One of SAFRA’s most visited clubs with over 100,000 monthly visitors, SAFRA Toa Payoh has long been a standing testament of its timelessness and adaptability. After all, it isn’t easy for a clubhouse to remain as contemporary as it is today for over 49 years since it was first opened in 1975, making it SAFRA’s oldest clubhouse.
Unbeknownst to many, it is actually the generations of dedicated volunteers who have been driving some of SAFRA’s most pivotal developments behind the scene. They contribute their time, efforts and skills unconditionally, stirred by a personal mission to support our NSmen as best as they can.
COL (NS) Roysten Lee Chee Chow, Chairman of SAFRA Toa Payoh’s Executive Committee since 2023, understands exactly what volunteerism entails, having been part of SAFRA since 2016. “At SAFRA, we all contribute because we believe in the potential and strength of our National Servicemen,” he shares. He envisions SAFRA Toa Payoh as a multifaceted recreational destination for all, and hopes to cement its reputation as the premier family-friendly lifestyle hub.
We sat with him to discuss his personal motivations as an advocate for volunteerism, his plans for SAFRA Toa Payoh as well as insights for our future generation of volunteers and leaders.
Opportunities knock twice, so make sure to open the door!
A Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) scholar, Roysten was once a diligent undergraduate at National University of Singapore (NUS) equipped with big dreams, and bigger ambitions. He then trudged the fields, weathering unpredictable terrain alongside an elite formation of Guard soldiers; then took part in Army training policy formulation for 8 years, before venturing overseas to discover a life outside of our little red dot.
Upon his return, he was given the opportunity to contribute to Marina Bay Sands’ early developments as a founding team member. When he was invited to be part of an upcoming SAFRA Development Project then, he declined. “I had just returned to Singapore, and I was afraid I couldn’t juggle the workload. I told them at that time, “If there is another opportunity to work with SAFRA, I would gladly volunteer. But not that day,” he shared.
That opportunity soon came in 2016, when Roysten was once again offered the opportunity to volunteer at SAFRA, which he happily accepted to become part of SAFRA Toa Payoh’s Executive Committee. After all, SAFRA had already been an integral part of his life, given that he would send his children for swimming lessons while he visited SAFRA’s various dining outlets.
“If anything, SAFRA embodies the authenticity of shared experiences and quality relationships that we can also find during our National Service. We go through so much together as team members and friends, from the planning and executing of SAFRA events to cohesion sessions that we organise for our volunteers,” he introspects.
To Roysten, volunteering at SAFRA is his way of making the difference he has aimed for since his early days as an undergraduate. “I value everyone in our SAFRA family who has sacrificed their time and energy to help our community achieve new milestones and share unforgettable memories. This endeavour gives me a lot of personal satisfaction,” he shares.
Collaboration is key
Leadership isn’t always a linear road.
The Executive Committee would frequently find themselves at odds with challenges that they would need to navigate tactfully, a great example being the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, Roysten was no stranger to such disruptions. “I oversee Marina Bay Sands’ Crisis Management and Business Continuity portfolio, so dealing with uncertainty and interruptions are my forte. In my line of work, it is important that we cultivate quality relationships because often, positive collaborations are necessary for us to rise above adversity. That’s the same ethos I followed when I was Vice-Chairman and now, Chairman,” he says.
Just as he took over as Chairman in 2023, he found himself in quite a predicament when the Toa Payoh Integrated Development (TPID) project was announced. While this district-wide initiative would introduce an array of contemporary facilities such as a new sports centre and polyclinic for its residents, it would also close various sporting facilities until 2030, including the swimming pool at SAFRA Toa Payoh. “The swimming pool is especially popular amongst residents, so understandably, we received many requests for us to keep it open,” he recalls.
It was a conundrum for this newly instated Chairman. SAFRA Toa Payoh was an important lifestyle hub for the district, so he wanted to support the developments necessary for the TPID, but he also wanted to ensure that the interests of SAFRA members were protected.
Roysten chose to do what he does best – collaborate. “The EC and SAFRA Club Management team came together to really scrutinise the pool’s visiting statistics. Who are frequent visitors of the pool and at what time is it most crowded? Armed with facts and figures, we devised a win-win scenario in which we could accede to requests on a case-by-case basis without compromising the experience of our SAFRA members,” he shares.
“Beyond our lifestyle offerings, it is crucial to remember that we are part of a community. Our events are catered for SAFRA members, but that doesn’t mean that members of the public are not welcome. SAFRA Toa Payoh should be inclusive, so that we retain our multi-generational qualities and appeal,” he shares.
He has already identified some prevalent lifestyle trends that he hopes SAFRA Toa Payoh can embrace in time to come. One of them is fitness and active living, which guides the upgrading works of its EnergyOne gym studio. Community engagement and social impact are two other pillars that Roysten wants SAFRA Toa Payoh to continue supporting, with events such as “Let’s Gift For A Reason” for participants to engage in active volunteerism and charity work. There are also facilities catered for hobbyists, such as its Photo Studio Room and Darkroom, to which members of SAFRA’s Content Creator Club can book for their exclusive use.
Of course, the work doesn’t stop there. Roysten is set on uplifting SAFRA Toa Payoh’s aesthetics with more vibrant visuals and colours, with eye-catching motifs to encapsulate the clubhouse’s vivacious personality. This joins a long to-do list for SAFRA Toa Payoh, which includes an updated vendor mix and a revitalised swimming pool.
A strong advocate for the next generation of leaders
Ultimately, SAFRA Toa Payoh is meant to represent the aspirations, goals, and needs of its primary audience – NSmen and their families. In his vision, Roysten hopes for SAFRA Toa Payoh to better accommodate some of the experiential and exploratory desires of our youth, so that they can gather as many life lessons as they can to prepare for the obstacles of the future.
Having gone through a considerably eventful journey himself, Roysten has some parting advice for our younger readers:
“Reach out, speak to people, read widely and continuously upskill to improve yourselves. The market will always be volatile and unpredictable, but what you have is time on your side. Seize opportunities to try new things, be ready to take some hard knocks and keep bouncing back. Things may not always go according to plan, but that isn’t always a bad thing.”
As Dory says in Finding Nemo, just keep swimming!
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