LEAVING 6 DIV IN GOOD HANDS

Resounding applause and cheers greeted Brigadier-General (BG) Hugh Lim U Yang as he bade farewell to his men at the end of his tour of command at 6th Division (6 Div).

The heavy rain that fell half-way through the change-of-command parade on 6 Jan did little to dampen the spirit of the men, who had formed up the parade contingents to give a rousing send-off to their outgoing commander and to welcome their new commander, BG Ravinder Singh.

In his farewell speech, BG Lim praised his commanders and men. Thanking them was one thing. Remembering and listing their contributions showed that he was a leader who cared for, and knew his men well.

"I think the real challenge of leadership is about the heart-ware," said BG Lim. "I would advise any commander that his focus really must be on the hearts of the people, for wherever the heart is, the head will follow."

Recounting some of the major events that took place during his time at 6 Div, BG Lim said shortly after he took over command, the Asian tsunami struck and the division was activated to assist in the co-ordination of relief supplies for the disaster victims.

But for BG Lim, who moves on to the Army Training and Doctrine Command, "what is memorable about my tour of command is not so much the events as the people involved in these events".

Echoing his sentiments about the importance of heart-ware was the new man in charge, BG Ravinder Singh.

"I think the most important thing in any organisation is the people," he said. "People make up the Army and working with them to build good strong teams is fundamental."

BG Singh was effusive in his praise for his predecessor and said he was determined to carry on the work of making 6 Div a "Combined Arms Division of Excellence".

"BG Lim has brought the division to a much higher plane and I look forward to continuing the good work he has done, to contribute to the Army's transformation," he said.