Puan Noor Aishah
Noor Aishah Mohammad Salim | |
|---|---|
| 1st Spouse of the President of Singapore | |
| In role 9 August 1965 – 23 November 1970 | |
| President | Yusof Ishak |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Yeo Seh Geok |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Noor Aishah binti Mohammad Salim 21 May 1933 Selangor, Federated Malay States, British Malaya |
| Died | 22 April 2025 (aged 91) Singapore |
| Resting place | Kranji State Cemetery |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent(s) | Mohammad Salim Jusoh (father) Fatimah Ali (mother) |
Noor Aishah binti Mohammad Salim DUBC (21 May 1933 – 22 April 2025), commonly known as Toh Puan Noor Aishah, was the widow of Yusof Ishak, the first President of Singapore. She took the role as Spouse of the President of Singapore between 1965 and 1970.
Early and personal life
[edit]Noor Aishah was born in Selangor in 1933, and was adopted by Mohammad Salim Jusoh (born Barney Perkins) and Fatimah Ali.[1] She grew up in a villlage in Penang, completing only two years of primary school due to the interruptions of World War II.[2]
She married Yusof Ishak on 20 November 1949, at the age of 16.[3] The two met three days before the wedding, having been introduced through a mutual acquaintance.[4] After marrying in Penang, she returned with Yusof to Singapore.[4] The couple had three children.[2]
She and her husband undertook the Hajj in 1963, while on a state visit to Saudi Arabia.[5]
She was known to frequently wear the kebaya.[6]
Other roles
[edit]In The Istana
[edit]While living in The Istana, Noor Aishah taught the English-trained chefs more local recipes, including "beef rendang, epok epok and various kuih".[2] Her "star dish" was sago gula melaka pudding, but she was also noted for her nasi ulam.[7]
In order to better host foreign dignitaries and their wives, she took English classes. After a year, she was offering speeches in English at state functions.[7]
When her husband's health began declining in his third term, she began to help with his social responsibilities, such as presenting the 1968 National Day Awards.[2][8]
Patronages
[edit]Noor Aishah was patron of the Singapore Red Cross,[9] the Young Women's Muslim Association,[10] and the Girl Guides Association.
Noor Aisha was a patron of Masjid Yusof Ishak in Woodlands, whose construction was announced in 2014. She donated some plants from her nursery for the mosque's landscaping. Following its opening in 2017, she appeared at many of the mosque's events.[2]
Girl Guides
[edit]Noor Aishah became the first Asian president of the Singapore Girl Guides Association (now Girl Guides Singapore) in 1959. In 1965, she became the patron of the movement.[11] She was awarded the Laurel Leaf, the highest award of the Singapore Girl Guides' Association, in 1970.[12]
Veteran Guiding leaders credit her with helping to raise funds for the movement when funding was scarce, and with helping to secure a plot of land for their headquarters in the Clemenceau area in the 1960s.[11] The Girl Guides named the Puan Noor Aishah Award after her.[11]
Death and funeral
[edit]Noor Aishah died on 22 April 2025 at the Singapore General Hospital, aged 91.[2] Her death was announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. Her body was brought to Ba’alwie Mosque for the funeral prayers (Jenazah), before being interred at the Kranji State Cemetery with her husband, Yusof Ishak. She was accorded a State assisted funeral.[13]
Awards and accolades
[edit]Noor Aishah was awarded the Pingat Bakti Chemerlang (Distinguished Service Medal; later replaced by the Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang, or Distinguished Service Order) in 1964 for her work in social welfare.[14]
In 1971, she received an honorary degree from the National University of Singapore, the first Malay woman to do so.[7]
In 2018, she was inducted into Singapore Women's Hall of Fame for her contributions to society.[15]
References
[edit]- ^ Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh (18 July 2017). "New book launched on Puan Noor Aishah, wife of Singapore's first President Yusof Ishak". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f "Puan Noor Aishah, wife of Singapore's first President Yusof Ishak, dies aged 91". Channel News Asia. 2025-04-22. Retrieved 2025-04-22.
- ^ "Puan Noor Aishah". Singapore Women's Hall of Fame. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
- ^ a b bin Rasheed, Zainul Abidin; Saat, Norshahril (2016). Majulah!: 50 Years of Malay/Muslim Community in Singapore. World Scientific. pp. 6–7. ISBN 978-981-4759-88-5.
- ^ "Here are photos of Yusof Ishak on 1963 Mecca pilgrimage that are not just in purple, green, red or blue". mothership.sg. Retrieved 2025-04-22.
- ^ "More than just a garment, the kebaya symbolises female empowerment". Her World Singapore. 2024-12-19. Retrieved 2025-04-22.
- ^ a b c "A charity patron who 'touched the lives of many': Puan Noor Aishah's life as the wife of Singapore's first president". Channel News Asia. 2025-04-22. Retrieved 2025-04-22.
- ^ "'A force of good': Singapore's leaders pay respects at funeral of late Puan Noor Aishah". Channel News Asia. 2025-04-22. Retrieved 2025-04-22.
- ^ "First Lady Puan Noor Aishah, Patron of the Singapore Red Cross Society". National Archives of Singapore. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
First Lady Puan Noor Aishah, Patron of the Singapore Red Cross Society, at a Christmas Party for 70 Handicapped Children at the Red Cross House in Penang Lane.
- ^ "Lady Noor Aishah, the First Lady and wife of Singapore's first President, Mr. Yusof Ishak, lays the foundation stone of the Young Women Muslim Association's headquarters at Haigsville Drive, 1967". BookSG. National Library Board Singapore. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
- ^ a b c Lee, Venessa (12 February 2017). "100 years of Girl Guides in Singapore". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
- ^ "Puan Noor Aishah receiving the "Laurel Leaf" award, the …". National Archives of Singapore. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
Puan Noor Aishah receiving the "Laurel Leaf" award, the highest award of the Singapore Girl Guides' Association, at the Istana
- ^ Baharudin, Hariz (22 April 2025). "Puan Noor Aishah, wife of Singapore's first President Yusof Ishak, dies at 91". The Straits Times. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
- ^ Chern, Alphonsus (13 August 2015). "Singapore badges of honour". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
- ^ "Puan Noor Aishah, wife of Singapore's first president Yusof Ishak, inducted into Women's Hall of Fame". The Straits Times. 24 March 2018. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
- 1933 births
- 2025 deaths
- 20th-century Muslims
- 20th-century Singaporean people
- 20th-century Singaporean women
- 21st-century Singaporean people
- 21st-century Singaporean women
- First ladies and gentlemen of Singapore
- Malaysian emigrants to Singapore
- Recipients of the Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang
- Singaporean people of Malay descent
- Singaporean Muslims
- People from Penang
- People from Selangor