| Daniel Lim |
THE pouring rain yesterday morning could not dampen the spirits of a group of Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) servicemen as they journeyed to the Belait District to carry out their community duties as part of the RBAF Community Service Programme marking the RBAF’s 57th anniversary.
The programme, conducted as part of RBAF’s mission to foster and strengthen its rapport with the community, was held at Pusat Ehsan Al-Ameerah Al-Hajjah Maryam in Kuala Belait, with the soldiers working together to clean up the premises, carry out repairs on its facilities, clear the compound of overgrown brush and give wayward trees a much-needed prune.
Joining the activity as the guest of honour was Commander of the RBAF Major General Pengiran Dato Paduka Seri Aminan bin Pengiran Haji Mahmud.
Welcoming the RBAF Commander to the venue was Senior Trustee of Pusat Ehsan Al-Ameerah Al-Hajjah Maryam Dato Paduka Haji Mohammad Alimin bin Haji Abdul Wahab and Branch Manager of Pusat Ehsan Kuala Belait Hamimah binti Sapar.
Also present were Legislative Council member and Penghulu of Mukim Liang Yang Berhormat Haji Abdul Hamid bin Haji Mumin, Acting Belait District Officer Ridzuan bin Haji Ahmad, service commanders, commandants and senior officers from the RBAF; as well as staff and students of Pusat Ehsan KB.
In an interview with the Bulletin, Commanding Officer of the Recruit Company at the Training Institute of RBAF726 Major Shahrul Amirul Iqbal bin Haji Sharbini noted that the annual community activity is aimed at lessening the burden of those in need.
“We hope that programmes such as this will help enrich the lives of those who are using the surrounding area, in this case, the students with special needs at Pusat Ehsan KB,” said Major Shahrul Amirul Iqbal, who was acting as the chairman of the programme at the centre. “Hopefully such charitable works will help inspire more people to do the same for other agencies in need.”
Following the spring clean and touch-up works at the centre’s compound, the programme continued with Major General Pengiran Dato Paduka Seri Aminan handing over a plaque commemorating the occasion on behalf of the RBAF to Dato Paduka Haji Mohammad Alimin, who represented Pusat Ehsan KB.
In return, Dato Paduka Haji Mohammad Alimin handed Major General Pengiran Dato Paduka Seri Aminan a token of appreciation as a show of gratitude.
The RBAF Commander also participated in a tree planting ceremony, planting a seedling in the front yard of the centre to commemorate the occasion.