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At 9am on Aug. 9, 1966, Singapore’s first Nationwide Day Parade (NDP) kicked off.
Swee Boon Chai, a part of the primary batch of officers at SAFTI, had solely been advised to start out practising for the parade six weeks earlier.
It was fairly a brief prep time, however that was a theme that may outline the sooner NDPs.
One other recurring theme could be the flexibility to hold it out.
In keeping with a YouTube video by Roots Sg:
“With simply six weeks of preparation, the parade on the Padang was carried out with clockwork precision, a terrific credit score to the 23,000 residents who have been concerned.”
The parade wasn’t simply contingents marching both.
There was a Sea Dragon Procession the place a 500-foot lengthy and a 40-foot excessive electrically lit sea dragon glided alongside the “close by waterfront” between Telok Ayer Basin and Tanjong Rhu.
You bought a fast one and a half hours to spare? Then why not benefit from the 90-minute fireworks show at Fort Canning.
One other 90-minute extravaganza got here within the type of a 90-minute march by the aforementioned 23,000 residents.
Even the rain, which is sort of uncommon for an NDP, couldn’t put an excessive amount of of a downer on the occasions because the army items continued their route march via “Chinatown in direction of Tanjong Pagar”, greeted by cheering crowds.
All in all, it was fairly a hit.
Then-Defence Minister Goh Keng Swee even held a reception for the “a whole bunch of women and men” concerned within the Nationwide Day Parade, calling it a “profitable and memorable event”.
However regardless of the success, Goh was cautious to not get complacent.
“We should always begin considering out new concepts – how one can enhance our final efficiency – in order that the following Nationwide Day Parade may be a fair higher one.”
1967
There have been once more loads of highlights from this NDP.
Some vibrant lion and dragon dances have been a part of the celebrations
All pictures from Roots.gov.sg, assortment of Nationwide Museum of Singapore
The lowkey star of the present, nonetheless, might need been the bagpipers. Particularly, “The Singapore Woman Pipers.
Keep in mind how we stated brief prep instances could be a working theme for the early NDPs? The Pipers took that to the nth diploma.
The 36-piece pipe band had about eight months to coach.
The timeframe was thought-about so egregiously brief {that a} Scottish soldier truly wrote a discussion board letter decrying the try, noting that it took about six years to coach a piper.
The duty of prepping the ladies was left to one of many “most well-known pipe majors” on the earth, Peggy Iris.
And even she acknowledged the problem of the duty at hand, noting that this was the primary time she needed to practice a whole band in such a short while.
When advised concerning the naysayers, Iris advised the media she might see the place they have been coming from.
In keeping with The Straits Instances:
“They in all probability are proper. However I am going to strive exhausting to get 40 ladies prepared for Nationwide Day.”
An intensive repertoire was out of the query, however she was aiming for the staff to study one or two tunes by NDP.
Lengthy story brief:
Picture from Roots.gov.sg, assortment of Nationwide Museum of Singapore
Screenshot from Newspapers.sg/ ST
The Woman Pipers have been so good that they have been tasked to play a second main public occasion earlier than then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, the cupboard, and “some 3,000 group and Authorities leaders on the Nationwide Day cultural present and rally”.
It was a rousing success and thought by many to be the spotlight of that yr’s NDP.
However in case you assume that Singaporeans then might need gotten too happy or complacent with the parade, fret not. Right here’s a discussion board letter complaining concerning the digital camera cuts through the parade.
Greatest.
Heritage Hunter: The Manner House
Disgruntled letters aren’t the one factor bridging the previous and current.
Heritage Hunter, a scavenger hunt-inspired sport on Roots.gov.sg, is taking over a nationwide day twist this month, Heritage Hunter: The Manner House.
Like its earlier two iterations, it would provide one problem per week, for 3 weeks in July.
Every week, August the Merlion and Heritage Hunter cat Hakim will enterprise via a interval in Singapore’s time to uncover the historical past of our island nation.
Gamers must remedy clues to seek out hidden icons for an opportunity to win prizes.
As an alternative of the standard scrolls and different sport icons, Heritage Hunter: The Manner House will use icons with NDP parts.
Right here’s the primary clue:
You may go on to Roots.gov.sg to start out scavenger looking, however you should definitely make use of the search operate.
The proper web page for the aforementioned will include this nifty little cap on the backside:
P.S it’s best to see a funpack whenever you’ve solved the third clue. It is going to seem on the reply web page like this:
Click on on the funpack and also you’ll be directed to replenish an entry kind that grants you fortunate possibilities to win this season’s grand prize.
Stand an opportunity to win NDP preview present tickets and S$100 Seize vouchers.
There’s additionally a Grand Prize (for many who participated throughout all three weeks) of official NDP present tickets, S$300 Seize vouchers, and a staycation.
Winners of the grand prize shall be introduced on July 26, 2022.
This sponsored article by The Nationwide Heritage Board made the author Google how a lot a bagpipe prices.
All pictures from Roots.gov.sg, assortment of Nationwide Museum of Singapore
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