The President’s Team On five occasions a year, the official residences and offices of the President of Singapore are opened to the public. Selected rooms and parts of the lush grounds are open for members of the public to enjoy. This is one effort that the President of Singapore makes to share the treasures of the state with his people. While he cannot be present personally to host members of the public, members of The Singapore Scout Association are on hand to greet visitors and guide them through the grounds and render assistance when needed. Members of the public who visit The Istana are greeted by smiling scouts who ease congestion at the main gate by channeling visitors down the various security lines. In the event the wait time is potentially long, scouts will chat with visitors and attempt to keep morale of the visitors high. On entry to the grounds, teams of scouts assist with directions and make the visit memorable by offering help to take photographs. Nothing is too menial and unimportant for us to handle – from stocking refrigerators with drinks to pushing wheelchairs, and even entertaining the children. The scouts who serve on this hospitality team are volunteers. They volunteer to stand for five hours on a public holiday, rain or shine. They do not complain at whatever duty they are assigned. They smile and perform their assigned duty selflessly. It is heartening to co-ordinate the scouts in the various duties, as often, we work in mixed teams, meeting scouts of other units. Often, when registration for the duty opens, the limited spots are taken up fast. It is therefore a challenge to secure a place. Scouts do not simply volunteer, they compete with each other to be part of The President’s Team. Open House Dates and duties 2015 20 February 2015 1 May 2015 (1st shift: 0800 - 1300hrs) 17 July 2015 (1st shift: 0800 - 1300hrs) 2 August 2015 (1st shift: 0800 - 1300hrs) 10 November 2015 (2nd shift: 1200 - 1730hrs) 2016 9 February 2016 1 May 2016 (1st shift: 0800 - 1300hrs) 6 July 2016 30 July 2016 (1st shift: 0800 - 1300hrs) 29 October 2017 29 January 1 May 25 June 30 July (2nd shift: 1230 - 1830hrs) 18 October (1st shift: 0800 - 1300hrs)