december 2011
MICA (P) 101/08/2010
Sembawang nee soon Town Council
Meet one of the cleaners
awarded $300 for the
splendid work they do in
keeping our Town shiny. The
others are on pages 8 & 9!
The Town
Council
says
“Thank
You” to
those who
“bin it “ on
page 6.
You
too
can
help in
keeping
our Town
The kids play
their part in
keeping our
Town clean.
See page 5.
clean & green
Volunteer as an Environment Ambassador! See page 4 for details
2 heart talk december 2011
I
n Singapore we celebrate lots of festivals. We say
that some are “ours” and some are “theirs”. But the
truth is, we Singaporeans enjoy all the festivals –
both “ours” and “theirs”.
Our Malay and Indian friends have just shared
wonderful sweets and snacks with us to celebrate
Hari Raya and Deepavali. All children, of all
backgrounds, took part in the Lantern Festival. And
now we are all gearing up to celebrate the New Year!
I love to see Singaporeans celebrating and
sharing with each other, regardless of race and
religion, like when An-Nur Mosque invited
Marsiling grassroots leaders and the Inter-Religious
Confidence Circle members for breakfast on the
recent Hari Raya Haji, or Aidiladha.
When we celebrate festivals together, we bring
families and friends together and strengthen the
ties in our community. I urge you to extend this
spirit of sharing to caring for each other … and the
environment we live in.
Many of the items in this issue of HeartTalk
have a green message. There is a story on page five
telling you how young people are playing their
part to keep our Town clean … and a quiet request
from one of Singapore’s top cleaners on page seven,
“Please say hello to me.”
As the New Year is just around the corner, on
behalf of all the Members of Parliament in our Town
I wish you a Happy and Prosperous New Year … and
ask you to make a new year’s resolution to help keep
our Town clean. If we all play our part, we can make
every block a better place to live ... and help save the
planet!
Hawazi Daipi
para pemimpin akar umbi dan anggota-anggota
Kumpulan Keyakinan Antara Agama ke majlis
sarapan pada Hari Raya Haji, atau Aidiladha.
Apabila kita menyambut hari-hari kebesaran
bersama-sama, kita mengumpulkan keluargakeluarga dan sahabat handai dan mengukuhkan
ikatan dalam masyarakat kita. Saya menggesa anda
agar meluaskan semangat perkongsian kepada
menjaga kebajikan satu sama lain… dan sekitaran
yang kita diami.
Banyak item dalam keluaran HeartTalk
mempunyai mesej hijau. Terdapat sebuah kisah di
halaman lima yang menceritakan bagaimana rakyat
muda memainkan peranan mereka untuk menjaga
kebersihan Bandar kita… dan permintaan ikhlas
salah seorang pekerja pembersihan utama Singapura
di halaman tujuh, “Harap kata hello kepada saya.”
Oleh kerana Tahun Baru akan datang
tidak lama lagi, saya bagi pihak semua Anggota
Parlimen dalam Bandar kita ingin mengucapkan
Selamat Tahun Baru kepada anda… dan minta
anda membuat satu ketetapan tahun baru untuk
membantu menjaga kebersihan Bandar kita.
Jika kita semua memainkan peranan kita, kita
boleh menjadikan setiap blok sebuah tempat
yang lebih baik untuk didiami… dan membantu
menyelamatkan bumi ini!
Hawazi Daipi
D
i Singapura kita menyambut banyak pesta.
Kita berkata bahawa sebahagian pesta
adalah “milik kita” dan sebahagian lagi
“milik mereka”. Tetapi pada hakikatnya, kita rakyat
Singapura menikmati semua pesta – baik pesta-pesta
itu ‘milik kita’ mahupun pesta-pesta ‘milik mereka’.
Teman-teman Melayu dan
India kita baru berkongsi kuih
muih dan hidangan bersama kita
untuk menyambut Hari Raya dan
Deepavali. Semua kanak-kanak,
daripada semua latar belakang,
telah mengambil bahagian dalam
Pesta Tanglung. Dan sekarang kita
bersiap-siap untuk menyambut Tahun
Baru!
Saya suka sekali
melihat rakyat
Singapura
menyambut
hari-hari
kebesaran
dan
berkongsi
dengan
satu sama
lain, tidak
kira bangsa dan
agama, seperti
apabila Masjid AnNur mengundang
december 2011
heart talk 3
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah gave a
personal thank-you to her awardwinning cleaners and called for a
mass pledge to say No to high-rise
litter in Nee Soon South.
Unveiling the poster that
will be displayed in every
lift lobby, Dr Lim Wee
Kiak asked us not to blame
strangers for the litter in
our own blocks.
