Loh Heng Meng Patrick and Genia Tan
Singapore - A Country Of Opportunities
Loh Heng Meng Patrick:
Born in Singapore on 11-09-1952, family of 5 boys and I am third in line. My father was a watchman and my mother was a housewife. We were poor and at an early age, I was helping out by selling newspapers and picking up fish and vegetables in wholesale markets to bring home for my parents to cook. I was never a bright student but working hard enough to see myself earning a Diploma in Horticulture and later, getting a “Training Award” from Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) to go to the United Kingdom to further my studies. From that experience, I learnt “nobody owes me a living” and I have to depend on myself. Thus, success depends on you.
I was “head hunted” by BECHTEL INT’L (USA) to get employed as a Chief Nursery Officer at the famous New Istana Project in Brunei, Bandar Seri Begawan and it was a rare exposure for me to work in the construction of a new palace of His Majesty, The Sultan of Brunei. I saved up money from the salary and back to Singapore, I established a R&D company focusing on plant virology and micropropagation (tissue culture) in 1988 - the year I got married at age 36 years. The tissue culture laboratory was in NTU-Innovation Centre and my first contract was to clone virus-indexed banana plants for the Johor State Court project and I was pleased to help the Malaysia agency to establish its first cavendish banana for export.
Throughout my hard, long but exciting life journey - I have not forgotten those who have had and till now, helped and supported me in my education, training and made me a good “hands-on” plant scientist. I keep on improving my innovative R&D product development programme and to improve on those products that are affordable and good for the health of our people. The friendship and fellowship among my R&D fraternity has always been my pillar of strength in the pursuit of scientific excellence. I have a heart for people who sincerely care for the unfortunate and under-privileged and I will do my utmost best within my means or in kind to help and support them, giving them the opportunities.
“Hard Work Always Pay'' - It was in 2015 that Murdoch University had conferred me an Honorary Doctorate of Science (HonDSC) which is the University’s highest Science honour and citation reads :- “In recognition of his exceptional contributions to Science, academia and agribusiness in the ASEAN Region”. Looking back, all the dedication and consistent hard work reaped positive results and I felt so encouraged and motivated that I think all of you can do it too. And in 2009, I was the first group of PAP aides (18 of us) to receive the Dedicated Service Medal at the Singapore EXPO Hall and again, I felt so honoured that all the work I did and still doing in the Branch and grassroots organisation in quiet confidence have been recognised.
“To give back is the gift from God” - I have always been keen to help our community and people to see them busy with projects that they enjoy doing and to inspire and motivate each other. Since early this year (2021), I have been appointed patron of Braddell Heights CCMC and mentor to the Climate Action Taskforce (CAT). The BH-CAT Home Cultivation System (HCS) is a pilot community project in collaboration with Panasonic Factory Solutions Asia Pacific (PFSAP) group. This is aligned with our Singapore Green Plan 2030 in which we can also instil in our residents the importance of food security, hygienic practices, food resilience and healthy living.
Genia Tan:
These are some of the many photographs taken of me as a baby. It’s been a decade and a half ever since, and it’s safe to say that I have grown a lot, both physically and mentally. I was born on the 11th of August, 2006, to loving parents and an impatient elder sister who could not wait to meet me. Growing up, there was never a dull moment with my sister around. She is five years older than me, but despite our age gap, we have always remained close, even now with me in Secondary 3 and her in University. My childhood memories were filled with instances of us playing at home and at our paternal grandparents’ home, where we spent most of our days at, once we moved closer to them. Our grandparents never failed to coddle and shower us with love, but they never forgot to teach us important life lessons as well. Some of my most cherished memories as a young child include the time spent at my grandparent’s home, family gatherings, and of course, any instance that my sister was present.
I attended Kindergarten at CS Montessori Kindergarten @ Serangoon NEX, just a stone’s throw away from my home back then, where I lived next to my kindergarten best friend (who I lost touch with in Primary 5). I used to go over often to play with her dog and her, until dinnertime (unless I was having dinner there). I admit that my memory of this particular period of time is a bit unclear, but I am absolutely sure that I enjoyed her dog’s company so much only because my sister was deathly afraid of it. Back then, I was just a happy-go-lucky kid whose only concerns were: 1. When my sister would arrive home after primary school, and 2. If I could stay the night at my neighbour’s house. I miss those simpler times, where I didn’t have to worry about O levels or homework, and all I had to face was my mother’s wrath when I stayed out too late.
In 2013, I entered CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ School as a Primary 1 student, and came back in 2019 to start as a Secondary 1 student. At St. Nicks, I made not only countless unforgettable memories, but also many long-lasting friendships with amazing people who I still consider my closest friends, no matter how long ago I met them. I was in the Visual Arts Club from Primary 3 to Primary 6, and picked up the clarinet in 2019 when I joined Symphonic Band in Secondary 1. Secondary 2 was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and classes and practices were shifted online. It’s been almost 2 years since, but it really does feel like it was just last month that Home-Based-Learning (HBL) first started. Despite the pandemic, I was still able to create many memories in lower secondary, with my schoolmates and friends outside of school, through camps, meeting up, and regular calls to catch up with each other.
I’d like to think that the current Secondary 3 me has changed a lot from how I was like in lower secondary, or even in primary school. In primary school, I slept in class and didn’t participate in any extracurriculars that weren’t mandatory, and this behaviour carried into Secondary 1 and 2. However, I wanted this year to be different. I started by joining my school’s Model United Nations team, and applying to be part of our Sports Carnival’s house Exco. To my surprise, I was voted in by my peers despite not having a leadership position prior to the sports carnival. I was made Vice-captain of Publicity and Props, and was 1 of 3 Secondary 3 Yellow House Exco members. This spurred me to apply for more leadership positions, for school events and existing committees both. The next leadership position I attained was one I coveted since the very start of Secondary 1, to be part of the band’s exco. I was given the position of one of the quarter mistresses, which was what I had applied for and hoped I would get.
Later in the year, I became Head of the Publicity Committee for my school’s annual learning festival, SyNergise, which happens on the last day of every school year. It was a big event as SyNergise is fully student-run, student-led and student-organised, and most of the students have a hand in it, in Exco, a subcommittee or as a presenter. I also became one of the heads of the yearly Cyber Wellness Carnival which was held online, and I am currently the Chairperson of my own project, project Avenir, which raises awareness for breast cancer. It’s a bit disconcerting to see myself on the assembly screen in the mornings sometimes, introducing an event or my role in it, and even more so when I know my juniors and seniors are watching me too. It’s even weirder when complete strangers (mostly juniors) approach me to ask if I had participated in a certain school event, or if it was my voice they heard this morning during the announcements. It really is a far cry from primary school, and I am immensely proud of myself for not giving up and always believing in myself. 12-year old me would have never imagined myself getting any of these positions so it really shows that anything is possible, as long as you put your mind to it.
