SINGAPORE – When Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) Chua Hock Guan hosts counterparts from foreign militaries, he would take them to Singapore’s club for warrant officers and specialists, The Chevrons.
Officially opened on March 17, 1974, it was then known as the Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO) Club, and it celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2024.
Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, who was guest of honour at the club’s golden jubilee celebration on March 16, paid tribute to generations of warrant officers, specialists and military experts.
He said the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) would not be where it is today without its non-commissioned officers.
“The warrant officers and military experts are repositories of soldier fundamentals – without which no military can fight as one cohesive and nimble force, no matter how well equipped you are.”
CWO Chua, 56, who is SAF Sergeant Major, said in a speech at the event that The Chevrons, located in Jurong East, plays a unique role in providing the physical space for warrant officers – or “Enciks” as they are commonly known – to bond.
He said the club helps to build interpersonal relationships between and across generations.
He added that it makes a big difference to have a central space where personnel of the SAF’s four services – the army, navy, air force and the Digital and Intelligence Service – can meet up.
“Those serving in the SAF will know that ‘in green’, the fastest network for sharing best practices, command guidance, and information dissemination is none other than our ‘Encik network’.”
In 1974, the club occupied a property in Beach Road that was formerly the Britannia Club, built between 1952 and 1953 for the British navy, army and air force.
The building at 32 Beach Road – which housed lounges, duty-free shopping, and even duty-free beer served in a pub called The Barrel – is today conserved and part of the South Beach development.
The NCO Club closed in 2001 and was replaced by The Chevrons, which opened in February 2002.
Dr Ng said that like the SAF, the club has undergone many changes over the years.
He cited the SAF’s ongoing operation in the Middle East, where 69 personnel will conduct humanitarian airdrop operations in Gaza out of Jordan, as part of Singapore’s third tranche of aid amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
“The mission will have its risks, but I know that our personnel are well trained. They were also able to put the mission together in a short time – that’s the SAF,” he said.
At the event, Dr Ng sealed a time capsule – a barrel from the pub that was moved from the Beach Road clubhouse in 2002.
The capsule, which contains a 50th anniversary commemorative book and coin, and a commemorative teddy bear, will be opened in 25 years.
Retired Master Warrant Officer Vadivelu Rajagopalan, 70, formerly a committee vice-chairman of Cosy Corner, a lounge at the NCO Club, remembers organising weekend activities for members’ families.
He said: “We went to the bird park and to the zoo, 120 to 130 people on five buses. The families participated in activities, and they were very close.”