Many willing hands helped
plant and water the new
trees, leaving Assoc Prof
Muhammad Faishal
Ibrahim time to spread the
message “Let’s keep Nee
Soon Central clean and
safe.”
Chong Pang residents took advantage of the beautiful
weather and went for a brisk walk before planting lipstick
palms and honouring their five top cleaners at Block 355.
Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan, BBM,
helped to put the finishing touch –
trees – around the newly rebuilt Nee
Soon East Courtyard. Then he shook
hands with everyone in the huge
crowd who came to celebrate.
T
he Town Council’s Anti Littering Campaign
started in Canberra on 9 October and by
the end of November it was underway in
all five divisions of Nee Soon GRC. Launched in
conjunction with Tree Planting Day and the annual
Clean & Green Campaign, the Town Council drive
focused on the dangers of high rise littering and the
social impact of littering in the letterbox area.
Backed by publicity and real rewards for
those who help to keep our neighbourhoods clean,
the Council plans for volunteer “Anti-littering
Ambassadors” to spread the message house-to-house
throughout the year.
Where will the volunteers come from? About
200 have already stepped forward in Canberra.
Mr Peter Low, Chairman of their Environment
Committee, said people only need to think for a
minute or two, and then they volunteer.
“I ask them how they feel when they see litter
around their flat. What do they think when they see
it as they first walk out in the morning?” He said that
after a moment’s thought, most people know they
are annoyed by litter.
They become environment volunteers the
moment they say, “What can I do?”
Keeping Nee Soon
clean and green
4 heart talk december 2011
To kick off the anti-high-rise littering
campaign in Sembawang and Woodgrove,
Mr Khaw Boon Wan (below)
and Mr Ong Teng Koon (right) went houseto-house with their grassroots leaders.
After launching the anti-littering campaign in Marsiling, Mr Hawazi Daipi
rewarded the division’s five top cleaners for their tireless service.
A
ll divisions in Sembawang GRC have joined
the Town Council’s anti-littering campaign.
As the MPs pointed out when they launched
it at their tree-planting events, success will depend
on everybody playing their part.
If you would like to do more, volunteer as a
Anti-littering Ambassador at your RC.
We asked Mr Chong Teng Kok, PBM, PBS, an
Ambassador in Admiralty, just what he did.
“People put flowerpots on parapets
unintentionally,” he said. “So if we spot such
potential killer litter, we knock on the door and say,
Please put it lower so, if a strong gust of wind comes, it
will fall into the corridor, not down to the ground.
“And if we see someone drop a bit of litter, we
pick it up and put it in the bin. We start by setting a
good example. Then we say something like, Please,
next time, it would be good if you put it in the bin.
“Please help us keep the place clean – that’s our
message. Only as a last resort do we say something
like, We don’t want you to burn a hole in your pocket!
The NEA fine is quite tough you know.”
At the Woodlands tree-planting event, Ms Ellen Lee Geck Hoon,
PBM, asked us to care for our environment, so that our children
would have as nice a place to live as we do.
After planting trees, Mr Vikram Nair (below)
led Admiralty residents in a loud “Let’s Bin It”.
Then our Litter-free Ambassadors (in white tees
with green collars) went door-to-door delivering
the ‘Stop high-rise littering’ message (right).
Sembawang says NO
to high-rise litter
december 2011
heart talk 5
The kids are playing their part!
and they make it look like play! T
Here are two of the many examples seen around our Town of young
people putting real effort into Keeping Our Town Clean.
o watch them, you’d think Keeping Our
Town Clean was a new game they’d
invented. Perhaps it’s because they don’t
start with the attitudes us grown-ups have:
“It’s the cleaner’s job.”
“It’s not MY litter.”
And they haven’t learned our favourite reactions:
“It’s dirty. Don’t touch it.”
“I don’t have time.”
So, if you tell children how litter spoils the look of
their neighbourhood, attracts pests and gets into
the reservoirs, they’ll just pick it up.
Just picking it up
I
n Heart Talk a year ago, we wrote of the
remarkable Woodlands artist, Gail Pantin, and
how a loyal group of children help her pick up
litter in her neighbourhood. And she thanked them
with fun art projects .
This Pied Piper has gone from strength to
strength. Several of the original group of children are
still active, and many more have joined – including
several PRs and foreigners. And over time, the kids
have developed amazing litter-picking speed and
Before the bottles go into the recycling bin, the kids line them up and roll one bottle filled with
water to see who can knock down the most. Then they wash their hands with the water in the
bottle! Some days they cut and paint the bottles to make flowers instead.
some games to play with it before it goes in the bin.
The art side of their activities has blossomed.
They now have their birds and bugs and animals in
a huge mural on the back wall of their amphitheatre
and currently they are working to put them on some
new litterbins.
Want to start something similar in your
precinct? Go to justpickitup on Facebook and get a
feel for the energy these kids have.
