6 - TRAINING DAYS
In January 1954 the doors of the Training College reopened. It was located on the second floor of the extension or annex to the main building called Temple House of Tan Nyok Nee, at 207 Clemenceau Avenue. Before the war the Army had bought it for its Headquarters at $50,000 from the Anglican Church.
There were 4 cadets in the SHEPHERDS’ Session – the first after World War Two. My session mates were Cadets CHAN Chin Chai from Ipoh, LIM Ah Ang and TEO Poh Leng from Balestier. I entered training from Central. Cadet Chan Chin and I shared a room while the two boys shared another. The two bedrooms were separated by the Lecture hall. Outside the girls’ room was a space which served as our living area. A set of 4 rattan armchairs and a small round table, a small glass-door cabinet with 4 shelves of books as the library formed our lounge. Half of the area was our dining room with a heavy rectangular table, 6 upright chairs and a sideboard.
The then General Secretary, Major Will Price was appointed as the Training Officer but had to return to the UK at short notice. The Officer Commanding, Lt-Colonel Frederick, took over. Mrs. Lt-Colonel Mabel Harvey was acting Command Finance Officer, taught us Army Procedure and book-keeping. Captain Arthur Hall, Central Corps Officer took us in Bible and Army Doctrines and Mrs. Captain Vera Hall was our Home Officer. The Public Relation and Property Officer, Major Stanley Gordon, taught us music and singing. Lt. Jean Milton, the OC’s private secretary, gave us Field Training. The other officers filled in as required.
We did the cleaning and washing, and often the cooking too. For some reason or another there were a few changes of cooks during the nine months of our in-training! It was not the fault of us cadets! I suspected there was not enough money. The cooks used to ask me to help them write out their daily accounts. (most could not read nor write English.) The cook would be given $5.00 each morning for everything for the day - bread, margarine, jam, tea, sugar and milk for breakfast. Rice, meat or fish, vegetables, oil, salt for lunch and dinner, soap and other household essentials. We cadets had breakfast by ourselves, but a different officer joined us for lunch or dinner. There was no mid morning coffee, nor mid afternoon teatime. Sometimes the OC would give a treat of ice-cream when out visiting with us. The officers thought he spoilt us cadets!!
Once a week, the CO of Central would take us cadets out for an open-air meeting to invite the people to the meetings. Every Wednesday night we Cadets conducted a meeting at Central Corps, each one taking a turn to give the sermon. On every Thursday night there was a united Holiness Meeting, usually conducted by the OC or GS.
There was no corps officer at Balestier; the OC took us brigading on a Friday afternoon. The building was a very basic attap hut with no running water nor electricity. The hall was used as a kindergarten during the week. At the back of the hall was a small space partitioned off as a utility room. The first thing we cadets did each week was to empty the potties, stack up the little chairs, sweep the floor, and arrange the place ready for a meeting. Then we would hold a short open-air meeting nearby, invite the people to the corps‘s weekly activities, visit door-to-door, round up the children in the area, and proceed to the hall for a Y.P. Meeting.
Week night activities for us cadets included songster and band practices at Central Corps. Torchbearers, and a united Youth Group held on Friday evenings. House cleaning was done on Saturday mornings. Our free time was Saturday after lunch, but we had to be back in the evening for a united open-air meeting at the esplanade.
On Sundays we were assigned to Central or Balestier Corps, involving in its activities – Prayer and Holiness Meetings in the morning, Sunday School, open-air and Salvation Meetings in the afternoon and evening. A new outpost had just been started at Kolam Ayer, in the Kallang area. We cadets took turns to have afternoon tea at the OC’s quarters, and helped in the Sunday School held in the home of Mr. & Mrs. Sevanathan.
This was the beginning of the Tamil Corps, now called Eratchippu.
We were out three weeks for our Field Campaigns. The boys went to Malacca Corps and the girls to Penang Corps. It was the first trip out of the country for most of us. Another time we went for our Social Training. The boys went to Ipoh Boys’ Home and the girls to the Nursery Home in Singapore.
Once there was a request from a lady in England. Her son was doing his national service here. He fell in love with an Erasian girl and they decided to get married at the registry, without any fuss. Perhaps they were short of money. However, the mother appealed to The Army for help. One afternoon the OC conducted the wedding. We cadets and the staff on CHQ formed the congregation. Yours truly was assigned as bridesmaid! (This was part of our training?)
Three weeks prior to our Commissioning, Lieutenants Douglas Kiff and Jean Milton got married. The bride invited us two girl cadets to be her bridesmaids and the men cadets as ushers.
All too soon it was our Commissioning – 24-25 October 1964.
Probationary-Lieutenant LIM Ah Ang as CO to Malacca Corps.
Probationary-Lieutenant TEO Poh Leng as Assistant to Singapore Boys’ Home
Probationary-Lieutenant CHAN Chin Chye as Assistant to Kuching Girls’ Home
Probationary-Lieutenant FONG Pui Chan Assistant CO to Kuching Corps
No comments:
Post a Comment