SMU Dean of Students and Professor of Sociology Paulin Straughan commented on the unusual journey of Ms Kok Oi Yee – one of Singapore’s first women nature guides – who accompanied zoology students out into the field in the early 1960s and began guiding people as a member of the then Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch). Prof Straughan said that Ms Kok's passion for the environment was unusual for her time. "In those times, progress and development were the main priorities. So certainly, she was very ahead of her time," she said. She added, "I think that Ms Kok is an example of the resilience that women in that generation have demonstrated."