Keeping the Pond water pure
O
Before going litter-picking, they learned why litter meant trouble for the Pond.
Lesson 2: Run when you see a bit of litter, or another team will get there first!
The heaviest bags were collected by teams from Naval Base Secondary.
n 28 October about 400 students from five
schools near the Yishun Pond gathered in
the theatre at the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.
Shown maps and photos, they learned how litter in
the neighbourhhood could, particularly on windy or
rainy days, be carried by the drains and canals into
the pond. And that the water in the pond was part of
Singapore’s water supply. We drink it.
Then they broke into 64 groups and took part
in a massive clean-up operation organised, with great
care, by the NEA and volunteers from the hospital
and Waterways Watch.
They collected and recorded both recyclables
and rubbish. There were prizes for volume and
special prizes for “most peculiar.” But our Town got
the real prize: 400 young people who understood
why we should keep our Town clean.
The event ended with a short message from
the hospital’s Mr Liak Teng Lit. “When you leave
here – and for the rest of your life – we hope you’ll
remember two things,” he said. “Don’t litter. And if
you see someone littering, gently remind them why
they should not.”
6 heart talk december 2011
In Admiralty
In Canberra
In Chong Pang
In Marsiling
In Nee Soon Central
In Nee Soon East
In Nee Soon South
In Sembawang
In Woodgrove
In Woodlands
Here are 10 of you caught
keeping our Town clean
Did you know
You can
say “No” to
junk mail!
If you do NOT want SingPost
to deliver unaddressed
promotional mailings to your
letter box, you can tell them!
T
hat’s right: all you have to do is call 1605
and say you want to opt out of SingPost’s
delivery list for unaddressed mailings.
Or you can go to the Customer Care
page at www.singpost.com and send your
request on a feedback form.
SingPost delivers discount coupons,
promotional mailers, brochures, letters, all
kinds of unaddressed mail.
Some of it you may call “junk” but some
of it you may find quite useful – for example,
this newsletter is unaddressed mail. You may
want to think twice before opting out.
By opting out you may miss some news
and bargain offers – but you’ll have a lot less
waste paper to put in the bin!
Town Council Property Officers took their cameras on their rounds last
month – and some small gifts. Here are ten of the dozens of good citizens
they caught in the act of binning their junk mail.
T
he Property Officers did not have to wait long
in the letterbox lobbies. Most residents know
when their mail will be put in their box.
And most residents sort it out on the spot
and put their junk mail straight in the bin.
The Officers gave a four-coloured ball-point
to the good citizens they saw binning their junk
mail – and a short lecture on void-deck etiquette to
those who littered the place.
We asked Mdm Velasamy Aily, one of the
residents caught doing the right thing in Marsiling,
why she was so
careful not to
litter. “I always
put the junk mail
in the bin ... I just
don’t like to see
the place looking
messy. When it’s
clean, it should
stay clean.”
Then she
added, “it’s as
easy to drop it in
the bin as drop it
Mdm Velasamy Aily,
on the floor!”
The Council now has hundreds of pictures of
residents who are careful NOT to litter the lobbies.
But a few people still do. And make the place
messy for everyone else.
The Town Council hopes that rewards and
education may solve the problem, but will it? Mr
Joseph Ng and
his wife, Shirley,
have had quite a
bit of experience
in the prevention
of littering and
they agree that
the littering is
done by just a
few die-hard
litterers.
She is the
new Chairman
of the Hawkers’
Association at
Block 20 Marsiling Drive. “Find the few who are
causing the problem, warn them, then fine them,”
she said. “It’s the only way to educate them!”
Do you agree? Tell the Council what you
think could help stop the litter-bugs.
december 2011
heart talk 7
Rohana never misses a chance to play with the kids, chat with their
mothers, joke with the seniors. “If they’re happy, I’m happy,” she says.
M
adam Rohana Wong has been named
the best HDB block cleaner by the
National Environment Agency. Talk
to her for five minutes and you ‘ll understand
how she won the award.
She loves her job. She likes cleaning!
Though their daughter chose to be a flight
attendant, Rohana, her husband Baba and her
son, have all made cleaning their career. She
looks after Blocks 466C/D Sembawang Drive
and Baba, Blocks 466A/B.
“I feel happy when I clean,” she says.
To be closer to her father, the family
moved from Ang Mo Kio to Block 486 (just
across the Drive) about seven years ago. She
joined Ban Chuan, a cleaning contractor, when
the company won the contract for these blocks
four years ago. They can cycle to work.
Working 7am to noon, seven days a
week, she has no complaints. She likes talking
to people in her blocks, kidding with their
children, playing with their dogs. She is an
infectiously happy person.
