Opss Npcc Newsletter (0109)

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Orchid Park Secondary School – National Police Cadet Corps

Bi-Annual Newsletter

Contents

Volume 1, January 2009

Message from OC Dear all,

Message from ---------------------- 1

OC

Inter-Unit Biennial Campcraft Competition, both our boys’ and girls’

by A/ASP Toh Wee Teck

NPCC: My Passion -- 2

New

2008 had been a fruitful and meaningful year for our unit! In the teams performed well and managed to obtain 22nd and 9th positions

Pride

&

respectively. This was the first time that one of our teams actually made it into the top 10! And, in the Inter-Unit Annual .22” Revolver Shooting

by CDT Ho Wei Er

Competition, our boys’ and girls’ teams also did well. They came in 18 th

Photo Diary of Our Malaysia Educational Visit ----------------------- 3

and 11th positions respectively. Our area (Area 2) also clinched the 2 nd

by LCP Siti Fateha Bte Affandi & LCP Siti Amirah Bte Osman

Sec 2 Adventure Training Camp ---- 5 by LCP Muhammad Khairul Fahmi Bin Juraimi

Surviving Survival -------------- 9

Camp

Style

badge in 2008, for their outstanding leadership and contribution towards NPCC. The SPF-NPCC badge is the most prestigious award that a cadet can receive. This pinnacle award is only awarded to the top 2% of the graduating cohort in NPCC each year. This is the first time that we have so many cadets receiving the SPF-NPCC badge! I would also like to congratulate LCP Ho Wei Er, CPL Siti

most aspects. On behalf of our unit, I would also like to bid farewell and thank our unit’s 7th batch NPCC cadets for their dedication and commitment

Nurturing Youths World.Singapore ----------------------- 17

@

towards our unit. They have contributed tremendously to help bring our unit to where we are now. At the same time, I would also like to welcome 2 new CIs, P/CI

by SGT Gavin Ng Jun Han

Matthias Goh Boon Yong and P/CI Clifford Tan Junming, and a new

Experience

teacher officer, INSP Prasana D/O Sankarapillai, to our big family. Lastly, though the result for Unit Overall Proficiency Award

by SGT Tang Mei Yin

The 18th Person Group ------- 26

8 of our graduating cadets were also awarded the SPF-NPCC

Squad Cadets for 2008 in their respective squads. They were exemplary in

by SGT Jolyn Tey Jie-Lin

My OBS ------------------ 24

the best result that our area had ever since this competition started!

Amirah Bte Osman and SSG Ong Kong Ming on being awarded the Best

by SGT Josephine Yeo Siew Ling

Survivors: NPCC --------------- 13

position in the Inter-Area Biennial Project-Based Competition. This was

(UOPA) 2008 is not out yet, I believe our unit should be able to maintain

in

My

our excellent result in 2007 (GOLD award). We may be a young unit (10 years old) but we are definitely capable of achieving our GOAL! So, let

by SGT Jolyn Tey Jie-Lin

us continue to work together to bring glory to our unit and our school!

Past Events of 2008 (July ~ December) Visit us at :

A/ASP Toh Wee Teck http://orchidparknpcc.blogspot.com

Orchid Park Secondary School – National Police Cadet Corps

Bi-Annual Newsletter

Volume 1, January 2009

NPCC: My New Pride & Passion On 9 January afternoon, the Sec 1s had our CCA Orientation, where all the Sec 1 students would get a chance to know more about all the CCAs that are offered in OPSS. It is a day where all the CCAs will have the opportunity to recruit more members into their CCAs. The event started off with a talk by Mr Sim, HOD PE/CCA, in the hall on the secondary school LEAPS system and the CCAs offered in OPSS. After that, we were ushered to the corridors on the 2 nd storey, surrounding the parade square, where we watched the performances prepared by various Uniformed Groups, Performing Arts and Sports. We were quite impressed with the performances. One that especially caught my attention was the fancy drill performance by the National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC). When I saw NPCC cadets running out of the NPCC room, each carrying a rifle, for the performance, my first thought was, “Huh?” Not because I have never seen a NPCC cadet before, but it is just that I have never seen people doing rifle drill with music. It was a refreshing and impressive performance. I have always thought that uniform groups are very serious and strict. But after watching the performances by them, I realised that I was terribly WRONG!

We then visited the booths set up by the various CCAs to find out more about them. After visiting the booths, a feeling told me to join one of the two uniform groups: NPCC and NCC (Sea). After considering for a long time, I finally decided to join NPCC. There seemed to be some unknown “force” that pulled me to NPCC. When I handed up my CCA option form, somehow I knew that I will not quit or regret. The first few weeks of training were much better than I expected! In fact, it was actually quite FUN! I have always thought that uniform group was tiring, strict, no nonsense and the student leaders are very fierce, but I was totally WRONG! It is absolutely wonderful! The NCOs are great and friendly, and the lessons are fun. I also learnt a lot from NPCC. After these few months in NPCC, I realised that I am more responsible than before and I look forward to the training every week. Most of all, I am surprised that everyone in NPCC treats each other like family! I really do not regret choosing NPCC as my CCA. It is indeed my PRIDE & PASSION! ^_^

CDT Ho Wei Er

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Orchid Park Secondary School – National Police Cadet Corps

Bi-Annual Newsletter

Volume 1, January 2009

Photo Diary of Our Malaysia Educational Visit

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Orchid Park Secondary School – National Police Cadet Corps

Bi-Annual Newsletter

Volume 1, January 2009

LCP Siti Fateha Bte Affandi & LCP Siti Amirah Bte Osman

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Volume 1, January 2009

Sec 2 Adventure Training Camp On 19th of June, I was very nervous and excited at the

When everyone arrived, we were split into various

same time as this day marks the beginning of my 3-days-2-nights

groups. After that, we were asked to pitch our tents. I was

Sec 2 Adventure Training Camp at Pulau Ubin. We met at school

surprised that some of my tent-mates actually did not know how to

in the late morning and took a bus down to Changi Jetty, where we

pitch a tent. Luckily, my NCOs taught us well before this camp.

would take bum-boats across to Pulau Ubin. The ferry ride was

After pitching our tents, we played some ice-breaker games to get

choppy but nevertheless it was a fun experience for all of us.

to know our group-mates better. Then, we were given our ration

When we arrived at Pulau Ubin, we trekked our way to

for the 3-days-2-nights. It consists of “Maggie Mee”, canned food,

the NPCC Campsite, Camp Resilience, with our heavy bags. The

biscuits and Milo. Throughout this camp, we were supposed to

whole journey took us half an hour. Along the way, we sang,

cook our own food. Again, I felt fortunate that my NCOs taught

motivated each other and helped each other with the bags. The

us how to light a solid fuel and we had experienced out-field

scenery was also refreshing for us. Though it was tiring for us but

cooking before in our unit’s Annual Camp. After our dinner, we

we persevere till the end. When we finally reached the gate of

had a sing-along session to prepare for the campfire the next day.

