Much fun was had by all at the event, although there were a couple of hic-cups along the way.

At the 11th hour, we were informed that our Guest-of-honour, Prof Tommy Koh, was called away, which left Francis (Chariman IYOR 08 Singapore) and Prof Chou (our keynote speaker) to hold the fort. Francis, ever the charmer, managed to hold the attention of the almost 100-strong audience, with his vision of what the IYOR 08 Singapore could achieve – a coral paradise in Singapore by 2018.

Francis at the podium speaking to the packed Function Hall.

Prof Chou’s keynote address was interesting – it was, at once, funny, sobering, and filled with hope for our beloved reefs.

Prof Chou, relating his experience with Singapore reefs, and possibilities for the future.

Sivasothi, considered by many to one of the “founding fathers” of the conservation volunteer movement in Singapore, also gave his perspective on the effectiveness of marine conservation NGOs in getting the conservation message across to the public.

The programme also included a ceremonial handing over of a donation by TMX Pte Ltd, the owner of Asian Dive Expo and Boat Asia to the IYOR 08 Singapore committee. The monies were collected during the last Dive Expo, and amounted to S$5,000, which was to be used for marine conservation events.

The event did not end with the last of the speeches – besides the makan, there was a great deal of interaction between the audience and the conservation groups at the display area.

The next day was just as crowded – especially with the sidewall of the Function Hall open, creating an inviting environment for visitors to the Gardens to attend the talks, the colouring activity of the Naked Hermit Crabs, and ask questions of the volunteers manning the booths. All in all, an estimated 400-500 people had taken part in the event.

The day (finally) ended, with one final round of presentations by each conservation group to the assembled volunteers, some of whom had not had the chance to tour the other displays.

A final whirlwind of activity ensued, as volunteers dismantled the displays and packed away all the (dead) specimens. In less than 30 minutes, what took the better part of Thursday afternoon to setup was taken down and put away … ready for use at the next event, whenever that may be.

More pictures of the event can also be found at:
IYOR 08 Singapore Launch

Date : 9 Aug (Sat)
Time : 10 am onwards
Location : Function Hall, Botany Centre, Singapore Botanic Gardens (Tanglin Core)
Activities : Adopt a star, special talks, kid’s activities, exhibits …. and more!

Check out the details on the Singapore celebrates our reefs! blog

Are seaweed/algae plants? Is seagrass related to the grass on land? Shawn clarifies the ‘myths’ of marine primary producers in a light hearted & engaging slide show.

Shawn & his formidable brolly! Who needs a laser pointer?

Da audience is listening…mainly walk-ins into the library. I think it’s Shawn’s characteristic flowery shirt that pulled them =o>

Our beautiful posters of local marine life & habitats! The neatest display ever! Many Thanks to library@Orchard for hosting us!

ADEX 2006 – 21 to 23 April

The response has been really good for BWV at ADEX! Hope more of the people in Singapore as well as out of this ‘lil red dot have been enlightened by all the effort from volunteers who tirelessly talked & shared our amazing shores & marine life to those yet seen or heard. Thanks lots to everyone who putted in to this event!
(inclusive of those who presented, those gotten ill ’cause of too much talking &/or forgoing their meals, those who helped transport, set up & packed up REx, those who supported us despite the inability to come down to crowded
Suntec on a weekend, etc.)

Day 2 (22 Apr) RT Part I Zeehan on Nemo & Neighbours Yes, it’s Da Face of BWV giving her signature Nemo talk!Ms REx (ReefExhibits) doing what she does best!

Caroline (booth volunteer) & her BWV-marine themed shirt

Vincent (booth volunteer) delightfully ‘entertains’ the patrons of our REx

More queries, more sales, more interest from da people

Day 2 (22Apr) RT Part II Jeff on Life as a Marine Biologist Quote: “Let’s welcome Da ONE & ONLY MARINE BIOLOGIST in Singapore!!!”
In case you are wondering, Jeff is NOT the only one here ok.
Not to mention the swarm of local marine enthusiasts around!

Da ever popular ‘Play our game’ game was a hit at ADEX!

Avid fans of Some local Dive Federation, awaiting excitedly for the presentation to start

The fan base stretches to the right row

For her hard work, our REx coordinator won a highly sought after lucky draw prize! So did many of our booth volunteers & members. Come volunteer & maybe you’ll be
inflicted with the good luck!
*Disclaimer: BWV does not guarantee the striking of any lottery, ToTo, 4D
or any personal bets made by a volunteer.

Day 3 (23Apr) RT Part I Jani on Uncovering Spore’s Submerged Secrets

Ms ReefFriends addressing the future of our nation

A captivated audience!

Day 3 (23 Apr) RT Part II Ria Tan on Life on the Edge

Our honorable guest speaker Ms WildSingapore starts dispensing her 300 worth of slides!

In the beginning, there were a few……which grew to a few too many!
(Actually they were awaiting the results of the hourly lucky draw,
but then again if the ppt/photos were lousy, people would’nt bother to listen anyway right right??)
Well, let’s just say we have good strategy to attract the masses heheh =ob

Yes, we do have reefs & amazing marine life in Singapore!
You can find them on our mainland, northern & southern islands!
Check out http://www.wildsingapore.com/places/index.htmlPlaying the ‘Play our Game’ game, winning prizes & of course our lovable Gillian

Grace introducing the OCEANS to a young booth visitor

Dividing the spoils after 3days of exhibiting, presenting & talking non stop.BWV ReefTalk 3rd June 06 – Jocara Indian Ocean Quest by Caroline Durville Potter

Caroline shared with the audience ups & downs of living on board their sailboat, Jocara and related exciting stories & adventures from the Potter family’s Indian Ocean Quest.

Missed the talk? Dig up more on the online diary @ www.jocara.net