September 2022 Issue: Co-operator Newsletter Quarterly Issue 2022
Celebrating Mid-Autumn with 70 Jalan Kukoh Residents at Club@52 over Mooncakes & Music
For pockets of Chinese communities around the world, mooncakes are the quintessential seasonal gifts for loved ones in the month leading up to the Mid-Autumn festival. Traditionally commemorating the end of the autumn harvest, the festival, which resides on the 15th of the eighth lunar month, often culminates in a convivial celebration of sorts at sundown; families would often gather to feast on mooncake, sip on tea, and even head to the park, where children can be seen carrying vibrant paper lanterns about, to admire the glorious full moon hanging in the night sky.
On September 8, SeaCare Co-operative Limited (Seacare) organised its signature Mid-Autumn festival CSR event at their clubhouse Club@52. The co-op, first set out to protect the interests of Singapore seamen and their families, invited 70 residents from the Jalan Kukoh estate to partake in the festivities. This year, the Singapore National Co-operative Federation (SNCF) and Silver Horizon Travel Co-operative Ltd were invited to join in the celebrations.
It was a joyous affair as Jalan Kukoh residents received mooncakes from Seacare while relishing in the entertaining performances by local artistes, including esteemed local radio personality Marcus Chin and getai veterans Luo En Qi and Xie Sheng Zhi.
The Mid-Autumn festival marks the first large scale gathering between Seacare and their beneficiaries since the pandemic started. “I am heartened to see all of us here despite having grappled with COVID-19 pandemic for the past two years,” says organising chairperson and veteran co-operator Ms Kathryn Ang, who is also one of the 56 women honoured for their outstanding contributions at the Co-operative Movement Night in March this year.
During the pandemic, Seacare converted its hotel into a designated holding facility for seafarers who are signing on and off shifts. In doing so, offering them comfort and safety with a roof over their heads to rest and refreshments to recharge. The co-op also pledged S$1.5million sponsorship to defray the cost of staying at The Seacare Hotel.
In a follow up interview, she adds: “We will continue to engage and support community efforts in the coming years.”
By Sng Ler Jun
Images courtesy of Seacare