Camp Resilience, we were all relieved, happy and proud of

At night, we chatted in our tents as we could not get to

ourselves. However, we were told that there are actually two

sleep. When we were tired and wanted to retire for the night, I did

campsites, Bahru Campsite and Noordin Campsite, at Camp

not sleep well as one of my tent-mate was snoring. Eventually, I

Resilience. Noordin Campsite, which is nearer to the gates, is for

fell asleep too due to the fatigue.

the Sec 3s and the Bahru Campsite, which is further in, is for us.

The next morning, we woke up very early. For some

By the time, we reached our campsite, we were all exhausted. We

reasons, most of us did not sleep well the night before. We started

rested and regained our energy as we waited for the other units to

out with mass physical training, followed by breakfast. Then, we

arrive.

went for our team-building activities. We had activities like the “Gun-Aiming Challenge”, the “Low Rope Challenge”, kayaking, rock-climbing, the “Maze”, etc... We were all excited and thrilled as most of us had never tried these activities before and we were looking forward to them. We had a great time!

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Volume 1, January 2009

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Volume 1, January 2009

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Volume 1, January 2009

At night, we went to Noordin Campsite to join the Sec 3s for a combined campfire. We sang and watched performances put up the Sec 3s. It was really FUN! We could feel the bonding that we had forged over the past 2 days. We all had a memorable campfire. After that, we headed back to our campsite to wash up. On the last day, there was only area clearing. We had to un-pitch our tents, wash them and clean up our area. We were all excited to be going home but we were sad too as this meant that the camp had come to an end and we had to go our separate ways. After the camp-closing ceremony, we waited for the buses to bring us out to the jetty. We were glad that we did not have to walk out like the first day. However, after a while, we were informed that the buses were all booked and we had to wait longer. We were given an option of waiting for the buses or too walk out. We chose the latter because we all missed home and wanted to go home as soon as possible. Finally, we reached the jetty and took the bum-boats back to mainland Singapore. Then, from Changi Jetty, we took a bus back to school. We all had a great time at the camp, knowing new friends, learning new things and gaining new experiences!

LCP Muhammad Khairul Fahmi Bin Juraimi

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Surviving Survival Camp

Bi-Annual Newsletter

Volume 1, January 2009

Our first activity for the camp, the “Treasure Hunt”, started immediately when we arrived at Pulau Ubin. We were supposed to find clues that would lead us from point to point

In the past, all sec 3 NPCC cadets would attend the Sec 3 Adventure Training Camp at Pulau Ubin. However, it is

and finally ending at Camp Resilience. It was a long and tiring journey but we enjoyed it.

different this year. We are the very first batch of cadets going for Survival Camp. It sounds interesting and yet torturing as it is known as a survival camp and not an adventure camp. I was not sure if I could survive through the camp but I was determined to give it a shot. I was also excited about the camp as I could meet up with some of my old friends from the other units in Area 2. Day 1 We all gathered in school at 11am, together with our Sec 2 juniors. They would be attending their first Adventure Training Camp. It was during attendance taking that I realized only 3 girls from my squad would be going for this camp. I was a bit disappointed as the attendance was quite pathetic; only 11 of our squad-mates would be attending this camp, which was quite a drastic drop as compared to last year.

We boarded the bus and headed to the Changi Jetty. Upon reaching, we were separated into our respective groups. I was allocated to Alpha, together with Chin Tian. We then boarded the bum-boat to Pulau Ubin with our group-mates. Visit us at :

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Volume 1, January 2009

When we arrived at Noordin Campsite, we were split into our tent groups to pitch our tents. Fortunately, Mei Yin was in the same tent group as me! We were both delighted with the arrangement. After pitching our tents, we were given time to prepare for our campfire performance, dinner and bathe. Throughout the day, we constantly reminded each other that we would be optimistic and tried to enjoy ourselves throughout the camp. Day2 We assembled at the foyer at 6am for flag-raising, followed by physical training. The activities started right after breakfast. For Alpha, Bravo and Charlie, our first activity was the “Intermediate Rope Course” (IRC). When the instructors asked for 8 volunteers, Jolyn and I were one of those who volunteered. We thought we would be helping with the safety ladders. It was then that the instructors asked us to climb up the stairs to attempt the IRC first. I was terrified at that point. I saw one of the rope obstacles that I had done before during my Pri 5 camp. I thought I was confident that I could complete it quickly. However, that was also the obstacle which I took the longest time to complete. I realized that it was because the shoe that I wore during my Pri 5 camp had a groove in the sole, which allowed me to slide across the rope with ease. However, the shoe that I wore for this camp was totally flat! I was super insecure throughout that obstacle as I was afraid that I would fall anytime. But I felt a sense of achievement upon completing it! :D

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Orchid Park Secondary School – National Police Cadet Corps

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Volume 1, January 2009

Finally, it was time for our last activity, the “Jetty Jump”! It was the best activity in the camp for me. It was a first time experience for many of us and I was rather frightened initially. One after another, we took turns to perform the “Jetty Jump”. Seeing others jumped might be easy, but it is definitely very challenging when we are standing at the edge of the platform, looking down into the sea. Finally, it was my turn. I was like, “Oh my goodness!” I was super terrified. I turned back to ask the instructor whether he could push me down instead. But I was told that we had to overcome our fear and complete the jump on our own. I hesitated for a moment and then I heard our CI Sheng Xiang Sir shouting, “Just close your eyes and take a step forward!” He continued, “1, 2, 3, JUMP!” And, I jumped! After I jumped, the feeling was indescribable. I was relieved and satisfied. I even attempted the “Jetty Jump” twice. It was a once in a life time experience as we would never get to experience it again elsewhere! After IRC was lunch and I was proud of myself as every meal time I only used 1 matchstick to light up the solid fuel. It was really a great improvement for me as I usually used lots of matchsticks to light up the solid fuel. This was an amazing feat for me! The activities resumed immediately after our lunch. My group went for the “Tunnel”. We were told that earlier a boy was actually stuck in the tunnel as he could not climb up the slide. It was super hilarious and the instructor kept talking about how they had to pull him up with the ropes. After seeing how fast the guys entered and climbed out of the super dark tunnel, I was quite confident that I could do it too. In fact, it was much easier than I expected. Next, we had the “Shelter Building”. Through this activity, we had a better idea whether we could survive in the wilderness if we were stranded there. We were given some dowel poles, manila hemp and our ponchos. We were required to build a shelter using these materials within 15 minutes. Almost everyone built a shelter similar to our tents. Then, our instructors demonstrated how we could construct a shelter easily by tying 4 ponchos together and securing them to a nearby tree. It was so simple but yet we did not think of it.

