First virtual National Day Istana open house, with cheese plate as host

· thenewpaper

Guests of the first virtual National Day Istana Open House were treated to little nuggets of history on one of Singapore's oldest heritage sites yesterday, with a "speaking" cheese plate as their host.

This is no ordinary plate - the Government House property was believed to have been used in the 1930s and the 1950s, playing host, albeit a silent one then, to foreign dignitaries and guests. It is still serving the nation today, as one of the artefacts on display at the National Museum of Singapore.

In her opening comments during the virtual open house, which was hosted on Facebook and Instagram, President Halimah Yacob said despite the coronavirus pandemic, it was important to allow Singaporeans the opportunity to visit the Istana, even if they could not physically be on site, with activities for the public to learn more about its grounds and history.

The event also included a tour of the Istana grounds, courtesy of The Straits Times, which introduced guests to lesser-known spots such as an air-raid shelter known as the "bunker".

MUSEUMS

The Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) and the National Museum also hosted segments during the event, which attracted close to 25,000 views in total.

Mr Kennie Ting, director of the ACM, presented a virtual tour of the jewellery gallery where he introduced some of its curated pieces such as a Peranakan belt made of solid gold.

Meanwhile, the National Museum's Government House Cheese Plate interacted with Madam Halimah and more than 160 beneficiaries of the President's Challenge and The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund.

The National Day Parade 2020 organising committee also shared details of this year's celebrations during the open house and introduced the Our Heart for Singapore project, which invites Singaporeans to share their reflections and aspirations for the nation.

Rounding off the virtual open house, Madam Halimah encouraged Singaporeans to tune in to the different forms of National Day celebrations on Aug 9.

"Happy National Day, everyone! Let's stay united, let's do our best to make Singapore a better place for all of us." - THE STRAITS TIMES