Welcome our New VP - Mr. Alvin Chong
- njconnect
- May 27
- 3 min read
Dear fellow alumni, friends and NJCians,
What an honour it is for me to be back serving at my alma mater!
I never dreamt that I would have had the opportunity to return as staff of NJC as I am not an education officer, and I am at the stage in my career where deployments are managed and coordinated by MOE HQ. But oh, when I received the posting memo, an avalanche of memories of my college experiences, the sights, adventures, interactions and the smell (yes, there were lots of green spaces at our former campus too) came rumbling through.
Water Features at NJC
One commonality that we, past and present NJCians, share is our experiences with water. We are never short of discovering new “water features” at our campuses especially so during heavy downpours. Back then when we were sited along Linden Drive, our road (yes, we claimed Linden Drive to be ours) transformed into a mini yellow river during heavy rains, leading gushes of water from the neighbouring “hills” towards the main riverbanks of Dunearn Road (alright, those were of higher grounds around. We do not have mountains either, but we have a Mount Faber).
There was this one year (1988), the Outdoor Activities Club (OAC) and the Canoeing team collaborated, built a main raft and smaller floatation devices in preparation to cruise along the Singapore River to raise funds for the National Kidney Foundation. It was NJC’s 20th Anniversary. At one of the stormy days, when the “river” rose and when our brains were foggy (we were not thinking a lot about safety back when we were younger), we brought the raft out to the “river” for a test run (or test float?). It worked. Our raft floated comfortably with a full load of people. It was safe for our Principal, Mr Chan Tung Fung.
Outdoor Activities Club (OAC) members afloat on our raft at the Singapore River,
with Mr Chan Tung Fung (College Principal).
Student Council & Outdoor Activities Club
I was from the 21st Student Council. Similar with our current student councillors, we were the active, imaginative, resourceful and adventurous force in the college: We rallied our fellow college-mates, cheering for our school mates in competitions, fostering the NJC-spirit; We climbed and put up wall murals (of coloured foils) on the sides of the squash court and LT3 to celebrate school events; We transformed our school hall into thematic disco nights (we called them Social Nights) for bonding and fun; We collaborated with CCA groups for school campfires, orientation programmes. These were fond memories of my time with friends at the college.
(Left) 21st SC – ECA Committee with our own sweatshirt.
(Right) Photo taken at the provision shop opposite our college (along Linden Drive).
With OAC, we were the gurus when it came to building of scaffoldings, towers, platforms, coordinating hikes and camps (e.g. the Backwoodsman Camp). There was also the Lion Dance troupe that was a subset of the OAC. We were a close-knit group and our laughter was one of the many that filled our school canteen. We even “owned” a table there.
The NJC-spirit
“Service with Honour”. This college motto grew with me as I journeyed through National Service, university, career and life. This is not just about a community service motto but it is about the spirit, the NJC-spirit in which the service is actioned: with sincerity, with excellence and with humility.
It is my hope for our students to inculcate our college Motto, grow holistically and grow deep in our college community:
To serve selflessly - going beyond personal achievement and contribute meaningfully with sincerity and humility;
To act with ethical conviction and integrity - doing the right thing even when it is hard and doing it to the best of your ability;
To uphold the values of leadership, compassion and responsibility to the community - bringing honour to our college through acts of services that are thoughtful, impactful and grounded in character and in our values.
Serving you with Honour,
Alvin Chong
NJC Graduating Class of 1989
Comments