We asked if there was anything residents
could do to make her work easier. “Not
anything. Just say hello to me!”
Rohana was very pleased when a resident said to her,
“Auntie, you’re very cute. You make me happy!”
Meet the best
block cleaner
in the North
West district
8 heart talk december 2011
A big THANK YOU
The environmental cleaners s
cheque for $300 by the Town
our gratitude for the care
day after day, to keep o
Sembawang
Marsiling
Chong
Pang
Nee Soon
South
Admiralty
december 2011
heart talk 9
U to our cleaners
shown here were each given a
n Council as a small token of
and hard work they put in,
our blocks looking nice.
Woodlands
Nee Soon
Central
Woodgrove
Nee Soon East
Canberra
10 heart talk december 2011
OUR
TOWN
COUNCILLORS
Our MPs and Town Councillors for
the term
to May
2013
thefor
term
JuneJune
20112011
to May
2013
Mr Khaw Boon Wan
Minister for National
Development
MP for Sembawang GRC
Adviser to SembawangNee Soon Town Council
Mr K. Shanmugam
Minister for Foreign Affairs
Minister for Law
MP for Nee Soon GRC
Adviser to SembawangNee Soon Town Council
Contracts
and Legal
Mr Hawazi Daipi
Senior Parliamentary Secretary
for Manpower and Education
MP for Sembawang GRC
(Marsiling)
Chairman of SembawangNee Soon Town Council
Dr Lim Wee Kiak,
PBM
MP for Nee Soon GRC
(Canberra)
Vice-Chairman of
Sembawang-Nee Soon
Town Council
Finance
Mr Vikram Nair
MP for Sembawang GRC
(Admiralty)
Vice-Chairman of
Sembawang-Nee Soon
Town Council
Ms Ellen
Lee Geck Hoon,
PBM
MP for Sembawang GRC
(Woodlands)
Nee Soon
GRC
Er Dr Lee Bee Wah
MP for Nee Soon GRC
(Nee Soon South)
Assoc. Prof.
Muhammad Faishal
Ibrahim
MP for Nee Soon GRC
(Nee Soon Central)
Publicity
and Public
Relations
Mr Patrick
Tay Teck Guan, BBM
MP for Nee Soon GRC
(Nee Soon East)
Mr Ong Teng Koon
MP for Sembawang GRC
(Woodgrove)
Sembawang
GRC
Mr Cheong Khim Teck, JP,
BBM(L)
Chairman
Mr Ivan Ho Siu Hong, PBM
Co-Chairman
Mr Reggie Thein, PBM
Chairman
Mr Tonic Oh Thai Nan, BBM
Co-Chairman
Mr Ang Chee Yam, JP, BBM
Chairman
Mr Aw Kai Aik, Norman, BBM
Co-Chairman
Mr Soh Tze Churn, Jack, BBM
Chairman
Mr Gopala Krishnan, JP, BBM
Co-Chairman
Mr Law Shun Yong, BBM(L)
Chairman
Mr Sim Yeow Kwee, David, BBM
Co-Chairman
Mr Johari Bin Ahamad, PBM
Member
Mr Liow Kian Huat, PBM
Member
Mr Lim Ah Lek, Christopher,
BBM
Co-Chairman
Mr Goh Yew Lee, Alvin, PBM
Member
Mr Goh Hung Kwang, PBM
Co-Chairman
Mr Loh Wee Seng, PBM
Member
Mr Omer Farook s/o Sevatha
Maricar, PBM
Member
Mr Ravindran s/o Sockalingam
Member
Mr Chua Sook Yong, BBM
Member
Mr Sim Kin Chye, PBM
Member
Mr Tan Kun Seng, Jackson
Member
Mr Shaw Kar Seng, Bob, PBM
Member
Mr Ng Kie Cheow, Anthony
Member
Mr Chew Meng Hui Winston
Member
Mr Ang Kor Suah, Joe
Member
Mr Rodney Chang Kok Bu, BBM
Member
Mr Gurusamy Selvaraj
Member
Ms Ong San San, PBM
Member
Mr Wong Kok Wye, Allen, PBM
Member
Mr Toh Hong Hua, John, PBM
Member
Mr Ng Tok Yong, Andrew, PBM
Member
Rev Song Msang Seng, PBM
Member
Dr Phua Tan Tee, PBM
Member
Mr Narayanan s/o Sankunni Nair
Member
Mr Tan Chin Huat, Alfred
Member
Mr Jeffrey Tong Chwee Chong,
PBM
Member
Hj Mahmud Bin Ali, PBM
Member
Mr Tan Kok Siong, Michael, PBM
Member
Mr Mohamad Hashim Bin
Mohd Shah
Member
Mr Lim Seng Min, PBM
Member
Mr Poon Chue On, John, PBM
Member
Mr Chong Choy Fatt, Jason
Member
Ms Gay Meng Choo
Member
Mr Heng Cheong Leng Richard,
PBM
Member
Mdm Rose Koh Siang Noi, PBM
Member
Mr Ramlee Bin Kasiman, PBM
Member
Mr Ong Boon Hock Robert
Member
Mr Sam Koh Hock Thye, PBM
Member
Mr Goh Peng Hong, PBM
Member
Mr Chong Khian Choo Tony
Member
Mr Bakerche Bin Mohamed, BBM
Member
Mr Tan Yan Boon, Alex, PBM
Member
Mr Adrian Rennie Pereira PBM
Member
Mr Neo Bee Kiong Francis
Member
Mr Tan Joo Teck
Member
Mr Toh Boon Teck
Member
Mr Zulkifli Bin Redwan
Member
Mr Ng Bah Tee Frankie
Member
Mr Lakshmanan s/o Nagarajan
Member
Mr Soh Choon Heng, Philip,
PBM
Member
Mdm Loh Ai Pheng, Adalene,
PBM
Member
Mr Chong Wei Hian Thomas
Member
Mr Malik Bin Maksudi, PBM
Member
Dr Ting Seng Kiong
Member
december 2011
heart talk 11
Two success stories about
neighbours helping neighbours
1.