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Orchid Park Secondary School – National Police Cadet Corps

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Volume 1, January 2009

Day3 The girls managed to wake up on time. However, the guys did not. It was almost 6am, but none of the guys had woken up. I was worried that if they did not wake up on time, we would be punished again. Hence, Mei Yin, Jolyn and I approached a CI to ask him whether we could go over to the guys’ tent area to wake them up. He suggested that we should just throw stones at them. The 3 of us were stunned by his reply and looked at him in disbelief. Then, he told us to go somewhere near their tent area and shout at them. We went and started shouting for them to get up. One of the guy actually sat up, but went back to sleep again. I was so irritated Then, we had our dinner and to wash-up before we

by him that I really threw a stone at his tent.

proceeded to our campfire preparation. Soon after, our sec2s

Fortunately, the guys managed to gather on time.

junior came over to Noordin Campsite for the combined

Then we had our physical training, which was the toughest

campfire, the highlight of the camp. Everyone was trying to

we ever had. After that, we had breakfast, followed by area

build up the atmosphere, especially the song leaders. The

cleaning and camp closing ceremony. It is really a memorable

campfire was really enjoyable and memorable for me.

camp for me and I have learnt a lot of values and life skills from it!

SGT Josephine Yeo Siew Ling Visit us at :

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Volume 1, January 2009

Survivors: NPCC Style Sec 3 Survival Camp is a 3-day-2-night camp at Pulau Ubin, Camp Resilience. On 19 June, we met in school to take a bus to Changi Jetty, where we would take bum-boats over to Pulau Ubin for our camp. I was told that it would be a tough camp. My first thought for this camp was, “very little water, limited food supply, shortage of solid fuel and sleeping with mosquitoes out in the forest”. I was mentally prepared for the worst, especially after our experience at the Adventure Training Camp at Camp Resilience last year. When I reached school, I realized that quite a number of my female squad-mates would not be going for the camp due to illnesses. However, I was glad to see that 2 of my unit CIs would be going for the camp with us. All of us got ready and boarded the bus. Off we go for our very first Survival Camp! Upon reaching Changi Jetty, we were separated from our squad-mates into our respective groups. We waited for quite a while before the rest of the units from Area 2 arrived. This year, I was in the same group as one of my squad-mate, Kong Ming. We left our familiar mainland Singapore to a small island called “Pulau Ubin”.

We walked to the basketball court, which was a gathering place for all the groups. While waiting for the other groups to arrive, we had some ice-breaking games. We introduced ourselves to the unfamiliar faces in front of us. My group was known as “Bravo” with CI Jonathon as our instructor. Our first activity was the “Treasure Hunt”! We were given some small pieces of jigsaw puzzles. Upon fixing them together, we realized that it was actually a map of Pulau Ubin. Our destinations are covered by small quizzes. We have to walk to our various destinations with all our bags. It was quite a tiring walk. Finally, we managed to reach our last check point. When we were about to walk happily to our campsite, the teacher officer with my group suddenly received a phone call. We were told that one more cadet would be joining my group. As a result, we had to go back to the basketball court to meet up with our new group member. At last, we arrived at Camp Resilience after a long and tiring walk, and with countless of motivations and encouragements from each other. We assembled at the area where other groups were. After which, we were allocated into our tent groups. Then, we collected our logistics and started to pitch up our tents, which would last us for 3 days and 2 nights. This year, we were glad that most of the campers were familiar with the tent-pitching procedures, unlike last year. With the help from every tent member from various units, we managed to pitch up our tent.

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Volume 1, January 2009

Then, we had our first meal in the camp! I had my first meal at Survival Camp with one of my group mates, Esther! After eating, we had our shower! PERFECT! During our ATC last year, we did not get to bathe as there was a shortage of water. I was so happy to be able to take our shower in this camp.  After our shower, we had our campfire preparation. The theme for this year campfire item was “Survival in the 21 st Century”! After which, it was lights out and we went back to our tents to sleep. Most of us could not get to sleep as we felt itchy from the numerous ant bites and mosquito bites. Finally, we could not take it anymore and decided to sit up to chit-chat. We started sharing our stories on our NPCC lives. It was about 3am, when we took a

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Orchid Park Secondary School – National Police Cadet Corps

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Volume 1, January 2009

nap. After 20 minutes, we woke up and started to chat again. Suddenly, there seemed to be something falling from the sky. It was bright white in colour. I asked the person looking in the same direction as me and she said she saw it too! IT WAS A SHOOTING STAR! This is the first time in my life that I see a shooting star! I was so excited that I started telling all the people around me. Then, those people who were facing my previous direction saw another one. WOW! It was an unforgettable night for us! When it was almost 5am, we decided to shift to the foyer. We sat down and before we knew it, we started to fall asleep one by one. We woke up at round 5:30am and went to wake the rest up. It was the second day of the camp! All of us were excited about the activities that we would be doing that day. We assembled for our morning physical training. It was manageable and was quite fun. After that, we had our breakfast, followed by our first round of activities for the day. My first activity was the “Intermediate Rope Challenge” (IRC). It consisted of very challenging rope course a few stories high from the ground. It requires a certain amount of courage and determination to lift our legs off the ground to a higher place where we can only depend on the safety harness that we had around us, especially for those who have a phobia of heights.

Next was lunch. I had lunch with Josephine and Kai Sheng. It was a hilarious lunch! Kai Sheng told me that if we were to eat too much baked beans, we would fart a lot! Then we started laughing at everything that we ate. It was an enjoyable lunch. After lunch, we had our improvised shelter session. We had to build a shelter using manila hemp, dowel poles and whatever natural surrounding we have around us. It was fun and interesting to see all the different kinds of shelters that we could come up with. Next, we had the most exciting activity in the camp, the “Jetty Jump”! I enjoyed it so much that I jumped a total of 4 times! When I had my first jump, I felt anxious and frightened. It was a test of water and height confidence. After my jump, when I emerged from the waters, my very first reaction was that “the water was super salty!”

