Looks like the fish that got away but really just the refresher course for the Pasir Panjang Heritage guides from Toddycats and SAJC Green Club. I ran through the major aspects of history, geography and biology of Pasir Panjang.
There was enough back and forth between us, but in case they were in a stupor, the team was on their hands and knees after to produce a mahjong paper sketch-summary to support a short presentation. So battle lines were drawn, plants and animals depicted in varying degrees of imagination and fact. The show and tell session that targetted either a senior government official or a 10 year old child with a notoriously short attention span went off well even though the new ones were thrust forward to present. Well, I felt encouraged, at any rate!
Their presentation was subjected to some good natured cross-examination and then a short visit to the Ridge before the warm up was complete. The guides will use the Faculty of Science's family day as further warm up for the battle anniversary walk in February and finally really work during Heritage Fest 2005 in July.
I am supposed to leave the project manager and the guides well alone this year, and I have no real reservations. There are already many relatively seasoned hands from last year's Heritage Fest 2004 and the Faculty of Science's 75th anniversary celebration tours.
They might face a challenge getting the family groups from NUS to Bt Chandu in one hour, especially if the imagined 200 participants materialise; but it'll provide a good dynamic situation for them to handle; the more problems the better. And I'll just wait for the debrief.
First posted on Otterman speaks, 23 Jan 2005.
