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Recognising Good Neighbours

06 December 2011 0 comments

Organised for the third consecutive year, the Good Neighbour Award (GNA) recognises residents who have gone the extra mile to extend kind and gracious acts to their neighbours.

Among the 261 recipients this year, are Mdm Noor Jahan and Mr Yip Kwok Seng. Inspiring their neighbours with their passion and enthusiasm in helping others, these two award recipients are truly deserving of the recognition.

A housewife and member of the Bukit Batok Zone 9 Residents’ Committee (RC), Mdm Noor Jahan played an active role in bringing neighbours of different races together. Leading by example, Mdm Noor Jahan is often seen participating in the traditionally Chinese dominated exercise group known as 312 Meridien Exercise in her neighbourhood. She also helped Chinese residents planned a Chinese New Year party and invited Malay residents along to participate in the joyous celebration. Her actions helped bridged multi-racial interactions among neighbours in the estate.

“Neighbours of all races wished to befriend Noor Jahan because of her caring nature. She always greets neighbours is willing to share her knowledge and experience, and visits neighbours when they are sick,” said Mdm Zaiton Aziz, one of the neighbours who nominated Mdm Noor Jahan for the award.

Another exemplary neighbour hails from the Buona Vista constituency. A retiree and member of the Buona Vista Zone D RC, Mr Yip Kwok Seng volunteered his time tending to the community garden at Block 11 Holland Drive. Every morning, he can be seen watering the plants, trimming the leaves or digging the soil in his bid to maintain the community garden.

What sets Mr Yip apart from other gardeners is his friendly and kind personality. With him around, the community garden becomes a place where children will gather, play and make friends. Mr Yip will patiently teach the children about the names of the plants, explain the gardening process and encourage their participation by letting them water the plants.

In addition, Mr Yip shares the vegetables from the garden with the childcare centre nearby. With his encouragement, children from the school have joined him in gardening. Occasionally, he will place a cocooned caterpillar in a plastic box and give it to the neighbourhood children so that they can witness the process of it becoming a butterfly. The children will then release the butterflies back into the community garden. Residents in the Holland neighbourhood enjoy the garden’s scenery and interacting with Mr Yip.

“After I joined a flower show at Jurong Primary School, I started to develop a passion for gardening. I feel honoured that I am nominated for the Good Neighbour Award as I am recognised for my passion in gardening and helping to educate children in the aspect of nature,” says Mr Yip.

Promoting neighbourliness has always been one of PA’s focuses. Grassroots organisations, including neighbourhood committees, are actively supporting the Good Neighbour Awards through publicity at PA’s Community Clubs and Residents’ Committees, and the identification of potential winners of the award.

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