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After the “Jetty Jump”, we were allowed to change into our dry clothes. Our last activity was the “Tunnel”! The tunnel was pitched dark inside. We could not even see our fingers inside the tunnel! When I was inside the tunnel, I fell into a pool of soft and rubbery unknown substance. When we finally reached the exit and the instructor opened the door for us, we turned our heads and saw that the soft and rubbery unknown substance was actually balls! Then, we had our dinner. This time, I had dinner with Mei Yin and Josephine. We realised that whenever Mei Yin opens the can of pineapple with her can opener, there would always be a pool of pineapple juice around the can. She was so funny! After dinner, we had our last campfire preparation, followed by the campfire! The campfire was fun and enjoyable! The next morning, we had our morning physical training. Unlike the previous one, this mass PT was torturous. It requires a lot of determination to complete all the exercises. It was really a test of our level of endurance. We did a total of more than 40 pushups (male version), 35 sets of jumping jacks and 35 crunches. Throughout the PT, we had to constantly encourage each other to persevere on and to endure. Finally, the morning PT ended! We were all relieved and proud of ourselves. Then, we had our breakfast. It was our last meal in the camp! After breakfast, we did our area cleaning. Then, we had our last debrief with our instructors. We cracked a lot jokes. We also get to see the fun and playful side of our CIs. BREAK CAMP! We were so happy! However, we had to walk all the way back to the jetty. It was a long journey. Finally, we reached the jetty and we took a short rest before leaving Pulau Ubin. Overall, it was a fun and enjoyable camp for me. Without each others’ help and encouragement, we would not be able to complete some of the activities. Lastly, I would like to say, “Thank you, all my group-mates!” 

SGT Jolyn Tey Jie-Lin Visit us at :

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Volume 1, January 2009

Nurturing Youths @ World.Singapore [ like an email address: The National Camp is a biennial event and is organised

[email protected] ]

Malaysia trip organised by NPCC last year.

alternately between the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and National

We reached the jetty at Noordin Campsite. We were glad

Police Cadet Corps (NPCC). This year, it was NPCC’s turn to

that we did not have to walk into Camp Resilience like my

organise the National Camp. The National Camp is also an

previous camps at Camp Resilience. We walked up to the field,

exclusive activity undertaken by members of the uniformed groups

where there was a stage just for this camp. After we were seated,

and youth clubs: NPCC, NCC, Singapore Scout Association, Girl

our division commander got us to introduce ourselves. Everyone

Guides, Girls’ Brigade (GB), Boys’ Brigade (BB), St John

was still quite reserved and shy. I looked around and noticed that

Ambulance Brigade (SJAB), Red Cross Youth, National Civil

the other groups were playing games and having a great time. I

Defence Cadet Corps (NCDCC) and Singapore Youth Flying Club,

thought my group would be boring and my division members were

to celebrate the National Day. Hence, it is traditionally held

unenthusiastic. However, after I started to crack some jokes to

immediately after the National Day, where participants will gather

lighten the atmosphere, everyone started to open up. I began to

together for a 4-day-3-night camp filled with fun and challenging

feel that maybe I was wrong.

outdoor activities. The theme for National Camp 2008 is “Nurturing Youths @World.Singapore”!

We were separated to 4 sections within our “Delta Division”. Then, it was the Opening Ceremony. We watched the performances prepared by representatives of the various uniform groups and youth clubs. The President of Singapore was the Guest-of-Honour for the Opening Ceremony. We stood up to welcome him and sang the National Anthem, followed by the recitation of the National Camp.

Day 1 I woke up very early the day after National Day, which happens to be a school holiday to attend the National Camp. We met at Expo MRT Station. We got our boarding pass from the HOs and quickly boarded the bus. Everyone on the bus was not very friendly and the mood on the bus was very quiet as none of us knew each other. I did not talk to anyone at all during the bus trip to SAF Jetty until I was in the ferry. I had some brief chat with a guy sitting beside me while the ferry were moving and realised that he also went for the

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Volume 1, January 2009

“Dangle Duo” was like a ladder except that the gap between each log increases as we got higher. As an encouragement, one instructor challenged us to reach the 5th bar in 4 minutes and as reward, we would get a can of Coke. In the end, my partner and I completed the challenge and even reached the 6th bar in 5 minutes! We got our reward as promised and we shared it with our divisionmates.

After the Opening Ceremony, we had our lunch. The food was awesome as we were not required to cook our own food, like in ATC and SC. Instead, we had packet food and there was even juice too. After lunch was our first activity. It was the “Campfire Organisation” prepared by the scout instructors. We learnt about the reason for a campfire and how it should be built and how to plan one. We were even asked to plan one. Our next activity cycle was the “Intermediate Rope Challenge”, the “Tunnel” and “Dangle Duo”. The “Intermediate Rope Challenge” and the “Tunnel” were not new to me as I had tried them before during my Survival Camp. However, I had not attempted the “Dangle Duo” before. I was looking forward to it. At the “Dangle Duo”, the instructors told us that no team had gotten to the top within the given time. The Visit us at :

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Volume 1, January 2009

Then, we had the “Cardiopulmonary Rresuscitation (CPR) & Automated External Defibrillator (AED)” session by the SJAB. As most of us already knew how to do CPR, we learnt how to operate an AED instead.

Day 2 The second day started with a bang. All of us geared up for an exciting day, full of activities and thrills. In the morning, we gathered at 6:30am for morning physical training. Then, we had our breakfast and moved on with the first activity of the day soon after. It was the “Flight Stimulation” by the Singapore Youth Flying Club. I managed to land the plane after several attempts. It was fun and challenging. We also learnt how to fold a paper plane. We even had a mini competition to see whose plane can fly the furthest. My plane flew the 2nd furthest and I was awarded the “9V-BPA Plane” collar pin. The instructor told us that that collar pin cannot be bought anywhere. I was so happy and proud of my performance!

Our next activity cycle was the “Team-building” stations organised by GB and BB. One of the instructors there happened to be my friend, so we had fun talking and playing games at the same time. We played “Human Foosball”. It was something like table soccer, except that the figurines were real people. We were supposed to have 3 other games, but due to the rain, we had to stop. So, we went into the tentage for some cheers and we also had our lunch there.

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Volume 1, January 2009

After lunch, the rain stopped and we went over to the Bahru Campsite for the “Low Rope Challenge” by NCDCC. This was also not new for me as I had done it before last year, during my Adventure Training Camp. We managed to complete all the stations. There was one particular station, where a lot of teamwork was required. We had to get everyone in my section to balance on a rope. We almost succeed but time ran out. I believed if we had a bit more time, we would have succeeded. Nevertheless, the instructors still praised us and said that we were the best so far as we had good teamwork and balancing skill. After the LRC we

Then, we went for the “Rock Climbing & Abseiling”

really became more and more united and cheered from place to

by NPCC. I abseiled down smoothly but for the rock climbing, I

place.

could not do as well as I had done during my Adventure Training Camp last year. This time, I was not able to reach the top. After the climb, I had some rest before we proceeded to the “Maze”. I had done this activity before during my Adventure Training Camp. Then, we headed back to Noordin Campsite.

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Volume 1, January 2009

There was also a game where we had to build a structure using things from our surrounding and twines. After the construction, the instructors would throw coconuts at it to see if it was strong and durable enough. As the time given to construct was rather short, I thought we did quite well because our structure was able to withstand the first hit but collapse during the second attack.

