Mr Tan Hwee Hock

Mr Tan Hwee Hock graduated from the Teacher Training College (TTC) in 1952 and was among the early PE teachers to be sent to Loughborough College for formal Physical Education (PE) teacher training in 1956. As early as the 1960s, he, together with other PE pioneers, believed and advocated for the establishment of a local training institute to cater to the professional development of PE and sports teachers in Singapore.

Mr Tan was a pioneer PE teacher and an outstanding sportsman in aquatics. He served in every aspect of PE and sport in Singapore schools. He had taught PE in both primary and secondary schools, and in TTC. He later became a specialist inspector with Extra-curricular Activities Centre (ECAC) Branch and with Curriculum Development Branch at MOE. He then returned to teach PE as a lecturer at Institute of Education (IE), College of Physical Education (CPE).

Mr Tan was one of the first aquatics specialists who took the nation to great sporting heights. He represented Singapore in swimming and water polo at the first Asian Games in New Delhi, 1951, where he won 2 silvers - one for 4 x 100m medley and one for water polo. In 1954, he won an Asian Games gold with Singapore’s water polo team in Manila. He was often the goal scoring inspiration for the early water polo teams in international competitions.

Besides being an outstanding athlete, Mr Tan also served as a coach in aquatics. Among his many appointments as a coach, he was coach of the Singapore water polo team (Asian Games, Jakarta, 1962) and coach of the Malaysian swimming team (Olympic Games, Tokyo, 1964). In 1986, he was awarded Coach of the Year (Water Polo) by Singapore Sports Council for the success of the national water polo team.
 

Recollections of Mr Tan Hwee Hock by former PE students:

• A Teacher of Values

  I remember Mr Tan Hwee Hock as a strict and very effective coach. His training sessions in the pool were legendary as they were very strenuous to many of us who were average swimmers. The beauty of it all is that many of us improved our swimming techniques and fitness in leaps and bounds. The earlier batch of CPE/SPE trainee teachers were privileged, indeed, to have great and veteran coaches like Mr Tan Hwee Hock, Mr Lim Hock Ann, and Mr Lawrence Ho (to name a few) who made a great difference in developing our technical skills and knowledge in various sports.

  Mr Tan is also a gentleman. One of the lasting lessons I learned from him took place at a volleyball training session conducted by him during my first year in CPE. He asked me to get him a cup of water. I handed the cup to him in one hand and was promptly “corrected” by him on the proper way to treat our elderly with respect. This lesson created a lasting impression on me as I have since consciously handed and received gifts from people with two hands! Who say sports coaches and instructors do not teach values? 

  Tay Kim Seng
  Assistant Director (Outdoor Education), MOE

• The Formidable Swimmer with a Sense of Humour

  Mr Tan taught us swimming. I was awe struck by his stature and huge palm size. Yet, when he plunged into the pool, just like an expert platform diver, there were minimal splashes. Then, as he emerged from the under the water line, the shiny scalp reflecting the sunshine, blinding our eyes, he glided past the group of then CPE students - swift and silent, and as graceful as a submarine. That was a demonstration of swimming from Mr Tan, and that was the standard he expected.

  Mr Tan had a loud, deep and stern voice that commanded respect and attention. He said that that it was the key to class management. We often feared this big, stern man whom we didn’t want to mess around with. Yet, when it was time to graduate, Mr Tan started to laugh and joke around with us. This formidable man actually has a great sense of humour!

  Chan Chee Wei
  Director (Health, PE and Recreation), Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)
      

References

Aplin, N. (Eds.). (2009). Perspectives on Physical Education and Sports Science in Singapore: An Eye on the Youth Olympic Games 2010. Singapore: McGraw-Hill Education (Asia).

Coach of the year: Tan Hwee Hock (1986). SSC Sports Museum.

A Note of Appreciation

PESTA would like to thank Mr Tan Hwee Hock for the interview on 29 July 2011. We would also like to thank Prof Nick Aplin, Mr Robert Tan and Mr Antony Gomez for their sharing on Mr Tan Hwee Hock.