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EPILOGUE
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SIXTEEN
was given the task of implementing those proposals as the General Manager of the Club.
He has now relinquished the job and instead was appointed to the Presidential Council
for Minority Rights as of May 2010. He is currently Chairman of the Pioneer Generation
Appeals Committee, a government body which decides on appeals by Singaporeans who
wish to be regarded as pioneers for the Pioneer Generation Package.
Around 1981, MINDEF introduced a policy that anyone attaining the rank of Brigadier
General would be required to resign from active service at age 50. This policy in due course
filtered down to promotion to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. Interestingly enough, it had
been a policy under the British that Majors were required to retire at age 50 and the practice
had hitherto been observed in the SAF. Even more drastic policies were introduced in the
late 1990s and early 2000. Full-time active officers are
now
required to retire at age 50. If
they so choose (their services are required by MINDEF) they can join a non-uniformed
service known as the Defence Executive Service (DXO). In the meantime, several severance
packages have been provided for retraining for civilian jobs and further education. The
provisions are in line with the early recognition by the Government that second careers would
be the norm with extended longevity in the working population as a whole. But, the initial
impetus was the notion that in military service at least, the vitality of youth was preferable
to the experience of age. In any case, not long into National Service, it became obvious that
in full-time units, the annual turnover of 18-year old recruits was not compatible with the
leadership—in physical terms at least—of aging regulars of expanding girths.
The First Batch is now too widely scattered to be individually accounted for. One is in
Canada, one in the United States, one in Belgium (since 1975), one in Malaysia, one in Laos,
many in Australia and the rest in Singapore. All are on the wrong side of 65 years of age, but
a large number still remain not only employed but in rewarding and challenging jobs. The
defence industries very generously absorbed many of them on excellent terms. On any given
day, at least five typical First Batch retirees will be on a golf course in Singapore alone, having
picked up the game in the SAF mainly because of Sembawang Country Club, membership of
which was made easy for serving SAF personnel. Among those who were transferred to the
RSAF as pilots, none are still flying with SIA, which accepted and converted the fixed wing
pilots when they were no longer qualified for operational jets.
The First Batch organised get-togethers for the fifth and tenth anniversaries of its
commissioning, while the vast majority were still in service. Since 1995, it has been a practice
to try and organise an annual dinner on the anniversary of the commissioning and the
Temasek Club is the venue of choice because Swee Boon Chai became the General Manager
after he retired from active service and still manages to keep his connections warm. A
viable number turn up each year and Tiger Hong and all the instructors of ‘A’ Company
are automatic guests, with Brigadier (RET) Kirpa Ram Vij as Guest of Honour. Old friends
from the SAF, especially Lim Choon Mong, who was the original point of contact for their
recruitment and whose birthday falls on 17
th
July, are also sought and welcomed. This book