The year 2009 was an extraordinary one for the Singapore Botanic Gardens, which celebrated its 150th anniversary with an exciting line-up of activities for the public. The year-long festivities, which began with the ‘Tale of the Two Gardens’ celebration in May 2009, drew to a close on 5 December with ‘The Botanical Party’ – a spectacular night-time birthday bash.
lit up spectacularly with the dazzle
of Christmas lights.
Together with Guest of Honour, Minister for National Development Mr Mah Bow Tan, over 5,000 members of the public were treated to a delightful visual and auditory experience to mark the end of this hallmark year. In place of the traditional birthday candles, 150 trees were specially decorated with light bulbs and lit up, bathing Palm Valley in lights. This ‘Trees of the World’ Light-up was designed to involve embassies, corporations, schools and community groups in the Botanic Gardens’ celebrations.
Minister Mah takes a closer look at a tree decorated with recycled water bottles during his tour of the ‘Trees of the World’ Light-up.
The audience also enjoyed an enchanting concert of bird songs, specially conceived to celebrate the rich diversity of bird species in Singapore. Renowned composer Robert Casteels led a group of Singapore’s finest jazzmen, world-music performers, and the Philharmonic Youth Winds in performing jazz classics and familiar tunes. Among these were Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Little Wings’ and The Beatles’ ‘Blackbird’, which were re-interpreted and re-harmonised specially for this concert.
Many came to the party equipped with picnic mats, drinks and snacks, fully prepared for a relaxing evening amid the lush flora and fauna of the Gardens. They were in high spirits throughout the evening, not the least dampened by the light drizzle.
The 150th anniversary may be officially over, but the spirit of celebration lives on in the Gardens. Members of the public can play their part in conservation efforts for the Gardens by sponsoring one of 150 trees at the new Learning Forest at the Botanic Gardens’ Tyersall extension at S$1,000 each. The Learning Forest, designed to house a collection of valuable trees for education, research and display, is expected to be completed by 2012.
Music & Birds
Did you know that a total of 405 species of birds have been recorded in Singapore since 1819?
Within the Singapore Botanic Gardens, 137 different species of birds have been recorded – one third of Singapore’s total. Early morning joggers might hear the calls of the Large-tailed Nightjar and Collared Scops-owl. Meanwhile, the Asian Koel and Racket-tailed Drongo may also be heard singing the first songs of the day.
The Music & Birds exhibition, which featured these and other birds with musical abilities, was sponsored by the Garden City Fund as part of the Singapore Botanic Gardens’ 150th Anniversary.