Bishop Baker's Secretaries

Last Friday, Penny Robbins came to visit us at the Archives.  She was Bishop Baker’s second English Secretary and arrived in Hong Kong from Nairobi in late 1969. It is the bishop’s secretary who gets the work done and they are important people in the life of our church. Penny is a very nice lady and came with Eva, her good friend from St. Paul’s Church.  Bishop Baker had invited her, a distant cousin, to come over and help, but with no specific job in mind. So she came and settled in for three and a half years (1969-1972). Her first job was to come that very first day to the very place where we were sitting, which was then the Dean’s home, and wrap Christmas presents. His secretary at the time was Kitty Anderson, who had been Bishop Hall’s secretary previously and, already in her mid-70s, was ready to retire. She retired and Penny was offered the position and took over the job. She worked alongside Jean Chen, his Chinese secretary, who came with Bishop Baker from Tao Fong Shan.  In 1972, Penny decided she wanted to move on and having bought an around-the-world-ticket, she flew to Taiwan and eventually to North America.  She eventually went back to London, where she worked for the Quakers.  But when the opportunity came, she went as a Quaker to work in administration at Birzeit University in Israel/Palestine.  Mrs. Mary Louise Allen, an American, succeeded Penny, and she stayed with Bishop Baker until his retirement.

From Left to Right: Philip, Penny and Eva