By Aw Jia Li.
It takes a special kind of person to give up their evenings and weekends in service of the community. But it takes an even rarer breed to keep up that commitment for years on end – unless you’re Fu Chuan San, a community advocate who’s been giving back for more than 50 years.
The now-84-year-old has shown no signs of slowing down, even after receiving the Public Service Star (Bar), a higher level of the national award recognising service to the people of Singapore in 2009.
Chuan San started her volunteer journey in 1971 at the Aljunied Community Centre. Back then, she was working full-time as a warehouse executive, and was only interested in the community centre’s affordable cooking classes and welcoming atmosphere.
However, she soon found a friend in the volunteer network there, and started getting involved in community activities – before planning them on her own.
The fire was lit, and there was no going back.
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Working for the community
Chuan San eventually relocated to Geylang Serai, stepping up her community work significantly when she assumed the role of chairman for the People’s Association’s Family Life Champion (FLC) programme.
There, she focused on organising activities which could be enjoyed by all nearby residents, regardless of age or creed. The goal – engage the community, while strengthening family ties.
There were children’s competitions, inclusive family cooking challenges and, a favourite of Chuan San’s, matchmaking activities for young adults. She fondly recalls working with her team to pair potential partners based on their preferences. One couple they managed to keep tabs on even progressed their relationship to a getaway in Genting!
Of course, it wasn’t all fun and games. As a de facto community leader, the woman also kept an ear on the ground. Where she could, she addressed feedback from residents, clarifying government policies or initiatives to provide a more balanced view.
Otherwise, she’d pass those concerns along in Meet-the-People Sessions with the serving Member of Parliament (MP) of the day.
One of the changes which came into being after her advocacy: the transformation of Geylang Serai’s back lanes with 220 streetlamps. According to Chuan San, the lights significantly improved the perception of safety for residents along these alleyways, while helping outsiders to see the back lanes in a new light. “Geylang didn’t look like that in the past,” she says simply.
Received numerous awards, including Public Service Star
For her long years of service, Chuan San received a Public Service Medal and later, a Public Service Star (Bar). Both awards recognise outstanding contributions to public service, which for Chuan San’s case, centred around her work with the FLC programme.
Separately, she also received commendations for the community initiative in 2009 and 2015 – though by that point, they were simply icing on the cake for something she’d already long known.
Chuan San had dedicated more than half her lifetime to community leadership, with no thoughts of slowing down even after crossing into her golden years.
Today, she continues to remain actively involved with the Geylang Residents’ Network in Geylang Serai, whether serving as a silver model for newly opened outdoor fitness areas or helping distribute goodies during festive celebrations.
Above all, Chuan San continues to spend time in the community, visiting neighbours and working out with other seniors every morning at the neighbourhood park.