We had our dinner and bathed. Then, we came together and our division commander informed us that we would need to prepare a performance for the campfire. At first, it was quite messy, but finally everyone settled down. A few of us discussed about the performance we were going to put up. Then, we practised ourselves and chose some people to join us in the performance as we could not have too many people. Hence, we taught the rest of them the song and dance that we would be putting up during the campfire.

Our second activity cycle was kayaking by NCC. Many of us had done kayaking before but we did not find the activity boring. I noticed that one of the CLTs conducting the activity was

Day 3

actually from our school. We even raft-up (all the kayaks were We would be having our wet activities. My division-

lined up side-by-side) and some of us were told to exchange

mates were all looking forward to it. Our first activity was a nature

partners in that position. I volunteered to exchange when they ask

walk. In this nature walk, we had to compete in some games along

for volunteers. It was fun walking on the kayak while we were still

the way.

out at sea. It was an experience I never had before! In one of the games, we had to pass ping-pong balls from

After lunch was the “Water Confidence Jump” by NPCC.

one member to another in cones made from newspaper. If a ball

Although I had already jumped thrice in my Survival Camp earlier

dropped, everyone had to restart. The mosquitoes added on to the

this year, I still enjoyed the activity a lot!

difficulty of the game.

The last activity cycle of the day was archery by BB. It

We also had to find 6 items in a scavenger hunt. We found all the items in less than a minute. In another game, we had

was really fun! I tried two kinds of bow, but I preferred the long bow, which is the older type of bow. According to the

to be blindfolded and make an animal sounds to find each other.

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Volume 1, January 2009

instructors, it is harder to control than the other type of bow. However, I had no problems handling it.

After our archery session, it was dinner and bath time. We finished everything as fast as we could, so that those involved in the campfire performance would have more time to rehearse. I brought along a light stick to represent our division for the campfire. We even used it in our cheers. We also had our division flag. At the campfire, I realised that our group was the most enthusiastic. During the campfire, we would cheer non-stop and our performance was simply awesome! Everyone enjoyed it because it was entertaining. But after all the performance and campfire songs, the campfire was coming to an end. Everyone kept quiet and watched sadly as the campfire diminished.

After the campfire, our group went around cheering and dancing till supper. After supper, everyone took photos. Our division agreed not to sleep that night. All of us gathered outside our tents. Some of us played games and others lay on the floor and looked at the stars. But after midnight, we were asked to go back to our tents. Although we were reluctant, we still had to follow the rules. Once we were in our tents, we Visit us at :

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were slept soundly till the next morning as everyone was super tired. Day 4 It was the last day of the camp. Everyone went for our breakfast with glum faces. We were all sad that the camp was coming to an end and we were leaving each other. But my section did not fail to bring up everyone’s spirit after breakfast. We started cheering, singing and dancing. We even recited our division pledge and anthem. I think we were the only division with our own division pledge and anthem. Soon, other divisions that were grumpy initially started cheering too. We also started bombing other divisions. After a while, we were asked to gather back to our own UG. Our instructors talked to us for the last time and said they had fun with our group. Everyone listened quietly, trying not to weep. Then we took our last group photo, hugged each other, bade our farewells, signed on each other T-shirt and exchanged our contact numbers. We thought we would see each other for the last time. But when we went back to the mainland, we actually met up with each other at McDonalds in Tampines Mall for our lunch. Our instructors even wanted to treat us to lunch, but we did not want to burn a hole in their wallets, so we thanked and rejected their offer. This camp was really awesome! It allowed me to know new friends from various schools and uniform groups! I also learnt a lot of useful lessons from it!

SGT Gavin Ng Jun Han

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Orchid Park Secondary School – National Police Cadet Corps

My OBS Experience

Bi-Annual Newsletter

Volume 1, January 2009

2nd Day In the morning, we had our physical training,

Before the OBS camp in August, I went around

followed by breakfast. After that, we went for one of the high

asking those who had previously attended OBS before what

rope elements, the “Double Decker”. It consists of 5~6 logs,

their experience was like. From what I gathered, it seems

hanging horizontally in mid-air. Two people had to climb up

boring and tough. I tried to convince myself that it would not

from one log to the other. Our instructor deliberately chose

be like what they described. I kept telling myself that it would

this obstacle for us because he knew that a lot of us had never

be a fun and challenging experience for me. At the same time,

tried this before. It was indeed a challenge for all of us! My

I do not wish to disappoint my teacher officers for nominating

partner and I were great! We coordinated very well. He would

me for the OBS course.

let me step on his knee as I climbed onto the next log. Then, he would climb onto the next log on his own. We completed

1st Day

the obstacle in the shortest time.  While we were waiting at the jetty for the

participants from the other schools to arrive, I had a quick look around at all the instructors. They all seem quite elderly to me. I wondered if they could “click” with us. Finally, when the other schools’ participants arrived, we were separated into various groups. My group was called “Tenzing” (a famous mountaineer)! While waiting for the ferries, we had some ice-

We also had triyaking! We learnt how to do the capsized drill. It was super duper fun! We reached an anonymous island after over 3 hours of kayaking. We went to a lake on the island. The water was super clear. We were soaking in the water while our instructor told us our activities for the next day. It felt like we were having a spa in a remote paradise!

breaker games.

As we were having our dinner, I was told that I

My instructor told us that he is one of the fittest instructors in OBS and therefore will have a higher expectation from us. Everyone thought that he would be tough and strict on us, especially when most of my groupmates were from uniform groups. He also briefed us on the safety precautions for certain activities that we would be doing in this OBS.

would be the IC for the next day. I was excited and worried at the same time. After dinner, I discussed with the other ICs about the route that we would be taking to the other campsite the next day. The instructors told us that we need to set off by 7am and reach the other campsite by 1pm. After our discussion, it was lights out at 9:30pm and I had my sentry duty at 10:45pm. Later, we were told that someone actually

We learnt how to pitch our tents. We also had our

saw a wild boar. It was so cool!

lunch, which consisted of biscuits and apples. After that, we had our belaying lesson. We were introduced to some of the belaying skills and techniques, which I had learnt earlier during our NPCC Survival Camp. 

3rd Day After breakfast, we set off at 7am for our sea expedition to the next campsite, which was about 9~12km

We then played a game of trust, where we had to

away! I was to be the last kayak throughout the whole

trust each other in our group. One person had to lie on a

expedition. No other kayak could be slower than mine. My

ground sheet at a certain height while the rest of us would

partner and I also helped a lot of people whose kayak got

hold the sheet tightly, preventing the person lying on the sheet

stuck. We kayaked for about 3~4 hours before reaching our

from falling to the ground. It was actually quite challenging

destination. Our instructors did not expect us to be that

and interesting.

fast. (: Teamwork rocks! They told us that most of their

Next, we had our dinner and wash-up. We actually

previous campers would take about 4~5 hours. Some even

had a long shower time as we always finished our tasks faster

took 9 hours! We were proud of ourselves. Well done

than the other groups. We also had a fire drill before lights

everyone!

