Striving for Progress

SAFRA continues to enhance its club amenities and programmes to better serve NSmen and their families.

By Kelvin Low        3 March 2020

SAFRA’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) is a showcase of its myriad achievements over the past year. SAFRA’s 46th AGM was no exception. Hosted by BG Frederick Choo, Commander 3rd Division and Vice-President of SAFRA, the event was held on 17 Nov at the refurbished SAFRA Mount Faber.

“Members have much to look forward to as SAFRA continues to strive to provide more memorable bonding experiences for NSmen with its newly improved facilities and better privileges and benefits,” said BG Choo.

A commendable aspect is the way SAFRA continues to leverage the latest technology in its programmes and amenities. For example, the launch of the beta version of the SAFRA e-Card on the mSAFRA mobile app allows members to enjoy card-free access to club facilities and self-help kiosks and redeem SAFRAPoints. The new e-Card also partners various merchants islandwide to provide privileges for members.

“We will introduce even more functionalities in the coming years, so we encourage all members to download the mSAFRA mobile app with the new e-Card to enjoy the added convenience of not having to carry around the physical SAFRA membership card,” he added.

For FY2018/2019, a host of events such as the SAFRA Football Bonanza, SAFRA Youth Sports Games and SAFRA Urban Bike Challenge, which were introduced to engage NSmen, had been organised. Fresh highlights were also added to popular events such as the SAFRA Singapore Bay Run and Army Half Marathon, SAFRA Sprint Kids Xtreme and SAFRA Lil’ Stars to deepen the bonds between NSmen and their families.

A recap was also made with reference to the participation rate of SAFRA’s organised activities – it hit a high of around 1.1 million, or an annual club visitation that was close to 8.7 million. Another notable score was the 34 SAFRA staff who were conferred the Excellent Service Award in recognition of their quality service.

There were plenty of fringe activities to keep NSmen and their families entertained, including live musical performances.

Members also enjoyed a huge range of deals, with more than 500 special bargains from 1,800 partnering merchant outlets and an additional 130 SAF Day exclusive deals offered by SAFRA and over 110 partnering merchants.

SAFRA continued to support the bonding of SAF National Service units by organising 476 cohesion events, as well as helping members to realise their professional aspirations with the roll-out of 20 educational sponsorships worth over $380,000.

A roving balloon artist (above), who showcased his talent for bold displays of balloon art, drew much attention from kids.

Attendees were also privy to SAFRA’s plans in the coming year. SAFRA Yishun will be given a makeover with a new facade and lobby area, along with new activities and programmes. SAFRA will also form new strategic partnerships to strengthen social cohesion and psychological resilience among NSmen.

Besides, a new Pre-Enlistees Exercise Programme, or PREP4NS, will be launched to help pre-enlistees improve their fitness and be better prepared for NS with a one-year complimentary EnergyOne gym membership, as well as access to fitness classes and SAFRA amenities.

At the end of the AGM, members got to enjoy some R&R. On the fringes of the AGM were activities such as free-play session at Kidz Amaze, movie screenings and craft workshops, with live music performances and entertainment by a roving magician and a balloon artist.