SINGAPORE - A group of former Naval Base Secondary School students from the class of 1963 have compiled a book of personal stories from their batchmates.

They include that of a young woman who moved to England, braved through a messy divorce and, as a single parent, brought up her children and paid for her mortgages by holding three jobs and working seven days a week.

Other stories include that of a girl whose father wanted her given up for adoption when she was born and a young man from a less privileged household who survived on buns and tea for meals during his undergraduate days abroad.

The 30 personal stories are contained in a book entitled The Northern Village. It was edited and compiled by a book committee, consisting of a number of ex-students.

On Saturday (Jan 30), the book was launched at Naval Base Secondary located in Yishun.

The launch event was attended by former Nee Soon GRC MP Lee Bee Wah, Naval Base Secondary principal Sulaiman Mohamad Yusof, and the former students, among others.

The book committee is planning to put up hard copies for sale at Books Kinokuniya, and also publish it online.

The book's editor, retired journalist Godfrey Robert, 73, said of the publication: "It oozes inspiration from the stories that talk about the struggles through a difficult period in the 1960s, before each of the writers had made established careers, here and abroad (four are settled overseas).

"And it evokes Singapore's 'can do' spirit which should motivate our people to give of their best in everything they do as we continue to build our relatively young yet vibrant nation."