Tang Chun Tuck started volunteering at age 12 and he hasn’t stopped, even despite being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

 

It all started back in January 1966, when he was a Secondary 1 student at Gan Eng Seng School. Tang Chun Tuck’s father shared his wish that his eldest son be the first first aider at home. Shared 72-year-old Chun Tuck, “My father felt that by joining the Singapore Red Cross (SRC), I could be the first at home to learn first aid and be a first aider at home.”

So, at the age of 12, he took the first step and joined the Red Cross Youth (RCY), Singapore. Though the encouragement of his father was what sealed the deal, he also shared that in Secondary 1, he himself aspired to don the SRC uniform to march and render first aid. That year as part of RCY, he proudly marched in his first National Day Parade with his uniform, finally fulfilling a dream of his. But that was just a start. His decision to join RCY kicked off a lifetime journey for him which has spanned more than 60 years with SRC, and in many different roles and activities in the organisation.

 

Many activities & roles

While with RCY, he was deployed to national events and some national emergencies. In 1970s, he joined Headquarters in the library service where he read to the terminally-ill children and later, after the Vietnam War where some Vietnamese ended up in Singapore, he was responsible for organising activities for them and befriending them. The father of two noted this was one of his memorable moments at SRC and called it “purposeful and helpful in uplifting the Vietnamese refugees”.

Chun Tuck shared that besides his father, it was also his mother who was instrumental in his voluntary work as she was supportive, and encouraged him along the journey. So with that support, he continued to stay with SRC over the years and render help wherever he could.

In 1986, he provided first aid and formed teams to help during the collapse of Hotel New World and in the disaster of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, he was once again mobilised. “Being the honorary secretary of RCY then, I played a pivotal role in mobilising the volunteer base, coordinating the logistics and preparing the relief supplies in family packs to help the affected victims. I also led a team of Red Cross veterans to run the operations centre, which was then located at Paya Lebar Air Base.”

Besides the varied activities he was involved in, he was also in many roles at SRC. However, he noted that being the honorary secretary and later a senior adviser of RCY were his favourite roles. “I was playing key or pivotal roles in many major projects during my long tenure as honorary secretary. Later as senior adviser of RCY, it was fulfilling to watch creative activities by the young and new blood as well as the many willing and helpful hands,” said Chun Tuck.

He added that when he was working previously, he would take leave from work frequently to help at RCY, which he called his “second home”. This included after his working hours as a senior officer at the Ministry of Finance (MOF), during the weekends or on public holidays. After 18 years at MOF, he took the opportunity to retire and his volunteering at SRC continued. Currently, he has no given role at SRC as he wanted to step aside for others, however, he still advises and provides guidance to volunteers.

Asked why he continues to stay involved with SRC, Chun Tuck said, “By volunteering, I feel I serve a greater purpose. This is akin to a calling. Also, I get to experience special moments and fond memories, which will always be with me.” He added, “Volunteering is an honourable choice. The noble idea and ideal – of being others-centred – can be pretty fulfilling when the volunteer is not motivated by gain, including material ones.”

He continued: “If it is something worth doing, it is something worth doing well. Humanitarian work is worth doing, we must all do it well and do it well together.”

 

With Parkinson’s disease

Around two years ago, he shared that an orthopaedic doctor noticed he had some indicative signs of Parkinson’s disease. She then referred him to a neurologist for a review, who then confirmed that he was in the early stage of the disorder. Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological disorder that affects the nervous system, causing a range of movement and non-movement symptoms including postural instability leading to balance problems; tremors, often starting in one hand; fatigue; cognitive changes such as memory difficulties and mild impairment; and mental issues such as depression and anxiety.

But all that has not stopped Chun Tuck to continue his volunteering journey, albeit nowadays riding around with his personal mobility aid. He continues volunteering even at other places including as an active member of the executive committee of the Gan Eng Seng School’s Old Students’ Association and at an active ageing centre in his neighbourhood on the occasional interpretation and as one of the organisers of activities. In the past, he volunteered at all the four local SEA (Southeast Asian) Games (he remarked he was the only Singaporean to have volunteered and served that long) helping mostly with first aid and later in media relations.

“By being active physically, mentally and socially, the journey ahead can be more refreshing, fruitful and meaningful – for me as well as others around me,” said Chun Tuck.

Asked if he plans on slowing down, he shared, “I have not thought about it yet”. He feels that he has trained many and if the day comes when he has to reduce his volunteering and ultimately stop, he is confident that he has already laid the groundwork by training many who will continue to lead. So for now, he is happy doing what he enjoys most, and adding to the 60 years he already has on his belt.