NEW CLUB HOUSE FOR SAF OFFICERS

The upcoming Temasek Club will offer officers and senior military experts a new and improved one-stop venue for recreation and interaction.

Back in the good old days, Temasek Club used to be a popular wedding venue.

"Our officers were proud to hold their weddings at Temasek Club as it was a privilege," recalled Military Expert (ME) 7 Low Yong Joo.

"Today's wedding dinner is usually a huge celebration; the current club house is too small and old. With a new club house, our hope is that more officers will get married and mark their life's next milestone here," said the chairman of Temasek Club's Redevelopment Committee.

Designed to hold cohesion events for SAF units, the club's focal point will be an upsized banquet hall that can accommodate 600 people.

It is also suitable for formal functions such as military dining-in and weddings.

This is just one of the many new features that Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) officers, senior military experts and their families can enjoy at the new Temasek Club at Rifle Range Road.

It will replace the current club house at Portsdown Road. Built in 1982, the old facility was designed to serve only 4,000, but the club now counts over 16,000 members. These include full-time national servicemen, as well as operationally ready national servicemen who hold key appointments. A new and bigger club house is clearly needed.

Sports will be a top draw at the new Temasek Club. It will house the biggest public bowling centre in Singapore. The 38-lane facility, developed by the Singapore Bowling Federation, will also be the training base for our national keglers.

Located near the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, the club house is a convenient stop for members who wish to cycle, jog or hike at the existing nature trails. Fitness buffs can work out in a lifestyle gym which offers popular group exercises such as spinning and zumba.

They can also make use of sports facilities such as the 50-metre pool with water play features for kids, as well as futsal and tennis courts. Other facilities include a pre-school, guest houses, and a range of food and beverage (F&B) outlets.

Explaining the concept for the new club house, ME7 Low, who is also Head of Naval Logistics Department, said: "We know that military life can be onerous so we want to provide a one-stop social club to meet the needs of our officers and senior military experts and their families."

"We want to provide a one-stop social club to meet the needs of our officers and senior military experts and their families."

- ME7 Low

The Chevrons to begin upgrading

By 2017, warrant officers, specialists and junior military experts can look forward to a slew of new facilities at their recreation club house, The Chevrons. The four-storey club house, constructed in 2001, will commence its upgrading in the second half of this year.

Club general manager Colonel (COL) (Ret) Tan Chong Boon said the upgrading will focus on enhancing its recreation facilities. It will add new chalet units and transform the poolside area into a wedding or party venue with musical fountains and a performance stage.

A gaming lounge equipped with LAN gaming equipment and video game consoles will be set up for young members and children. Kids can also wade around in a new water playground at the swimming pool.

"Essentially, we are targeting the families," said COL (Ret) Tan. "We want to wow the members and their families (so that they) patronise the club more often."

Located at Boon Lay Way, The Chevrons serves over 32,000 members who are regulars, full-time national servicemen as well as operationally ready national servicemen who are key appointment holders.

To offer a better shopping experience, the club will build a new and bigger E-mart that is modelled after the popular lifestyle E-mart at SAFRA Mount Faber. It will also expand its popular karaoke lounge, which is often fully booked on Fridays and weekends.

The club will also build more function rooms for SAF units to hold cohesion activities. These rooms can be configured into a mega ballroom that can seat over 800 people, making it a suitable venue for SAF units or external companies to hold large-scale conferences or events.

The upgrading, to be done in phases to minimise disruption to the club's operation, will be completed by the first quarter of 2017.