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Bi-Annual Newsletter

Volume 1, January 2009

Then, we had our shower and did a tunnel obstacle.

stomach as he told us the story of Tenzing Norgay, one of the

We were supposed to find two set of puzzle pieces in the

first people known to have reached the summit of Mount

pitch dark tunnel. We even lost our way in there but

Everest.

eventually we found the puzzle pieces and got out of the tunnel.

After that, we went to do some shopping at the shop. As usual, our group was the fastest. As we waited for the other groups, we signed on the back of our group photos. We really could not bear to leave one another. I hugged the girls

4th Day We had a really interesting physical training. It was fun and more like a game session than a physical training. My

and shook hands with the guys. I was really sad having to leave them.

group competed with “Raleigh” in a “Newspaper Race”. After attending this OBS course, I learnt a lot of life

Each of us had a piece of newspaper on our chest and we were to run as fast as we could so that the newspaper would not fly off. We enjoyed ourselves and had a good work-out. The highlight for the day was trekking around Pulau Ubin. We also had to carry our backpacks and stores along with us for the 15~18 kilometres trek. It was seriously very

lessons; some of it I have learnt before and some of it were new to me. Though my group instructor did not talk much, he was still able to motivate and pushed us in a certain way. He always encouraged us to complete our tasks fast so that we could have more rest time. He told us, “We do not need to cheer before we do

heavy. Our instructor was very thoughtful as he allowed us to take turns to carry our backpacks and stores. He said that in this way it would be less tiring for us and we could also learn how to help each other. Through this activity, I have learnt how to appreciate my group members more and the importance of teamwork and supporting each other. We took approximately 7~8 hours to complete our trek. It was really

something.” He suggested, “Instead, why not we cheer only after we have completed our task?” What he said made me think. Sometimes, we behave like kids; always wanting others to cheer for us or motivate us before we set out to do our tasks. Instead, we should be more independent and also learn to celebrate our successes, no matter how small it seems. I really love this instructor! He left a deep

tiring, especially under the hot weather! Although we were not the first group to set off, we managed to be the first group to reach back at the campsite! I was so proud of my group! After that, we washed up, had our dinner and

impression on me and everything that he said was very meaningful. I will always remember what he taught us in this camp!

showered. Then we had our debrief near the sea. Our instructor is really cool! He is not like the other instructors who seem boring. He brought us near the sea to allow us to enjoy the cool breeze of the sea. During our debrief, one girl actually cried, maybe she was sad that our OBS course was coming to an end. I believed the others felt the same way too. Before lights off, we had quite a lot of free time, so we actually played some games with the other groups to help us temporarily forget the fact that we would be going our separate ways the next day. 5th Day Our instructor brought us near the sea again to have our last breakfast. He then told us to lie on each other’s

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Orchid Park Secondary School – National Police Cadet Corps

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Volume 1, January 2009

The 18th Person in My Group On 11th August, the OBS campers from my school gathered in OPSS and took a bus to Punggol Jetty. We reached the jetty filled with excitement. Not sure of what is going to happen during the camp, we waited with curiosity. After everyone arrived, we were introduced to our instructors and group-mates. My group’s instructor is the handsome Elton. My group consists of students from Pasir Ris Crest Secondary School, Hong Kah Secondary School and OPSS. My group was called “Nila Utama”!

Day 1 We took the OBS boat to OBS Campsite II. When we arrived at the campsite, we had some ice-breaker games. Then, we took a group photo and proceeded to check our stores. The first day was quite boring. After checking the stores, we packed our food for the next four days into two backpacks provided to us. After a few attempts, we finally succeeded but our loaves of bread was distorted. They actually looked quite funny. Our first activity was belaying. We learnt the basics of belaying. A belaying team consists of a climber, a belayer, a 2 nd belayer and an anchor-man. In this activity, we were entrusted the lives of our climbing group-mates, although the climbing height was only 1 metre. We took turns trying out in all the different roles. It was really enjoyable. We pitched our tents at a high ground in the campsite. This was because we thought the higher our tents are, the cooler it would be. Our first dinner turned out not so nice as our rice was not fully cooked. Since we were all hungry, we took a loaf of bread and gathered around the hot curry chicken instead. As we were still hungry, we ate the half-cooked rice along with some heated canned food. We had fun stealing each other’s dishes, eating and sharing all the dishes that we had. Then, we washed up the pots and cutlery and proceeded to the best event of the day: BATHE! Everyone was waiting for this moment. After bathing, we packed the rest of our food into the backpacks again. This time, we were given three backpacks and we did it! However, our bread was still distorted. Then, it was lights out and we slept in the tents that we pitched earlier. It was indeed cooler on higher ground but there were also more mosquitoes! We spent the cool night with the “lovely” mosquitoes as our companions. Day 2 We woke up and un-pitched our tents and kept them into the tent bags. Then, we had our breakfast. This time, it was not so bad but we actually lost a loaf of bread. Our instructor told us that he saw a dog taking our bread away and came back for a can of tuna. Luckily, our instructor managed to chase the dog away before it could steal our tuna as well. Despite the unfortunate incident,

