sji npcc newsletter 2014

8/10/2019 SJI NPCC Newsletter 2014

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SJI NPCCNewsletter 2014Index: Pg

No:Foreword 2

End-of-Year Reviews 5

Campcraft Competition 7

Police Youth Ambasador 9

Adventure Training Camp 11

Survival Training Camp 12

By the SJINPCCPublicityTeam


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ForewordBy OC Unit, Winston Chew

Greetings!

2014 is certainly a year to remember. From changes in leadership to the campusthat our cadets train in, the unit had a lot to deal with as we strive to build our new

home at the Bishan campus. However, through the many trials that the year haspresented to us, the resilience, grit and adaptability of the unit and its cadets havebeen underscored. Our performances at competitions have been respectable and wehave attained Gold for the Unit Overall Proficiency Award (UOPA) for the fourthconsecutive year.

The year started on a relatively sad note. As mentioned in his foreword for the 2013SJI NPCC newsletter, Mr Daryl Tan has left the SJI family for Anglican High Schooldue to the end of his secondment. It was through his astute leadership that the unittransformed into a highly disciplined and systematic one. Not to mention that for thefour years that he was at the helm, the unit clinched the UOPA Gold every single

year. Though it is a big blow for the unit, the solid foundation which Mr Tan has builtcertainly paved the way for a smooth transition. We take this opportunity to wish himevery success in his future endeavours.

The unit also sees the completion of the 2-year stint of two of its Cadet Inspectors(CI) Haswan Ade Iskandar and Ryan Lai Chi Ming. As alumni of the SJI family,they have both sacrificed much of their personal time to help the unit grow whilemaintaining its culture. They will certainly be remembered as firm but approachableCIs by the cadets. So, to Haswan and Ryan, thank you for your contributions to theunit!

One of the key challenges for the unit is the renewal of its members, and this year,we are elated to see two new additions to the SJI NPCC family Hononary Officer(HO) Lim Zi Xun and CI Loh Kwang Peng Michael. Similar to Haswan and Ryan,both Zi Xun and Michael are alumni of SJI and former cadets of the unit. Theirinclusion has been pivotal in the smooth running of the units trainings and ourcadets have benefitted from their people-oriented approach in handling situations.The unit has also sent two more cadets for the CI Basic Training Course inDecember and we certainly hope that Tan Hong Liang Ryan and Ong Jun FengJeremy will be posted back to the unit.


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It was not so long ago that Batch 41 took over the reins from Batch 40 in 2013, andin a blink of an eye, the unit witnessed the passing-out of Batch 41 in July. On apersonal note, Batch 40, 41 and 42 each has a special standing in my heart, withBatch 41 being the group ofcadets which has journeyedwith me in my first year asOC Unit. It may have beenvery unsettling for both Batch41 and myself since bothparties are unfamiliar to each

others working style, butover time, they have turnedout to be a highly positivebatch of cadets with a(usually) queer sense ofhumour. No doubt that theirpath as Cadet Leaders is fullof trials and tribulations, but through their sheer determination, they have matured tobecome a high functioning team led by SI Ngoh Ye Han Mark, DySI Chia Kai Tiakand DySI S K Haridharan. A very big thank you to Batch 41 as they have made myjourney as OC Unit a more pleasant and fulfilling one, sometimes even hilarious.

On the same note, Batch 41 is succeeded by Batch 42 led by SSGT MuhammadRiaz Bin Jamalullah, SSGT Tan Qi Sheng and SSGT Koh Yang Kai who are allequal to the task.

Much of the units successes must be attributed to the work of the CIs, CLs and thecadets who committed their time to train for and participate in competitions. Ourcampcraft teams came in a respectable 48thand 71stplacing, while the X-Challengeteams secured 31stand 37thplacing in a field of more than 100 teams. We also havefour awardees for the pinnacle badge the SPF-NPCC Proficiency Badge. SI MarkNgoh, SI Chia Kai Tiak, SSGT Ryan Tan and SSGT Jeremy Ong have all shown

qualities befitting of the accolade.


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SJI NPCC has an excellent track record of producing cadets who are not onlydisciplined and good at our core skills, but equally good as a student and as aperson. Despite our shorter history relative to the other uniformed groups in theschool, the unit has shown that it is capable of shining brightly and exceeding allexpectations. Learning from the experiences of 2014 and seeking breakthroughs inour traditions is going to be critical for next year as we aim to consolidate ourstanding and nurture our cadets to become servant-leaders and resilient citizens.

Thank you.

