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Months of preparation end in a Triumph of Vision

OFFICIAL OPENING AND CONSECRATION OF ACS BARKER ROAD CAMPUS

TUESDAY July 15, 2003 will be eternally etched in the memory of Anglo-Chinese School.

Nearly 5,000 people called ACSians from all walks of life congregated in various venues – Tan Chin Tuan Hall, Mrs Lee Choon Guan Concert Hall and Lee Kong Chian Auditorium – at the ACS Barker Road Campus for the Official Opening and Consecration of the campus. It was a culmination of months of preparation; a triumph of vision set in motion by our forefathers.
The whole campus was a sea of colour, bedecked with the tri-colour balloons of ACS – red, blue and gold. This created a festive atmosphere despite the initial downpour. Students from both ACS (P) and ACS (BR) had assembled in school from 3.45 pm, each eagerly anticipating the day’s proceedings.

 

The East-meets-West sounds of the combined choirs of ACS (BR), ACS (J) and ACS (P) and the  ACS (BR) Chinese Orchestra and ACS (BR) Band.
The East-meets-West sounds of the combined choirs of ACS (BR), ACS (J) and ACS (P) and the ACS (BR) Chinese Orchestra and ACS (BR) Band.

 

At 5.30 pm sharp, the Guest-of-Honour, Dr Tony Tan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, arrived at the porch of the reconstructed icon of the Barker Road campus – the stately Clock Tower. To the strains of bagpipers from the 12th ACS (BR) Boys’ Brigade Company, the VIP entourage made its way through the restful tiered walkways to the Plaza for the inspection of the Guard-of-Honour.

This short parade segment began with a burst of fanfare trumpeters comprising old boys from the ages of 35 to 55. Thereafter the whole group proceeded to the Lee Kong Chian Auditorium for the thanksgiving service.
The processional hymn “O God our Help in Ages Past”, played by the combined forces of the ACS (BR) Chinese Orchestra and the ACS (BR) Band, set the tone for the evening. Though seated in various venues, staff, students, parents and VIPs alike acknowledged unreservedly that God has been their beacon of truth and light.

 

 Taking part in the Act of Consecration, led by Bishop Dr Robert Solomon, are, from left, ACS (P) Principal, Mrs Daisy Ong; Chairman of the Official Opening Organising  Committee, Mr Tay Puan Siong; ACS Board of Governors Chairman, Mr Tan Wah  Thong; and ACS (BR) Principal, Mr Ng Eng Chin.

Taking part in the Act of Consecration, led by Bishop Dr Robert Solomon, are, from left, ACS (P) Principal, Mrs Daisy Ong; Chairman of the Official Opening Organising
Committee, Mr Tay Puan Siong; ACS Board of Governors Chairman, Mr Tan Wah Thong; and ACS (BR) Principal, Mr Ng Eng Chin.

 

What was perhaps more inspiring as the service progressed was the musical offering from the different ACS units – from the gentle soothing strains from the ACJC Harp Ensemble to the robust playing of the ACS (I) Chamber Orchestra; the mellifluous melodies of the choirs of ACS (BR), ACS (J) and ACS (P) to the East-West synthesis of the ACS (BR) Chinese Orchestra and the ACS (BR) Band, the espirit de corps among the various ACS units was evident. Truly, this is what ACS is all about: united under one flag and motto, “no discord e’er will sever [for] we’ll stand together for the cause of ACS forever”.

In his sermon, Bishop Dr Robert Solomon reiterated that ACS should continue to provide its unique brand of holistic education and more importantly, to light a fire in each boy’s heart and mind so that each boy will appreciate that the fulfilment of the ACS motto “The Best Is Yet To Be” is to be found in God: “The Best of all is that God is with us.”
The keynote address by DPM Tan stressed that in spite of the introduction of innovations and improvements to cope with the different challenges and opportunities posed by a rapidly changing future, there was a need to preserve the traditions and ethos of ACS, which was clearly manifested in the rebuilding of the Clock Tower, which had stood for 50 years. Indeed for ACS to forge ahead, the strengths of ACS – its emphasis on values, and a robust and enduring school spirit should be built upon.

 

DPM Dr Tony Tan and Senior Minister of State (Education & Trade and Industry),  Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam enjoying the comfort of students' chairs in a classroom.
DPM Dr Tony Tan and Senior Minister of State (Education & Trade and Industry), Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam enjoying the comfort of students’ chairs in a classroom.

 

After Dr Tan officially declared the campus open, an acrylic painting of the Clock Tower, painted by Andre Wong of Sec 3B1, was presented to him as a special memento of the occasion.

And what better way to conclude the evening than the full-throated singing of the ACS anthem? Indeed, the lyrics and music reverberated throughout the whole campus, and possibly the regions around Dunearn Road.

The event was aptly summed up by an alumnus of ACS (Barker Road), Mark Tay (Class of 1998), who captured the spirit of this momentous occasion: “Though the school compound may have changed, the strong heritage so true to ACS will never falter … for it is not the buildings or the facilities that make the school what it is, it is the people who walk through the campus each and every day, whether teacher or student, that do.”

Noel T. P. Ong, an old boy of ACS, is a member of Charis Methodist Church.

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