Ex Wallaby incident: NSF who died was ‘a simple man and a good son’

SINGAPORE — All that her son wanted was his favourite cake on his birthday, his mother recalled. 

That was the last time Third Sergeant (3SG) Gavin Chan celebrated the occasion with his family on Aug 29, a few days before he flew to Australia for a military exercise there.

Opening up to the press on Wednesday (Sept 20) for the first time since his death last Friday and after his body was flown back to Singapore on Tuesday, his parents remembered that the family had wanted to treat him to a good meal, given that it was an “important day”, but he declined. 

His mother, Mdm Lim Teck Kheng, 50, a customer service officer, said: “He said he just wanted to eat chocolate cake ... which he (had always) liked to eat.” 

His father, Mr Desmond Chan, 49, a cargo sales manager, said that his son was “a simple man” who “had no demands”. “Whenever he booked out (from camp), what we bought for him (to eat) ... he would just accept it.” 

3SG Chan, a full-time national serviceman (NSF), 21, was due to complete his National Service this year. The vehicle commander from the 41st Battalion Singapore Armoured Regiment was involved in Exercise Wallaby at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area, in Queensland, Australia. 

He was guiding his Bionix Infantry Fighting Vehicle out of difficult terrain when it landed on its side. The incident left him unconscious and after he was evacuated by helicopter to Rockhampton Hospital, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at around 10.35pm on Sept 15. 

“To lose a son is a painful feeling, but to lose a good son ... I can’t swallow it,” said Mr Chan, while choking back tears. “It is a loss to Singapore, a loss to the (Singapore Armed Forces), and a loss to the Chan family.”  

His parents said that 3SG Chan, the oldest of four children, loved all his siblings. He was also a “responsible boy” who never gave his parents any problems. 

On his son’s National Service stint, Mr Chan said: “The platoon knew that he would be the last to book out, and the first to book in, and he would prepare all the stuff that the army requires for the coming (week’s training).”

His son could book in by 11.59pm at Kranji Camp, where he was based, but he would always arrive early, Mr Chan recalled, saying that he would be asked to take his son there “at 6pm ... sometimes 5pm”.

“He would ask me to buy him a McDonald’s meal, and he would have it in the car on the way to camp.”

On the first day of the wake for 3SG Chan on Wednesday, a steady stream of visitors dropped by to pay their respects, including Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean. 3SG Chan will be accorded the honour of a military funeral, with his cremation ceremony to be held at Mandai Crematorium this Saturday.