In moments of crisis, ST has stepped up to support, not just report

Straits Times

5 days ago

On Oct 12, 1978, an explosion on the Greek tanker Spyros at Jurong Shipyard killed 76 and injured 69 others. It was Singapore's worst post-war industrial disaster​.
On the afternoon of Oct 12, 1978, a thunderous blast tore through Jurong Shipyard. An explosion had occurred on board the Greek tanker Spyros, unleashing an inferno that would claim 76 lives and injure 69 others​.
Ambulances and helicopters ferried the severely burnt victims to Singapore General Hospital and Alexandra Hospital as police hearses moved in.
It was Singapore's worst post-war industrial disaster​.
The Straits Times' reporters covering the accident bore witness not only to the horror but also the outpouring of compassion from Singaporeans.
Amid the shock and despair, people flocked to the hospitals to donate blood. Various organisations set up relief funds, hawkers emptied their tills, unions and businesses wrote big cheques and even schoolchildren organised collections for families of affected classmates.
SBS employees taking part in a fund-raising drive for victims of the Spyros and other industrial accidents in November 1978. The Straits Times donated $100,000 to the Singapore Labour Foundation's Special Relief Fund for the Spyros victims.
ST PHOTO: YOW YUN WOH
Any thought that Singaporeans might be an uncaring lot was convincingly shattered by the hundreds who showed up at hospitals to give blood for the victims, noted an article in the Oct 14, 1978, edition of The Straits Times.
Within two weeks, nearly $4 million had been raised for the Spyros victims and their families​.
The Straits Times also donated $100,000 to the Singapore Labour Foundation's Special Relief Fund for the victims.
Nationwide, there was much concern and anger over safety standards at the shipyards.
In a statement, Mr Lyn Holloway, then managing director of The Straits Times Press, shared the company's sentiments when he said: 'Industrial safety must be of prime concern to everyone engaged in industry and regulations must not only be adhered to but should also be enforced to ensure Singapore does not have a repetition of what has taken place.'
The Straits Times' reporters covering the Spyros accident in October 1978 bore witness not only to the horror but also the outpouring of compassion from Singaporeans.
PHOTO: ST FILE
The newspaper has had a long history of lending its reach and platform to those in need in the community.
The earliest known efforts date back to the first half of the 20th century, a period dominated by the two world wars and the Great Depression.
When World War I broke out in 1914, the paper's British editor, Mr Alexander William Still, led its efforts to raise money and recruit volunteers for forces overseas. Singapore, then part of British Malaya, had joined the Allied war effort, fielding a Malayan contingent of several thousand soldiers.
An article dated Nov 24, 1914, documents the paper's efforts to support the Malayan contingent being sent to England to join the war: 'We have been able to supply warm clothing to several men, and have put parcels on board for others who may join the ships.
'We have sent a big stock of cigars, cigarettes, tobacco, chocolate, biscuits, tinned fruit and other comforts, and we have entrusted… in each case a substantial sum of money to meet expenses en route and to help men who would otherwise land practically penniless.'
These endeavours continued after the war in different ways. During the Great Depression, when many lost their livelihoods and more, the paper provided free advertising space for those seeking employment. One report estimates that Singapore's gross domestic product fell by half between 1929 and 1932.
Historian C.M. Turnbull notes in her 1995 book, Dateline Singapore: 150 Years Of The Straits Times, that the paper created a 'Victims of the slump' column in 1930, which grew longer over the next couple of years as people such as planters, miners and commercial assistants became more desperate for work.
In the early years of World War II, The Straits Times set up a war fund, which raised over $6 million by 1941 to support the Allied powers in the war. Small and substantial contributions were regularly reported, even as the paper did its part to remind people to stay calm and follow orders.
All charitable efforts came to an end, of course, during the Japanese Occupation between 1942 and 1945 when The Straits Times ceased publication and was replaced by a Japanese-controlled English-language paper, The Syonan Times, later renamed The Syonan Shimbun.
