During Christmas season, people gather with family and friends to enjoy a festive meal and exchange gifts as they celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. In Taman Jurong Zone E, more than 400 residents gathered in front of the sculptured garden between blk 337C and D to celebrate this joyful festival on 18 Dec 2011. Among them, about 100 residents came from the needy family.

Mr Goh Peng Tong, BBM, Chairman of Taman Jurong CCC was invited as Guest of Honour for this event. Despite heavy downpour, it did not stop the fun & laughter that were prepared for our dear residents. 

There were game corner which educate residents against crime prevention, art and craft corner that allows parents and their kids to bond together to transform their creativity into beautiful  handycrafts. Of course not forgetting Santa Claus is the star for the night. Mr Santa Claus goes around the floor to give away sweets & chocolates to all residents. Another key highlight in this event was the puppet show. Mr Puppet had brought fun and laughter to the residents. Finally the Christmas party ended with couple of lucky winners from the lucky draw. Merry Christmas to residents of Taman Jurong Zone E.

Mr Tharman unveiled the plaque for the sculpture in front of Blk 337C & 337D, followed by Tree Planting to promote ‘greening’ in the neighourhood. Let us all play our part to beautify our home further, even the little ones can help in the planting. And let’s remind them the importance of education, nicely summarised by a well known chinese phrase which states a decade to plant a tree versus a century to nurture a person. One of our little ones here might be the next DPM! Look at the enthusiasm!

Mr Tharman then gave out best cleaner awards to those quiet heroes who work relentlessly daily to keep our neighbourhood clean. Our hearts go out to you all. Thank you for the good work.

After the awards, a group of Indian residents, together with Mr Tharman light up the oil lamp for Deepavali festival.

Meanwhile there were exciting shows put up on the stage for our residents.
The atmosphere was filled with loads of fun & laughter. Look at those faces!

Beside these, residents had their precious moments taken with their family and friends  at the photo taking corner. Hardcopies were printed out instantly. Full marks for efficiency and thoughtfulness.

The event ended with lucky draws & we had a couple of lucky winners walking off with gift vouchers. What an eventful Sunday morning for the residents. Now, don’t you want to be there next time too?

Here is what Vice-Chairman of Taman Jurong CCC, Mr Faizal, said about Mr Goh:

Today we honour Mr Goh Peng Tong for being conferred with the National Award from the President of Singapore, the BBM or Public Service Star. This is an award given to a person who has rendered valuable public service to the people of Singapore.

I first knew Mr Goh when I joined the CCC about five years ago. During that time, Mr Goh was in the CSC. He was later promoted to be the CCC Chairman. We have been working together closely ever since.

Mr Goh and I chat over many things at many places – during community events, at coffee shops and sometimes in his car. But whatever type of cars that we drive, or whether or not we drive, is immaterial, because all of us Grassroots Leaders are drivers. We move our community from one place to another, which is better. That is our mission. It is not cars that bring us to places, but it is the passion and commitment to serve the community that brings us to places. And Mr Goh epitomised a person who is passionate and committed to serve others.

While I was in the United States, I had the opportunity to visit a synagogue. And there I learnt from a Jewish community that they had this saying ‘Your mind is at your feet.’ This is because what’s on your mind depends on where your feet go. And from the presentation that we have seen just now, you know that Mr Goh’s mind is with the community.

I learnt that Mr Goh is able to connect well with the community, especially the needy. This is because Mr Goh himself came from a humble background. He used to help his father, who was a fishmonger, at the wet market. His father once told him that he could not give him wealth and he will support him in his education. Mr Goh pursued his education, even taking professional courses after graduating from school. He is where he is now due to his persistent determination. He teaches us anyone can be successful if he or she works hard.

The Arabs taught how we should look at the stars with awe but walk the ground with humility. Today Mr Goh received his star but remains humble as you can see that he never forget his roots, serving others. There may be many stars shining brightly in the night sky but tonight there is one star that shines brightly at Taman Jurong grounds. And I am sure it will shine brightly forever. On behalf of all of us, congratulations Mr Goh Peng Tong.

Read more about what his ex-colleague said about him:

Mr Chew Chong Theng, PBM, the first principal of Lakeside Primary School, served the school from 2003 to 2010. During this period, he spearheaded various school-community partnership programmes that wove together a strong network of resources and strategies to value-add to the holistic development of the pupils of Lakeside Primary.

