It was the double celebration of a lifetime that children from Kinderland @ Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will cherish forever. On 8 August 2019, they were invited to be part of the Ministry ‘s National Day Observance Ceremony 2019 together with some 300 MOM employees at Hotel Fort Canning.

The event also commemorated Singapore’s Bicentennial. It meant the children had the rare chance to share the double celebration joy with the Guest of Honour, Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister of Manpower, and key officials from the labour movement.

The children witnessed together with the MOM staff the unveiling by Mrs Teo of a giant LEGO mural to mark the Bicentennial. The entire mural was made from LEGO bricks to signify the role everyone needs to play in nation building. Its final pieces were put in place by MOM staff and representatives from the Central Provident Fund Board and Workforce Singapore, together with the Tripartite Alliance Limited.

Unveiling of Bicentennial LEGO mural by Mrs Teo

From Left to Right, Dr Robert Yap Chin Kok, President SNEF, MP Ng Chee Meng Secretary-General NTUC, Mrs Josephine Teo Minister of Manpower and Ms Mary Liew, President NTUC, at the unveiling of the Bicentennial mural.

Expressing their hopes for the future, our young ones presented an aspirational skit entitled ‘Our Dreams for the Future’. They had spent weeks rehearsing, and sang several NDP songs for the audience.

Our children proudly led the audience with their NDP song

The children also put their “aspirations” into an artwork showing a montage of various unique Singapore identities. They presented the special piece of art to Mrs Teo in appreciation of her participation in the commemorative event.

Mrs Teo posing happily with the Kinderland children at the end of the celebration.

After the celebration, the children completed their programme for the day with a visit to the Bicentennial Experience exhibition in Fort Canning Centre. The multimedia sensory experience, a centre piece of the exhibition, brought them back in time to witness key moments in Singapore’s transformation from as far back as 1299. This helps them to understand the journey in the creation of modern Singapore.