In 1960, The Straits Times set up a Cheer Fund to support a 600-strong Malayan Special Force sent to the Congo, which was experiencing political upheaval and violence after gaining independence from Belgium.
The period after Singapore's independence in 1965 came with its challenges, including social unrest. In 1969, the Straits Times Group set up a National Relief Fund for the victims of racial riots that had broken out in Kuala Lumpur and elsewhere in Malaysia. By mid-May, the fund had raised nearly $600,000 for the victims.
Fast forward to 1990. As Singapore's economy grew rapidly and the country prepared to mark its 25th anniversary, the needs of the less well-off became increasingly an issue of concern.
A national 25th Anniversary Charity Fund was set up to raise $50 million for Singaporeans in need. The Straits Times signed up to raise funds with its own Spirit of Singapore Appeal, in which it set up a dedicated phone line to receive phone-in pledges.
Journalists were also sent to visit schools, offices and other organisations to raise awareness and support.
By the end of the year, the charity fund had crossed the $68 million mark, with the Government matching pledges dollar for dollar. Of this, more than $1.4 million had been pledged through the phone calls made to The Straits Times. Mr S. Chandra Das, chairman of the 25th Anniversary Charity Fund Committee, commended the news organisation for its efforts.
A Spirit of Singapore appeal asking readers to phone in their pledges, big or small, through The Straits Times' Newsline. This was published on Feb 15, 1990.
PHOTO: ST FILE
Caring for community
Over the years, readers have often called in with offers of help in response to stories that moved them. Collections would then be taken.
In March 1991, for instance, The Straits Times published a story about an ice cream seller whose heart and kidneys were donated by his family after his untimely death from a brain haemorrhage. Mr Chionh Chai Lum left a wife, who was a part-time cleaner, and two teenage sons. Their savings amounted to $1,000.
In response to a flood of calls, the paper set up the Chionh Fund, which raised $160,000 for the family within days.
An article dated March 12, 1991, noted: 'Singaporeans have not only demonstrated resoundingly that they do care for their less fortunate fellow citizens – but that they care a lot, too. And because of their big hearts, The Straits Times is able to wrap up the Chionh Fund a week ahead of schedule.'
But the paper's support also sparked some questions on how far it should champion causes for individuals.
By the end of the decade, the editors had decided to play a bigger role in meeting the needs of the community through charitable efforts.
An article on Sept 21, 2000, noted that while the newspaper had done its social duty quietly before, its editor, Mr Leslie Fong, had decided the time had come for it to take a higher profile. The Straits Times Million Dollar Duck Race 2000 was announced to raise money for Touch Community Services, a not-for-profit organisation.
'We all have to do a little bit more. Everyone in ST should feel the need to make himself a useful member of Singapore and the civil society we all say we want,' Mr Fong said. 'We cannot just stand on the sidelines and comment. We should set an example.'
The Straits Times' first Million Dollar Duck Race, held at the Singapore River on Nov 12, 2000, raised more than $1 million for charity.
ST PHOTO: ALBERT SIM
A total of 100,000 rubber ducks were available for 'adoption' by members of the public at $10 each. On a breezy Sunday morning on Nov 12, 2000, they then 'raced' on the Singapore River. The winner – physical education teacher Abdul Razak – got a $10,000 cash prize.
The Singapore race was heralded as the Best International Duck Race of the Year, smashing the world record for the most number of ducks 'adopted' in a single race. The charity drive raised more than $1 million. In 2001 when another duck race was held, another $1 million was raised.
School pocket money fund
Amid the continuing national conversation about the widening wealth gap in Singapore, Straits Times journalist Braema Mathi wrote a special report on Dec 6, 1998, on the plight of children from struggling families.
The report headlined 'The comeback kids' told the stories of a 12-year-old girl from a broken home, another 12-year-old girl whose family had to get by on $700 a month after her father was bedridden with a stroke, a 15-year-old boy who was his family's sole breadwinner, and an 11-year-old boy who had been picked up by the authorities for begging.
