Photo Credit: Goh Kee Huat 吴志发

 

Goh Kee Huat 吴志发

(Article contributed by 4th Batch OS Goh Kee Huat in October 2014)

As I joined the People’s Association (PA) and completed my Basic Training Program at the National Youth Leadership Training Institute (NYLTI), I was sent to Pulau Ubin for my Outward Bound School (OBS) training together with other 4th Batch Organizing Secretaries (OSs) in 1967. While I worked as an Organizing Secretary (Inspectorate) at the PA Field Division, the Chief Instructor of OBS, Major Dunstone came to PA to persuade me to sign on as a Trainer for OBS as they needed to train more trainees especially the new Civilian Instructor recruited by the National Service Vigilante Corps. I agreed to help out for one training course with the permission of the PA.

My job there was to guide and help new trainees to familiarize with the training program they would be going through with their peers. With the experience I gained during my previous course, I did my best to venture into that new area of work with excitement and full commitment. 

So I worked closely with the military trainers in Pulau Ubin to fulfill my new responsibilities as it was not a difficult task for me because I had been physically fit and was interested in the adventurous activities in the outdoors. Come to think of it, that was really something to remember and indeed a great learning experience I had for my career with the PA.

With the experience I acquired through the various fields after my Advanced Residential Training Course on Community and Youth Work at NYLTI, I was appointed as one of the pioneer officers in the earliest PA Youth and Sports Section with Han Chok Kwang as the head of the Section in early 1970s. Together with other pioneer officers at the PAHQ level, I had the opportunity to plan and embark on many sport tournaments such as the PA Inter-CC Table Tennis Tournament, Basketball Tournament and so on. It was all about making concerted effort and working together to meet the organizational goals. It was a worthwhile effort to put things together in remembering those good old days especially when we enjoyed the fun of working together as an effective team whatever the difficulties we might have gone through.

In 1974, I was selected together with 30 other youth leaders as one of the participating youths (PYs) to take part on a 52-day Cruise Program on board M/s Nippon Maru for the first Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Program (SSEAYP). Yip Mien Chun who was the Assistant Director of the Youth Section was appointed as the first Singapore’s National Leader leading the Singapore’s Youth Delegation for that youth exchange program. SSEAYP was initiated in 1974 and sponsored by the Government of Japan for participating youths from ASEAN Countries and Japan.

Until today, the ex-PYs of the first SSEAYP still enthusiastically make excellent effort and spend meaningful time to meet at reunion gatherings as so to stay connected. The lasting friendship had lingered on since 1974. Evidently, it had to be the sustainable effort of the ex-PYs themselves who made it happened for so many years. The recent one was held in 2014. Friendship really makes the world go round.

I was also selected to attend the Chandigarh Youth Program in India. The program was directly administered and monitored by the Commonwealth Youth Secretariat when PA Youth Movement was a participating organization of the Commonwealth Youth Program in its formative years.

Because of my love for studies to upgrade myself, prior to my career with PA I had already committed my spare time learning the traditional Chinese medicine as a hobby. I am glad that I also took up the challenge to venture into an overseas academic learning program conducted by the Beijing Language and Culture University in Singapore from 1999 to 2002 . I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree on completion of the degree course. To me, there was no limit for a person to learn as long as one had the interest to do so and I had never failed to achieve it. Nothing really could dampen my spirit to seek knowledge that I enjoyed.

Indeed, it was so surprised that our friends from the 4th Batch OSs also made special effort to reconnect ourselves after so many years. Many of us are now fully retired. We began to meet at reunion gatherings planned with the purpose of reconnecting long lost friends. Having great fun while we gathered once a month, I wish to extend my heartiest and best wishes to all my friends for a Happy Reminiscence every time they meet.

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I am pleased to share with my former colleagues some photos in my album.