Teacher for a Day, Mentor for Life...

In the blink of an eye we have come to our last session- our 18 sessions over 9 weeks have come to an end. Today marks the last day our apprentices will be training with our veteran masters. From the initial uncertainty and unfamiliarity with martial arts, they have come far and achieved much. The reprimands and the encouragements; the tough exercises and the fun games; the strict requirements and close personal attention- all these have bonded the teachers and students together through their shared experiences.

This Journey of Martial Apprenticeship was conceptualised with the intention to use martial arts as a platform that could build strong and resilient bonds between Singaporeans from different generations and backgrounds.

As our country’s 50th Jubilee approaches, we can see the Singapore spirit reflected in our daily interactions. In this final session, what we sought to capture was not the physical accomplishments of the apprentices-- indeed they have a much longer and difficult part ahead if they wish to continue in the martial arts; rather it is the strengthening of character and the sense of gratitude towards those that have come before us and given our generation the means to be successful in what we do.

Our generation sees further because we have stood on the shoulders of giants.

Our generation is stronger because of the sacrifces made in years gone by.

Our generation is successful because we were given a head start by our pioneer generation.

There is nothing that is worth doing that comes without labour.

For all that has been achieved, let us make tomorrow a better day than today.

Nil Sine Labore

The SG50 Project Team