NCC TURNS 110; UNVEILS NURTURING, COMMITTED, COOL PLANS

Just like any birthday boy or girl, the National Cadet Corps (NCC) made a wish at its 110th birthday bash, which was held in the form of a parade at the NCC Campus in Amoy Quee Camp on 16 Jul.

It hopes to develop its cadets into nurturing and committed leaders through experiential programmes that incorporate fun and cool elements, as it progressively implements its transformation plans.

Chairman NCC Brigadier-General (BG) (Retired) Goh Kee Nguan said this when he announced the Corps' new tagline - Nurturing, Committed, Cool - in his address during the NCC 110th Anniversary Parade which was officiated by President S R Nathan.

The parade was attended by more than 1,000 NCC members comprising teacher officers, cadet officers, cadets and associate members, Chief of Army Major-General Ravinder Singh, Ministry of Education (MOE) Director Education Programmes Ms Sum Chee Wah as well as officers and officials from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and MOE.

In his address at the parade, BG (Rtd) Goh said: "The NCC has kept itself current and relevant to today's youth in all that it does. Our programmes purposefully and patiently shape our cadets into strong leaders, caring citizens and committed military commanders."

Elaborating on the transformation plans, he noted that they would bring about a greater integration of the NCC's land, sea and air programmes and elevate the image and identity of the Corps. In the area of leadership development, BG (Rtd) Goh said NCC will continue to work closely with SAF units such as the Officer Cadet School (OCS) and Centre for Leadership Development.

Added NCC Commandant Lieutenant Colonel Adrian Koh: "NCC has also prepared cadets well for National Service. A significant number of ex-NCC cadets have made it into the SAF's leadership schools, such as OCS and the Specialist Cadet School."

The SAF has always been supportive of NCC, especially in the conduct of training such as shooting range lessons, diving courses and field camps. The close relationship also extends to experiential camps with SAF units to build character, develop leadership skills and greater military knowledge, and attachments to overseas exercises such as Exercise Wallaby.

With the new transformation plans, NCC cadets can look forward to taking part in more activities that are cool, such as overseas cadet exchange programmes to Australia and the United States, and basic survival courses at the NCC Survival Village which is slated to be launched later this year.

During the parade, President Nathan presented trophies to the winners of this year's NCC Best Unit Competition: Fuhua Secondary School for Best NCC Land (Boys) Unit, Crescent Girls' School for Best NCC Land (Girls) Unit; Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) Air and Sea units for Best Air and Sea units respectively.

This is the fifth consecutive year that the NCC Land (Boys) Unit from Fuhua has won the Best Unit award. Its Commanding Officer, Captain (NCC) Chia Chun Teck, attributed the unit's distinguished performance to a combination of factors.

He said: "We have strong support from the school, passionate teachers and a committed team of cadets who are willing to train for long hours to achieve their best for competitions in areas like shooting."

This commitment to doing their best was shown in the show segment of the parade, where the cadets put up captivating performances such as free-style drills which featured cadets marching to the beat of pop music and an aeromodelling display of illuminated, kite-like indoor flying objects soaring in the sky. The performances, which elicited enthusiastic cheers and applause from the spectators concluded with a 90-second fireworks show.

NCC cadets of the Precision Drill Squad display wowing the crowd with their sharp and synchronised moves.

During the post-parade segment, President Nathan and BG (Rtd) Goh launched the NCC 110 Commemorative Magazine, a compilation of reflections and experiences of various past and current NCC cadets.

BG (Rtd) Goh also presented a sum of $138,886 to Ms Irene Ngoo, Organising Vice-Chairman of The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund. The money was raised by NCC members from mid-May to end-June this year in a charity drive via donation cards, as part of the 110th anniversary celebrations. It was initiated to impart to the cadets the value of compassion.

Following the charity drive in May and a relay run in June, the parade was the third in a series of events to mark NCC's milestone year. The celebrations will continue with the opening of the NCC Survival Village in September, a military dining-in and the launch of the official NCC Facebook and Twitter pages in December.