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Speech by Mrs Tan Ching Yee at the 60th Anniversary Dinner
Speech by Mrs Tan Ching Yee at the 60th Anniversary Dinner
“I am here this evening, together with a dozen of my classmates from the class of 1980. Those of my vintage had the privilege of being part of the school when it celebrated its Silver Jubilee. As I look back, I realize how precious these four important years of our lives were. In the ensuing 30-plus years, we have kept in touch. Each year, we discover new “lost sheep” while a few members become “dormant”. The amazing thing is that, after a quick round of updates, we start to talk about personal things, as if we had never been apart.
There are overlapping networks of friends waiting to be re-acquainted with us after we leave school. Such friendships go through cycles. When we first left school, many of us ended up in the same JCs or universities and kept our ties warm through many gatherings. We started work at about the same time and celebrated each other’s birthdays until the dreaded ‘29’. Then we said, “No need for any birthday present; just come for makan”. As careers, boyfriends, husbands and children came along, the gatherings got less frequent.
Then some time in our 40’s, we began to feel that we wanted to re-connect. The number of gatherings grew again though the form could change. Now, we say “Makan is OK, but we must exercise first”. We even talk about going on holidays together, as if we are back in our teens. The Youth Chapter provides a forum for our younger alumni to keep in touch. More importantly, there are older people like us out there, who are only too happy to offer advice, if you ask for it. Congratulations to the school for providing platforms for TKGians of all ages to come together! Thank you.”
There are overlapping networks of friends waiting to be re-acquainted with us after we leave school. Such friendships go through cycles. When we first left school, many of us ended up in the same JCs or universities and kept our ties warm through many gatherings. We started work at about the same time and celebrated each other’s birthdays until the dreaded ‘29’. Then we said, “No need for any birthday present; just come for makan”. As careers, boyfriends, husbands and children came along, the gatherings got less frequent.
Then some time in our 40’s, we began to feel that we wanted to re-connect. The number of gatherings grew again though the form could change. Now, we say “Makan is OK, but we must exercise first”. We even talk about going on holidays together, as if we are back in our teens. The Youth Chapter provides a forum for our younger alumni to keep in touch. More importantly, there are older people like us out there, who are only too happy to offer advice, if you ask for it. Congratulations to the school for providing platforms for TKGians of all ages to come together! Thank you.”