Connecting S'poreans via nostalgic NDP funpacks
SINGAPORE — Nostalgia will feature prominently in this year’s National Day Parade (NDP) funpack: Traditional childhood snacks and games, such as haw flakes, pick-up sticks and country erasers will be among the items included.
Colonel Frederick Choo, Chairman of Engagement, Celebrations and Mobile Column Committee, said: “We wanted the funpack to feature memories that connect Singaporeans across generations, so that stories of life in Singapore’s earlier years can be told by the seniors to the young ones in each family.”
Col Choo noted that the content of the funpack ties in with the “Majulah Singapura” theme for NDP, which is about remembering the past, celebrating progress and looking onward.
A commemorative figurine of the Singa Lion, the mascot initially used for the National Courtesy Campaign in 1982, will also be included. It will come in 15 different designs. The figurine can also be bought at The Kindness Gallery from next month, and proceeds will go to the Singapore Kindness Movement’s Seed Kindness Fund.
Unlike previous years, not just parade spectators but all Singaporean and Permanent Resident households will be entitled to a funpack. The funpacks come as tote bags in 50 different designs, selected from more than a hundred submissions by Singaporean designers, children, celebrities and pioneers. They drew inspiration from what they thought made Singapore special. For example, residents from the Geylang East Home for the Aged collectively designed three bags featuring iconic buildings here.
Gold 90.5FM producer-presenter Vernetta Lopez, 41, designed a bag with a television set. She said, “This iconic image is a visual representation of Singapore’s connection to the world through radio and television broadcast and its first baby steps towards being the cosmopolitan country it is today.”
There will also be interactive items such as an LED balloon maraca and face tattoos for families at home to join in the celebrations. “We wanted this NDP to be special for every Singaporean and for them to be part of the celebrations,” said Col Choo.
An NDP 2015 Exhibition will be held at Marina Square from Friday (June 5) to June 14, alongside the ticket collection exercise. Visitors can get a sneak preview of the show, have fun at interactive exhibits and stand to win prizes such as NDP tickets.
Singaporeans can also volunteer to pack a funpack for a fellow Singaporean under the “A Funpack from Me to You” project, through voluntary welfare organisations. The funpacks will contain a message from the packer which recipients will be encouraged to reply. “We felt that it would be meaningful because we want to make a connection. We want Singaporeans to have a pay-it-forward spirit, to pack it for somebody they do not know,” said Col Choo.
The 1.2 million funpacks for households will cost S$10 million before corporate sponsorships, said Lieutenant-Colonel Melvin Tan, Chairman of Logistics and Finance from the NDP Executive Committee. Households will be mailed instructions on the collection of the funpack by July.
The People’s Association said it will release more information on the distribution plans for the funpacks later.