What makes a team great?
The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is a true self-help idea.
Members join a team to learn skills so that they can be of real help to their
neighbours in an emergency. Through training, the Nee Soon South CERT has
grown from strength to strength.
T
he Nee Soon South CERT was formed in
2005 with only 40 team members. Today,
it has more than 200 – and the number is
always growing.
Recruited in every RC and NC zone, the
volunteers are tasked to help prepare residents for
emergencies and to help both the SCDF, Police
and residents in emergencies. They are trained in
emergency response skills such as fire fighting, first
aid and evacuation procedures.
The Nee Soon South team now has a good
mix of members from all age groups, and from
both HDB and private estates.
The team goes on patrol twice a month to
check that all neighbourhood facilities to enhance
safety and security are in place and intact. While
on patrol, team members also help to educate their
neighbours on safety and security.
The team regularly provides first aid and
crowd management at community events and also
2.
Ready to roll.
Patrolling the reservoirs.
provides an after-care service for the elderly at the
Day Care Centre in Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.
Training
The division set up an Emergency Preparedness
(EP) Centre at Block 838 in 1998. Here nine
members, certified by the SCDF, run an extensive
training programme with courses covering EP
skills and both standard and advanced first aid.
To date, more than 2000 residents have
attended courses at the centre – and that’s been
been a key factor in strengthening the CERT
movement in the division.
The team has also partnered the Police
in an anti-loanshark programme, the NEA in a
programme to prevent the spread of dengue and
they’re currently working with PUB on ways to
keep an eye on the reservoirs.
With more and more residents stepping
forward to join the team, grassroots leaders
say a major reason for its success – and of Nee
Soon South’s many other safety and security
programmes – are the strong links between its
seven RCs, its four NCs and its Community
Emergency and Engagement Committee, or C2E.
How would you like to spend
an hour a week as a COP!
All the RCs in Sembawang division worked closely with the Police, the LTA
and the division’s Community Emergency and Engagement Committee (C2E)
to start a Citizens On Patrol (COP) programme. You could be part of it.
I
t began quite small, with just young people.
Teenage “health ambassadors” from Admiralty
Secondary School, together with officers from
the LTA and Woodlands NPC, manned crosswalk
patrols on Woodlands Avenues 7.
They patrolled from Avenue 4 to Gambas
from 7.30am to 9.30am, for three days. They gave
flyers on road safety to cyclists, and reminded
them to push their bicycles on the crosswalks.
Who says helping isn’t fun?
More than 1,500 cyclists, mostly factory
workers, were reminded of the importance of safe
cycling during the operation.
Pedestrians thanked them and the LTA was
enthusiastic about the results. The Police stepped
up their patrols in the area to further encourage
uncooperative cyclists to reform.
Since that effort in June 2009, there have
been fewer complaints from local pedestrians.
On-going Road Safety
With LTA and Police help, factories in the area
have since organised regular talks with their
workers to further strengthen the safety message.
To further enhance safety measures, COP
was organised to ride night patrols and give
residents peace of mind, especially those who
come home late at night.
On alternate Wednesdays, about ten
volunteers, in distinctive vests and safety helmets,
patrolled the neighbourhood on bicycles acting as
a deterrent to petty crime and dangerous cycling.
On night patrol.
To make sure all residents are involved in this
effort, new citizens and PRs were invited to join in.