The stories weren't just widely read but also provoked an outpouring of support from readers. Ms Mathi recalls readers calling in, asking to donate money. As the numbers increased, she realised that the paper had to find a way to handle the contributions and disburse the funds.
Initially, four individual trusts were set up for the children featured which were co-managed by their schools. But a wider discussion was also taking place about the plight of other similar children, amid a public desire to help.
Ms Mathi mooted the idea of a fund to provide money for underprivileged children. It won widespread support from the newsroom. On Oct 1, 2000, The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund (STSPMF) was launched to help with the recess meals and transport expenses of underprivileged students.
'The way people were wanting to give, it was exhilarating and also overwhelming,' says Ms Mathi, 66, who was with the paper for about nine years and was a Nominated MP from 2001 to 2004.
Ten-year-old Farah, the poster girl for The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund when it was launched, in an Oct 2, 2000, article on the fund.
PHOTO: ST FILE
The fund has helped students, especially during economic downturns and crises. When the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) hit in 2003, more than 10,000 students received aid from the fund, almost three times the number it had helped in the first year of its operation.
The year 2009 was also challenging with the global financial crisis. Companies slashed their charity budgets as the economic slump impacted their businesses. But the fund persisted with its efforts to raise contributions.
Mr Han Fook Kwang, then editor of The Straits Times, wrote in the fund's 10th-anniversary book: 'We are only the facilitator and organiser of this effort. The real heroes are the thousands of Singaporeans who have stepped forward with their donations and who have volunteered their services. They have made this fund-raising project – now in its 10th year – one of the most successful in Singapore.'
In
a report to mark The Straits Times' 175th anniversary , then editor Warren Fernandez, noted: 'We started with a simple mission. We wanted kids not to go hungry in school so they could concentrate on their studies, and not fall behind. We have stayed true to that over the years, raising the amounts we give to each child, and also extending our reach to more and more children and families in need.'
As at July 2025, STSPMF has helped more than 220,000 children and youth and disbursed more than $100 million. Students come from families whose per capita gross monthly household income does not exceed $750.
The charity now operates through a network of more than 300 schools, 60 social service agencies as well as thousands of generous corporate and individual donors and fund-raisers, to support 10,000 children a year.
Its biggest fund-raising event is the annual ChildAid concert. Since its inception in 2005, the event has raised $33 million for the pocket money fund as well as The Business Times Budding Artists Fund, which helps artistically talented youth showcase their talents.
ChildAid 2024,
held at the Esplanade on Nov 29, 2024 , featured more than 80 young talents, including visually impaired singer Nur Anisah Daaniys Sufian, 12.
In the fund's 2023 annual report, Straits Times editor Jaime Ho, who took over the chairmanship of the fund in 2023, said: 'We need to look out for the less privileged amongst us. The national Forward Singapore agenda seeks to refresh our social compact for the road ahead, such as having individuals and community organisations care for those in need.
Visually impaired singer Nur Anisah Daaniys Sufian, 12, at ChildAid 2024. Since 2005, the event has raised $33 million for The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund and The Business Times Budding Artists Fund.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
'The fund's mission – to reach out to every child in need and provide them with the resources to do well in school and beyond – is even more relevant now. No child should be deprived of an opportunity for a more positive future.'
Student Emmanuel Thevanesan K. 17, whose parents suffer from illness and mobility issues, says the fund has helped his family with necessities.
Student Ray Koh, 17, whose mother is the sole breadwinner of the family, says the support from the fund means he doesn't have to ask his mum for pocket money. It has also changed his impression of what a news organisation is all about.
'At first, I thought that The Straits Times was just another news source that reports local and foreign affairs. However, after hearing that the fund was started by journalists, it completely changed my view,' he says. 'I never knew that we had such caring communities out there.'