Ties that Bind Amidst the Red and White

With a blast of colour illuminating the night sky and a sea of spectators dressed in red and white, everyone knew what time of the year it is – the nation’s birthday!

As we commemorate Singapore’s bicentennial, the National Day Parade returns to the Padang after five years.

This year’s parade is also special for a few of our Heartware volunteers.

For most people, siblings are whom they make one of life’s longest-lasting bonds with. Crossing many milestones in life together and with one more to boot, we feature two pairs of siblings from the Heartware – National Day Parade Hospitality Management 2019. Each sibling covers a unique role, lending their strengths where they are best at.

Our first pair of siblings are the Lee’s – Mabel and Felicia – who are both first-time volunteers with Heartware Network:

Felicia (left) is a general volunteer at the red sector, while her younger sister, Mabel (right), is a media volunteer. PHOTO: Natasha Razak

“Given that my sister and I are introverts, we thought that by signing up for this large-scale event together, we could lend a support for each other,” shared Mabel.

“We text during deployment to check on one another, and if we happen to walk past each other, we would acknowledge each other too!”

Since the Lee siblings typically spend their weekends at home, their parents often complain that they don’t spend enough time outside the house.

“Our parents are happy and proud that we are involved in NDP because we are spending our weekends more productively,” mused Felicia.

Felicia is currently studying Mathematical Science at the Nanyang Technological University, while Mabel is studying Mass Communication at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. PHOTO: Natasha Razak

Mabel cited her interest in photography as the reason behind her choosing to be a media volunteer.

“It has also been my childhood dream to be a photographer at the National Day Parade. My role as a media volunteer with Heartware Network is mainly to cover the interactions between volunteers and the public, and the behind-the-scenes training sessions that our fellow volunteers go through. This role is important because most of the time the public sees our volunteers as ushers, but don’t have a full understanding of the preparation that happened before that. I hope that by portraying the behind-the-scenes, the public can appreciate the hard work that goes behind their memorable experience at the National Day Parade.”

Meanwhile, as a general volunteer, Felicia is assigned to the red sector of the Padang. “I usher people into the red sector and point them towards their seats to ensure smooth traffic flow. We don’t want any human traffic jams. If there is someone holding up the line, we would bring the person aside to help resolve his/her issue to the best of our ability.”

When asked what she thinks of the photos taken by Mabel, Felicia added: “I would compliment her for her good shots. If there are shots which I think she could improve on in terms of lighting or stability, for example, I would advise her here and there.”

Most people often mistake as them as twins. In fact, Felicia is two years older than Mabel! PHOTO: Natasha Razak