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Volume 1, January 2009

we all burst into laughters. We thought that the dog was really clever as it knew that the bread would taste better with the tuna. A comical image started to form in my head. Imagine a dog trying to open a can of tuna... ... with a can-opener!  After breakfast, we tried out the “Flying Fox”. The experience was a heart-pounding and refreshing one! After our “Flying Fox”, we had our lunch. The lunch was great! Next, we had our wet activity. We went for a life vest test and had our “Jetty Jump”. Before our “Jetty Jump”, we were asked to think of some of the qualities that we would like our 18 th imaginary group member to possess. We were to shout out a quality before we jump. And after we emerged from the waters, we would have to strive to become like that 18th person. The experience was unforgettable! As some of us have a phobia of water, we encouraged each other to give it a shot. Eventually, all of us managed to jump at least once. As we waited for another group to complete their capsize drill, we had an introduction to orienteering. Finally, it was our turn and we got into our triyaks and tried the capsize drill. It was an exciting experience! Then, we saw dark clouds approaching us. Our original plan was to triyak to our next campsite, Campsite Macho. However, because of the approaching storm, we were unable to do it. So, we stayed at Campsite II and had our dinner there. When the storm passed, we trekked to Campsite Macho instead as the weather seems unpredictable. The journey was long and the route was full of rocks and stones. It felt like we were having a free foot massage. Finally, we reached our destination. We put down our backpacks and started to pitch our tents. Then, our instructors gathered us and appointed some of us as the navigators for our triyaking expedition the following day. We did not get to bathe for the whole day and also did not get to use a proper toilet. Our “small and big businesses” had to be done in a made-shift toilet. We took turns to perform sentry duty as the rest of us slept. When it was my tent’s shift, we were woken up by the previous tent. We were told that there were wild dogs and weird music coming out from the forest. At first, we thought that the previous shift was trying to scare us. But, it was real! We actually saw the dogs and heard the eerie music. It was really CREEPY! Day 3 Everyone woke up early the next morning and trekked back to Campsite II for our triyaking expedition. We triyaked for 12 kilometres around Pulau Ubin to OBS Campsite I. We had our breakfast and lunch out in the sea. We even had to do our “businesses” out in the sea as well. This was a totally new experience for all of us. As we got nearer to our destination, we motivated ourselves by saying things like, “No more self-cooked food! No more natural toilet!” and we thought of good and pleasant things like bathing, cold drinks and chicken wings. We paddled to our destination as fast as we could and we arrived at Campsite I with amazing speed and timing. We were actually 2 hours ahead of time! We bathed in the cleanest water, ate the most delicious and fragrant rice, together with the biggest and juiciest chicken wing, and the freshest cabbage, along with the most aromatic soup and the coolest syrup drink.  After our “sumptuous” meal, we repacked our bags and prepared for our next day’s trekking expedition. Then, we saw a rainbow as the sun slowly sets. Next, we gathered at the Indiana ship for a briefing and a story-telling session by our instructor. The story was nice but lame. Then, we brushed our teeth and slept in our tents. That night was quite warm. Day 4 We woke up early in the morning. My friend and I decided to go brush our teeth. So, we headed over to the area where we placed our bags. Suddenly, we saw a dog coming our way. My immediate reaction was to jump up from my sitting position and walked backwards till I reached the end. The dog kept approaching me and I decided to adopt the stupidest solution: RUN! It worked! However, the dog turned and approached my friend instead and she came running after me. It was such a hilarious sight. Finally, we managed to brush our teeth and went for our breakfast. Then we packed our bags for the last time and set off back to Campsite II. We trekked a distance of 15 kilometres with our heavy backpacks on our shoulders. We motivated each other

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Volume 1, January 2009

along the way as we headed to Ubin Village for our lunch. Initially, we thought that we were going there for seafood or chilli crab. However when we arrived, our instructor told us, “Take out the food from your backpacks to eat and have a short rest after eating.” All of us looked stunned. But after all, it was only our own imagination that we were going to have chilli crabs for lunch. We simply laughed it off and proceeded to have our lunch. After our lunch, we set off for the highest point on Pulau Ubin. The scenery up there was truly breath-taking! Our instructor then told us each to think of a positive aspect of ourselves and shout it from there. We could even hear the echoes. We started to shout one after another. After we were done, we left the place and headed back to Campsite II. On our way back, we cracked jokes with each other. When we were about to reach the campsite, one of my group-mate, Stanley, had a headache. Another group-mate, Jackie, ran towards him and volunteered to carry his backpack for him. We tried to trek back as fast as possible. However, after walking for another few hundred metres, Stanley suddenly fainted. We then took out the stretcher and put him on it. All the males in our group put down their backpacks and carried Stanley in the stretcher while the females took the backpacks for them. Everyone was tired and worried at the same time. But we trekked on and helped and motivated each other. As we almost reached the campsite, our instructor suddenly stopped us and asked us to quickly place Stanley down on the ground. He told us, “Stanley’s situation seems quite bad because...” I thought that our instructor was going to do CPR on him on the spot. Everyone started to get tensed up and anxious. “... because Stanley is a BIG FAT LIAR!” he said. It was then that we understood what happened. It was all a scam! We were both relieved and angry. Our instructor had planned this act with Stanley. He wanted to test how we would react to the situation and how much teamwork we had. Then, we continued on our journey back to Campsite II and had our debrief. After our dinner, we bathed for the last time at the campsite. We passed soap and shampoo to each other while bathing and laughed and joked. We had lots of fun. Then we pitched up our tents at a different site and slept. Day 5 On the last morning at OBS, we woke up early and un-pitched our tents. We packed everything and checked our stores again. We had our final debrief at the jetty. This time, we conducted the debrief ourselves. We came from different background to attend this OBS course. When we first met, we only knew each others’ names. As the days passed and as we went through all the different activities; like kayaking, trekking, cooking meals together, we somehow bonded together. Not only do we know each others’ names by the last day, we also knew each others’ personalities and characters too. We were no longer seated together with our own schools-mates, but we were sctually sitting together as a group. We felt like a big family! We were all brothers and sisters! We are “NILA UTAMA”! We exchanged our contacts and hugged each other, regardless of gender and height. It was also then that we realized we had acquired the traits of the 18th person we wanted to have in our group. We no longer need the 18th person in our group. Together, we make up the 18th person! We left the OBS Jetty and headed towards Punggol Jetty. Although we missed mainland Singapore, but we also miss our wonderful times spent together at Pulau Ubin. We missed our technologies but we will also miss the times when we were freed from all distractions. We will definitely miss everyone in “NILA UTAMA”, including the 18th person in our group. I will never forget this OBS experience that I had and what I have learnt from it: the power of TEAMWORK!

SGT Jolyn Tey Jie-Lin Visit us at :

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Past Events of 2008 (July ~ December) Event / Activity Police Heritage Centre Visit Singapore Philatelic Museum Visit Anti-Drug Knowledge Tree Promotional Exercise NPCC Service Day Inter-Unit Beep Test Challenge 2008 Handing-Over & Taking-Over Parade Farewell Gathering CCA Photo-Taking Heartland Trail Pledge Card (CIP) School National Day Parade .22” Revolver Practice Shoot Focus on the Family Flag Day (CIP) Anti-Drug Abuse Course Annual Camp BBQ Gathering

Date 01/07/08 04/07/08 08 ~ 11/07/08 16/07/08 18/07/08 25/07/08 30/07/08 30/07/08 31/07/08 06 ~ 25/08/08 08/08/08 26/08/08 13/09/08 29/10/08 15 ~ 17/11/08 16/11/08

Participant Sec 2 Sec 3 All Sec 1 ~ 2 All Sec 1 ~ 3 All All All Sec 1 ~ 3 Sec 3 Sec 2 Optional Sec 2 Sec 1 ~ 3 Sec 4 & 5

Our Achievements for 2008 (July ~ December) Activity / Competition Anti-Drug Knowledge Tree Competition 2008

Date / Period

Participant

Achievement / Award

Organizer

08 ~ 11/07/08

OPSS NPCC Unit

Outstanding Award

Central Narcotics Bureau

3rd Position

Northland Secondary School NPCC Unit

Certificate of Participation

National Heritage Board

Certificate of Participation

Orchid Park Secondary School NPCC Unit

Top 5

NPCC HQ

NA

NPCC HQ

NA

NPCC HQ

NA

Orchid Park Secondary School

Certificate of Participation

Singapore Mass Rapid Transit

NPCC Tie, Bid & Cook Challenge 2008

12/07/08

Fun on Foot – Heritage Marathon 2008

19/07/08

Inter-Unit Beep Test Challenge 2008 Inter-Area Project-Based Competition 2008 (Preliminaries) National Day Parade 2008

