Chinese Science Stream 50th Anniversary Reunion

Have you ever experienced the joy of meeting a long lost friend unexpectedly? Imagine this took place

after 50 years? The joy of reconnection reignites fond memories of youthful days. Multiply that

sensation by 40. That was what this group of NJC alumni experienced last Saturday. The energy and

enthusiasm this generated was palpable and will sustain for many years to come.

It was almost a miracle how this happened. Last December when I was planning my trip to Singapore, a

thought came into my mind. It would be wonderful for me to meet a few former NJC friends for tea

during the trip. Since about 10 to 15 alumni had started a Whatsapp group recently, the idea of just

having an ad hoc get together appealed to me. Finding a suitable place for a casual get together and

sharing is a challenge for me who have been living outside of Singapore for the last 26 years. Holding an

afternoon tea at NJC canteen might be the easiest. Well, I just had to appeal to the Principal to allow us

to hold a 50th anniversary reunion for a group of old alumni. I decided to draft out a nice letter addressed to the Principal to appeal for help. I was absolutely delighted when I received a positive reply after Christmas Holiday. This was then followed up by the kindest teacher Ms Chua Siok Kheng who was assigned to help me organise this historic event. Instead of holding the event at the canteen, Ms Chua indulged us by booking the fully equipped and air-conditioned Seminar Room for our exclusive use on Saturday (4 Feb 2022) morning.

This allowed me to push ahead to plan and organise the event with certainty. A small committee was

formed to nut out all the details. Et voila! We had the most enjoyable and memorable reunion for 40

alumni from the 1971 batch of Chinese Science Stream students. The majority of us met each other for the first time in half a century after leaving the college. Despite the passage of time, the personality, body gestures, mannerism and voices remain essentially the same. We could share the same humour like the old days. The joy of reconnecting and sharing happy memories, including some long-held secrets (like secret admirers) was overwhelming. There is already talk of holding the next reunion.