Aged 96 Akile Işın, one of the well-known figures of Turkish Speaking Community in London has passed away after contracting coronavirus.
Işın, who left her mark among the community with her educational activities and social activities, succumbed to the coronavirus epidemic on Tuesday, January 26.
Işın served as the president of the British Turkish Women’s Charity Association for many years and was known as the Honorary President.
One of the Founders of the Turkish Cypriot Girls’ College
Işın was born on November 4, 1925, in the village of Pınarbaşı, formerly known as Kırnı. Her father was Nihat Menteş, one of the rich people of the village, and his mother Nazif.
Her mother passed away when she was just 2.5-years-old and she was brought up by her grandmother. After her grandmother died as a result of an accident, her uncle became her guardian.
While uncle wanted little Akile to become a lawyer, she did not continue on this path. The scholarship she received for her success in education opened the doors to Cambridge, one of the most well-known universities in the world. After her graduation, she returned to Cyprus and planted the seeds of the first Turkish Girls’ College.
In addition to her teaching duties, Işın started to make programs on joint radio with the first Greeks in Lakademia. For a while, it was beneficial to the society on Flag Radio.
A graduate of Dentistry in Turkey in 1956 Işın was married her husband Osman Bey. Osman Bey, who started as a dentist, was appointed to Nigeria after a while.
Together with her husband, Akile left her job as a specialist teacher. Later they decided to settle in London because of the events in Cyprus.
She played a leading role in the establishment of the Cyprus Turkish Council Associations and the Turkish Women Philanthropic Association, where she served as chairwoman for 10 years.