Royal Commonwealth Essay Competition 2009

The Society’s first home was above a shirt shop at No.

The Society’s first home was above a shirt shop at No.

The Society may be seen from early on to have been progressive in its time towards equality and diversity.

A woman was first invited by The Royal Colonial Institute to read a research paper in 1894, and The Royal Colonial Institute was one of the first learned organisations to admit women as full Fellows, in 1922.

Numerous early accounts of exploration, voyages and travel were likewise destroyed.

Out of a collection of 260,000, total losses were estimated at approximately 35,000 books and 5,000 pamphlets.

”—Chief Examiner, Royal Commonwealth Society About the Author Chew Chia Shao Wei was fourteen years old and in Secondary Three at Raffles Girls’ School when she wrote this story for the Commonwealth Essay Writing Competition in 2009. She went on to study at Raffles Institution and in 2012 earned the Rotary Club of Singapore’s Good Samaritan Award “in recognition of her spirit of true volunteerism above and beyond the call of duty”.

She began her freshman year at Harvard University in 2013. About the Illustrator Anngee Neo is a freelance illustrator whose work is in magazines, advertisements and children’s books.The site was completely rebuilt in 1936 to the design of architect Sir Herbert Baker, providing a greatly extended Library.The Blitz had a devastating effect on the Society's Northumberland Avenue headquarters and Library.The subsequent issue of the Society's journal United Empire, May-June 1941, reported the resumption of activities including its Saturday afternoon dances for members of the Overseas Armed Forces.Determined attempts were made to replace the Library’s losses, drawing helpful donations from institutions and individuals and an award from the War Damage Commission, but many items proved irreplaceable.Then one day a noisy bird came to rest on the rock—and began to annoy the rock with its endless chatter.Despite their hostile beginnings, the two began a friendship that evolved and changed over many years.Then one day when the bird did not return to the rock, the rock knew that his friend had died.And his world would return to what it once was, though now it was also filled with memories of his dearest friend.On the night of 16/17 April 1941 the building was struck by a two-ton bomb.Seventy-four people were present at the time; one member was killed and another injured, and two members of staff badly hurt.