Some of the key partners in the community that Mr Chew forged links with were Taman Jurong Grassroot Organisations, pre-school centres at Taman Jurong and other private organisations. The partnership that Mr Chew forged with these key partners were built upon an ethos of collaborative climate and mutual reciprocity which not only produced far-reaching impact and positive learning outcomes for the pupils of Lakeside Primary but also enabled its benefits to extend beyond the school and permeate into the community at large.

I would like to cite a few of the many community projects spearheaded by Mr Chew.

The pupils have been actively involved in recycling efforts in Taman Jurong since 2007. The pupils collected the newspapers, which were exchanged for cash from a recycling vendor. The cash was thereafter handed to the Chairman of the respective RC zones to fund more environmentally-friendly projects. In 2008, the collected proceeds was used to set up a Butterfly Garden for the residents of Taman Jurong RC Zone D and the pupils had taken this to the next level by setting up a mini garden for residents at the Lakeside Grove NC in 2010.

The pupils of Lakeside Primary have also been actively involved in community projects with pre-school pupils since 2004. Pupils of the school have been playing little teachers to pre-schoolers and have been going to the pre-schools to read to them on a regular basis. In view of the favourable feedback from pupils, partners and the significant impact of the programme, the school further enhanced the pre-school programme and came up with FEEL@Taman Jurong Programme (Fun through Exploring, Experiencing and Learning) in 2007. In this programme, preschoolers visit Lakeside Primary to experience one day of primary school life through immersion activities

The pupils of the school have performed in various events organised by Taman Jurong CC. For example they have put up dance performances for National Day celebrations, taken part in Tamil Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival etc. Not only did Mr Chew involve the pupils in the Taman Jurong CC events, he also enthusiastically promoted Taman Jurong CC events to his staff. I have personally been involved in a National Day celebrations at Taman Jurong CC where I brought my family. It was a memorable event where my family and I had great fun. I also remember Mr Chew personally approached me once to take part in a calligraphy competition organised by the CC. There was another time that I bought tickets for the Mid Autumn Festival held at Taman Jurong Greens. If not for Mr Chew’s great enthusiasm and personal involvement in promoting the CC’s events , I would not have gone for these events. Mr Chew, these are memories I will reminisce with fondness.

The examples cited are but a few of the numerous community partnership programmes that Mr Chew had championed. Mr Chew had been relentless in his efforts in establishing partnerships with organizations to benefit the pupils especially those from disadvantaged homes and low in self-esteem. He leveraged on these partnerships to provide pupils with opportunities to perform and collaborate with external stakeholders and in doing so enhanced their confidence and developed their talents.

Mr Chew, with his foresight, personal involvement and dedication, has left a lasting legacy for the school. His genuine concern for pupils and staff alike has earned him much admiration and respect. The pupils and staff remember him as a nurturing leader.

Putting down their usual stern faces, the JSS NPCC cadets greeted the members of the public with a heartwarming smile. And they were more than willing to share their ways in preventing Petty Theft. The Public had also participated in this event actively. The JSS NPCC cadets took the opportunity to educate the Public and raised awareness on Crime Prevention.

AAR (After Action Review):

“I felt that we had done a part to help educate the public on crime prevention. Furthermore, we can also keep a look out for any prone crime that might have happened as we walk around the community. I felt that even with the help of several advertisements to help raise awareness on petty theft, it did not totally deter the potential criminals and fully alerting the residents. By doing house-to-house visit, we hope that the members of the public would be able to understand and be reminded that ‘Low Crime does not mean No crime‘ and would be constantly vigilant.”

“I felt joyful with a sense of accomplishment as I’m doing my job as a NPCC cadet as well as a resident to help my fellow neighbours by educating them more about Crime Prevention. I sincerely hope that more people would possess the knowledge on Crime Prevention and play a part in making Singapore a safe and secure home for everyone.”

“The implementation of the project was a success. Although some of the residents were reluctant to listen to our reminders, but most of them have understood that the only way to prevent petty theft is solely base on one’s commitment to be aware of their valuables.”

“If we were to compare to the whole of Singapore, the members of public that we approached were minute. However, I do have a sense of accomplishment. I’ve done my best and my part to help in protecting our community. I wish that through this event, the knowledge on Crime Prevention could be spread to the others.”
Be Vigilant. Be Alert.

