More help for community preservation groups

Janice Tai Straits Times 14 Sep 13;

COMMUNITY groups that champion the preservation of history and heritage will soon be able to get more help from the Government.

Beyond funding support, they will be given access to national archives and assistance in curating items or organising exhibitions. More details will be announced at the end of the year.

"Sometimes the community groups would need some support in terms of research or in determining the heritage value of a building and we will be happy to support them," said Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong on the sidelines of the launch of My Queenstown Festival last night.

The two-week festival is organised by civic society My Community and Queenstown's Citizens Consultative Committee to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the naming of Singapore's first satellite housing estate.

While promising other avenues of support by the Government for community groups, Mr Wong was quick to add that these groups should still take the lead for ground-up initiatives.

"I think a lot of the curation of the memories, collecting of artefacts and what is personally meaningful to the individual and community must come from the ground up," said Mr Wong. "The Singapore story should not just be a story that is at the national level and detached from Singaporeans."

That is why Singapore's 50th anniversary celebrations will see more localised events within the community, said Mr Wong, who visited an exhibition that showcased sketches done of historic buildings in Queenstown. He also joined popular 1960s local band The Quests onstage for a singalong.

My Queenstown Festival will feature 18 plays, gigs, performances and exhibitions at various locations in Queenstown to showcase its history.

Government to provide more support to preserve Singapore heritage
Dylan Loh Channel NewsAsia 13 Sep 13;

SINGAPORE: The government will announce more measures to support Singapore's heritage towards the year-end, said Acting Culture, Community and Youth Minister Lawrence Wong.

He said the support may come in the form of assistance for community groups, for example, to conduct research on the heritage of a particular area.

Mr Wong was speaking on the sidelines of "My Queenstown Festival", an event marking Queenstown's 60th birthday.

Queenstown is Singapore's first satellite estate.

Mr Wong said it is important for the nation's story to be personally meaningful to everyone through the recollection of past memories.

He added that the government wants to encourage every place to have its own heritage and identity through ground-up initiatives.

Mr Wong said: "What we will do as a ministry and in NHB -- in the National Heritage Board, is to support these ground-up initiatives. We've provided more funds for community initiatives like this and we hope that all the different community groups in all the different parts of Singapore will organise… and do more of these (events)."

- CNA/gn