SINGAPORE: Community clubs (CCs) play a special role in Singapore as they serve the needs of the community and provide a communal space for residents of all ages and backgrounds to gather, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the official opening of the upgraded Teck Ghee Community Club on Sunday (Jan 13).
“That’s why we have CCs in every HDB estate,” said Mr Lee, who is an MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC. “The Government invests heavily in building and upgrading CCs so that residents will always have a place to call their second home,” he added.
The 35-year-old CC in Ang Mo Kio Ave 10 was closed for a major facelift in 2016. It reopened in August last year with nearly 1,200 sqm more space added to its previous gross floor area of 4,809.40 sqm.
“(Teck Ghee CC) has been a very popular and well-used CC, but we had more and more activities and we needed more space. We didn’t have enough space and we couldn’t accommodate all the activities we wanted to start here,” said Mr Lee. “So when we had the opportunity to upgrade, we decided to do that.”
The Government paid for 90 per cent of the upgrading costs, while the rest was raised by a committee formed to oversee the project, Mr Lee said.
A Tai-Chi demonstration at the rooftop garden of the reopened Teck Ghee Community Club. (Photo: Elizabeth Neo)
Mr Lee said that with the changing demographics of Teck Ghee over the years, and with more young families moving into new Build-to-Order flats, the needs of the community have also evolved.
The four-storey community club, which was also upgraded in 1999 and 2009, now has new facilities such as a function room with outdoor space and a culinary studio, as well as a rooftop terrace where residents can participate in tai chi and wushu classes, or enjoy an outdoor movie screening.
The improvements were based on suggestions from residents.
Teck Ghee CC Management Committee chairman Noelene De Foe said the CC was upgraded to better meet the changing needs of residents.
“After the upgrading, we have also seen more interest groups forming,” she said.
One family that has benefited from the upgraded facility is 48-year-old Mr Halim, his wife and five children. The family of musicians typically get together at home to “jam” and make music, but are now able to use the space at the new Teck Ghee CC to do so.
“We have a home studio but it’s very small, so the big space here allows us to move around. It allows us to practise our moving and some dance steps. And if we have a bigger group, more bands performing with us … There is a place for us to sit around and exchange ideas also.”
