Singapore Recreation Club
Encyclopedia
The Singapore Recreation Club (Abbreviation
: SRC; ) is one of Singapore
's oldest social clubs with a strong sport
ing tradition, located at the Padang
in heart of Singapore
's Civic District
.
men and was officially established on 1 July 1883. At that time, the Club was housed in a building on Waterloo Street.
In 1884, a pavilion was erected on the site of the Padang
allocated to the Club. Two years later, the Club adopted navy blue and red as its corporate colours: navy blue for sport
smanship and red for the brotherhood of man in sport
s.
By 1904, with increasing membership, construction of a Clubhouse commenced, with the foundation stone laid by President Mr Edwin Tessensohn. The Clubhouse was formally opened on 2 September 1905, the Governor of Singapore
, Sir John Anderson. The addition of two wings was completed in 1931 and declared open by President Dr Noel Clarke.
At the Annual General Meeting in 1948, member P F de Souza proposed that the Club should be open to non-Eurasians, and this proposal, though not immediately accepted, gained more support over the years. In 1955, a category of Subscribing Membership, opened to people of all communities, was introduced. A year later, in 1956, Lady members were admitted for the first time.
At a historic meeting on 11 February 1963, President Sir George Oehlers proposed to open Ordinary membership of the Club to people of all communities in Singapore
. This was agreed by an overwhelming majority of members of the Club. As such the vision that SRC "will be an inter-racial club in Singapore
" was fulfilled. With this substantial pool of multi-racial and multi-talented members, SRC established a forceful presence in the sport
ing arena since its early days.
History was made again on 28 June 1997 when the magnificent $65 million Clubhouse was unveiled at a grand opening ceremony officiated by Dr Tony Tan, then Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore and Minister of Defence.
The idea to build a new Clubhouse was the brainchild of former President Jack Wellington. However, it was President Dr Johnny Goh, who in 1993, together with his team, spearheaded the drive to raise the money required to build the Clubhouse. Buoyed by a flourishing economy, the funds were raised through Dr Goh's dynamic leadership and decision to make membership transferable. After a painstaking journey of determination and courage, the Clubhouse stands proudly on the Padang
as part of the historical Civic District
, which is also part of Singapore Grand Prix
route.
and snooker
, bowling
, cricket
, darts
, field hockey
, golf
, netball
, rugby
, soccer
, softball
and baseball
, and tennis
. Social activities and games include balut
, bridge
, chess
, dancesport
, line dancing and toastmasters.
Abbreviation
An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Usually, but not always, it consists of a letter or group of letters taken from the word or phrase...
: SRC; ) is one of Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
's oldest social clubs with a strong sport
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
ing tradition, located at the Padang
Padang, Singapore
The Padang is an open field located within the Downtown Core of the Central Area in Singapore, at the heart of Singapore's central business district. It was formerly known as the Padang Cricket Ground...
in heart of Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
's Civic District
Civic District, Singapore
The Civic District is an area in the central area of Singapore designated for housing government offices, museums, memorials, and parks. It is home to the Esplanade, Fort Canning hill, Asian Civilisations Museum, Supreme Court Building, Raffles City, National Museum of Singapore and the City Hall...
.
History
It was founded on 23 June 1883 by a group of thirty EurasianEurasian (mixed ancestry)
The word Eurasian refers to people of mixed Asian and European ancestry. It was originally coined in 19th-century British India to refer to Anglo-Indians of mixed British and Indian descent....
men and was officially established on 1 July 1883. At that time, the Club was housed in a building on Waterloo Street.
In 1884, a pavilion was erected on the site of the Padang
Padang, Singapore
The Padang is an open field located within the Downtown Core of the Central Area in Singapore, at the heart of Singapore's central business district. It was formerly known as the Padang Cricket Ground...
allocated to the Club. Two years later, the Club adopted navy blue and red as its corporate colours: navy blue for sport
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
smanship and red for the brotherhood of man in sport
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
s.
