastwood, South Australia
| nationality = Singaporean
| other_names =
| occupation = teacher, education administrator, cookbook author
| years_active = 1922-1964
| known_for = writing the first cookbook of local cuisines in Singapore
| notable_works = My Favourite Recipes
}}
Ellice Handy, {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE|}} (1902–1989) was a Singaporean educator, education administrator and author of Singapore's first cookbook on local cuisine. Her cookbook is the longest-selling compilation of recipes in Singapore and is considered a must-have volume by many cooks. She was inducted into the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame in 2015.
Early life
Ellice Zuberbuhler was born in 1902{{sfn|Singapore Council of Women's Organisations|2015}} to a racially mixed family.{{sfn|Lim|2016}} In 1904, she became a boarder at the Methodist Girls' School (MGS),{{sfn|Singapore Council of Women's Organisations|2015}} along with her older sister Anne, who passed her Cambridge Examinations in 1915,{{sfn|The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser|1916|p=7}} a year before Ellice passed her own exams at the age of fourteen.{{sfn|Singapore Council of Women's Organisations|2015}}{{sfn|The Straits Times|1917|p=10}} In 1917, Zuberbuhler began studying Latin at the Isabella Thoburn College in Lucknow, India, as a merit scholar. After a year of study, she enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts programme, graduating with honours in 1922.{{sfn|Singapore Council of Women's Organisations|2015}}
Career
Upon completion of her degree, Zuberbuhler returned to Singapore and began teaching at MGS that same year. Her instruction included Biblical knowledge, English and history.{{sfn|Singapore Council of Women's Organisations|2015}} In 1937, Zuberbuhler became engaged to
Dr. James Muttiah Handy,{{sfn|The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser|1937|p=8}} a doctor of Ceylonese heritage, after whom Handy Road in Singapore is named.{{sfn|Savage|Yeoh|2013|p=144}} The couple had one daughter, Helen, and Handy returned to teaching. In 1941 during World War II, the school was disrupted for three and a half years and sustained significant damage to its property.{{sfn|Singapore Council of Women's Organisations|2015}} In 1945, Handy began serving as principal of the MGS,{{sfn|Means|2009|p=127}} the first Asian to hold the position,{{sfn|Singapore Council of Women's Organisations|2015}} and the following year restarted the secondary classes which had been suspended during the Japanese occupation.{{sfn|The Straits Times|1987|p=1}} Between 1950 and 1952, she designed and spearheaded construction, with the assistance of Nathalie Means, on the new school building.{{sfn|Means|2009|p=127}}
In 1952, she published the first comprehensive cookbook in Singapore, My Favourite Recipes, to raise funds for the MGS. The recipes covered a broad range of cuisines, including chapters on Chinese, European, Indian, Indonesian, and Malayan dishes, and Handy became well known in Malaysia and Singapore.{{sfn|Jung|2014}} While there had been earlier cookbooks printed by organizations for their membership, these usually were adaptations of European dishes with ingredients locally available in Singapore. Asian dishes were typically passed by word of mouth from mother to daughter. Handy was a home cook, who used Asian methods, like steaming and stir-frying, utensils, locally available produce and included those processes in her book. She encouraged her readers to experiment with the recipes to meet their own families' tastes.{{sfn|Lim|2016}}
On 20 July 1957, Handy was awarded the Order of the British Empire for her work in education.{{sfn|"Memories, Gems & Sentiments"|1987|p=16}}{{sfn|"Eightieth anniversary souvenir magazine"|1968|p=135}}{{sfn|The Straits Times|1957|p=8}} She returned to teaching in 1957, resigning from her post as principal,{{sfn|Lim|2016}} and retired in 1964.{{sfn|"Eightieth anniversary souvenir magazine"|1968|p=135}} After her retirement, Handy wrote articles for Female, a local women's magazine, mostly about cooking and updated the recipes in her book for subsequent publications.{{sfn|Singapore Council of Women's Organisations|2015}} In 1982, Handy's husband died{{sfn|The Straits Times|1982|p=9}} and five years later, Handy moved to Australia to be near her daughter.{{sfn|Singapore Council of Women's Organisations|2015}}
Death and legacy
Handy died on 30 May 1989 in Eastwood, South Australia and was buried at Centennial Park Cemetery, Pasadena, South Australia.{{sfn|Centennial Park Cemetery Authority|2014}} Handy's cookbook has gone into eleven editions, the most recent being published in 2012{{sfn|Lim|2016}} and is the longest selling cookbook in Singapore.{{sfn|Khor|1989|p=3}} The recipe collection is considered "the Bible" of local cooks and spawned a wave of others to publish cookbooks.{{sfn|Lim|2016}} In 2015, Handy was inducted into the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame.{{sfn|Singapore Council of Women's Organisations|2015}}
References
=Citations=
{{Reflist|30em}}
=Bibliography=
{{refbegin|30em}}
- {{cite news|last1=Jung |first1=Susan |title=Book: My Favourite Recipes by Ellice Handy |url=http://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1483760/book-my-favourite-recipes-ellice-handy |access-date=2 November 2016 |work=South China Morning Post |date=20 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429105032/http://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1483760/book-my-favourite-recipes-ellice-handy |archive-date=29 April 2014 |location=Hong Kong |url-status=dead }}
- {{cite news|last1=Khor|first1=Christine|title=A literary stroll down memory lane|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19891122-1.2.95.3.3.aspx|access-date=2 November 2016|work=The Straits Times |date=22 November 1989|location=Singapore}}
