The National Parks Board Launches Roving Installation of Nostalgic Playsets at Parks

Singapore, 18 March 2013 - From today, the public will be able to relive their childhood memories of playing in parks at Raffles Place Park. For the first time, the National Parks Board (NParks) has launched a roving installation of play equipment that was popular in the '70s and '80s. These nostalgic playsets will be available for park visitors and office workers in the CBD to use for the next two months. One of many activities organised by NParks to commemorate 50 Years of Greening Singapore, the installation, named 'Playsets of Yesteryears', also features an exhibition on the history of 12 popular parks.

Playsets of Yesteryears

Playsets of Yesteryears features a variety of swings, see-saws, and a merry-go-round. Visitors will also be able to read about the history of 12 parks including Toa Payoh Town Park, Kent Ridge Park, Mount Faber Park and the Singapore Botanic Gardens. The exhibition will remain at Raffles Place Park until 19 May and subsequently rove to East Coast Park (June to July), Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park (mid August to mid October), and Singapore Botanic Gardens (November to December).

To create a park ambience at Raffles Place, trees such as Syzygium zeylanicum and Planchonella obovata were transplanted to the area as part of the temporary installation. Park benches and picnic sets were also added to simulate a park setting. Activities such as picnics with traditional street food, an art session, and a yoga workshop will also be organised to add vibrancy to the area.

On the exhibition, Mr Kong Yit San, Assistant CEO of NParks, said: "Parks have always been an important component of our greening movement, and an essential part of our lives. As we commemorate 50 Years of Greening Singapore this year, we would like Singaporeans to reminisce about their good times in parks, appreciate how our green spaces have evolved over the years, and continue to support our efforts to make Singapore a City in a Garden. Through this exhibition, we also hope that office workers will be able to inject a little bit of fun into their busy work schedules when they stop by to enjoy the playsets."

irememberParks

In conjunction with the exhibition, NParks is also inviting members of the public to share their memories or old photographs of their experiences in parks at www.nparks.gov.sg/50years and www.singaporememory.sg. This initiative irememberParks is part of the Singapore Memory Project. Participants can look forward to seeing some of the entries showcased in a public exhibition at the end of the year.

Heritage Tree NETS Flashpay card

NParks has also partnered NETS to produce a new limited edition Flashpay card bearing the image of a Heritage Tree - the iconic Tembusu tree with a low over-hanging branch at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. An image of the same tree can also be found on the Singapore $5 note. 10,000 cards were produced, and sales of the card commenced on 16 March 2013 over Transitlink counters around the island. The card costs $5, and can be used to make quick payments for transport and retail purchases throughout Singapore.

Apart from the regular perks offered by NETS, cardholders can also enjoy special discounts of up to $4.20 per ticket at Gardens by the Bay and up to S$3 at the National Orchid Garden from now until end of 2013.

Between 18 to 31 March, the public will also stand a chance to win one of ten Heritage tree NETS Flashpay cards by submitting a photograph of themselves enjoying the playsets at Raffles Place at www.facebook.com/NParksbuzz.

Special 1963 Commemorative tree-planting

To commemorate Mr Lee Kuan Yew's first tree planting in 1963 that signified the start of Singapore's greening campaign, NParks is inviting members of the public, NGOs, corporate bodies and government agencies to participate in the planting of 1,963 trees. The commemorative tree plantings will be carried out from June to November all over the island. Funds raised from this activity will be channeled to NParks' charity arm, the Garden City Fund, and used to enhance the biodiversity and heritage value of the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Interested parties can sign up for the planting at www.nparks.gov.sg/50years. At present, more than 40% of the 1,963 trees have been reserved. NParks estimates that some 6,000 people will be involved in the planting events around the island.  

Strong support for commemorating 50 Years of Greening Singapore

To date, the various activities organised for 50 Years of Greening Singapore have received strong support from about 100 organisations. These include sponsorship of tentage for the installation by Goh Seng Lai Company Pte Ltd, CT-Art for the loan of the merry-go-round, O' Coffee Club for a drink giveaway and McDonalds for apple pie vouchers for participants of 'irememberParks' at Raffles Place Park.

For more information on commemorating 50 Years of Greening Singapore, please refer to Annex B and visit www.nparks.gov.sg/50years. Members of the public can also find out more information on these activities on the new sParks iOS app, a lifestyle app developed in collaboration iApps to enhance the experience of visitors to parks.