PETALING JAYA, March 21 — The founder of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Selangor, Mea Wheatley, celebrated her 100th birthday in Ampang Jaya today.
The low-key birthday party held at the non-governmental organisation’s headquarters was attended by close friends and staff members of SPCA.
Wheatley, her late husband Max and a group of expatriates founded SPCA in 1958 and were the driving force behind the success and influence the NGO has today, creating a safe haven for mistreated cats and dogs long before the term animal rights was popularised.
Wheatley, a Dutch national born in Indonesia in 1919, came to Malaysia in her 30s where she met her husband and remained here ever since.
A polyglot fluent in Indonesian, Dutch, French and English, the centenarian was chairman of SPCA for over 40 years, retiring when she turned 80.
“I’m so happy to be here to see all my friends,” Wheatley said at the celebration.
“I hope you will all remain in good condition.”
Asked about her “good condition”, Wheatley told Malay Mail her secret to longevity was eating well.
She maintains a healthy and balanced diet, starting her day with one egg, mangoes and oranges.
But beyond her ripe old age, it is Wheatley’s compassion and love for animals that will be part of her legacy.
SPCA legal advisor Chan Mo Lin recalled the society’s headquarters in the 1970s was far from what it is today.
“Back then SPCA was just a shed outside. We were really poor, we had two construction cabins and a few sheds just sitting outside. We never had the money to develop this part of SPCA.
“Mr and Mrs Wheatley just soldiered on and we never had government assistance then as we do not have now. It’s really through their efforts and a few at that particular time,” said Chan, adding that a lot of expatriate wives helped out while their husbands worked.
In her speech, SPCA chairman Christine Chin said Wheatley is one of 44,000 centenarians in Malaysia and 450,000 worldwide which makes the ex-chairman “pretty rare”.
“She co-founded SPCA at a time when no one was around to help the animals when most of the expats left Malaysia, she and her husband became the chairman.
“They were the stalwarts and pillars of SPCA and slowly, more Malaysians began joining the board,” said Chin.
Chin described Wheatley as a strong woman who fearlessly fought against animal abusers.
“It’s wonderful that her spirit compassion and her lifelong love for animals kept this place going.
“She was very honest too – I’ve heard stories of her kicking out those who stole money from the society and sometimes you just need an honest and good person to run things,” said Chin.
