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Synopsis :

A tribute to President Benjamin Henry Sheares who was elected by Parliament on 30 December 1970 to succeed the late President Yusof Ishak. Benjamin Sheares was born on 12 August 1907 and went to St. Andrew's School and Raffles Institution. A brilliant student, he studied medicine and graduated in 1929. He started his career in Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G) at the Outram Road Hospital and was associated with the Kandang Kerbau Hospital for nearly 50 years. He later became Professor of O&G at the University of Malaya in Singapore and Chancellor of the University of Singapore. President Sheares' pioneering work in O&G resulted in a gynaecological procedure called the Sheares operation. He was honoured by the Royal Society of Medicine and the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Courteous by disposition and kind by nature, he was deeply involved in starting the family planning movement in Singapore. On 2 January 1971, he became Singapore's President and a fortnight later, he carried out his Presidential duties with ease and confidence when Singapore hosted the 18th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew recalls how he prepared for this meeting by asking for the curriculum vitae of the leaders of the delegations and information on the countries they represent. The President believed in the importance of racial and religious harmony and felt that intolerant thinking must give way to values that would ensure the well-being of all. He was also concerned with building Singapore's defence force following the withdrawal of British troops. President Sheares, a brilliant son of the republic died in his third term serving the highest office of the land.