Active ageing, healthy living and a birthday surprise: PM Wong turns up at AMK’s sports carnival
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The Straits Times
SINGAPORE – It was a birthday gift he will never forget.
Nolen Ang, who turns 11 on Oct 6, was playing pickleball when Prime Minister Lawrence Wong showed up at the first Sports and Wellness Carnival organised by the grassroots organisations of Ang Mo Kio GRC and Kebun Baru and Yio Chu Kang SMCs in Hougang Street 61 on Oct 5.
He showed PM Wong a video of the game on his tablet before they played for about five minutes. To cap it off, PM Wong signed Nolen’s pickleball and took photos with him.
“I was a bit nervous at first, but he was very nice and friendly,” said the Primary 5 pupil from Xinmin Primary School. “I was so excited to see him in real life for the very first time.”
He immediately shared the photos on his WhatsApp group with his classmates and friends.
Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Mr Darryl David, Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin, Mr Gan Thiam Poh and Ms Ng Ling Ling, who are the MPs for Ang Mo Kio GRC, as well as Kebun Baru MP Henry Kwek and Yio Chu Kang MP Yip Hon Weng, joined residents at the carnival to promote active ageing and a healthy lifestyle.
Speaking to the 1,000 participants, PM Wong said he was happy to see the residents of Ang Mo Kio GRC, which is a mature estate with many seniors, keeping active and healthy.
He said his visit to Ang Mo Kio was the latest in a series of constituency visits since he took over as prime minister about five months ago.
PM Wong had earlier visited districts such as Tampines, Tanjong Pagar, Punggol and West Coast.
“Singapore is a small place but everywhere you go, there’s always something special,” he said, adding that there is a distinctive charm about every district.
“It’s not about the building or the hardware... but it’s about the people – the pride, the sense of ownership that you have in your estate and in your home, and you can feel the same spirit in Ang Mo Kio.”
He added that Singapore is entering a new phase, and he is honoured to have the chance to serve everyone.
“There will be challenges ahead in our new phase, but I’m sure there are also many opportunities to reach even greater heights,” he said. “I look forward to working with all of you to take Singapore forward into a brighter future.”
PM Wong also did a walkabout at Hougang Village for about an hour, taking photos and shaking hands with many residents.
The carnival in Hougang Street 61 featured a range of activities such as stretch band exercise and chair aerobics tailored for seniors. It also featured the newly formed Ang Mo Kio-Hougang Community Sports Network’s (CSN) pickleball interest group, which was started in May and has about 40 members.
Nolen, the youngest member, often plays with his mother, Ms Annie Tan, who is coordinator of the interest group.
Ms Tan, a 45-year-old teacher, said: “Nolen gets to interact with a lot of adults in the group, and it makes him understand that not everyone is as agile as he is, so he has to learn to be more patient.”
One of the adults he played with at the event was Madam P. Manoranjitham, a 76-year-old retiree, from the Cheng San-Seletar CSN pickleball interest group.
Formerly a proofreader at a publishing firm, Madam Manoranjitham, who also plays table tennis and does brisk walking, said pickleball is a good sport for seniors as the ball is light.
Playing with younger members like Nolen keeps her energised, she added.
MP Darryl David said the carnival not only encourages physical activity but also strengthens social bonds among residents, creating a supportive and inclusive environment.
He added that many of the area’s infrastructure and facilities have been built to cater for the elderly. He also hopes to have more multi-generational fitness and wellness centres that can bring everyone together, rather than just having a dedicated place for the elderly.
About 20 per cent of the residents in Ang Mo Kio GRC and the two SMCs are aged 65 or older. To date, there are more than 1,000 interest groups in the three constituencies to promote active ageing, healthy living and intergenerational bonding.
Some interest groups play sports for a good cause too.
Team Trident, the Ang Mo Kio-Hougang CSN dragon boat interest group with more than 60 members, led a charity drive during the event to collect 700kg of rice for needy families across the three areas.
Rowing machines were set up for the “row to donate” initiative, with grassroots leader Png Yiow Beng, 69, sponsoring 1kg of rice for every 100m clocked by participants. PM Wong was among those who took part in the charity drive.
Dr Benjamin Huang, 38, captain of Team Trident, said: “This combines a healthy lifestyle and driving positive community impact. We have a lot of young members on our team, so it’s also about giving them opportunities to do good.”
Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Reproduced with permission.
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