Hi Guides! Today was the highly anticipated National Day Observance Ceremony, in celebration of Singapore's 60th birthday! It was a an honourable moment which our Year 2 and 3 Guides had been preparing for, along with the other Uniformed Groups.
Reflection from a Year 2 in P3:
This year’s National Day Parade (NDP) in school was extra special for me because I got the chance to be a part of the Girl Guides Contingent. It was an awesome opportunity, and while it came with many challenges, at the end of it, I am really glad that I was part of it. The weeks leading up to the celebration were packed with long and tiring rehearsals. At first, I did not expect it to be so tough to some extent. However, being in a Uniformed Group means that discipline and precision are everything. Every small movement mattered, from how we stood at “Sedia” (attention), to how we marched off at “Triple Jalan” (march), and even how our hands locked in place and legs at 90° on the spot during “Hentak Kaki” (on-the-spot marching). We had to drill every move over and over again until it was perfect. Sometimes, we had finally finished a full round, only to be told we had to restart because one or two people were out of sync. I struggled greatly with my attention span and to constantly be disciplined enough to do everything perfectly. Having to stand and listen to various commands that were initially foreign to me was not easy as I got distracted after a while and ended up missing the next command given, usually “Ke-Kanan Lurus”, especially during “Sedia” or “Senang Diri” (at ease). Furthermore, when marching, I tend to lack the will to constantly keep myself going. I would end up 'slacking', if that is the word for it, and not rigidly holding myself to the standards when marching because we did it many times for hours. We had to keep the rhythm during “Hentak Kaki”, everyone had to be perfectly in step. The “Triple Jalan” was a challenge too, it really pushed us to stay sharp and move as one 团. It was frustrating, but looking back, it really taught me patience and resilience, and I would say that this is a key part of being in a Uniformed Group. Then, there was the Full Dress Rehearsal. Ironing my uniform was yet another battle. Every crease on my uniform had to be sharp, and my scarf had to look presentable. The worst part was getting home late after rehearsals, still having to complete homework, and then scrambling to prepare my uniform for the next day. But, all that hard work proved to pay off. On the actual day, as we marched across the field and heard the applause from the school, it felt amazing, and I felt pride in putting in my all for this. Even though the march itself was much shorter than even a single rehearsal session, it was the journey that made it meaningful. This experience taught me the value of teamwork, discipline, and pushing through even when it gets tough. Most of all, it gave me memories I will hold close for a long time.
Reflection from a Year 2 in P2:
Being part of my school’s National Day Parade Contingent has been an immensely meaningful experience for me. When I heard that all the Year 2s were selected for marching in the school’s National Day Parade, I felt honoured yet slightly nervous, as I knew that it was both a privilege and a responsibility to represent Guides as a Uniformed Group. As the weeks of training and rehearsals went by, I gained not only marching skills, but also valuable lessons about resilience, teamwork and discipline. The process was not easy. We had multiple rehearsals, such as the Half-Dress Rehearsals which helped us focus on our drills, and the Full-Dress Rehearsals which prepared us for the actual event. These sessions were long and demanding, but they were necessary to ensure that the contingent would perform well, and to showcase our skills and discipline. On the actual day, marching under the scorching sun was especially challenging. My uniform felt heavy, and we were all sweaty as we stood in formation, trying our best to stay as still as possible while our school mates streamed into the field. It was very tough to remain still as many parts of my face felt hot and itchy. Despite the discomfort, I decided to press on to give a good impression of Guides. Seeing the other Uniformed Groups along with us, all marching with the same determination and pride, I felt encouraged to stay strong and give my best. Through this experience, I learned the importance of perseverance. Even when I felt exhausted, I reminded myself that giving up was not an option. I also developed hard skills such as keeping in step with others and maintaining proper posture. At the same time, I realised the importance of teamwork and unity. Every individual had to march in sync so that the contingent looked neat and proud. One person’s mistake could affect the whole contingent, which taught me to be more responsible and mindful of my actions. Overall, participating in the National Day Parade Contingent was an eye-opening journey. It instilled in me a greater sense of pride in representing my school and nation. Most importantly, it reminded me that discipline, teamwork and perseverance are values that will lead me far not only in school, but also in life.
Reflection from a Year 2 in P1:
This year, on the 8th of August, was our Dunman High’s SG60 National Day Celebration, where all 4 Uniformed Groups would form a parade. The preparation for the large scale event started on the 17th of July, our first rehearsal. The Guides Contingent was made up of Year 2 and Year 3 Guides. Before attending the rehearsal, I felt a sense of pride and excitement, as not only did I feel proud of my Year 3s forming up last year as I watched them in awe, but also because of my love for foot drills and the fact that it was my turn to take part. During the first rehearsal, we all gathered in the Sheltered Parade Square. That was the only rehearsal for us to familiarise ourselves with the parade procedures, check for speed, resolve any hiccups, all needing to be resolved before the next few intense rehearsals. During the first rehearsal, we had a lot of comments from one of our Ranges, especially about how we were totally unsynchronised as a contingent, and hence everything looked messy and unorganised. The next few rehearsals were similar, with us going through the parade procedures over and over again with the parade music, and with some final comments and taking measurements. On the 8th of August, we reached school at 0700 in the morning for the final practice before the actual parade, where we still got comments. By the time it was 0745, many Dunmanians came to the field and we got many reminders to not fidget, in order to show discipline of the respective UGs. That morning was not very sunny, and was relatively windy and hence it was not as unbearable as during the afternoon rehearsals in the field the past few weeks. Although I could not see the result, I felt a sense of pride being able to participate in the parade, which I had been excited for for so long! I felt that the 4 contingents worked great together and our hard work had paid off! All in all, I felt that this NDP SG60 Contingent Parade was memorable, allowing us to be able to reflect on how far Singapore has come after independence, from before and after merger to independence, it highlights the resilience that us Singaporeans have and that we should be proud of what Singapore has achieved thus far even though we are just a little red dot, a first-world country that cannot be seen on the globe. This NDP Contingent also definitely brought pride to our school, and for us, to be able to stand in front of the whole school, bringing shine to our respective UGs, even if our speciality is not foot drills, showing the school the discipline, unity, and the effort we have collectively put in the past one month to make the parade happen. As foot drills are also not often done in Guides, unlike lash tying and pioneering, it gave us an opportunity to work on our foot drills, close the gaps, understand our mistakes, and be able to do better than we were before. This year’s NDP Contingent really captured the whole essence of discipline, unity, hard work and teamwork.
Published by:
Goh Kae Lyn
57th 届 Secretary