A German-born citizen from the NorthOaks
condo joined with his neighbours. He said, “Back
home, such initiatives are unheard of, but it will
instil ownership in the scheme. It also lets me meet
my friends and neighbours...!"
Sembawang COP is currently recruiting
more volunteers so that they can increase the
frequency of patrols. You’re welcome to join the
patrol, either on a bicycle or on foot.
12 heart talk december 2011
Renewing our
neighbourhood
On 14 October, Assoc Prof Muhammad Faishal
Ibrahim asked all Singaporeans living in Blocks
731 to 736, Yishun Street 72 to vote Yes for a Home
Improvement Programme (HIP)
On 12 November, proposed plans for a
Neighbourhood Renewal Programme (NRP) for Blocks
167 to 179 Woodlands St 11/13 were exhibited.
P
A
Mr Hawazi and the architect discussing plans with residents.
fter looking at the plans, many
residents went to a dialogue
session with Mr Hawazi Daipi
and the architect. “Now is the time
to give your views on what else can
be done to make this NRP better,” he
said. Voting will be early next year and
construction should start at year end.
Urging us to support the improvements.
After looking at the exhibition...
Mr and
Mrs Rauf
thought
the plans
were “very
good.”
While
they had
hoped to
see Lift Upgrading included for their
block (176) – they were very pleased to
see the major improvements proposed.
Miss Zakiah Bte
Hj Othman often
jogs around the
precinct on her
rest days. Having
lived here for 28
years she said, “I
feel very happy
about all these
improvements. The precinct was not
very green to begin with, and our
exercise equipment was getting old and
worn out.” She liked the idea of having
a variety of new fitness equipment
around the estate. It would add interest
to her exercises.
If a roof is built over
the basketball court,
Sylia Chong liked
the way “Rain or
shine, the kids will
be able to play,”
Mr Tan Chao Cheng said, “Honestly,
I would have preferred to have an HIP,
not an NRP!” At the dialogue session
later, he said that his ceilings were
leaking ... and Mr Hawazi was able to
tell him that currently, after proper
inspections, the
HDB was often
willing to pay
50% of the cost
of repairs and he
and his upstairs
neighbour would
only have to pay
25% each.
And at the Dialogue Session...
Q Can we have more
Q Can we have a covered linkway
Carparks?
A No space within the
precinct, but HDB is
aware of the problem and
is planning a few more
spaces near the swimming pool which
should ease the problem.
across the road?
A Yes, but it would
have to be 4.5m above
the road, too high to
keep the rain off you.
And it would be very,
very expensive.
Q Can we have
fewer trees? The
birds in them
make a mess?
A We need the
trees for oxygen and we can’t get rid
of the birds, but TC will take action to
mitigate the problems they cause.
Q Can we have a
public toilet near the
basketball court?
A Yes, it could be built,
but its maintenance
would be a major
problem and expense that the Town
Council will have to look into.
Q Can we have a water
Q Can we have more
tap at the BBQ?
A Yes.
block signboards?
A Yes.
Choosing the new front door and metal gate.
Choosing the tiles for the new bathroom.
art of HDB’s programme to
remake our heartland, the
programme offers residents
living in older blocks an opportunity
to transform their home and bring it
closer to the standard of a new one. At
a very affordable price.
An HIP includes both essential
and optional improvements. Repairing
spalling concrete and structural cracks,
replacing waste pipes and laundry
pole holders, upgrading the electrical
load – all these are considered essential
improvments and are free for citizen
households.
Upgrading and retiling the
bathroom and toilet, replacing
the refuse chute hopper, entrance
door or grille – these are optional
improvements. (And there options
with the option: what kind of tiles
would you like to have?) For options
you pay a small fraction of their cost.
After looking at the exhibition...
Mr Poh Wen Xiang said he thought the HDB had
planned “some pretty fast work. It won’t disturb our living
arrangments very much at all!”
“It’s very good for us old people,” said
Mdm Thankamma d/o P.K. Kesavan.
“The government is giving us some
good things. I particularly like the new toilets offered –
they’re a very nice design.”
“He’s getting too old for a squat toilet,” said Mr
Chai See Hin of his father, Chai Kian. They chose
the honey tile set. “The grey set includes a little
sink over the WC tank. It’s not practical. We
already have a sink in there!”
Mr Muhammad
Afendi and his family did not agree. “We liked
the little handboowl. It’s very convenient. And
so are the new laundry pole holders. They’ll
make hanging out the laundry much easier.”
Ms Maimon bte Abdul Aziz
thought the little washbowl
was “a fantastic idea.
Anything that increases recycling is good I say.” She was
looking forward to all the improvement. “ I only wish
people would make the same sort of effort to keep the
place nice outside their flat.”
Remaking our
heartland
december 2011
heart talk 13
Financial Report FY 10/11
1st April 2010 to 31st March 2011
Where did the Town’s money come from?
