KUALA LUMPUR: The violin performance by the prime minister’s wife, Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, wowed over 1,000 guests at the SMK St Mary Alumni Club gala dinner last night.
Her rendition of “Secret Garden”, “You Raise Me Up” and “Que Sera Sera”, accompanied by her violin instructor, Winnie Cheah and pianist Nor Raina Yeong Abdullah, received a standing ovation from the audience.
Earlier, in her speech, Siti Hasmah, who is also an SMK St Mary alumni, said she had stopped playing the violin when she was 16 as she had to focus on her studies, and returned to playing at the age of 86.
“It proves that age should not stop anyone from pursuing their dreams,” she said.
She also shared her memories of sitting for her final Senior Cambridge examination paper at the school in 1941.
“On that day, bombs dropped on Singapore and in Penang and the Japanese army crossed the borders into Kelantan.
“This experiences could be reflected in the gala dinner’s theme today which is ‘United and Strong: Past and Present’,” she said.
At the event, Siti Hasmah was also given a surprise in conjunction with her 93rd birthday, which will be celebrated on July 12.
SMK St Mary Alumni Club president Cynthia Wan Mai Gan said the gala dinner aimed at raising funds for two schools, SMK St Mary and SK St Mary, managed to raise over RM140,000.
“This fund is needed to run the Saleha Hospitality and Culinary Arts Centre (SHCAC) at SMK St Mary which includes hiring culinary teachers, and to enable students at SK St Mary to have more effective learning experiences,” she said. - FMT
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