ROVING SHOWCASE BRINGS 45 YEARS OF NS TO HEARTLANDERS

During training and operations, the Terrex Infantry Carrier Vehicle (ICV) delivers soldiers from place to place but at the Toa Payoh HDB Hub, the Terrex ICV carried families who were at the NS45 (45 years of National Service) Showcase@The Heartlands.

Launching the NS45 Showcase@Toa Payohon 16 Jun was Minister for National Development Khaw Boon Wan. The Showcase is wrapping up its three-week tour of the heartlands after stops at Tampines and Jurong East on 2 Jun and 9 Jun, which were officiated by Minister for Education Heng Swee Keat and Senior Minister of State for Information, Communication and the Arts & Environment and Water Resources Grace Fu respectively.

Members of the public were out in force with cameras to take photos with the hardware displays, which included the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF's) Light Strike Vehicle (LSV), the Singapore Police Force's (SPF's) Fast Response Car and the Singapore Civil Defence Force's (SCDF's) Red Rhino.

Information panels, videos and exhibits like the Singapore Assault Rifle 21 and uniforms from the NS45 Showcase - first launched at the Army Open House last May - were also on display while the SAF's Music and Drama Company and the SCDF's Performing Arts Club entertained the crowd with songs like Training to be soldiers and Home.

Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion Singapore Infantry Regiment Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) Justiin Ang, whose battalion is in charge of the exhibition, said: "This NS45 Showcase is part of the overall efforts to celebrate and recognise the contributions of our national servicemen over all these years."

On the decision to bring the Showcase to the heartlands, LTC Ang explained: "All this is so that more Singaporeans would be able to see the exhibits, to share in the celebrations and for our national servicemen to relive their personal memories and share them with their friends and families."

"We also want to bring across how we have evolved in our capabilities and how NS has changed," he added.

Father-son pair Mr Seow Kok Boon and Private (PTE) Seow Yong Zhi were on-site to share their NS experiences with visitors. Said PTE Seow: "Here (at the showcase), I see that the public has a huge interest in what we are doing... This is a very important avenue for the public to see for themselves what the army is all about, rather than learning about it second-hand."

Mr Tan Yoke Yang, an Operationally Ready National Serviceman from SPF, enjoyed the day out at the Showcase with his family. "We get to see the different agencies showcasing their equipment so it's quite new and refreshing for the kids. It's the first time they get to go on the vehicles, so it's quite special for them."

Close to 50,000 members of the public visited the Showcase during its run at Tampines and Jurong East, and organisers are expecting more than 10,000 to visit the Toa Payoh showcase over the weekend.

The NS45 Showcase@The Heartlandsconcludes its run at the Toa Payoh HDB Hub on 17 Jun and will move to its permanent home at the Army Museum.

For more information on NS45, visit ns45.sg or facebook.com/ns45.sg.