For Love of the Game: Sporting Eurasians
Sun, 21 May 2023 | 11am - 1pm
Sun, 21 May 2023 | 2pm - 4pm
Venue: Eurasian Heritage Gallery (139 Ceylon Road, Singapore 429744)
Fee: $15 per adult, $12 per child (3-12 years)
Get a jump-start on the Eurasian community’s track record in sports! Guides will share with you about the community’s role in propelling the nation’s sporting scene to greater heights. You’ll be bowled over by their numerous achievements — their Olympic footprint for one is pretty rad!
Fireman Lloyd Valberg was Singapore’s first ever Olympian.
As the sole competitor for Singapore at the 1948 London Olympics, he was nicknamed the “one-man Olympic team” by other athletes in the games’ village. Noticing that he had no instructor with him, a Canadian coach from the Ceylonese team voluntarily trained him. While Valberg didn’t secure a podium finish, he made history, gained experience and exposure, and even caught the eyes of a couple of wire correspondents who published flattering write-ups of the high-jumper’s affable personality and sportsmanship.
Pop into the Eurasian Heritage Gallery this SHF to hear stories such as this and to learn more about the community’s numerous sporting talents including squash player Peter Hill, hockey player Melanie Martens, and bowler Delia Milne.
Guides will also outline key milestones such as the establishment of the Girls’ Sports Club which was co-founded by Zena Clarke Tessensohn to promote and extend opportunities in sports to non-European girls.
Apart from a tour of the gallery, participants can also have fun with activities such as:
1. Spin the Alphabet Wheel, where the first person to name a sport or athlete, depending on where the marker stops (e.g. M for Melanie Martens), wins a prize.
2. A Hockey Drill for adults and teens, where they will get to try their hand at guiding a hockey ball around a set of cones.
3. Bowling for Kids with a small toy set.
4. Participants will be able to try each of the games and will receive a souvenir at the end of the programme. The session will conclude with a slice of sugee cake and a drink.
