Founded in the year 1922, she’s 90 years old in the year 2012. The history, heritage, culture and strength of Gan Eng Seng Dragon Scout Group (DSG) stands tall and proud among her peers in the history of Scouting in Singapore because DSG is one of the oldest Scout Groups in Singapore. In the year 2012, Dragon Scout Group celebrated her 90th Anniversary with a grand campfire and a Hawaii Overseas Exchange Program. At the end of the year 2012, the 90th Anniversary celebrations were rounded off with a big bang with a 90th Anniversary Home Coming Dinner back to school, organised by the Dragon Chapter, for the boys and girls of Dragon Scout Group and for the old boys and girls too.
It was great to see a good turnout from the current boys and girls of the Dragon Scout Group and the old boys and girls of different generations of the Dragon Scout Group family. This was our Dragon Scout Group Extended Family Reunion Dinner and we were honoured by the presence of our Principal, Mrs Carolin Tan, to be the Guest of Honour during our 90th Anniversary Dinner. While the 90th Anniversary Dinner was planned by the old boys, the current leaders, ventures and scouts all helped in one way or another to make this 90th Anniversary Dinner a success.
A great example of Dragon Scouting unity was the creation of the Dragon Scout Group badge tea lights inside the school hall on the day before the 90th Anniversary Dinner. It was a combined effort by the extended Dragon Scout Group family, with a group of old boys like Wei Liang and myself; teachers Hongliang (my DSG senior) and Ms Lee; Leaders – Choon Lian and Moo Teng; Ventures – Amelia and Kenner; Scouts: Joel. Through our unity and combined efforts, we got the Dragon Scout Group badge tea lights ready for the 90th Anniversary Dinner the following day. Old boys Teck Chong (my DSG senior and my SL when I was a PL) and Ganesh were in school earlier to help with the banners and decorations too!
On the day of 90th Anniversary Dinner, it was great to see many old boys and girls back. My fellow batch were back in force, almost occupying a full table, Nicholas, Jinguang, Zhigang, Zhenhao, Junjie, Alfred and Quanjun. I wasn’t able to catch up with them as much since I was the photographer and had to run around the dinner event. We had a group photo taking in the school hall, in front of the Dragon Scout Group badge tea lights. This was a great family reunion photo!
There were lucky draws, games and videos (of recent Dragon Scouting and Hawaii overseas exchange trip) were shown during the 90th Anniversary Dinner. When the dinner was officially over, we had our own patrol photograph taking, the old and new all coming together for their combined patrol photograph that would go down into our Dragon Scouting history and heritage. I had been documenting and photographing Dragon Scouting for the past few years, do check out my photos inside my Flickr collection! Looking back, I was glad to play a part here in the organising of the 90th Anniversary Dinner with fellow old boys, Wei Liang, Thye San, Teck Chong, Say Chionh, Ganesh and Wei Yang. A proud moment for all of us were the old boys lighting up the tea lights of the Dragon Scout Group badge at the end of the dinner. The Dragon Scout badge stood out remarkably, like a bright Scouting light that led and bind us all together in the Dragon Scouting family.
The home coming DSG 90th Anniversary Dinner was great, significant and heartwarming. This is something that I am able to Pay-It-Forward and Pass-It-On, contributing and giving back my gratitude to the Dragon Scouting movement that I learned and honed many skills and life-long brotherhood friends. Happy 90th Anniversary to Dragon Scout Group and Onward !
Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.