Lakeside Primary School opened its doors in Jan 2003 with the merger of three schools in the area. Under Mr Chew’s visionary leadership, the culture of the three schools has been successfully synergized and Lakeside Primary is now distinguished as a happy school where learning comes alive. Outdoor experiential lessons, Malay pupils learning Chinese calligraphy and Chinese pupils participating in Dikir Barat are examples of novel ideas which he has successfully introduced in the school.  

An inspiring educator, Mr Chew has brought the school values of Love, Share and Persevere to life in all that he does.  His four favourite stories, the FISH story, IKEA philosophy, Starfish Story and the Lakeside Farmers Story have been etched in the hearts of many, be it someone 7 or 70 years old (pupils’ grandparents). Through his stories, he encouraged teachers to make a difference in the lives of the pupils.  Mr Chew has always taken a personal interest in their development and actively encouraged teachers to pursue higher education.  He has touched the hearts of everyone at Lakeside Primary, including our stakeholders and partners. 

Mr Chew exemplified active citizenry through his personal involvement in serving the community. He has supported many initiatives which have brought the school closer to the community; the setting up of the butterfly garden for the residents of Taman Jurong is one example. 

Taking over the leadership role at Lakeside Primary is Mrs Wang-Tan Sun Sun from Jan 2011.  With her experiences from the junior colleges, secondary schools and MOE, she is well placed to bring Lakeside Primary School to greater heights. Together with the staff and pupils at Lakeside Primary, we would like to wish Mr Chew all the best in his retirement.

The event was hosted by Joey Loh, a professional emcee.  Stage performances included songs by our Zone E Chinese singing group, Indian dance and Teh Tarik competition.  Some of the audiences were invited to take part in the Teh Tarik competition after learning a couple of tricks on the stage.

The wacky and well-loved local entertainer, Mr. Mustafa sung Jackie Cheung’s Cantonese song and got the audience into contagious laughter.

Other contests like the Rangoli, a traditional decorative folk art of India, allowed creative thinking from our residents to showcase their art works. 3 top prizes were given out to the winners.

The children had their fun in the costume contest. The judges had some difficulty identifying the winners. Prizes were given out to the top 3 best costumes.

Besides the stage performance, there were various fringe activities such as henna drawing, free ice cream and popcorn for the residents.

There were also exhibits on crime prevention to educate the public.

It was a fun-filled morning for everyone.

The celebration was graced by Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister of Finance and MP for Jurong GRC and Mrs Tharman who gave an opening speech in four different languages, emphasizing everyone is one big family.

There were stage shows, game booths, ice cream booth, tattoo booth, exhibits and table tennis being set up by HDB, Community Centre, Jurong Town council and RC Zone E. Awards were given to various competition quiz winners during the event. The young children were especially excited with magic shows, games and having great fun with the inflatable play set.

After the award presentation, Mr and Mrs Tharman were invited to visit two residential units. They were warmly welcomed by the residents.

Lastly Mr and Mrs Tharman were invited for the official opening of RC Zone E Center at Block 337B. The celebration ended with dinner and lucky draws for the residents. It was indeed a fun filed event for everyone!

The celebration was graced by Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Finance and MP for Jurong GRC. Awards were given to exceptional members of the community for their unwavering support to Taman Jurong projects.

The Lunar New Year Celebration was a great opportunity to showcase the talents?in Taman Jurong. The young members of the community took center stage, giving all-out performances for the cheering crowd. The first group performance was from the Harmonica Ensemble. This was followed by another musical treat, this time from the Chinese Orchestra.

After a string of traditional Chinese songs, the crowd was wowed by back to back dance numbers. Students from Yuan Ching Secondary School got everyone excited with their modern Bollywood performance. Not to be outdone, three girls from Jurong Secondary School strutted their hip hop moves.

Another highlight of the day was the performance of the Taman Jurong Community Club Juboon Dragon and Lion Dance Troupe. They gave us a glimpse of their award-winning routine. The performance was entertaining; every movement of the dragon was in sync with the fast beat of the drum.

Aside from Taman Jurong talents,?acrobats from China were invited to perform at the celebration. All eyes were focused on the trio as they executed daring manoeuvres. The most applauded and anticipated performance was the heart-stopping balancing stunt on top of a pagoda of chairs.

It was truly a happy day for everyone; smile, laughter and cheers filled the Taman Jurong Community Club. The Lunar New Year Celebration was a success, thanks to the efforts of the organizers and enthusiatic participation of the community. Cheers to 2010.

By Guest Writer Ms Mahan Ramos