On Aug 9, 1993, Neny Harlena Abdul Hamid experienced one of the proudest moments of her life when she participated in the National Day Parade at the Padang.
That was 24 years ago, when Ms Neny, now 39, was a cadet in Bedok View Secondary School's National Cadet Corps (NCC).
On Wednesday, the customer service representative was all smiles when her daughter Wan Nur Adawiyah Shazali put on the National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC) uniform for the first time.
Adawiyah, a Secondary 1 student this year, was set on joining NPCC even before she was enrolled in Punggol Secondary School.
The family has a penchant for uniformed groups. Mr Shazali Sulaiman, Ms Neny's husband, was from Hai Sing Catholic School's NPCC formation during his secondary school days.
Describing her experience as unique, Ms Neny said: "It was the only chance for me to feel like an NS boy."
She donned the camouflage uniform and handled rifles as part of NCC training.
Both uniformed groups have a long history in Singapore.
NPCC was founded as the Police Cadet Corps in 1959 and took on its current name only in 1971, while the first NCC unit was created in Raffles Institution in 1901.
Both are among Singapore's largest uniformed groups today.
NPCC's training programme made joining it an easy decision for Adawiyah, who loves outdoor activities. When she was in Edgefield Primary School, she joined the Outdoor Adventure Club.
"There are no camps or survival lessons in sports co-curricular activities. They are so boring," she said.
Despite being a new cadet, Adawiyah already aspires to march in a National Day Parade in future.
Mr Shazali, a senior engineer at the Energy Market Authority, feels it is time to pass on the baton to the younger generation.
The 39-year-old, a member of Punggol Secondary School's Parents Support Group, wants more students to join uniformed groups.
Citing the importance of discipline and respect, he believes these are values uniformed groups instil in cadets that will help them greatly in future.
Their younger daughter, Wan Nur Atiqah Shazali, a Primary 1 pupil in Edgefield Primary School, has not expressed an interest in joining a uniformed group yet.
Mr Shazali hopes Adawiyah will enjoy her time in NPCC, despite the regimentation and tough training.
