The Rugged Society

Mr Lee Kuan Yew, founder Prime Minister of Singapore 

In his National Day Speech, in 1966, then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew introduced ‘The Rugged Society’. This meant having the physical and mental stamina and discipline imbued into all Singaporeans to engender a commitment to Singapore, its dreams, aspirations and to ensure its success as a new country. According to an article in Today’s newspaper published  on the 23 August 2015, Lee Kuan Yew had urged time and again that Singapore had to become a “rugged society”, noted Mr Lee, “Our people must still be robust and tough, able to take hard knocks, always striving to be better,”

Raffles Institution took these injunctions in its stride always setting the example for Singapore schools. Our school had always provided an all rounded education with sports and extracurricular activities other than just the excellent academic pursuits. With the introduction of the rugged society, RI introduced 3 x weekly mass calisthenics on the school field in the mornings before class for the morning session and in the evening after school for the afternoon session of school.

The afternoon calisthenics sessions were led by Mr Puhaindran, the Scouts Master and the Sports Master. He was shouting orders via a microphone from the school hall. He led us through a series of exercises, squats, star-jumps, stretches, burpees. (Poh Seng if you can add a picture here or send me the picture of the calisthenics it will be appreciated). This went on judiciously until we left school in 1969.

Raffles Institution also set up a series of fitness test which predated the Singapore Armed Forces Individual Proficiency Test (IPPT). It consisted of several stations, Push-Ups, Chin-Ups, Sit-Ups. Burpees, 4x10 Shuttle Run and the Standing Broad Jump. This caused the boys in Sec 3B to practise the Standing Broad Jump at the back of the class or the 4x10 shuttle Run at the sides of the classroom and the aisles between the columns of school desks. The result was not only to make loud noises from the wooden floors of our classroom to the chagrin of the class in the Physics Lab below but also to rain dirt on their heads.

Another memorable event related to the Fitness Test was the fantastic feat by Hia Hui Kim who did more than 1000 Sit-Ups!! It took him several hours and teachers, Mr Pestana and Mr Puhaindran took turns keeping score. They persuaded him to stop when he reached 1111.  Hui Kim claimed that he did not suffer any backaches or loin pains, only sore bottoms.

Indeed, all Rafflesians were brought up to be rugged and to love sports. The boys in the afternoon school came to school early to play football in the hot sun just before class. We would start lessons all drenched with our perspiration and caked our white pants with mud. RI excelled in rugby, soccer, softball and many other sports and we would win trophies for the School in inter-School competitions.

One of our fondest memory is the School Sports Day. We remembered not for the competition but for the song sung at the end of every Sports Day, ‘The Race is Run’and sung to the tune of ‘O Danny Boy’ the lyrics written by the RI Principal E.W. Jesudason

The race is run the winner wears the laurels
But you and I not empty go away
For we have seen the least unkind of quarrels
Our boys and girls compete in friendly fray

Let us be glad but not because of winning
For we are all one family today
God give our School his choicest blessing
To make us feel as one and guide us on our way

Against such spirit of gamesmanship, fair play and healthy competition it was no wonder that Rafflesians took to sports and games just as ‘the rugged society’ wished for us.


Contributed by Chen Wen, Lionel and Hui Kim

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