“I thought I wouldn’t see you again after the last time you came to my house during Chinese New Year,” said Madam Png Peck Hoon. I smiled guiltily and insisted that I’d been meaning to visit.

I first met Madam Png when Thir.st paid a visit to five seniors in Chinatown who did not to celebrate CNY due to estrangement, health issues that keep them homebound and financial difficulties. In the article, we encouraged our readers to befriend the seniors we visited and a group of them did – they planned a day trip with Singapore Duck Tour and treated them to a meal at the Singapore Food Trail on March 11.

“When I watched the video I felt sad for them but yet inspired by how optimistic they were despite their circumstances. I was reminded of my own grandparents who I don’t really talk to much due to language barriers, and was reminded to reach out to them also,” said Evelyn Peng, who led the team of 10 people.

“We wanted to bring the elderly to see parts of Singapore they may not have seen before, especially because the landscape is continually changing in this country that they helped to build.

“It makes me sad to know that so many of the pioneers who made our country what it is today are not able to leave their homes to see it because of infirmity or because there is no one to bring them out to do so.”

A total of 6 elders came for the day trip, all of them are beneficiaries of Yong En Care Centre.

While the attraction sights weren’t entirely new to us Singaporeans – some of the elders even had their own factoids to add to the tour guide’s spiel – the most precious sight that afternoon was that of young adults coming together to bless the community and feed the poor.

As quiet conversations and life stories were shared over dinner, I could only marvel at the beauty of faith shown through works. Faith in action. Faith exercised in love.

When the day came to an end, I asked Madam Png if she enjoyed herself. She answered with a cheeky smile: “I had a lot of fun – can I come back tomorrow?”

“Because I won’t be doing anything tomorrow – just missing you guys and wishing you guys would bring me here again.”

ALL SMILES: The befrienders did not come alone. Some brought their families, children and friends. Mdm Lim Kim Guat shares a moment with a befriender’s child.
LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED: Madam Wong See Fun, who has never been on a Duck Tour, could not contain her excitement. She was one of the seniors Thir.st met over Chinese New Year, when she won us over with her infectious energy and sense of humour.
WILD WILD WET: Screams rippled through the boat as it made its way from land to sea – not without its passengers documenting the moment on their phones, of course.
SUPER SOAKER: Madam Png Peck Hoon having a good laugh after getting drenched. “That was unexpected,” she said.
SUPER SOAKER: Madam Png Peck Hoon having a good laugh after getting drenched. “That was unexpected,” she said.
TOURISTS FOR THE DAY: Sights on the Duck Tour include Marina Bay Sands, Singapore Flyer and the Civic District. While these were not new to the seniors, they took joy in explaining Singapore’s history to the younger ones.
TIME FLIES: The tour lasted for about 45 minutes, with the Singapore Flyer as the start and end point.
TWINS: Trinette Low (left) and Madam Png spotted in “couple wear”.
The seniors enjoyed some local fare at The Singapore Food Trail with the befrienders after the tour.
The seniors enjoyed some local fare at The Singapore Food Trail with the befrienders after the tour.
TILL NEXT TIME: “I think it means a lot to these elders that someone actually wants to listen to them because they have so much to say. I enjoyed seeing how animated they were and how much they enjoyed having an audience,” said Evelyn Peng.