One can never emphasise enough the importance of NSmen in their defence of Singapore. As a salute to them, SAFRA has launched a series of initiatives aptly titled “We Thank NSMen”. Some include SAF Day Deals, discounts, free treats by merchants island-wide, as well as an art jam involving 70,000 preschool kids who created appreciation gifts for their fathers.
One initiative that stood out was a competition for tertiary students to design the most creative and meaningful videos to thank NSmen for their contributions to Singapore’s peace and security. With cash prizes ranging from $1,000 to $5,000, sponsored by Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd, the contest received 28 entries from 12 tertiary institutions.
The top prize went to three ITE College Central students – Luna Alicia Poh, Sofia Jefry and Edric Ting Yeun Long – for their video titled “Thank You, Daddy”. In it, a young girl misses her father, who is away serving his National Service.
Jefry believed that it was the heartfelt message of the video that helped the team clinch gold. “It’s the storyline of a little girl’s point of view about NSmen – and it’s not often that you see it from a child’s perspective,” she shared.
Lu Peng, supervising lecturer of the trio, added that he found the video contest particularly meaningful: “Serving NS is not just defending your country – it is also about protecting your family.” The silver award went to two ITE College East students – Mulyana Chan and Nur Hafizah Garnell – for “Book of Time”, a video featuring former national football coach Jita Singh, who explained the importance of NS in relation to some of Singapore’s past tumultuous incidents, such as racial riots and fires.
Jorgen Pang Jia Geng from Republic Polytechnic took home the bronze for his video titled “Heroes”, which depicts a girl’s narration of an endearing personal message to her brother, who had just enlisted for NS. She posted the message on Instagram for his 18th birthday.
Congratulations to all the winners!
