Behind the Scenes II at the Float @ Marina Bay

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED,
"WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?"

You've probably seen them, asked them for directions, and some of you might even have given them a piece of your mind! These are the people who arrive first and reach home last – the people who work tirelessly to ensure your safety at the Parade, who make sure you get your fun packs, and who guarantee your seats at the Platform!

Even as we come together to celebrate our nation's 44th birthday, we take this opportunity to honour these who work behind-the-scenes, as well as to learn more about the work that goes into making NDP 09.

"This year's NDP 09 Spectators Management Committee (Internal) is handled by 30th Battalion Singapore Combat Engineers (30 SCE) while Spectators Management Committee (External) is handled by 46th Battalion Singapore Armour Regiment (46 SAR). In a nutshell, you, the spectator, are the focus of their work!"

Before you even reach the Float, the servicemen from 30 SCE would already have finished packing your fun pack. During your time at the Float, they will help to direct you around the place and at the same time, look out for your safety. And after you've had a great time at the Parade, they will ensure you manage to leave the Float as fast as possible to get home.

Together with his fellow guards, CPL Lee Zheng Hao, 20, is in charge of guarding the rear entry point facing the Esplanade to prevent unauthorized people access to the venue. While most of us take the opportunity to sleep-in late on Saturdays, CPL Lee has consistently been waking up at 5 am for the past few weeks to be at the Float by 7 am. Although it has been tiring, he is nonetheless glad that he is able to participate in NDP. He adds, "We have also encountered many tourists who do not understand why there are road obstructions and we need to explain to them that it's for our National Day!"

Also from 30 SCE are CPL Wu Jia Ming, CPL Jimson Chua and CPL John Tan, 20, who are part of an entourage of about 100 servicemen responsible for transferring and moving the road barricades from the F1 Pit. Although logistically and physically demanding, CPL Jimson tells us that it is still "fun and enjoyable" because you get to work with your friends. On top of that, they work with the Traffic Police to help regulate the flow of traffic.

As their jobs heavily involve liaising with members of the public, they have also met with a fair share of problems. "We once had a stubborn auntie who refused to cooperate with us and even tried to jump over the barricades!" shared CPL John. Other than such encounters, they have also had to combat weather conditions. "It rained very heavily during NE Show 1, so dismissing the Primary 5s onto their buses was certainly quite the experience."

In addition to involving our prison inmates and community services as part of an effort to reach out, 30 SCE is similarly involved in the packing of the fun packs.

PTE Alson Mar, 19 sheds some light about the journey behind the fun packs. "We pack fun packs everyday, from Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm. 40 people help to pack the fun pack each time, so we arrange ourselves into 4 production lines with 10 people each. On average, we can pack 6000 fun packs in one day! They are then transported via containers to the Float every Friday night before the Parade."

Although spectators do not get the choice to choose the colour of their fun packs, the servicemen from 30 SCE ensure you that they will try their best to get you a suitably-coloured fun pack. PTE Alson tells us, "As far as possible, I will try to give boys the blue fun pack and girls, the pink one."

Nonetheless, occasional bad experiences are expected. "There are some hot tempered people who lashed out at us because they ended up walking in circles as they've read the signposting wrongly, but that's only a small group of them. Most people we've met are nice!"

"HERE IS YOUR LUNCH!"

2LT Ang Wee Kiat, 20, from HQ 3rd Singapore Division, is the NDP 09 Ration 2IC, which means he is the guy to look for to get your food! To find out more, we managed to get an exclusive interview with him to find out what goes into feeding the nation!

 

 

How do you feel being a part of NDP 09?

It certainly feels very busy! Obviously I am very fortunate to have been able to be involved in NDP 2009 as it is quite a rare opportunity for a full-time national serviceman (NSF) to be able to participate in the preparation and the rehearsals, culminating in, of course, the actual day. To be able to see, firsthand, the mammoth task in terms of preparation and also the large scale in terms of logistical requirements has been a very fulfilling experience and also allowed me to gain hands-on experience and logistical knowledge.

Can you brief us about your job scope and the logistical processes that you are in charge of?

I deputise my OC HQ, CPT Kueck Joo Sen, who is the Refreshment OIC for NDP 2009. I help in ensuring the timely delivery and distribution of the meals for the participants being held at the F1 pit garage area. I also coordinate the water/ice distribution and supply to the respective water points maintained by the individual committees.

In summary, together with my guys, I play the role of a distributor – liaising with the suppliers for the delivery of water/ice/meals, and then coordinating, in turn, with the committee points-of-contact (POCs) to ensure that they collect their required items. This means hours of consolidation in terms of ration and water requirements, and on-the-ground reaction if anything goes awry.

What are the challenges you face in your job?

As the nature of my work is time-based, any delays by the suppliers will have a spill-over and knock-on effect. Since the participants need to take their meals before the rehearsals, it means a very harrowing experience every Saturday! However, so far, apart from some minor hiccups, everything has been smooth-going.

Anything interesting happened through the course of NDP 09?

Perhaps one time; when one of my guys, who was deployed in the VIP lounge for fatigue work, exited the room to run errands, was barred further entry back into the lounge by the Military Police! Similar hiccups have also occurred, as the servicemen abide by instructions given to them, resulting in much hilarity and also frustration at their rigid and inflexible attitude; however this is to be expected, especially as security tightens leading up to 9 August.

Having to juggle between your job in-camp and NDP 09, what are the challenges you face?

Obviously it means one more hat to wear! Try coming back to office on a Tuesday after being out-of-office for NDP preparations since the previous Thursday, and finding 156 unread mails and your table strewn with various documents! However NDP is certainly not an excuse for not getting work done, and indeed, while it has meant more work, it certainly is very satisfying when everything falls into place after all the hard work put in. The increased workload initially did require some getting used to, but I relish the challenge, and, hopefully, I'm doing the best that I can.

THE 'MAGIC' AFTER THE PARADE

Even as you, our spectators, are treated to a galore of visual spectacles and celebratory activities at the Parade, a large event like this involving many people undoubtedly leaves behind many traces, and it is up to our contractors and cleaners to reverse the clock so that the Float is back in tip-top condition, ready to receive yet another group of people for next week's Parade.

However, before they can even begin their work, it is necessary to ensure that everyone leaves the Parade in an orderly manner. For that to happen, our servicemen continue to work around the clock to ensure the smooth dismissal of not only the spectators, but participants as well. Returning to move the road barriers are once again our servicemen from 30 SCE. Moving and transferring the barricades to the side of the road, they also help to marshal traffic so that everyone can leave in the safest and quickest possible way.

After everyone has finished clearing the spectators' stand, our contractors and cleaners can now officially begin their "work of revival" on the platform and F1 pit. This includes cleaning the toilets and sweeping up rubbish and debris such as party streamers. It does not just end there though, their work continues onto the subsequent week on areas such as disinfecting of the seats at the Float and vacuuming the media and VIP lounges.

Similarly, we have our technicians who work tirelessly week after week to make sure that the Parade lights and projections are up and running. Then there are also our fireworks specialists who rig the stage to ensure maximum visual impact at the Parade.

These mentioned are just some of a colossal amount of people who sacrifice weekly, their opportunity to watch the Parade, for the sole purpose of bringing you the best NDP experience possible.

For that, we offer every single backstage worker our heartfelt appreciation and thanks for all their contributions. Seriously, without them, NDP 09 would never have been possible. They are our true magicians!