Singapore Red Cross 60th Anniversary Dinner

A night of glitz and glamour it was indeed when the Singapore Red Cross Society commemorated its 60 years of humanitarian service at the Singapore Swimming Club on September 11th 2009.

Being the official colours of the Red Cross Society, it was a pleasant sight to see guests attending the dinner decked in red and white, Guests turned up at the Singapore Swimming Club, registering their names for dinner as early as 6 p.m. A sense of excitement filled the air as everyone awaited the arrival of the special guests Dr Vivian Balakrishnan and Mr Khaw Boon Wan, Minister of Community, Development, Youth and Sports and Minister for Health respectively. And this was followed shortly by the arrival of guests-of-honour President S.R. Nathan and the First Lady.

The dinner was hosted by well known personality Joe Augustine and started off with a welcome speech by Mr Tee Tua Ba, the chairman of the Singapore Red Cross. After the speech, guests enjoyed a sumptuous Chinese dinner, while they were treated to a slideshow depicting the beginning of the organization right up to the present day.

An array of performances included Angie, a long-time supporter of the Singapore Red Cross. Other well-known names who lent their musical talents for the night were Danny Koh and his band, who entertained everyone with hits from the yesteryear. Also on stage was Alvaro Sanchez, a popular classical guitarist from Costa Rica, who serenaded guests with acoustic delights. He even dedicated a special song to the First Lady.

The Red Cross Youth entertained the crowd with cultural “Banghra” dance performances, which enthralled the guests. President S.R. Nathan took to the stage accompanied by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan and Mr Khaw Boon Wan, as well as other distinguished guests for the cutting of the 60th Anniversary cake. After which, General Winston Choo, former chairman of the Singapore Red Cross, accepted a long service award and gave a speech reminiscing about the times when he was in office.

Around 10.30 p.m., the President and the First Lady took their leave, with Dr Vivian Balakrishan and Mr Khaw Boon Wan following suit shortly. This marked the close of the night’s festivities.

It was weeks of hard work in the making which culminated in a very grand celebration on this special night.

Happy 60th birthday Singapore Red Cross!