NEWSROOM
PRESS RELEASE :5 Active Agers recognised for active ageing, active living
lifestyle in inaugural Active Agers Awards
Winners live actively in the six dimensions of wellness and are a source of
inspiration for active ageing
29 November 2007, Singapore, Five seniors who epitomise the spirit of active
ageing have been honoured by Council for Third Age (C3A) as the "Active Agers of
the Year". The award presentation ceremony will be held at The Arena, a popular
clubbing hotspot at Clarke Quay on Saturday, 1 December.
The Active Agers Awards is a fresh take on the preceding Senior Citizens' Awards,
and aims to recognise and honour seniors aged 60 years and above who have a zest
for life and embrace an active lifestyle.
The five winners are:
- Mdm Daisy Chee, 71 years old
- Mr Haji Mohamed Hassan Haji Hatib, 67 years old
- Mr Harbhajan Singh, 67 years old
- Mdm Lee Kim Eng, 71 years old
- Mrs Sunanda Devi Senan, 70 years old
They have been selected from close to 200 nominees by a panel consisting of
representatives from C3A and Ministry of Community Development, Youth and
Sports.
These exceptional active agers were chosen based on their passion for life and for
embracing active ageing, active living in the six dimension of wellness - be it social,
intellectual, physical, vocational, emotional and spiritual. They do not let age or
retirement deter them from pursuing their dreams and passions, or contributing to
their families and society. They keep fit, work, volunteer, look after their
grandchildren, learn and play, as well as continue to grow in different aspects of their
lives.
Most importantly, they are singled out because they possess great enthusiasm to
share, inspire and motivate the people around them – a criterion that sets this year's
awards apart from the preceding years'.
Mdm Daisy Chee
Mdm Chee is one who has never let retirement slow down her pace of life.
Her hectic schedule is similar to that of a teenager, and includes volunteer
work, fortnightly deep-sea fishing trips, weekly aerobics, ballroom and linedancing
classes. IT savvy, she is well-informed on local and world matters,
has attended leadership training classes and also won top prizes in
photography. She keeps to a healthy diet and spreads messages of good
health to friends and relatives.
Mr Haji Mohamed Hassan
Despite his retirement, Mr Haji Mohamed Hassan continues to lead an active
lifestyle, starting each day with his regular exercises and readings. He plays
an active role in the family, taking care of his grandson and doing housework,
while fulfilling his duties as a religious leader. He has never seen his age as
a hindrance to his favourite activities such as playing table tennis, cycling and
travelling.
Mr Harbhajan Singh
Mr Harbhajan Singh is a Senior Nurse Manager at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
At 67, and with 48 years of caring for the sick behind him, he continues to
work tirelessly in his new capacity providing administrative support to senior
management at Nursing Service. He has constantly upgraded his skills to suit
the demands of his profession, be it in IT, writing or communications. He
goes regularly to the gym, and participates in health events. He also supports
the Sikh community on various healthy lifestyle initiatives and provides
support to needy families.
Mdm Lee Kim Eng
Mdm Lee's lifestyle reflects nothing of that of a typical 71-year old. She is a
dedicated volunteer in community service and currently conducts free singing
classes for seniors. She is committed to improving her knowledge, and
despite having little formal education, has taken an array of classes to
improve her knowledge, including IT, English, Chinese, dancing and speech
lessons. As a grandmother of nine, she also makes it a point to take time off
from her busy schedule to whip up a good meal for her family.
Mrs Sunanda Devi Senan
With a heart of gold, Mrs Senan is an active volunteer who has brought joy to
many seniors, some of whom are in poor health or have been abandoned by
their families. She is a strong believer of lifelong learning, and continues to
acquire new knowledge and skills. Leading others by example, she is ITsavvy
- keeping in touch with her family members overseas through e-mail
and Skype – and has spearheaded computer classes for residents at Sree
Narayana Mission, to help them connect to the world.
As Active Agers of the Year, the five winners will now take on the role of active
ageing ambassadors for the next 12 months. As role models for active ageing, they
will help C3A to reach out to seniors and encourage them to lead an active lifestyle.
The Council is confident that these five remarkable Active Agers will continue their
pursuit for an active ageing active living lifestyle, and ingrain their philosophy on
active ageing in the people around them and the society.
Due to overwhelming support from the private sector on prizes sponsorship, each
winner will receive close to $7,000 worth of prizes, instead of the $5,000 indicated at
the start of the nomination period. Their nominators will receive $600 worth of prizes.
The Active Agers Awards 2007 gala night on 1 December 2007 marks the finale of
the Active Ageing Festival that was launched on 18 November to encourage seniors
to embrace active ageing.
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