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 s
the Senior Citizens’ Awards Dinner drew to a close, and the crowd
was being serenaded by Robert Fernando and his band at the Raffles
Town Club on 17 November 2005, there were at least two groups of people
who were grinning from ear to ear – the avid supporters of the Active
Senior Citizen and Grandparent of the Year 2005.
Mr Lee Bock Guan, 60, was named Active Senior Citizen of the Year
2005 and Mr Khoo Chwee Seng, 76, Grandparent of the Year 2005 earlier
that evening. The Awards were presented by Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, Minister
of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports.
This year, the Senior Citizens’ Awards drew close to 1,000 nominations
and over 27,000 votes from the public. The two award winners had emerged
after a process which involved short listing, interviews with the
organising committee and a public voting round.
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Grandparent of the Year
– a pillar of the family
Mr Khoo’s family truly believes he is the reason that all 52 members
of the extended family have bonded so well. More than ten of them
nominated him for Grandparent of the Year.
This energetic grandfather takes pleasure in being involved in his
grandchildren’s lives. He always manages to find a reason for the
entire family to come together. He is such good company that his grandchildren
always look forward to having a great time at their “Ah Gong’s” home
every weekend, where the divine aroma of his cooking, the sounds of
mahjong tiles and warm family banter fills the home.
“My Ah Gong truly deserves this award. He constantly creates opportunities
for the family to come together and bond, organising picnics and bowling
sessions on almost a weekly basis. He also often gives us advice on
how to live life to the fullest and has ingrained in us many important
family values from a young age. To me, he really is the best grandfather
anyone can have” said Mr Khoo Sze Hong, 17, one of Mr Khoo’s 31 grandchildren.
Active Senior Citizen of the Year
– touching lives
Mr Lee Bock Guan, Active Senior Citizen of the Year, is the president
of the Singapore Buddhist Lodge. His charity work has spanned 30 years
and touched the lives of the poor, needy, aged and sick in our society
in many ways.
“This award is not mine alone. It belongs to all the people whom I’ve
worked with over the years, who have contributed in so many ways to
help the less privileged people around us. It really serves as an
encouragement for me to carry on helping others, and I hope, is also
a reminder to all of us to be good and kind people,” said the humble
Mr Lee.
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Outstanding
senior role models
Six other outstanding seniors who each play integral roles in their
communities and lives of their grandchildren, were also honoured that
evening. They were the merit winners of the Active Senior Citizen
of the Year Award, Mr Sikin Bin Abdullah, Mr Foo Fook Jee and Mdm
Theresa Yip, and merit winners of the Grandparent of the Year Award,
Mdm C Kamachi, Mr Lim Kiat Chow and Mdm Teo Ah Mai.
MasterCard, OSiM, Goh Jee Hin (NewMoon), NTUC FairPrice, Unilever,
Nirwana Gardens and SembCorp were the sponsors for the Senior Citizens’
Awards 2005. 
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Grandparents’
Day Celebrations 2005
Grandparents' Day, celebrated on the fourth Sunday in November,
pays tribute to grandparents and honours the important roles
they play within their families. It was celebrated on 27 November
this year. Dr Mohamed Maliki bin Osman was the Guest-of-Honour.
Winners of the Grandparents’ Day Card Design Card Design Competition
for Pre-school, primary and secondary school as well as winners
of Grand Stories were presented with prizes.
The day of fun also included activities such as stage games,
performances and tri-generational games for families to bond
and share their experiences of connecting within the family.
There was also a live Mandarin talk show on intergenerational
bonding broadcasted on UFM1003. |
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