Passing Out Parade 2008

Last Saturday, the 19th of April, our growing unit commemorated our very first Passing Out Parade, inclusive of a farewell party for our seniors who will be concentrating on their upcoming 'O'levels in the next month, not forgetting our beloved Mervyn Sir and Peiyi Ma’am who are graduating in the near future. It was a gloomy yet lovely occasion, craving memories that are certainly everlasting in each of our hearts.

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We started the day with the passing out parade. The Secondary 4s had practiced hard for the entrance march, and they looked excellent as they marched into the contingent, all neat and smart. Next was muster parade, and the Secondary 4s received their Certificates of Appreciation. After the parade was completed, the Secondary 4s threw up their beret, each of their faces painted with smile and laughter. We started taking pictures shortly after, everyone trying to make as many memories before the handing over.

After the photo taking sessions, we changed into our PT kit and proceeded to the Audio Visual Theatre. The farewell party commenced with a speech from our teacher-in-charge, Miss Poh. We have also taken this chance to launch our new “Cadet’s Manual,” a book consisting of all NPCC-related information, compiled by our pioneer batch seniors. Next, we proceeded with the Secondary 1s performance, which was a simple dance routine and stomp of great coherence, surprising the audiences by executing 'Berlahan Jalan', which have yet to be thought to them followed by the speech from some of the seniors.

Next up is the Secondary 2s performance. They enthralled the audience with their cool yet hilarious dance steps. We have thoroughly enjoyed their performance along with the thumping pop song, “Low”. This was followed by the speeches of more pioneer batch seniors.

Afterwards, it was the Secondary 3’s turn to perform. They acted out a short yet funny skit featuring all of the pioneer batch seniors, entertaining the audiences with their humorous personification of their seniors. I guess they never would have expected the Secondary 3s to be so observant!

A video dedicated to the seniors and our instructors was played next. It was touching, yet humorous at the same time. A secondary 2 cadet, LCP Jacinth Chua commented to Mervyn Sir, "I remembered when we are training for the campcraft competition; you told me that the poncho I folded was like popiah. I have been learning how to fold a poncho, and it looks like a pancake now." Tears of joy were shed during the process as we reminisced on the past.

Having watched the videos done meticulously by Sergeant Wei Ting, proceeded to the reception. The buffet catered was delicious, and all of our cadets ate their fill sumptuously. Then we continued on the farewell party, Secondary 4s performance. It was an array of dance of different genres put together. It was eye-catching as it ended up attracting lots of attention from by-standers. Their dance was of fullest creativity which was really captivating. There were dance with umbrellas, hip-hop, etc.

After that fantastic performance, the rest of the seniors spoke their speeches. It was a touching and definitely an emotional moment for everyone. As word by word poured out from the seniors, beads of tears had also plagued every of our unit faces. Everyone shed their tears, emotions of longing and regret already flowing through their hearts.

Afterwards, everyone had difficulties wiping their tears away and cleaning their throats, before proceeding to sing ‘If We Hold on Together’ by Diana Ross and “ 细水长流”.

Then, our beloved Mervyn Sir and Peiyi Ma’am finally spoke their speech. Both of them had been excellent instructors for everyone, both physically and emotionally. As each memory of them flashed through our minds, everyone started crying again. It was indeed a very gloomy moment for us, as we realized that we would not be spending time with them as much as before after this parade had concluded. We could not bear to see all our seniors and instructors go, it was really a heart-wrenching moment.

And thus, we arrived in the last event. Everyone had prepared presents for everyone they hold dear. There were a lot of tears and hugs exchanged. Many of us spoke words from within our hearts as if we did not do so then, we would not have the chance to.

Despite the fact that we were way beyond of scheduled dismissal time, everyone cadet stayed back to spend more time with one another. It was indeed a memorable event that will live forever in our every hearts. We would never be able to thank our Mervyn Sir and Peiyi Ma’am enough for all of the efforts they have spent for us. We could never forget the support and the hard work our seniors have given us. Also not forgetting our seniors who have helped us tremendously in our young years in NPCC, when all of us were clueless about the way things go. Thank you Sir and Ma’am! Thank You Seniors!

- SGT (NPCC) Vivien Tan, SGT (NPCC) Yohana, edited by SSGT (NPCC) Ng Ray Seen