Take 5 – 15 February 2016 by Mrs Palan
Good morning school,
Today, I will be looking at Total Defence in Singapore.
Each year, Total Defence (TD) Day is commemorated on the 15th of February. It marks the day Singapore fell to the Japanese in 1942. The commemoration of Total Defence Day seeks to remind people of the sufferings endured by our forefathers during the Japanese Occupation. It is also an occasion to familiarise our people with the modern defence strategy of “Total Defence” which Singapore has adopted to ensure our continued survival and security.
Do you remember this year’s Total Defence Theme? It is “Together we Keep Singapore strong.”
Before I continue my talk, I want all of you to write down 3 questions for you to think about throughout the week as we commemorate Total Defence of our Nation.
Question number :
- Are we strong enough?
- What does strength look like?
- How can we keep Singapore strong?
There are many activities and Learning Journeys organised by the school to provide you with more information about Total Defence.
Some of the Activities are as follows:
Today all classes will be going through the DARE programme. All of you will have the opportunity to learn more about CPR and AED. What does CPR and AED stand for? If you are wondering, then you will find out about it in today’s programme. There are many stories in the internet on how people like you and me have saved lives by performing CPR. Let me share with you one of my experience. Last year 2 days before Chinese New Year. I was walking to the bus stop at about 5.45 am when I saw a taxi parked in the middle of the road. The taxi driver seems to be asleep. I knew something was amiss and called the police. The police arrived shortly and performed AED on him and told me that he had a mild heart attack. Because of the timely first aid, he was saved. It is important to learn new skills as we may need to use these skills to save someone’s life. This person can be our family member or a stranger. So take the DARE programme seriously and learn the first aid skill well.
This Wednesday Sec 4E will be going to ISD Heritage Centre, which is the Internal Security Division to learn about the various threats Singapore faces and measures that are put in place to keep Singapore Strong.
Starting from today to Wednesday different levels will be going to the “Future of Us” exhibition. This Wednesday’s reading period will provide greater insight on Total Defence.
Through the DARE programme, visit to ISD Heritage Centre, the “Future of Us” exhibition, and this Wednesday’s reading period, I hope all Gessians will be able to answer the 3 questions that I have posed to you.
Tomorrow morning, you will get to listen to the Total Defence song. This song is very special as it is a remix of an original song.
The song is titled “There’s a part for everyone”. It was written in 1984, the year Total Defence was introduced in Singapore. This year, MINDEF has updated the lyrics and given it a new upbeat arrangement. The song was performed by our very own home grown rock band “QuickPick”. The song comes in as a timely reminder that if we put our heart, mind and will in our defence, and work as one united nation, we can definitely defend and keep Singapore strong.
Total Defence involves every Singaporean, as we play our part, individually and collectively. We build a strong, secure and cohesive nation that is prepared and ready to deal with any crisis.
Total Defence is such an important part of our lives that it is also incorporated in our Social Studies Syllabus. Most Sec 4 students have completed this section of the syllabus. Total Defence is not only a one day or even a week’s school event. It is part of our everyday life.
Hope you will enjoy and learn from all the activities that the school has specially prepared for you.
Thank you and have a great week ahead.