Contribution Name: Lions Befrienders
Pseudonym: An Cheh Joo, Lam Hock Seng, Pua Hay Chuan, Tan Guan Keng
Year of Author: 1960
Mr. Lam Hock Seng squints, his eyes focused on the target board, fingers firmly but nimbly grasping the end of the arrow, left arm stretched taut, steadily holding the bow.
Whoosh!
He releases the arrow and the whole room erupts in cheers as he hits an inch away from the bull’s eye.
One might wonder, why such jubilation for a miss?
But this Band of Brothers at LB AAC @ Bendemeer 32 are known for their boisterous support for each other, especially during their daily games and activities at the centre.
Hock Seng, 75, who is also known as Mr. Bendemeer, is the AAC’s appointed ambassador to encourage more male seniors to participate in the centre’s activities.
Welcoming each senior as one of their own.
“I come here every day to meet and have fun with my brothers here. We even go out together for makan, and talk. I feel comfortable with them and there’s this sense of kinship among us. Sometimes we don’t even talk at the kopitiam, but just enjoy each other’s company,” said Hock Seng, a member of Lions Befrienders since 2023.
“He always wants to be the one who belanja us; sometimes there’s a scuffle among us to just pay the bill,” interjected Mr. Tan
Guan Keng, 78, while tapping on Hock Seng’s arm playfully. The pair had been colleagues for the past 43 years until retirement, and live in neighbouring blocks!
Guan Keng, a senior volunteer at the AAC, is also one of the centre’s pioneer members, having joined since 2005. “I have been here for such a long time and have seen many of them come and go (pass on),” he quipped. “That’s why every day is extra special as I come here and meet my friends and know that they are fine. When a new member joins, we will give them our own orientation. Just like in school, we get excited when the new ones show up!”
Guan Keng also remembers welcoming Mr. Tan Cheh Joo, 67, to the centre a year and a half ago, and how Cheh Joo, or CJ, became one of their own.
CJ, who lives in a purchased flat, recalls he had chanced upon the AAC ever since he moved into the Bendemeer neighbourhood. “I knew of this centre a long time back, but they were only allowed to have members from rental HDB units then. The moment I knew that membership was open to all, I came to the centre and signed up!” he said, adding that he formed a strong connection with these seniors once he started coming for the centre activities.
AAC as the melting pot of the neighbourhood.
He remarks that the forming of this brotherhood with different types of personalities wouldn’t have been possible if not for the AAC, which is the melting pot of the neighbourhood.
“You can definitely sense that Guan Keng is the most talented amongst us – he sings, dances, acts, cooks, and more! But he is known here as the one who does not stop talking,” said CJ to the loud guffaws of the others.
“I come second in the non-stop talking category. The neutral one would be Hock Seng, and the only man of few words in our brotherhood is Hay Chuan,” continued CJ, while patting on Mr. Phua Hay Chuan’s shoulder. Hay Chuan, 72, smiled widely, saying he only speaks when necessary and enjoys the prattle of his loquacious friends.
Pua Hay Chuan (standing, left) making others laugh as usual, and him with his regular archery mates at the LB AAC @ Bendemeer 32.
A bond that gets stronger every day.
When asked about his career before retirement, Hay Chuan said he ran a Char Kway Teow stall until he decided he couldn’t withstand the physical labour anymore. His friends gasped – none of them knew he was dishing out amazing Char Kway Teow despite them being so close! Each one of them reacted differently; Hock Seng asked him to cook some for them soon; CJ asked him what else he could cook; and Guan Keng reached out to Hay Chuan’s left knee and inspected it, asking if he had any knee problems due to his long standing hours tending to the wok. Amidst the conundrum, one can clearly see that this band of brothers, while developing a close bond with one another, still have some more stones to turn over about each other.
兄弟情深！
热烈的彼此支持
林福生先生眯着眼睛，专注地盯着靶子，手指稳稳地抓住箭杆，左臂伸直，稳稳地持住弓。嗖！他松开箭矢，整个房间响起了欢呼声，因为箭矢距离靶心仅一英寸远。有人可能会问，为何如此欢庆一箭之失？但在滨海梅区32号的LB AAC，这群兄弟以彼此的热烈支持而闻名，尤其是在他们每天的游戏和活动中。75岁的福生先生，也被称为梅区先生，是这个活跃乐龄中心的指定大使，旨在鼓励更多的男性老人参与中心的活动。
欢迎每一位老人为自己的兄弟
“我每天来这里与我的兄弟们见面和玩乐，我们还会一起出去吃饭和聊天。我和他们在一起感到很舒适，大家之间有种亲密感。有时候我们在咖啡店里甚至不说话，只是享受彼此的陪伴。”福生先生说道，他自2023年起成为狮子会友。“他总是想要请我们吃饭；有时候我们之间会为了买单而争吵。”78岁的陈冠庆先生插话道，同时调皮地拍了拍福生的手臂。两人过去43年一直是同事，直到退休后还住在邻近的楼栋！冠庆先生是AAC的资深志愿者，也是中心的创始成员之一，自2005年起加入。“我在这里待了这么久，见证了许多人来来去去（离世）。”他说。“这就是为什么每天都是特别的，因为我来这里见到我的朋友们，知道他们都很好。当新成员加入时，我们会给他们做自己的介绍，就像在学校一样，当新人出现时，我们都会很兴奋！”冠庆还记得一年半前欢迎陈哲珠（67岁）来到中心，以及哲珠（CJ）如何成为他们中的一员。CJ提到，他在搬到梅区后偶然发现了这个中心。“我早就知道这个中心，但当时只允许租赁HDB单位的成员。知道会员开放给所有人后，我立刻来中心报名！”他表示，自从开始参加中心活动后，他与这些老人建立了强烈的联系。
AAC作为邻里的熔炉
他表示，如果没有AAC，这种不同性格的兄弟情谊是不可能形成的，因为AAC是邻里的熔炉。“你肯定能感觉到冠庆是我们中最有才华的——他会唱歌、跳舞、演戏、做饭等等！但他在这里是一个话多的人。”CJ说，引来其他人的大笑声。“我在话多排行榜上排第二。中立的则是福生，而我们兄弟中的话少的是彭海泉。”CJ继续说，同时拍了拍彭海泉先生的肩膀。海泉（72岁）微笑着说，他只在必要时说话，并享受这些话多朋友的闲聊。
感情日益深厚
当被问及退休前的职业时，海泉提到他曾经营一个炒粿条摊，直到他决定无法再忍受体力劳动。朋友们都惊讶了——尽管他们这么亲近，却不知道他曾炒出令人惊叹的炒粿条！他们每个人的反应都不同；福生请他快点做一些给他们吃；CJ问他还会做什么菜；而冠庆则伸手检查了海泉的左膝，问他是否因长期站立做菜而有膝盖问题。在这些困惑中，可以清晰地看到，这群兄弟在彼此建立深厚的感情的同时，仍然有更多关于对方的事物等待去了解。
This story is reposted from Lions Befrienders website – Lions Befrienders Website
This heartwarming narrative comes from Lions Befrienders, an organisation dedicated to journey alongside seniors. To learn more about their services, visit Lions Befrienders Services.
This work includes translation generated by ChatGPT, an AI language model developed by OpenAI.
此作品包含由OpenAI开发的AI语言模型ChatGPT生成的翻译内容。