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As yet another year comes to a close, SMOU organised a movie screening for SMOU members to enjoy the festive season with their families and to appreciate healthcare workers and seafarers for their invaluable contribution to society. On 18 December 2022, SMOU booked out four Golden Village theatres of more than 900 seats, bringing everyone together for a time of cinematic entertainment.
The movie, “Avatar: The Way of Water,” is the long-awaited sequel to the award-winning Avatar film released in 2009. Moviegoers were excited to catch this highly anticipated film, with its state-of-the-art CGI used to depict the beautiful fictional world of ‘Pandora’ and its inhabitants.
Amongst participants, almost 650 were SMOU members and their family members. Before the movie began, SMOU General Secretary Ms Mary Liew wished members a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, saying that it was good to see them healthy and well. She informed members that this was the first time since 2019 that SMOU was able to organise a year-end movie screening at such a scale.
In the next hall were some 150 NTUC Health workers that joined in at the screening, the majority of which were caregiving nurses that serve the elderly. Ms Mary was eager to convey her appreciation to employees of NTUCH Health, thanking them for pulling through the past three years when healthcare and elder care were extra challenging during the pandemic. “Thank you to our key healthcare workers. Your work to care for seniors is essential, and your perseverance and resilience are inspiring,” said Ms Mary to the audience.
As a special appreciation to seafarers, SMOU worked with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) to extend movie invitations to seafarers calling at the port. A special hall of 125 seats was dedicated to seafarers to enjoy a movie while they spent the festive season away from families and loved ones. Meeting some of the seafarers, Ms Mary appreciated them for keeping the global supply chains moving, noting the struggles and challenges that have been posed to them during the pandemic. “SMOU is here for you!” she assured, letting the seafarers know that the union’s door is open to them if they require any assistance.
Meru, one of the seafarers, thanked SMOU and MPA for arranging for the movie screening and the popcorn and drink. “During the pandemic, we could not get off the ship. That is why today we are very happy as the whole crew was invited down to enjoy the movie,” he remarked.
3rd Officer Jagan from the same ship was also quick to let SeaVoices know that he is happy to be here and that this is an excellent initiative by SMOU. Mizanur, a safety supervisor, was also elated to be at the movie screening, saying that he had very much wanted to watch this movie when it was first announced. “I am very happy that this is organised so that the whole crew can come down and watch it together!” he exclaimed.
2022 has been a year of recovery for the maritime industry and our healthcare sector. Let us remember and appreciate the key workers who have maintained their positions during challenging times and continue to perform their vital tasks.
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