25/07/08 01/08/08 09/08/08

National Camp 2008

11 ~ 14/08/08

Outward Bound Singapore (Outdoor Discovery)

11 ~ 15/08/08

SMRT Challenge 2008

31/08/08

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SGT Daniel Lee (Captain) SGT Ong Kong Ming SGT Tang Mei Yin SGT Gavin Ng SGT Jolyn Tey SGT Shahril SGT Dhivya SGT Ko Kai Sheng SGT Nurfahtia SGT Jolyn Tey SGT Wilson Lee SGT Edwin Tan SGT Lim Xing Xia SGT Gavin Ng SGT Tang Mei Yin SGT Jolyn Tey SGT Josephine Yeo SGT Sin Yee Suan SGT Tan Shi Qi SGT Gavin Ng SGT Edwin Tan SGT Tan Shi Qi SGT Ko Kai Sheng

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Our Achievements for 2008 (July ~ December) Activity / Competition

Date / Period

Participant CPL Benny Chia (Captain) SGT Edwin Tan SGT Lim Chin Tian SGT Yim Shao Wei

Achievement / Award

Organizer

Inter-Unit Counter Strike Competition 2008

05/09/08

1st Position

Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) NPCC Unit

Inter-Unit Rope Challenge 2008

15/10/08

SGT Tan Shi Qi SGT Sin Yee Suan

Certificate of Participation

Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School NPCC Unit

Inter-Area Project-Based Competition 2008 (Finals)

17/10/08

SGT Jolyn Tey SGT Wilson Lee

2nd Position

NPCC HQ

Inter-Unit Photo Hunt Competition 2008

24/10/08

2nd Position

Naval Base Secondary School NPCC Unit

Fun Olympics 2008

25/10/08

Certificate of Participation

Nan Hua High School NPCC Unit

Inter-Unit Blog Competition 2008

25/10/08

OPSS NPCC Unit

2nd Position

St Joseph’s Institute NPCC Unit

12/11/08

SGT Gavin Ng SGT Jolyn Tey SGT Tang Mei Yin SGT Daniel Lee SGT Ko Kai Sheng

Certificate of Participation

Beatty Secondary School NPCC Unit

17 ~ 23/11/08

SGT Tang Mei Yin

NA

NPCC HQ

24 ~ 28/11/08

SGT Gavin Ng

NA

NPCC HQ

01 ~ 20/12/08

SSG Matthias Goh SSG Clifford Tan

NA

NPCC HQ

Inter-Unit Online History Quiz Challenge 2008 Overseas Educational Visit 2008 (Hong Kong & Macau) Outward Bound Singapore (Leader’s Journey) Cadet Inspector Basic Training Course 2008

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CPL Johnson Oh CPL Lim Yexing CPL Jonathan Lim SGT Gavin Ng SGT Edwin Tan SGT Tang Mei Yin SGT Lim Chin Tian SGT Ko Kai Sheng

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Bi-Annual Newsletter

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“The tortoise did some thinking this time, and realized that there is no way it can beat the hare in a race using the original route. It thought for a while, and then challenged the hare to another race, but on a slightly different route. The hare confidently agreed. They started off. In keeping with his self-made commitment to be consistently fast, the hare took off and ran at top speed until he came to a broad river. The finishing line was a couple of kilometres on the other side of the river. The hare sat there wondering what to do. In the meantime, the tortoise trundled along, got into the river, swam to the opposite bank, continued walking and finished the race.” The moral of the story is that “we have to first identify our core competency and then change the playing field to suit our core competency”. In an organization, if you are a good speaker, make sure you create opportunities to give presentations that enable the senior management to notice you. If your strength is analysis, make sure you do some sort of research, make a report and send it to your senior management. Working to your strengths will not only get you noticed, but will also create opportunities for growth and advancement.

The Tortoise & The Hare (Complete Version) But, that is not the end of the story yet. It continues as follows...

“The hare and the tortoise, by this time, had become pretty good friends and they did some thinking “Once upon a time, a tortoise and a hare had an argument about who was faster. They decided to settle the together. Both realized that the last race could have been run much better. So, they decided to do the last race argument with a race. They agreed on a route and started off the race. The hare shot ahead and ran briskly for again, but to run as a team this time. They started off, and this time the hare carried the tortoise till the riverbank. some time. Then, seeing that he was far ahead of the tortoise, he thought he would sit under a tree for a while and There, the tortoise took over and swam across with the hare on his back. On the opposite bank, the hare again relax before continuing the race. He sat under the tree and soon fell asleep. The tortoise plodding on, overtook carried the tortoise and they reached the finishing line together. They both felt a greater sense of satisfaction than him and soon finished the race, emerging as the undisputed champion. The hare woke up and realized that he had they had felt in all their previous races as they were able to complete the race in record time. They were both lost the race.” winners of the situation.” The moral of the story is that “slow and steady wins the race”. The moral of the story is that “it is good to be individually brilliant and to have strong core competencies; This is the version of the story that we have all grown up with. But, the story does not end here. There are a but unless you are able to work in a team and harness each other's core competencies, you will always perform few more interesting twists to it. It continues as follows... below par because there will always be situations at which you will do poorly and someone else does well”. Teamwork is mainly about situational leadership, letting the person with the relevant core competency for a “The hare was disappointed at losing the race and he did some reflection. He realized that he had lost the situation to take the leadership. race only because he had been overconfident, careless and lax. If he had not taken things for granted, there is no way the tortoise could have beaten him. So, he challenged the tortoise to another race. The tortoise agreed. This neither nor the tortoise gave up to after theirHe failures. hare miles.” decided to work harder time, theAlso, harenote wentthat all out andthe ranhare without stopping from start finish. won byThe several and put in more effort after his failure. The tortoise changedwill his always strategybeat because he was already working as hard as he The moral of the story is that “fast and consistent the slow and steady”. could. InIflife, faced with in failure, do not giveone up, slow, keep methodical trying and and adopt a different strategy if necessary. we when have two people an organization: reliable, and the other fast and still Sometimes it is appropriate work harder and chap put inwill more effort. Sometimes is appropriate to change strategy reliable at what he does, thetofast and reliable consistently climb theit organizational ladder faster than and the try something different. sometimes it is and appropriate to do slow, methodical chap. ItAnd, is good to be slow steady; but it isboth. definitely better to be fast and reliable. The hare and the tortoise also learnt another vital lesson: When we stop competing against a rival and instead start competing against theend situation, can andaswill perform far better! However, the story does not here. Itwe continues follows... Visit us at :

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