S&CC $72,498,000
Government Grants $25,097,000
Other
Income $10,920,000
S&CC
$72,498,000
Government Grants $25,097,000
Other Income $10,920,000
Total: $108,515,000
Two thirds of the Town Council’s
income came directly from residents in
the form of Service and Conservancy
Charges (S&CC)
W
hile residents bore most of the cost for
running the Town, the books would not have
balanced if the Council did not receive grants
from the Government. In the financial year that ended
in March this year, these grants contributed almost a
quarter of the Town’ s income.
The remaining 10% came from the various fees
charged by the Council for parking and the use of void
decks and so on – and from the income generated by
the careful investment of the funds the Council holds.
What did the Town spend it on?
With a income of $108,515,000 and
Water & Electricity $20,989,000
total expenses of just $102,904,000,
Water & Electricity $20,989,000
the Town achieved a modest operating
Management & Admin Charges $12,046,000
Management & Admin Charges $12,046,000
surplus of $5.6m.
Cleaning
Works
$12,084,000
Cleaning
Works
$12,084,000
O
ver one-third of the Council’s operating
expenditure last year was the transfer of $37
LiftLift
Maintenance
$7,835,000
Maintenance
$7,835,000
million to the Sinking Fund to meet future
cyclical maintenance and replacement needs.
Water and electricity remained the second
Maintenance
& Other
WorksWorks
$7,444,000
Maintenance
& Other
$7,444,000
biggest expense item, though many green measures
taken by the Council kept these costs in check.
Transfer to Town Improvement Fund $5,453,000
Transfer to Town Improvement Fund $5,453,000 Careful budgeting allowed the Council to
transfer over $5 million to the Town Improvement
Transfer to Sinking Fund $37,053.000
Fund as well as add $5.6 million to the Accumulated
Transfer to Sinking Fund $37,053.000
Surplus.
Total: $102,904,000
How much of the Sinking Fund was spent?
Lift Upgrading Programme $20,662,000
Lift Upgrading Programme $20,662,000
Redecoration & Repainting $7,170,000
Redecoration & Repainting $7,170,000
Pumps, Pipes & Tanks $3,950,000
Pumps, Pipes & Tanks $3,950,000
Reroofing Works $1,788,000
Reroofing Works $1,788,000
Electrical Wiring $129,000
Electrical Wiring $129,000
Taxes
& Admin
Charges
$3,875,000
Taxes
& Admin
Charges
$3,875,000
Total: $37,574.000
The Town transferred $28,727,000
(excluding a one-time LUP grant)
to the Fund last year and earned
a further $9,831,000 return on
investments, giving the Fund a total
income of $38,558,000 for the year.
T
he Council spent nearly half of that on the Lift
Upgrading Programme. Redecoration and
Repainting cost another $7 million. Including all
the other cyclical renewal works, the Council spent a
total of $37,574,000 of the Fund, leaving in it a surplus
of $984,000.00 for the year!
14 heart talk december 2011
Think when you ride.
By the time you see this...
It’s too late.
Walk when people are
around
Walk at aprons and
footpaths
Walk when near lift lobby and
watch out for opening lift doors
Walk at void decks taking
extra care at corners
december 2011
Congratulations
In the Singapore National Day Awards, the
long, hard work and community spirit of
these five Town Councillors earned them the
honour of a Public Service Medal, or Pingat
Bakti Masyarakat. Our gratitude – and our
heartiest congratulations – to each of them.
Mr Heng Cheong
Leng, Richard, PBM
(FC Member)
Secretary, Woodgrove
CCC
Mdm Ong San San,
PBM
(PPRC Member)
Chairman, Marsiling
Zone 6 RC
Mr Poon Chue On,
John, PBM
(CLC Member)
Chairman, Nee Soon
Central Zone 5 RC
Mr Soh Choon
Heng, Philip, PBM
(SBGRC Member)
Treasurer, Admiral
Garden CCMC
Mr Tan Yan Boon,
PBM
(CLC Member)
Chairman, Woodlands
Zone 11 RC
How to get your home
‘ready’ for emergencies
The SCDF, working with the National Fire and Civil
Emergency Preparedness Council and the People’s
Association, has developed a checklist that will let you
check just how prepared you are for an emergency.
D
The list (above) asks you to check about two dozen items.
And when your home meets the SCDF guidelines, you can
proudly put up the sign (right).
oes your home meet SCDF
fire safety guidelines? Are
you equipped to handle
emergencies? Do you know a
Community Emergency Response
Team (CERT) member living near
you? Do you have some
first-aid skills?
If you answer
‘no’ to any of these
questions, better get
a copy of the Ready
Home checklist. Go
through it and you’ll start getting
your home ‘ready’ for emergencies.
