IT WILL be torn down later this year, but the National Stadium in
Kallang is still pulling in spectators, albeit of a different
kind.
In recent months, camera-wielding visitors have been turning up
each week to take souvenir shots of the iconic landmark.
Among them was Singapore Armed Forces officer Christopher Wong, 43,
who took his wife and two children to the stadium to shoot pictures
of themselves in football attire last Wednesday.
'The stadium is very much a part of me,' he says, recalling the
times he ran for his school, St Gabriel's Secondary, in national
athletic meets in the late 1970s. Even his wedding photos were shot
there in 1999.
His wife, housewife Jane Tham, 33, is equally nostalgic. 'My Dad
used to take me to the stadium to watch football and all my dating
days were there. The National Stadium is like my second
home.'
Last month, youth mentor Kenneth Thong, 35, also jumped at the last
chance to have his wedding photos taken at the stadium.
'We did crazy stuff in our photographs,' says Mr Thong, a former
national hurdler who spent many of his younger years pounding the
track.
'There's one of me chasing my fiancee in shiny track shoes while
we're still in our wedding outfits.'
In fact, it was his fiancee Adeline Wenyi, 27, a fellow youth
mentor, who suggested the venue.
'I wanted a place that meant something to us before and after we
met. We did many things together at the stadium and taking pictures
there brought back memories of our courtship days,' she says.
Built in 1973, the 55,000-capacity stadium was the venue of some of
the biggest national and sporting events in Singapore.
But it will be demolished later this year to give way to the Sports
Hub - a complex that will comprise a new 55,000-seater national
stadium, a 6,000-seat indoor aquatic centre and a 3,000-seat
multi-purpose arena - scheduled to be completed by mid-2011.
While the stadium is now empty on most days, it played host to a
few large-scale events recently.
Two weeks ago, 4,000 people gathered there for a massive sing-along
event, We Sing Our Songs. Organised by theatre group The Theatre
Practice, it was held to 'send off the stadium with songs', says
the group's artistic director, Ms Kuo Jian Hong.
The crowd, made up of members of the public, sang songs from the
1970s to the 1990s, including evergreens like Lan Hua Cao and
National Day songs like Home.
'Many people have an emotional attachment to both the songs and the
National Stadium, so we decided to combine the two together,' says
Ms Kuo.
There are more events to come. The Singapore Heritage Society plans
to preserve the memory of the stadium by organising a tour for its
members. To be held on May 12, it includes visits to the VIP rooms
and the Sports Museum.
Society president Kevin Tan, 45, says many of its 150 members grew
up participating in events like the youth festivals and Malaysia
Cup, which were held in the stadium.
'Usually, you wouldn't look around at the building and its
architecture. So this will allow us to appreciate it better and
remember how it has become so important to us,' he says.
'We don't think of it every day, but whenever there's an important
event, the National Stadium immediately comes to mind.'
Non-members are allowed to join the tour, but Dr Tan says members
will be given priority.
Meanwhile, if you wish to snap photos at the stadium, a spokesman
for the Singapore Sports Council recommends that you contact it to
ensure your preferred date is available.
For more information, call the Singapore Sports Council on
6345-7111.