Meet the 73-year-old Australian grandmother on a journey to being a 'Singaporean ah ma'

At 73, retirement life looks a little different for Jill Richards — the Australian grandmother has found a new calling as a TikTok influencer under the handle @angmoh.ahma, where she chronicles her adventures in Singapore and her journey to becoming "more Singaporean", after retiring from her job of running a Manuka honey business back in her home country.  

Jill's first video was posted on Sept 2, and as of the time of writing, she currently has more than 9,000 followers on TikTok, and more than 82,000 likes on her videos collectively.  

Her most popular upload — one of her discovering Singapore's table chope-ing culture at a hawker centre — boasts more than 670,000 views.  

Speaking to AsiaOne about the sudden Internet popularity she's enjoying, the ang moh ah ma (grandma) said: "I am completely shocked. I'm just flabbergasted. I can't believe that so many people like them (her videos). It's just lovely, and I'm really pleased."

But what exactly prompted the Brisbane native to embark on her content creation journey — especially in a foreign country like Singapore?  

According to the grandma, it's all thanks to her family, who had become "more Singaporean" after her son Mark settled down in the country years ago. 

"I want to become more Singaporean, too," she said.  

More specifically, she wanted to bond with her 14-year-old grandson. She declined to reveal his name for the sake of privacy but said that he is currently attending school in Singapore. 

Sharing about the moment she decided to hop on the TikTok bandwagon as a creator, Jill said she made the decision to try it out one night after chatting and "trying to build a relationship" with her grandson, who was "laughing and giggling" while using the app.  

"So I asked Alvin (a family friend) what this TikTok thing was all about, and he helped me start a few videos just to see what happens," she explained.  

And thus, 'Ang moh Ah ma' was born.  

@angmoh.ahma Nobody told me about this particular rule😅 I thought they provided it for free 🫣 #angmo #angmoahma #singapore #sgtiktok #learnontiktok ♬ original sound - Angmoh.Ahma

"I'm really enjoying doing the videos and seeing all the comments and just having fun. And my grandson's following and looking at the numbers and what we're doing, and he's becoming excited as well," Jill said. 

"The whole thing was just to get closer to my family. I was trying to find something which connected me with my grandson. It's hard, 14 and my age, a grandma, trying to find something in common... and TikTok's been it."

Content creating among younger counterparts

Content creating doesn't come without its challenges — especially for Jill who sometimes feel "backwards" and like an "underdog" in a pool so saturated with younger creators. 

According to the grandma, it feels like "challenging a whole world that is already ahead" of her and she knows she "definitely needs help and support". 

But that doesn't keep down, as she believes that her "true superpower" is in being able to draw people to her by being her genuine self — sincere, honest, vibrant and "always embracing life" — which is something that she wants to impart to her grandson. 

"My true inspiration isn't about competing with others but just being part of my grandson's life, reminding him of me by constantly appearing in front of him via TikTok, while inspiring him to embrace life just like I do," the grandma said. 

Sharing about the future plans for her platform, Jill said that she would love to be able to help those in need, instead of just repeating the same type of content.

"Today we went to Food From the Heart (a food bank in Singapore), and I absolutely loved it. They're all voluntary workers there and they help people. They (those in need) come in and get free food. I probably want to help organisations like that, if that's possible," she said. 

@angmoh.ahma I've tried many things in Singapore, but today was quite interesting🤔 (in all the best possible ways!) Thank you so much to @Food from the Heart for giving me the opportunity to volunteer here❤️ Everyone check out their page and see what they do cause it's really amazing! #helpinghand #sgtiktok #charityshop #exploresingapore #volunteer ♬ original sound - Angmoh.Ahma

When asked about the goals that she's set for her platform in terms of following, the grandma said that getting up to 20,000 followers "would be an achievement". 

"That means we're putting stuff out there that people want to listen to and watch," she said. 

Becoming a 'Singaporean ah ma' 

On her journey to becoming a "Singaporean ah ma", the Australian grandmother said that she has picked up several uniquely Singaporean things — like Singlish, staying on the left side of the escalator, finding out that food and drinks are prohibited on the MRT and of course — the vibrant hawker culture. 

"The food culture here is incredible. I think because of where Singapore is, you've got all these countries around, the food is just unbelievable," she said. 

@angmoh.ahma Never thought I'd eat chicken feet in my life but here I am (it was an experience )🐔R.I.P #sgtiktok #angmoahma #learnontiktok #sgfoodie #foodtasting ♬ original sound - Angmoh.Ahma

According to Jill, her favourite Singaporean food so far is prata. 

And while she has picked up some Singlish, she shared that the language is probably one of the things that she struggles with the most in becoming more Singaporean. 

"I haven't got any aptitude to learn a language, but I'm really trying," stated Jill. "I wish I could be better." 

As for what she looks forward to trying and what fans can expect, the grandma said that she would like to learn how to cook Singaporean food. 

"I can't get the flavours right when I try and cook at home when Mark visits. Today we went to the wet markets, and I absolutely loved that," she said, adding that she would like to learn and bring some ideas and recipes back home to Australia. 

On moving to Singapore permanently 

As of now, Jill travels to and fro between Singapore and Brisbane regularly together with her husband John, who is known as 'ang moh ah gong' in some of her videos. 

This is because other than Mark and her grandson in Singapore, the grandmother also has another son and three grandsons in Brisbane. 

Explained Jill: "It would be the perfect opportunity if we could have six months here (in Singapore) and six months in Brisbane. It could also be one year [where] we might need more time in Singapore and less in Brisbane."

But given how much she embraces Singapore, Jill seems like she might just be open to the possibility of staying here long term. 

"But I'm really loving the Singapore culture, food and people, so you never know what will happen in the future," she quipped. 

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carol.ong@asiaone.com