We hope all distinguished guests, alumni and well-wishers had a memorable evening at the ORA100/RI200 Gala Dinner which took place at the Fairmont Singapore on 19 August 2023! Organised by the Old Rafflesians' Association (ORA) with support from RI and held at the school’s original Bras Basah location, the dinner was an occasion to reminisce and celebrate.

2023 is not just RI’s bicentennial, it is also the year that the ORA celebrates 100 years of its founding. The theme for the dinner “Honouring the Past and Shaping the Future Together" reaffirms ORA’s commitment to shape a future guided by excellence, integrity, and service.

It was fitting that this momentous occasion was also chosen for the presentation of the Gryphon Award to Professor S Jayakumar, an inspiring figure who contributed greatly to our nation’s progress. The award is conferred by the school on Rafflesian alumni whose accomplishments, affiliations and careers have extended the school’s legacy of excellence and service. We were honoured to have ESM Goh Chok Tong present the Gryphon Award to Professor Jayakumar on the school’s behalf during the dinner.

The atmosphere buzzed with excitement as 2,000 alums and well-wishers across generations partook in the evening’s activities spread over three ballrooms. There were performances on stage, an exhibition displaying artefacts from the four RI campuses, and sale of special merchandise by Gryphon Ventures (also available at https://www.gryphonshop.com/). The RI200 Literary Anthology was also available for guests to purchase, and the editor, Mr Theophilus Kwek, was present to sign the books.

The dinner ended with the presentation of the award for Best Cohort Turnout (Class of 1976/1978) and the singing of the RGS and RI school anthems.

Auspicium Melioris Aevi

#ORA100 #RI200 #HopeofaBetterAge