It was a wonderful parade and I appreciate the hard work that went into organising it.

We arrived at the Padang at 6pm, and were directed to our picnic area A by a group of pleasant and friendly ushers.

However, as showtime approached, the jostling began for a better view.

The crowd ignored the pleas by the emcee to sit down and allow everyone in the audience to enjoy the view.

We were lucky we had seats in the front row as we arrived early, so our view was not blocked.

We also repeatedly asked the ushers standing on the parade route to control the crowd and persuade them to sit.

But persuasion and enforcement were beyond their scope, we found out. Some ushers told us that their duty was to blow the whistle. Those who tried to persuade people to sit failed.

The result: a three-hour experience that was marred by viewing problems, appeals and counter-appeals for consideration among the audience.

My question is whether there is a clear need to have a group of ushers or staff trained in crowd control. The ushers on duty were obviously not equipped for the task.

Will the organisers consider introducing such a group to ensure that all members of the audience are seated? If not, the ushers, who were volunteers, should at least be trained to enforce the sitting rule.

If the same inconsideration was shown by people in the audience at a show in an indoor stadium, I'm sure that these offenders would be shown the door.

The other unpleasant occurrence was that rubbish was strewn all over after the show was over.

This happened despite the presence of a cleaner who regularly swept the area to clear the litter.

What was ironical was that just as we were about to leave, a group of volunteers lined our exit route to wish us a fond farewell.

I was touched by their gesture. But I would have been happier if they had pitched in to help the lone cleaner tackle the rubbish left behind.

My companion, a senior lawyer, and I certainly didn't have a problem helping the cleaner, which we did.

I do not know about the duties of the volunteers at the parade. I was a volunteer at similar events once and it certainly meant doing more than just getting involved in the glad-handling part of our jobs.

As volunteers, our duties in organising a show came in three parts: help set up the show, serve the audience when the show began, and clean up after it was over.

These three aspects of volunteering are equally important even though the first and third parts may not be glamorous.

Volunteerism is an important culture to inculcate if we are to achieve the civic-mindedness required of a world-class city.

Engaging the youth in this respect is a positive step. But it would be more meaningful if these youngsters were equipped with the proper training to volunteer effectively.

That's how a graceful society emerges.

Han Li