10
July
2015
|
14:55
Asia/Singapore

A swinging reunion

Celebrating with a toast: Prof Simon Chesterman, Dean, Faculty of Law (in foreground); Prof Kishore Mahbubani, Dean, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (front, left); Prof Tan and Mr Wong (in background: first and second from right respectively)

NUS alumni came decked out in their retro best for a swinging time at the annual Bukit Timah Homecoming on 4 July at the Bukit Timah Campus. The event, themed "Varsity Showtime, saw a turnout of more than 1,000 alumni and their families. Also present were NUS Board of Trustees Chairman Mr Wong Ngit Liong; NUS Deputy President (Academic Affairs) and Provost Professor Tan Eng Chye; former NUS President Professor Shih Choon Fong; and Justice Tan Lee Meng, Senior Judge of the Supreme Court of Singapore.

NUS President Professor Tan Chorh Chuan addressed the lively crowd and thanked them for their contributions to the University's success. "I want to tell you that NUS is doing well and this is because we have very strong support from our faculty, students, staff, and of course, our alumni, he said.

The traditional cake-cutting and celebratory toast was extra special as it commemorated several milestones in the University's illustrious history: NUS' 110th year of founding; the 50th anniversary of the Class of '65 as well as NUS Business School; School of Computing's 40th anniversary; and the 10th anniversary of the Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies.

This year's Homecoming featured an Alumni Idol contest where attendees battled it out for bragging rights and prizes, in the style of a talent show. There were also performances by guest artistes such as Folk Jazz, the Raffles Hall Alumni Band and Peter Diaz, who peppered the evening with classics and snazzy jingles from the 1960s.

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The Invincibles with Alumni Idol contestant Ms Zaibun Siraj (in pink wig)

Ms Kathy Lim (Arts and Social Sciences, '82) won the Best Dressed Award with her groovy purple and gold get-up which she paired with fishnet stockings and a pink head scarf. Ms Noor Quek (Business, '72) beat five other contestants to take home the NUS Alumni Idol Award for her smooth rendition of Besame Mucho, while alumna Mrs Ann Staveley-Taylor (Arts and Social Sciences, '78) was honoured with the Farthest Travelled Alumni Award, for coming all the way from the UK to reconnect with old friends. The award for Oldest Alumni went to 86-year-old Mr Tan See Peng (Arts and Social Sciences, '55).

The Bukit Timah Homecoming was co-hosted by the Faculty of Law and Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and organised by the NUS Office of Alumni Relations.

Prior to the Homecoming party, Raffles Hall took the occasion to unveil a commemorative plaque outlining the history of the Hall of Residence, which officially opened in 1958. The plaque was unveiled by Prof Tan and Mr Sonny Yuen, who was the only student President of the Raffles Hall Junior Common Room Committee (1983-1984) who stayed at both the Bukit Timah and Kent Ridge campuses. The plaque will be permanently displayed at the National Parks Board Headquarters at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, the former location of Raffles Hall. 

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NUS alumni witnessed the unveiling of a new plaque outlining the history of Raffles Hall