The new checklist is in English,
Chinese, Malay and Tamil. You can
pick it up at any Fire Station, Fire
Post or CC. CERT members in your
neighbourhood will also distribute
it when they visit house to house.
But why wait?
You can download a copy of
the checklist at www.scdf.gov.sg. Go
to “Community and Volunteers”,
then “Publications”.
heart talk 15
Help check
Dengue
Some more clusters have
cropped up in our Town.
We need to keep to keep
fighting this menace.
D
engue fever is an illness carried
by the Aedes mosquito, the
most common mosquito-borne
viral disease in the world. It’s always
painful and it’s sometimes fatal.
The Aedes
– or Asian Tiger –
mosquito has black
and white stripes
on its body and legs
and usually bites
during the day. It lays its eggs – up to
300! – in stagnant water. A drop of
water that would cover a 20-cent coin
is enough for the Aedes to multiply.
The best way to prevent Dengue
is to prevent the Aedes from breeding.
And we can do it with the 10-Minute
Mozzie Wipe-out.
1. Change the water in your flower
vases every two days.
2. Turn over all pails and containers,
indoors and outside.
3. Remove water from your pot
plates every two days.
4. Cover the bamboo pole holders
when you’re not drying laundry.
5. And pick up any litter you see.
Trash collects rain water so easily.
When?
Sembawang Town Council
What?
Where?
Admiralty:
Christmas Party and Graduation Ceremony
Sunday, 18 December, 5pm-7.30pm
Blk 588B Woodlands Drive 16
Zone 5 Year End Party
Friday, 23 December, 7pm-10pm
Blk 682C Woodlands Drive 73
Year End Countdown Garden Party
Saturday, 31 December, 9am-Midnight
Blk 552 Woodlands Drive 14
Edusave Merit Bursary Presentation
Saturday, 7 January, 8.30am-5pm
Innova Junior College
Ponggal Celebration
Sunday, 29 January, 10am-2pm
Blk 579A Woodlands Drive 16
Campfire and Christmas Party
Sunday, 25 December, 7pm
Jelutong Harbour Park
Christmas Celebration
Monday, 26 December, 7pm
Blk 478 Sembawang Drive
Welcome 2012
Sunday, 1 January, 6pm
Blk 417 Canberra Road
2nd International Wushu Competition
Saturday, 10 December, 9am-5pm
Yishun Secondary School
2nd Int’l Wushu Closing Ceremony
Sunday, 11 December, 7am-10pm
Chong Pang CC Hall
CC Open House and EMB Presentation
Sunday, 8 January, 9.30am-12 noon
Chong Pang CC
Ponggal Celebration
Sunday, 29 January, 6pm
Blk 204 Marsiling Lane Amphitheatre
Lunar New Year Temple Tour and Lunch
Sunday, 29 January, 8am
Fuchun CC and Marsiling CC
Edusave Merit Bursary Presentation
Sunday, 8 January, 8.30am-12 noon
Sembawang CC
Lunar New Year Dinner
Saturday, 28 January, 7.30pm-10pm
Sembawang CC
Canberra:
Chong Pang:
Marsiling:
Sembawang:
Woodgrove:
Saturday, 17 December, 5.30pm-7.30pm Blk 364 Woodlands Ave 5
Zone 7 Block Party
Saturday, 17 December, 7.30pm-10pm
Blk 349 Woodlands Ave 3
Educational Tour to Yakult Factory
Thursday, 22 December, 1pm-4pm
Yakult Factory
Haw Par Villa Tour
Sunday, 8 January, 8am-12.30pm
Haw Par Villa
Saturday, 31 December, 8pm-12.30am
Open Field next to Wlds Civic Centre
Sports Carnival
Sunday, 18 December, 4pm-8pm
Hard court next to Yishun Polyclinic
Christmas Residents’ Get-together
Saturday, 24 December, 7pm-10pm
Hard court next to Blk 732 Yishun St 72
Lunar New Year Light-Up
Friday, 6 January, 7.30pm-10pm
Open Field next to Yishun MRT Station
Block Party
Saturday, 24 December, 7.30pm
N4 Courtyard
Edusave Awards Ceremony
Saturday, 7 January, 4pm
Nee Soon East CC
NRP Exhibition
Saturday, 7 January, 7pm
Blk 325
Citizenship Ceremony
Saturday, 14 January, 10am
Nee Soon East CC
Countdown Party
Saturday, 31 December, 8pm
Open Field next to Blk 838 Yishun St 81
Nee Soon South CC Open House
Sunday, 8 January, 9am
30 Yishun St 81
Woodlands:
Year End Countdown Party
Nee Soon Central:
Nee Soon East:
Nee Soon South:
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