Fuzet (No.4, 1987-89) was in 6.1 when the Great Storm hit in 1987. She was staying at Annex, above the (then) Library when the storm hit. After evacuating to House 4, she shared a room with Amanda Pembroke, then in 6.2 everyone in her year was housed in Lawrence.

Fuzet lived in the US as a child, then Malaysia, the UK, and back to Malaysia, before moving to Singapore almost 14 years ago. She is now a shipping & aviation lawyer based in Singapore with her own law firms in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

1. What is your favourite memory of Roedean?

Probably my room in Lawrence in the second term of 6.2, which I had only for a term, before Sarah Nasser, the head of Lawrence, took it back! It had a lovely view of the grounds and the sea. When the sun set, the sunlight was rosy. I have many many favourite memories of Roedean though, and I only chose to name that one because my daughter had a very similar room in Lawrence during her 2 years at Roedean!

2. What was the best piece of advice you were given whilst at School?

Again, I was given many great pieces of advice whilst at School, but perhaps one that still amuses me was: when I was at one of my first Games lessons, which was cricket, I’d never played cricket before or even watched a game, and I knew absolutely nothing about it. I threw the ball, it bounced on the ground, then hit the wicket. I said to the Games Mistress, “Oh sorry Madam!” She said wonderingly to me, “You’re supposed to hit the wicket…” :)

3. When you were at Roedean, what did you want to be when you ‘grew-up’?

I had no idea when I was at Roedean what I wanted to be when I ‘grew-up’. I did law as a degree at Cambridge University only because it was a training of the mind, and I felt, I could decide what I wanted to be after I did it. Once I had my law degree, I felt I would do the bar finals examination, then decide what I wanted to do after qualifying as an English barrister. Once I was called to the bar at Middle Temple, I felt I would work as a lawyer first whilst I decided what I wanted to do with my life. I did not aim to become a law firm partner, and did so when I was about 30 thinking that I could still decide later what I wanted to become. This went on throughout my career, being called to the bar as a Malaysian lawyer, doing a Masters in shipping law at Southampton University, being called to the bar as a Singapore lawyer, moving to Singapore, setting up my own Malaysian then Singapore law firms, thinking I can decide later what I want to do with my life.

4. What are you now you’ve grown up?

I still feel like I am growing up, not having decided yet what I want to become once I do. It seems to me that, whilst some people are clear with what they want to be when they grow up, I have had no inkling whatsoever. I have gone through my entire 28 years in a shipping & aviation law legal practice career, and setting up my law firms in both Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, not having any ambition whatsoever. I do not know whether that is alright, and I am deeply aware that I am judged for having an odd, meandering, even fringe-like existence as a sole practitioner. Others appear to have strategised their legal careers, to achieve higher positions, eventually reaching the pinnacle of the legal industry. This is obviously absolutely great, but I have followed an alternative route, unplanned and uncharted. My only aim perhaps is to be happy and contented, so maybe this is alright.

5. What does your job involve?

I am currently working on drafting various contracts related to a shipbuilding of a vessel which my clients are purchasing. I am also involved in the documentation for the sale of another vessel which my clients are selling. The vessels are worth between a few million USD to more than a hundred million USD, the parties to the transactions are based in China, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, New York and Belgium. At the same time, I am interviewing lawyers to join my law firms, approving audited accounts for the law firms, attending events for business development and introducing contacts to each other to create opportunities for us all to work together.

6. What have you done that you are most proud of?

I am most proud of having raised my daughter! She went to Roedean too for 6th form. She was adamant against going at first because she had good friends at her Singapore school. I was happy about this, as this meant that she would stay with me. As a single mother, she was the only family I had. Eventually though I had to let her go when she realised what an awesome school  Roedean was! The things us mothers do for our children! It was the best thing for her though, and I knew that it would form an integral part of her growing up. I had told her that the opportunity was 34 years in the making, in order to persuade her to go. I had attended the school in 1987, as a scholarship kid by grace of the sponsors I had. I had felt it was the best education I had ever had in my life. Now we could afford for her to go on our own finances, I felt I needed to give her as good an education as I had had, if not better. She then had a look at the school website, and she asked me, her eyes as round as saucers, “Mummy I can go there? I can go there Mummy??” So off she went. The rest is history.

She is now studying law in University College London. She really loves the course and her life in London. It was Roedean that enabled her to take the next step there, to live independently as a student, in a very challenging environment, studying a very difficult subject. I am most proud of her!

She says that the teachers at Roedean were so supportive of her and the other students as girls. She felt that, coming from a co-educational school previously which probably inhibited girls, all the teachers at Roedean, including and even especially the men teachers, were feminists, in that they supported the all-girl students in anything they wanted to do. I actually never thought of whether I came across any prejudice or discrimination throughout my life, but now that I am middle-aged, I realise that it is very likely that I had faced misogyny at least a few times in my career and personal life. This likely manifested in many ways, both insidious and overt. I feel so grateful that my daughter was able to learn in an environment where she was made aware that her gender should never be an obstacle to fulfilling her full potential.

7. What are the three objects you would take with you to a desert island?

Assuming that I cannot take any living beings like my daughter, my cat, my helper (who has become our family) or a horse, the three objects I would take are the Quran, my prayer wear - and Netflix! I have been helped through all the trials and tribulations of my life by my religion, and I have always loved the performing arts. So presumably if I were marooned on a dessert island, with enough food and water for sustenance, those are the three objects I would take with me to sustain me through the isolation (like Covid!).

8. What books have had a significant influence on you and why?

The Quran is by far the book which has had the most significant influence on me. I realise that this can be looked upon askance by some. I have learnt through it what faith means though, at least to me. It is this faith that has carried me through life’s vicissitudes. Apart from that, all the novels that I have read during my childhood and growing up as a teenager have had a profound effect on me. They developed my language skills. I felt they also fed my soul. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Franz Kafka, James Joyce, but to name a few, were all classic authors whose beautiful prose helped shape my personal growth. Eventually I found that they also helped in my professional life, as the articulation that I learnt through their books was invaluable. 

I have to mention too my teachers at Roedean: The English literature teachers took me through texts by Chaucer and Shakespeare which I enjoyed enormously, the history teachers taught me from books on 19th century English history which helped me understand the world, and my maths teacher used books from which I could learn math more easily although I didn’t like the subject. Though I cannot remember their exact titles, these were instrumental in my experience that Roedean gave me the best education in my life. I am giving a shoutout to, Mrs Coghlin, Mr Christie, Mrs Cook and Mr Lees amongst others. Above all, they welcomed questions. Coming from an education system where questions were regarded with discomfort, being able to ask questions felt like rain on parched earth. 

9. What is on your bucket list?

I would love to go on horseback riding holidays around the world! I would also love to get involved in efforts to eradicate hunger and poverty. I would also do what I can to ease our existence through this climate change that we are experiencing. I would love to open a law firm in the UK too so that my daughter and I have a continuing excuse to visit our friends there - and so I can ride there more frequently!

10. If you had one year and unlimited funds, what would you do?

I would in that one year do what I can to solve world hunger, put a roof over orphans and ensure peaceful security for those living in war-torn environments. I would seek ways to give children an education, and parents to earn a living, for those who do not have them. Plus, I would establish a scholarship at Roedean. It has given so much to my daughter and I; we would want to give what we can for other girls to thrive in one of the best schools in the world!