More than 50 members mingled over light refreshments on 8th February at the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall (SYSNMH) for the first New Members' Coffee Morning of 2023. Members were welcomed by FOM President Millie Phuah and Council Representative for Volunteer Appreciation & Membership Oksana Kokhno, and were given an overview of the array of activities, volunteer opportunities and docent training programmes by the various Council representatives. A highlight of the morning was the short “taster” tours of SYSNMH's permanent galleries by docents Sadiah Shahal, Tina Tan and Shradha Nayan. Thanks to everyone who joined us!

Once a year FOM sets aside a day to celebrate its active docents and activity committee members. This year’s Volunteer Appreciation Meet (VAM), organized as seven socially responsible gatherings, was held on 12 April at the Malay Heritage Centre (MHC). Special guests included NHB Chief Executive Ms Chang Hwee Nee and Director of Education and Outreach Ms Wai Yin Pryke. Ms Chang prepared a short video played at each meet recognizing the contributions made by FOM.

The theme of the day was Batik & Bling. Guests had front row seats for a fashion show video montage in the auditorium featuring familiar faces wearing a range of contemporary designs from nine Singaporean shops and designers that celebrate batik and other regional motifs.

Thank you to our “super” models: Aditi Kaul, Charlotte Dawson, Christine Zeng, Clara Chan, Dobrina Boneva, Gisella Harrold, Irina Grishaeva, Laura Yung, Lynelle Barrett, Manisha Sanadhya, Mathangi Venkatesh, May Hui, Michelle Hertz, Miho Tajimi, Millie Phuah, Oksana Kokhno, Olesya Belyanina, Philippa Johnson, Priya Seshadri, Rosalie Kwok, Sadiah Shahal, Simone Lee, Susan Fong, Talia Webb, Tenzin Dolkar, Thet Thet Han, Hafiz Rashid, Roderick  Kow, Tim Clark, and William Ngoh.

And thank you to our generous designers: Goh Lai Chan of Laichan, Oniatta Effendi of Baju by Oniatta at Galeri Tokokita, Raymond Wong of Rumah Kim Choo, Fock Ee-Ling of The Missing Piece, Desleen Yeo of YeoMama Boutique, Sylvia Lim of Triologie at The Emporium, Tony Sugiarta of aNERDstore, Yati Hairi of Kiah’s Gallery, and Ratianah Tahir of Ratianah’s Boutique.

You can view the Batik & Bling video montage here.

See something you liked? Then please refer to the designer’s contact details and patronize them.

While in the auditorium, we also had an opportunity to try our hands at a "cold batik" craft produced by Tony Sugiarta of aNERDgallery. And there was a fun group game activity created by Christine Zeng in MHC’s Cerita special exhibition galleries too.

More than one hundred members earned serious bling in the form of service pins acknowledging significant years as active volunteers. Notable were a 15-year pin earned by Ellen Rosenkranz and a 20-year pin awarded to Uchu Riza.

FOM President Millie Phuah presented the prestigious 2022 Salome de Decker award to Tan Shook Fong for her more than fifteen years of service as a docent at ACM, NMS, MHC, SYSNMH, SAM, IHC and TPM. The FOM Council had a tough job this year making a choice from a number of very worthy nominations. However Shook’s contributions as described by her primary nominator were the most compelling, and the fact that it was supported by another three of her fellow FOM members helped to make her nomination stand out.

Guests were invited to wear something batik or batik-inspired. Who showcased batik with a unique sense of style? Batik Fashionistas were Sadiah Shahal (Modest Fashionista), Laura Yung (Glamour Girl), Clara Chan (Classic Elegance), Yitpeng Ong (Baju Dreams), Tania Leger (Modern Elegance), Hyunseung Suh (Batik Caftan), Lena Koh (Sarong Kebaya), Rosalind Tan (Boho Batik), Lynelle Barrett (Steampunk Sarong), and a tie: Abha Kaul and Shivani Kulpati (Sari Not Sorry). Batik Fashionistos were Kelvin Leong (Cool Operator), and a triple tie: Ratnam Ganesh, William Ngoh and Roderick Kow (Distinguished Dudes).

The choice of location also gave us a chance to celebrate MHC, FOM's Malay ”Grande Dame,” before she closes for a well-deserved refresh. Situated on the grounds of the former Istana surrounded by the Kampong Gelam precinct, the centre acts as a vital heritage institution for the Malay community in Singapore. This was especially true on VAM day which took place during Ramadan when the annual Kampong Gelam Hari Raya bazaar literally rocked up to the Kandahar Street entrance to MHC. Make it a point to visit MHC’s permanent galleries this year and catch the Cerita special exhibition which runs through the end of July.

As MHC was observing Ramadan, no food or drink were consumed, but guests took away a halal savoury and sweet provided by award-winning Rasel Catering, and dried fruit snacks generously donated by Nilofar Iyer of Parched.

Finally, special thanks go to Angie Ng for her dazzling Batik & Bling logo design, volunteers Oksana Kokhno, Lynelle Barrett, Jariyah Yusoff and Katherine Lim, the MHC docent community, and May Hui who generously donated vials of gelam tree oil as an appreciation gift for the 38 volunteers who helped make the day run so smoothly. As Singapore continues to further ease its gathering restrictions, we’re looking forward to next year’s celebration when our active FOM members can once again gather together as one big happy family of friends.

FOM has more than 400 volunteers who provide not only guiding service for museums but also many other activities for the benefit of our members and the public. Once a year FOM celebrates these dedicated volunteers by organising a Volunteer Appreciation Morning (VAM). This year, notwithstanding Covid-19 restrictions, we managed to host an in-person VAM event spread over three days. This video gives you a quick overview of these three days. 

If you would like to get access to the photos which we took please write to office@foms.sg.

And suddenly our world changed with the discovery of the 'COVID-19' virus, Activities stopped, social distancing became a must and people learned how to sew masks. FOM members documented the changes in our environment under the hashtag #FOMcovid, and FOM sponsored a price for the photo with the most likes. 

If you are interested in the photos please go to Instagram and type in #FOMcovid, if you would like to see a short video with some entries and photos of the winner click here.