Ora et Labora,

ASP (NPCC) Winston ChewOC SJI NPCC Unit


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End-of-Year ReviewBy Head of Publicity, Glenn Lim

Achievements

Starting as a small and humble unit in 1971, the SJI NPCC has slowly grown and

evolved over the many years it has spent as a uniform group in SJI. Although NPCC

is the 2nd youngest uniform group in SJI, it has proven itself to be extremely

proficient and prestigious, achieving various awards of excellence over the years. In

2013, the SJI NPCC has yet again proudly received the Gold Award for the Unit

Overall Proficiency Award (UOPA 2013) for its 4 thconsecutive year. Not only that, 4

of our most highly skilled and outstanding cadets have been awarded the noble

Singapore Police Force Badge, one of the highest number of awardees in SJI NPCC

history, in recognition of their contributions and dedications to the unit. Though with a

size of only 100 cadets, the SJI NPCC is just as exceptional as the other uniform

groups and will soar to greater heights and achieve greater expectations and most

importantly, bring pride to SJI and the Corps.

Training Camps

Every year, Secondary 2 and 3 cadets get to attend at least two training camps.

Namely the Unit Training Camp (UTC) which is organised by our own unit, the

Adventure Training Camp (ATC) for the Secondary 2 cadets and the Survival

Training Camp (STC) for the Secondary 3 cadets. The Unit Training Camp aims to

instill discipline and a sense of responsibility in the cadets, at the same time allowing

the unit to bond as a whole through various team-based activities. Not only that, both

the Adventure and Survival Training Camps aim to develop and nurture our cadetsself-reliance and leadership skills. All these camps will nurture the cadets to become

potential Cadet Leaders in the future and lead the unit to greater heights.


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Continuing the Legacy

As the year reaches the end, we reflect on what has happened over the past year.

This marks the halfway point of Batch 42 as Cadet Leaders. Having taken over the

unit for half the year, Batch 42 strives to improve and bring the unit to greater

heights. As each batch grows older every year, we hope the current juniors of the

Unit would grow into capable leaders under our guidance. This being the fourth

consecutive year of achieving Gold for the Unit Overall Proficiency Award (UOPA),

Batch 42 would have an even greater responsibility as they try their level best to

achieve 5 consecutive gold awards. Reaching 5 consecutive Gold Awards for theUOPA would be considered a significant milestone in SJI NPCC history. Thus, we

hope the new batch of Cadet Leaders will guide the unit and bring glory to it.


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Campcraft CompetitionBy Head PET, Andrew Chew

The Campcraft Competition is a biennial event held by the Home Team Academy

where all National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC) Units island-wide compete against

one another on a national level. During the competition, all units are required to

complete and assemble a tent, flag-staff, and gadget in less than 10 minutes.

Besides meeting the time limit, the entire setup must be as neat and tidy as possible,

as overall organization is an important factor in the grading system. This year, 2014,

our NPCC unit was fortunate enough to send 2 teams to participate in the 2014

Campcraft Competition. However, before the competition itself, we had to undergo

an intensive Campcraft training regime that lasted over a period of 2 months

(November and December 2014) in order to ensure that we were in perfect condition

for the competition.

Over the 2 months, we had to make our way back to school about 2 to 3 times per

week to take part in Campcraft trainings, hence it was a heavy commitment that we

had to hold onto. During our 1sttraining, we were split up from our respective teams,

into different sections that had different responsibilities. For example, those who

were more proficient at erecting a flag-staff were grouped together and as such with

the others. After the allocation of responsibilities, we spent the 1stmonth perfecting

our skills needed for the respective requirements such as pegging and bowline tying.

At first, we were quite confident that our skills were in top conditions; however we

soon realized that there were mistakes in our actions that may prove detrimental

later on. Thus, we knew that much work had to be done if we wanted to do well for

the Competition. As such, throughout the 1st month, we slowly etched away our

mistakes and refined the actions to ensure perfection.

Simultaneously, we also increased our speed and swiftness since there was a time

limit that we had to obey. After the 1stmonth, we noticed a significant improvement in

terms of quality and speed that provided a sense of motivation and encouragement

to do even better.

For the 2nd month, we primarily focused on our speed and agility by having a

repetition of mock competitions. At first, we were very slow and finished with a time

of 15 minutes which overshot the time limit. Needless to say, we further spottedmany other errors such as slow arrangement and disorderly placement of


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equipment. Fortunately, as the saying goes, Practice makes perfect. Our hard work

and determination coupled with the never-ending words of encouragement from our

teachers and peers, managed to help us inch towards the time limit and before long,

we finished with a time of 9 minutes which was a major breakthrough for us. For the

rest of the month, we improved the overall neatness while keeping the timing in

check. Before long, competition day arrived and we put in our all and did our very

best.

In the end, Teams 1 and 2 achieved a placement of 48 th and 71st respectively.

Although we were a little disappointed because we did not achieve what we wanted,we still left with a happy heart knowing that we did our best. In conclusion, the 2014

Campcraft Competition has had been a fruitful event for us not because of the result,

but the precious friendships that we forged and deepened through the tiring and

vigorous trainings over the 2 months. We hope to participate in such events in the

future and achieve more as NPCC cadets.