By 1904, with increasing membership, construction of a Clubhouse commenced, with the foundation stone laid by President Mr Edwin Tessensohn. The Clubhouse was formally opened on 2 September 1905, the Governor of Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Sir John Anderson. The addition of two wings was completed in 1931 and declared open by President Dr Noel Clarke.
At the Annual General Meeting in 1948, member P F de Souza proposed that the Club should be open to non-Eurasians, and this proposal, though not immediately accepted, gained more support over the years. In 1955, a category of Subscribing Membership, opened to people of all communities, was introduced. A year later, in 1956, Lady members were admitted for the first time.
At a historic meeting on 11 February 1963, President Sir George Oehlers proposed to open Ordinary membership of the Club to people of all communities in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. This was agreed by an overwhelming majority of members of the Club. As such the vision that SRC "will be an inter-racial club in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
" was fulfilled. With this substantial pool of multi-racial and multi-talented members, SRC established a forceful presence in the sport
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
ing arena since its early days.
History was made again on 28 June 1997 when the magnificent $65 million Clubhouse was unveiled at a grand opening ceremony officiated by Dr Tony Tan, then Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore and Minister of Defence.
The idea to build a new Clubhouse was the brainchild of former President Jack Wellington. However, it was President Dr Johnny Goh, who in 1993, together with his team, spearheaded the drive to raise the money required to build the Clubhouse. Buoyed by a flourishing economy, the funds were raised through Dr Goh's dynamic leadership and decision to make membership transferable. After a painstaking journey of determination and courage, the Clubhouse stands proudly on the Padang
Padang, Singapore
The Padang is an open field located within the Downtown Core of the Central Area in Singapore, at the heart of Singapore's central business district. It was formerly known as the Padang Cricket Ground...
as part of the historical Civic District
Civic District, Singapore
The Civic District is an area in the central area of Singapore designated for housing government offices, museums, memorials, and parks. It is home to the Esplanade, Fort Canning hill, Asian Civilisations Museum, Supreme Court Building, Raffles City, National Museum of Singapore and the City Hall...
, which is also part of Singapore Grand Prix
Singapore Grand Prix
The Singapore Grand Prix is a motor race, currently in the calendar of the FIA Formula One World Championship. It is currently held in the Marina Bay area of Singapore...
route.
Building of Guest Rooms
In 2008, approval was given by members at an AGM to build guestrooms on the 3rd storey, which would generate new revenue for the Club. In the same year, SRC received government approval for the rooms, named The Residence. With its "Business Class in the City" slogan, The Residence boasts a mix of 26 deluxe rooms and suites, with a full-service business centre.Objectives of Club
The objectives of the Club remain: to promote all forms of sports, recreation and social activities through an active calendar of events, as well as to participate in activities of national sports association and the Singapore National Olympic Council. The commitment to sporting excellence is enshrined in the Club's Constitution and prevails to the present day.Membership & Activities
SRC today has over 5,500 principal members. Sports played by SRC include billiardsBilliards
Cue sports , also known as billiard sports, are a wide variety of games of skill generally played with a cue stick which is used to strike billiard balls, moving them around a cloth-covered billiards table bounded by rubber .Historically, the umbrella term was billiards...
and snooker
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
, bowling
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
, cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, darts
Darts
Darts is a form of throwing game where darts are thrown at a circular target fixed to a wall. Though various boards and games have been used in the past, the term "darts" usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules...
, field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
, rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
, soccer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, and tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
. Social activities and games include balut
Balut
A balut is a fertilized duck embryo that is boiled alive and eaten in the shell.Popularly believed to be an aphrodisiac and considered a high-protein, hearty snack, balut are mostly sold by street vendors in the regions where they are available. It is commonly sold as streetfood in the Philippines...
, bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
, chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
, dancesport
DanceSport
Dancesport denotes competitive ballroom dancing, as contrasted to social or exhibition dancing. It is wheelchair dancesport where at least one of the dancers is in a wheelchair....
, line dancing and toastmasters.