Joyce — a life of excellent service

Joyce Wong Sang is a perfect example of this. She is known for her input in the growth and development of the Prime Minister’s Best Village Trophy competition. having resigned from that position she is still heavily involved in the planning and organising events in TT.

As we near the 200th anniversary of Chinese arrival in TT to be celebrated on October 12, Wong Sang is busy planning events to mark this occasion. Despite her busy schedule she took time off to sit and talk about her life.

She is heavily involved, as a member of the Bicentennial Committee of the Arrival of Chinese in TT, in putting together events and celebrations for this historical event. This will include cultural shows, fashion displays and lectures food displays.

After 200 years of the Chinese experience their input has certainly added richly to the rainbow that is TT. Their contributions, achievements and struggles have helped to shape our multi-ethnic society which enjoys several cultures.

The first 192 Chinese immigrants arrived in TT on October 12, 1806 on the ship Fortitude. The 200th anniversary is a significant milestone and these planned activities are geared to promote an increased awareness and appreciation of the Chinese culture.

Wong Sang, who was there from the inception of the PM Best Village Competition in 1963, is pleased that it is now on good grounds.

She was once considered the guiding light of the competition in her capacity as secretary and later as coordinator.

“The local dishes and fashions were considered low class until this country’s first Prime Minister Dr Eric Williams found a way to bring the culture forward through the Best Village,” she said.

By reaching out to the people who settled in Siparia and Rio Claro and other rural areas back then, the people came forward and presented their culture in a professional way for everyone to enjoy, she said.

Foods such as the Chinese dish of fried rice and East Indian dish of roti became popular through the Best Village.

Reminiscing on the days before the beginning of the Best Village, Wong Sang who grew up in a home where a housekeeper was employed, said:

“I remember when the servants would go to their little hut and prepare their food of saltfish and rice while major foods such as baked potatoes and baked chicken, fish and chips are prepared in the main house. Best Village broke the barrier and the African, Chinese and East Indian dishes came to the fore,” she explained. Joyce believes standards must be set in everything and one must not deviate from these high standards. Through Best Village she was known for her no-nonsense attitude.

“You have to be firm especially when you are dealing with so many people who feel you can bend the rules to suit them. If you start to do that when would you stop? I think because I stood up for high standards, they thought that perhaps I was too firm at times.”

The eighth of 12 children born to Stella and Albert Moyou, Wong Sang attended Tranquillity Government School before moving on to St Joseph’s Convent in Port-of-Spain.

After a short stint at George F Huggins, she joined the Public Service in the early 1960s and in 1963, was assigned to the newly-formed Best Village programme.

“At that time Dr Williams had just completed cottage meetings in the rural districts and he decided that a forum was needed where the people could showcase their cultural talent which was not being exposed. “Around that very same time hurricane ‘Flora’ hit Tobago and the person who was designated to head the programme was sent to the sister island so I was appointed to head the programme,” she added.

This was the start of her life of recruiting people and forming groups in the many areas for the Prime Minister’s Best Village competition. She distinctly remembered giving out cutlery sets as gifts to groups as they had none to serve their foods.

She noted that the various performers from the villages felt a sense of pride, in staging the dances, drama and songs of their own heritage. After retiring from the Public Service Wong Sang was given a contract to manage the East Side Plaza on George and Charlotte Streets, in Port-of-Spain, which was not renewed when it expired in 1996.

Wong Sang is also involved in the Trinidad and Tobago Retired Person (TTARP) group where she is on a committee that makes plans to treat retired people on a monthly basis. This is one of her fun activities. There’s no stopping Wong Sang who maintains good health by working out at the gym three times per week. She also loves walking out in the garden and tending to her plants.

Her husband George, to whom she had been married for “40-something” years passed away last year. They have two children both living abroad and doing well in the field of computer technology.