I remember when I was young, i used to go and visit my grandfather once a week. One day when I was going through the "trash" in the store room, i found a whole bag of old trophies that belonged to my grandfather. I asked my father why he had so many trophies and i was given the answer that my grandfather was a former badminton champion.
This picture was taken in the early 60s and shows my grandfather posing with his badminton racquet in the garden of his home at 52 Siglap Avenue. He was the runner up in the Singapore Badminton Association Junior Championship in 1950 and caused a major upset that same year in the Senior tournament.
Because I was not born at that time, I asked my father about his father playing badminton. He said, "We had a showcase of his trophies and he would re-collect the tournaments that he had successfully participated in, winning many trophies, which we had to polish. Even though he no longer participated in tournaments when I was a young boy, he was an active member of the Useful Badminton Party which had among its members our former President Wee Kim Wee.
On Monday evenings he would be on the badminton court training and mentoring younger members of Useful Badminton Party. On the occasions when I was permitted to go with him, I would see him execute his famous smash and subtle drop shots that were a part of his when he was in his prime. On the way home after practise, he would talk about past games that were a major milestone in his badminton history. Now, whenever I watch any major badminton game on TV, I would recall with pride that my father was a part of Singapore’s badminton history."
I am proud that my grandfather was a part of badminton history and although I am not good at the sport, I hope that I will be able to leave a lasting impression on Singapore's history too!
