KEEPING TO TRADITION - THE CHANGE-OF-GUARDS CEREMONY

Marching on busy Orchard Road to the Istana, in No. 1 attire on a Sunday afternoon.

This is a tradition that the Singapore Armed Forces Provost Unit (SAFPU) has inherited from the British since 1969.

The Provost unit performs a Change-of-Guards ceremony on the first Sunday of every month, outside the Istana.

The new guards, alongside the SAF Band, initiate the ceremony by marching from Yen San Building along Orchard Road to the Istana, where the old guards will have already marched out from the military guardhouse, awaiting their arrival.

The changing of guards then takes place, followed by a Precision Drill performed by the Silent Precision Drill Squad (SPDS) (See below).

Lance-Corporal (LCP) Andy Tan, a member of the new guards taking over for the month of November, said the public's attention could be rather embarrassing. How did he overcome the embarrassment? "I make sure that my eye discipline is there, and I do not look around while marching. Just face forward and you will overcome it," said LCP Tan, who has been involved in numerous Change-of-Guards ceremonies since joining SAFPU.

He added: "We are proud to do this for our unit, and we are the only unit that wear the No. 1 uniform more often than others."

On the significance of the ceremony, Master Warrant Officer (MWO) Amar Singh, Regimental Sergeant Major of SAFPU, said: "It is in keeping with the tradition and culture of a palace."

But maintaining this tradition is not an easy task. The actual performance requires at least three rehearsals and MWO Singh, who has overseen more than a hundred such ceremonies, is there to ensure that the proceedings are up to standard.

All the hard work put into the Change-of-Guards ceremony has paid off, as members of the public, comprising tourists and locals are always there to catch this monthly event.

Mr Gregory Walton, here for a holiday with his wife, was among the spectators on Sunday 6 Nov. He had found out about the ceremony via a notice board displayed outside the Istana.

"I think it's very good for tourists because it's very interesting," said the Australian, "I've been to other places, but they don't do the same sort of thing. It s very unique."

Mr Walton and wife enjoyed the show with some 300 other spectators the average number that MWO Singh said would turn up every month for the ceremony.

But the ceremony's biggest supporters?

Ex-servicemen who had been involved in the Change-of-Guards ceremony many years back, with their children.

Silent Precision Drill

Since 1984, the Silent Precision Drill Squad (SPDS) of the SAF Provost Unit, has been an indispensable part of the Change-of-Guards ceremony held every first Sunday of the month, outside the Istana.

The soldiers perform a challenging drill in unison and precise coordination, without any commands given. Such performances require a lot of training. Every squad member spends six months training in physical endurance, mental discipline, coordination as well as teamwork.

The weight of the training is increased further when the soldiers use the Mark 4 rifle, which weighs five kilograms and is 1.2 metres long, to perform the drills. But SPDS has switched to the lighter and shorter M-16 rifle this year.

According to Regimental Sergeant Major MWO Amar Singh, SPDS brings the element of entertainment to the Change-of-Guards and has never failed to entertain spectators at the monthly ceremony.

The squad also performs during major events like National Day Parades (NDP) and Chingay processions, and is usually a crowd attraction. It has won awards for outstanding performances, like the Best Showmanship Award in the 1986 and 1998 NDP.