Joseph Chiang and Eric Ho
Purpose And Passion
Joseph Chiang:
My name is Joseph Chiang and I am 63 years of age. I am born in a family of 9, consisting of 6 boys and 3 girls. Growing up wasn't a bad thing. We have a very happy family. My dad was a policeman and my mum was a housewife. The house that we lived in is a two-storey house located at Joo Chiat Road. Behind our house, we have a little kampung and that is where all our friends are.
Sadly at the young age of 12, I moved into my godparent's house and stayed there till I enlisted for National Service (NS) in the army. After finishing NS, I was introduced into the marine industry by my godfather, who is an oil rig superintendent. I learned a lot the hard way, working with different people in the industry. It is tough but I learned a lot of skills throughout my years in the industry.
I met my wife in 1982 and we got married in 1984. We have two children, one boy and one girl named Ryan and Rebecca. I was in the marine industry then and my wife is in the fashion industry. We started out in our first house in Tampines and that is where our children grew up to the age of 12 before moving to Sengkang.
After 20 odd years in the marine industry, I quit and joined my wife in property sales. I also joined in my church service and stayed on till today. I was also roped in to join the RC in Sengkang around the year 2000. I truly enjoyed meeting people. Since then and till today, I am still doing what I love best - meeting people, helping the community.
I am proud and happy to see more youngsters joining the grassroots organisations as volunteers at Meet-the-People Sessions and other community events. Such should be encouraged to get the younger generation to enjoy reaching out to our residents in need. I would love to see all the RCs and grassroots organisations encourage more youngsters to join such organisations that reach out to those truly in need.
Eric Ho:
I also used to stay at Sengkang before moving to Yishun. Just like how Uncle Joe made many friends around the kampung near his house, I made many childhood friends at the HDB blocks around a common playground where we used to play at as a kid. Sengkang will always hold a special place in my heart as it is where I spent most of my childhood climbing around the playground and playing badminton at the courts nearby.
For my National Service, I also served in the army like Uncle Joe. During NS, I learned many things the hard way and it taught me many important lessons. From having to lead a platoon of close to 30 men, I learned to connect with people from a variety of backgrounds and engage them to bring together a strong platoon.
Right now, I am pursuing medical studies and I find this theme of reaching out to people being really relevant too. In the field of healthcare, beyond treating diseases and managing illnesses, it is about how we care for people as individuals with their own expectations, hopes, and dreams. Uncle Joe's passion for service reminds me of the importance of keeping that passion and fire burning within us as we journey through life.
I am also volunteering with my secondary school CCA - St John Brigade. As a volunteer, I work with many like-minded volunteers to better develop our juniors in various aspects ranging from First Aid to leadership. It is also an opportunity for me to give back to the CCA which has influenced me heavily in my formative years.
Volunteering at MPS has also given me a great opportunity to reach out to more people and learn from the people I meet in my community. I echo Uncle Joe's sentiments that meeting people and helping the community is really something that brings us much fulfillment. I think a tree sums up our theme nicely. As we grow, we deepen our roots and strengthen our trunks through trials and tribulations. And at the same time, we keep a look out for those around us and learn to use our branches and foliage to reach out to those in need.