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Police YouthAmbassador(PYA)

By Adithya Suresh

As one of the few schools that emphasize on a holistic curriculum for their students,

SJI requires each and every one of their students

to attain a certain number of hours involving

community-oriented service work. As such, the

members of the National Police Cadet Corps

(NPCC) chose to give up precious hours of their

time during the December holidays to spread

awareness within/amongst a nearbyneighbourhood regarding certain cases of fraud.

The Police Youth Ambassador(PYA) programme

aims to develop NPCC cadets to represent and

carry the name of the cadet corps.

Despite having rained shortly before, the spirits of the cadets was not dampened.

We assembled in our iconic uniforms at the void decks of the various HDB blocks we

were visiting. After being assigned to our groups, we then went our separate ways to

complete our designated block.

Reactions of the residents were mixed upon our arrival, ranging from shock due to

our uniforms, to annoyance for waking them up. Some even thought we were actual

police officers! I was a nervous wreck during the first few visits, but over time it

became more natural. After explaining the purpose of our visit, the residents

welcomed us with open arms. We then went on to relay the information regarding

fraud that the Officer at the Bishan Neighbourhood Police Centre had briefed them

on, which included illegal moneylenders, conmen, and other suspicious characters,

while supplementing that knowledge with informative flyers, and answering any

inquiries the residents had.


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Towards the end of the day, we were all exhausted but satisfied with the knowledge

that we had been able to contribute to society. And although the day was short, it

was a valuable and fruitful experience for us that will not be forgotten.


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Adventure TrainingCamp(ATC)By Ivan Neo

Initially, I thought that ATC would be a camp full of fun and enjoyment. However,

during the camp I realised that ATC was not only about having fun, it was also aboutdeveloping the core values of an NPCC Cadet.

At the start of the camp, we assembled with the rest of Area 15 in Camp Resilience.

Seeing all the unfamiliar faces made me feel awkward. Upon learning that our squad

had to be divided among other schools to form groups, our hopes of spending this

period of time with familiar faces dissipated.

The first activity with our groups was icebreakers. It proved to be a problem as no

one possessed the courage to speak up to introduce themselves. The CI taking our

group was quite frustrated as we simply sat there in silence. Eventually someone

spoke up and we managed to complete the icebreakers. We then headed for lunch

and pitched our tents subsequently after.

Many challenges were faced in this camp. For example, the space allotted for the

tents we were pitching was way too small, and there was not enough space to peg

the side-guy lines. This gave us the opportunity to put our heads together to think of

another solution. By pegging into the neighbouring tents space by communicating

with the other school cadets pitching their tents, we managed to solve the problem. It

proved to be challenging as we had to find ways to secure the knots by crawling

under tent sheets. This not only created chances for people to step up, but alsobonded our groups closer together. I also learnt how to communicate with people.

Knowing some of the other people from NPAP, I tried to build a bridge of

communication to also bond with their squad-mates. I was relieved to see that it had

worked and all of us started to talk to each other more.

Finally, Camp Resilience has taught me to be more resilient and sociable through

the adventurous yet arduous activities such as rock-climbing, land expedition and

physical training in the mornings. I personally feel that everyone has grown to be

more familiar with our area after this camp and has learned how to be better NPCC

cadets.


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Survival TrainingCamp(STC)By Head of Operations, How Yew Kit

Survival Training Camp (STC) was a fun

and interesting camp as only Secondary 3

NPCC Cadets were able to go for this

camp. Walking down the road leading to

our Campsite in Pulau Ubin, nostalgia hit

me as memories from the previous camp

came back. A year ago, we were

Secondary 2 cadets, not knowing what to

expect of the 3D2N camp in Camp

Resilience. Having gained experience

from the previous year, we expected STC

to be an even more challenging and

tedious camp as we were now Secondary 3s about to take over the unit from the

previous batch.

STC enabled me to befriend people of different backgrounds, different schools, with

different mindsets. However, we all had something in common; we are all from

NPCC, we are one people.

STC also taught me life values and allowed me to conquer my fears through

different challenges. For example, the high ropes challenges. Since I was a child, I

had always suffered from acrophobia. Through these challenges, I was able to

conquer my fears with the support and words of encouragement from my newfound

friends. The various activies such as pioneering, fire starting and shelter making

enabled me to improve my survival skills taught me how to survive in the case of an

emergency. Important values crucial in the running of a unit such as teamwork,

communication and perseverance were also fruits reaped from our hard labour.


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This camp has not only impacted my life as a cadet in NPCC, but also my life as a

whole. The values learnt, the skills sharpened, friendships forged and memories

created all constituted to enabling me to be a better person, a better leader. This

camp may have passed, but the memorie s made there will never be forgotten.

sji npcc newsletter 2014

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