Naval Base Never Left Irene

 

Naval Base Never Left Irene

(1941 -2021)

My dearest sister left for England on 23 February 1967. Today, it is with profound sadness that I pen the passing of Irene Cecilia Dass-Danabalan on 21 September 2021.

She grew up in Naval Base and attended Admiralty Asian School. Over the years, she never forgot Naval Base and the people from there whom she knew, especially her contemporaries, including Gopinathan S, Hilda Das, Joan Pereira, Kalaimagal, Kewal Singh (Dr), Muthiar Singh (Dr), Rajamani and Quah Kim Siak. She would inquire about them and visit neighbours like Aunty Nambiar, relatives, friends and practically anyone she remembered.

She was always grateful for the little things that she had, which brought a lot of fun and joy into the lives of many others. Like my mother, she was a minimalist with plenty of empathy, giving even when she had little.  Which makes it all the more difficult for us to accept how she was deceived by some, including her own.  But she never took to heart any animosity and never resented anyone. Instead, she would shrug it off with good grace.

Buddha said, "And, if we fail to look after others, who will look after us?" Irene was a living example of this saying. As the eldest among us, she was always protective of us and would come to our rescue when we needed help.

Irene was a very forgiving person with full of goodwill, and would always be thoughtful of everyone. She was very good at remembering birthdays, including her great grand nieces and nephews living across the seas.  

Talented and self-taught, Irene was a good artist; she was a natural dancer, singer and instrumentalist. She also excelled in track and off-field events, regularly partaking in the Naval Base Dockyard Medical Badminton Party Tournament and occasionally winning trophies. She partnered my dad in mix-doubles and when they lost, she took it like a good sport.

Photograph of Irene taken around 1966 at the Naval Base Hospital Grounds

She rarely fell ill, but whenever she had a flu, cough or sore throat, she would brush it off and self-medicate, often only gurgling salt water. Naturally, given her disposition, she eluded the vaccine and so did the virus.

A few years ago when doctors told her she would never walk after a stroke, she left them baffled as she strode out of the hospital, to their applause. The patients observing her 'treating herself' with Diet Coke soon demanded the same prescription!

My youngest sister Lisa Janet Dass-Fitzgerald recalls from Canada, "She was a good sister who was always in for a good laugh or a joke! Never took anything to heart, even when family was unkind to her; her merciful response to such encounters would always be Pavam lah (poor thing, let them be)".

She relished the Mr. Kipling cakes and pies from Tesco. Whenever I called her around teatime to inquire about her, she'd say, "Mr Kipling came by for a visit!" She was just a sweet and simple soul, big in compassion and young at heart.

Irene touched the lives of many like Shaun, who remembers meeting her as a young boy, "I hold fond memories of Aunty Irene. She may not have had much in financial wealth, but she was rich in kindness and generosity. Her gifts and words were all the more precious because of the care and thought behind them."

Brother-in-law Joseph Naidu, who spent his holidays with Irene in England, remembers the many wonderful walks they took and how she would always say he was her favorite.

I am certain that her simplicity and abounding affection has been repaid by so much love that others have for her.

I often wondered why my sister — endowed with so much talent — never exploited her potential.  But it was only later I learnt that it was equally important to "Strive not just to be a success, but to be rather of value."

She reminded me of what Buddha said, "At the end of the day, I am at peace, because my intentions are good and my heart is pure."

Knowing Irene as an epitome of goodness, we could not have asked for a better sister. For good deeds can never be erased and will be forever etched as scripture teaches: 

The days of a good life are numbered

but a good name lasts forever. 

She is also blessed with a loving and dutiful son, Lawrence, who would sit for hours chatting with her. Like my mother, Irene too was fully conversant on a variety of topics, from political developments to current affairs including new laws and schemes, especially concerning Singapore. She knew it all.

When I spoke to her eldest daughter, Christine, who was at her mother’s side on the day of Irene’s passing, she told me, "Mum Never Left Naval Base."

I am Alfred Dass, and this is my tribute to my dearly beloved sister, Irene. May her soul rest in peace.