 The Eventful Year That Was
- Reflections by Mr Cheo Chai Hong
2012 was indeed an eventful year for the ACS OBA. In addition to the traditional annual events, the year saw a number of initiatives which proved to be popular with our members.
My committee and I are pleased with the enthusiastic response, and hope that the time and effort in organising these events will continue to bear fruits in 2013 and beyond.
2012 was especially significant for me as I had the honour of taking over the helm from Benson Puah as President of the ACS OBA. Benson had faithfully led the OBA for two terms and his shoes are hard to fill, but I am very blessed to inherit his strong team who are fully dedicated to serving the ACS family.
 Serving the ACS Family
As in previous years, representatives from the OBA have served on the various school boards and on the ACS Board of Governors (ACS BOG). I am currently serving on the ACS BOG as Vice-Chairman together with Chandra Mohan, Lim Jen Howe and Oon Jin Gee. I am also on the ACS (Independent) Board of Management as Vice-Chairman with Rayson Seow, Lim Tat and Oon Jin Gee, while Chandra Mohan represents the OBA on the ACS (International) Board of Management.
Besides serving on the above Boards, the OBA has set up a number of committees to help co-ordinate various alumni, school development activities and fund-raising projects.
These committees include: Communications, Membership, Finance, Events, Internships, Scholarships and Bursaries, ONE ACS Initiatives, Public Relations and Retired Teachers’ Welfare. On the latter, the OBA is currently providing assistance to two retired teachers/staff. In addition, cohorts of ACSians have also come forward to provide assistance to these two recipients and others.
May I take this opportunity to encourage as many ACSians, individuals or cohorts, to join the OBA to reach out to as many retired teachers and staff as possible.
2012 Highlights
On the social scene, the
ACS OBA and MGS Alumnae Association Social Mixer in February was a huge success. More than 200 alumni ACS boys and MGS girls gathered at Balaclava, ION Orchard for an evening of fun, entertainment and fellowship. As always, many old boys and girls played a part in making the evening such a delightful one. Special thanks go to alumni Anastasia Ling (Quintessentially), Adrian and Cleo Ling (Pamplemousse) and Wee Teng Wen (The Lo & Behold Group)
for their kind contributions. And a big
thank you goes to Samuel and Stanley Yeo
for being such gracious hosts once
again.
 Gathering of ACSians 2012
was another social networking event in
late November that saw ACSians from
diverse cohorts congregating at 1128
Bar, Tanglin Post Office. It was indeed
a touching and encouraging experience to
see the ACS Spirit in action; that
whatever the graduating year, or ACS
unit we may have passed through, our
common tradition and values hold strong
and steadfast. During the evening, we
took the opportunity to welcome new
OBA members into the OBA fold with
an ACS goodie bag. Again, a shout out to
Samuel and Stanley Yeo for their
generosity in hosting us and
for sponsoring the delicious deep fried
chicken skins and har cheong gai!
 The Inaugural ONE ACS Career Forum 2012
held in August was yet another
successful OBA initiative that was well
attended by about 700 students, parents,
alumni and staff of ACJC, ACS (Barker
Road), ACS (Independent) and ACS
(International). The objective of the
forum was to acquaint students with the
different perspectives of Law, Banking,
Education and Medicine and exposing them
to the different ways in which choices
are made. Thanks to the ONE ACS Planning
Committee and the speakers for rising to
our call to serve the ACS community, the
forum received very positive feedback
from students and parents.
 On the field,
Oldham Club
(the sports and community outreach arm
of the ACS OBA) kicked off the year 2012
with much excitement when it reached the
first ever finals of the National Rugby
Competition (Championship Division). The
club has grown not only in the sports
arena, but also in membership. Of
special significance in 2012 was that
the club was able to realise one of its
key objectives of providing mentorship
for the younger members in the
community, and continuing their life
education beyond the formal education
pathway through sports and other
programmes. With these developments,
Oldham Club looks to 2013 with greater
enthusiasm as it seeks to continue to
serve the ACS schools and the alumni at
large.
 As usual, many OBA members rallied around to support the alma mater’s traditional events. More than 900 from the ACS family filled the Orchard Hotel ballroom with non-stop chatter and hearty laughter as they celebrated the school’s
126th Founder’s Day Dinner
on 1 March. Among the highlights of the
evening were performances by the STB-ACS
(International) Jakarta primary school
choir and ACJC’s premier theatre
company, ACSian Theatre.
 The Past vs Present Games 2012
held in conjunction
with the Founder’s Day celebrations was
unfortunately disrupted by a very heavy
downpour which wiped out the tennis
programme and curtailed the rugby, water
polo and football matches. Thanks to the
efforts of Pang Seng Hock who was able
to garner many past luminaries,
including former National players like
Chee Pek Khan and Ong Seng Jin,
volleyball was re-introduced to the
games. Older ACSians will remember Pek
Khan and Seng Jin who were in the ACS
teams that made history when they were
the National Schools Champions in 1965
and 1966, the first time any English
medium school had triumphed over the
Chinese stream schools then.
 We paid tribute to our retired teachers at the annual
ACS OBA Retired Teachers’ Dinner
which was held on Teachers’ Day at the
ACS (Barker Road) Sports Complex. As
always, our guests were in a buoyant
mood as they mingled with each other and
with the Old Boys to reminisce and
exchange fond memories of ACS ‘in days
of yore”. I would like to thank the old
boys and girls who donated generously in
kind to make the occasion a memorable
one.
What’s in the pipeline for 2013?
We have a flurry of events planned for 2013. By the time this publication reaches you, the New Year ACS OBA/MGS Alumnae Association Mixer would have taken place and the traditional Past vs Present Games and Founder’s Day Dinner would be just around the corner.
 Over the course of the year, we have a robust calendar of events that include various ONE ACS events, more ACS OBA sporting events, and a Golden Oldies get-together. We encourage you to look out for further details in our ACS OBA email blasts (join to receive them!), the ACS OBA Facebook page which is open to all ACSians, or the ACS Echo.
On behalf of my committee, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our alumni who have contributed to our events and helped us in every which way – we appreciate your involvement as this serves to strengthen the ties that bind us to our alma mater. What distinguishes ACSians is the strength and the breadth of our network.
The Best Is Yet To Be.
Cheo Chai Hong
President
ACS Old Boys' Association.
|
