It was the first National Day after Singapore gained its independence. This was on the 9th of August 1966, the National Day occurred despite it raining really heavily. My grandfather said that that day was a very honourable and memorial one as it was the first National Day when it rained. Although there were many rehearsals before the actual day, none of the rehearsal prepared the nation for rain. Unfortunately, it was raining really heavily.
Due to the heavy rain, the soldiers, performers and policemen were drenched from top to toe. The many people who were performing had to stand and not move so as to show due respect to their country, Singapore. The day did not actually start with rain. It started with a beautiful sun that shone brightly on the entire country. But little did they know that it would start raining. After it started to rain, many people started moving from their seats to other places to look for shelters. But others also stayed still in the rain with raincoats and umbrellas protecting them from the rain. Many started to feel unwell, sickly, some even fainted due to the sudden change of temperature. My grandfather said that many were still standing tall and busting with pride. As part of the audience, my grandfather noticed that there were a few team leaders walking around, cheering for their team members on to net let the flag or themselves fall.
The performers were determined to stand tall with pride and might to ensure that the flag that each were holding does not fall because of the heavy rain. Some would take turns to hold the flag in order to let each other take a small break to rest their arms in between each interval, before switching duties after a while. All the performers, policemen and soldiers felt really uncomfortable as they were drenched and the costumes were becoming heavier. It started to get cold afterwards and on top of all that the clothing stuck to their bodies due to the wet clothes.
On the other hand, the audience also contributed to the success of the parade. Despite the weather, they came down to watch the performance that many people have rehearsed many times for this performance. There was also slight discomfort in the crowd of audiences as it was crowded and raining very heavily.
My grandfather said that he felt extremely honoured to be able to witness this significant event and he would never forget this day. The performers were also elated and excited that they completed their performance safely. They were all so grateful that they were able to perform in front of all the audiences and late Mr Lee Kuan Yew. Late Mr Lee Kuan Yew also said a speech during the first National Day in Singapore. He expressed his gratefulness towards all the performers, audiences and different soldiers for their hard work, effort and contribution to make the first National Day be successful.
Written By: Sarah Ng
(Mayflower Secondary School/ Secondary 1D)