- {{cite journal|last1=Lim |first1=Irene |title=A Handy Cookbook |journal=BiblioAsia |date=22 January 2016 |volume=11 |issue=4 |url=http://www.nlb.gov.sg/biblioasia/2016/01/22/a-handy-cookbook/ |access-date=2 November 2016 |publisher=National Library Board |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320100911/http://www.nlb.gov.sg/biblioasia/2016/01/22/a-handy-cookbook/ |archive-date=20 March 2016 |location=Singapore |url-status=dead }}
- {{cite book|last=Means|first=Laurel |title=Beyond Words: The Remarkable Story of Paul and Nathalie Means|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BBJiI2mYjfYC&pg=PT72|year=2009|publisher=Armour Publishing Pte Ltd|location=Singapore|isbn=978-981-4222-92-1}}
- {{cite book|last1=Savage|first1=Victor R.|last2=Yeoh|first2=Brenda |title=Singapore Street Names: A Study of Toponymics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DTOJAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA144|year=2013|publisher=Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd|location=Singapore|isbn=978-981-4484-74-9}}
- {{cite news|ref={{harvid|The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser|1916}}|author=|title=Cambridge Local Examinations|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/singfreepressb19160413-1.2.51.aspx|access-date=2 November 2016|publisher=The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser|date=13 April 1916|location=Singapore}}
- {{cite news|ref={{harvid|The Straits Times|1982}}|author=|title=Doctor found in jungle dies soon after|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19820120-1.2.28.aspx|access-date=2 November 2016|newspaper=The Straits Times|date=20 January 1982|location=Singapore}}
- {{cite news|ref={{harvid|The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser|1937}}|author=|title=Domestic Occurrences: Engagement|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/singfreepressb19370522-1.2.62.aspx|access-date=2 November 2016|publisher=The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser|date=22 May 1937|location=Singapore}}
- {{cite web|ref={{harvid|Centennial Park Cemetery Authority|2014}} |title=Ellice Handy |url=http://www.centennialpark.org/memorial-search/ellice-handy-173152/ |website=Centennial Park |publisher=Centennial Park Cemetery Authority |access-date=2 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161102203622/http://www.centennialpark.org/memorial-search/ellice-handy-173152/ |archive-date=2 November 2016 |location=Pasadena, South Australia |date=28 June 2014 |url-status=dead }}
- {{cite web|ref={{harvid|Singapore Council of Women's Organisations|2015}}|author=|title=Ellice Handy: Culinary pioneer and educator|url=http://www.swhf.sg/the-honourees/11-arts-culture-entertainment/400-ellice-handy|website=Singapore Women's Hall of Fame|publisher=Singapore Council of Women's Organisations|access-date=2 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160512165037/http://www.swhf.sg/the-honourees/11-arts-culture-entertainment/400-ellice-handy|archive-date=12 May 2016|location=Singapore|date=2015}}
- {{cite web|ref={{harvid|"Memories, Gems & Sentiments"|1987}}|author=|title=Mrs. Ellice Handy receiving the Order of the British Empire (OBE)|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/printheritage/image.aspx?id=da80045a-efa7-4e80-97cb-4faf68fc479e|website=National Library Board Singapore|publisher=Singapore Government|access-date=2 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161102163452/http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/printheritage/image.aspx?id=da80045a-efa7-4e80-97cb-4faf68fc479e|archive-date=2 November 2016|location=Singapore|date=2016 }} Excerpted from {{cite book|last=Methodist Girls' School|title=Memories, Gems & Sentiments: 100 Years of Methodist Girls' School|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F22fAAAAMAAJ|year=1987|publisher=Craft Print Pte Ltd|location=Singapore|isbn=978-9971-84-881-1 }}
- {{cite web|ref={{harvid|"Eightieth anniversary souvenir magazine"|1968}} |author= |title=Portrait of Mrs. Ellice Handy, Principal of Methodist Girls' School |url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/printheritage/image.aspx?id=0aca69da-9be7-47d1-9217-093becea5d6a |website=National Library Board Singapore |publisher=Singapore Government |access-date=2 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161102165427/http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/printheritage/image.aspx?id=0aca69da-9be7-47d1-9217-093becea5d6a |archive-date=2 November 2016 |location=Singapore |date=2016 }} Excerpted from {{cite magazine|last=Methodist Girls' School |title=Portrait of Mrs. Ellice Handy|url=http://eservice.nlb.gov.sg/viewer/BookSG/4c4dea1f-6a72-40ae-996f-a1e1aa149b90|journal=Eightieth Anniversary Souvenir Magazine, 1887-1967|year=1968|publisher=Methodist Girls' School|location=Singapore}}
- {{cite news|ref={{harvid|The Straits Times|1987}}|author=|title=The school that Sophia built|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19870715-1.2.65.3.aspx|access-date=2 November 2016|newspaper=The Straits Times|date=15 July 1987|location=Singapore}}
- {{cite news|ref={{harvid|The Straits Times|1917}}|author=|title=Singapore Scholars|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19170430-1.2.41.aspx|access-date=2 November 2016|newspaper=The Straits Times|date=30 April 1917|location=Singapore}}
- {{cite news|ref={{harvid|The Straits Times|1957}}|author=|title=Welfare Women Get Awards for Service|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19570721-1.2.70.aspx|access-date=2 November 2016|newspaper=The Straits Times|date=21 July 1957|location=Singapore}}
{{refend}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Handy, Ellice}}
Category:People from Singapore
Category:20th-century Singaporean women writers