Morris has always been something of a globetrotter. Having lived in Singapore since he was sixteen, Morris, now 74, worked at a clothing company till the day he retired – in this line, he set up offices in Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Bang Kok and more, helping to scour these countries for new talents to operate the business.

When he first arrived in Singapore, Morris enrolled in a private school, but found himself floundering initially. He cheekily explains that this was because he was more interested in chasing girls than chasing grades! He did well enough to study overseas, however, and returned to Singapore to find work. It was in this first job that Morris would experience one of the proudest moments of his life: at 26, he volunteered to march in his company’s troupe during Singapore’s first National Day Parade. He was honoured to be the troupe’s flag-bearer, and recounts with pride their salute to then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.

Having seen much of the world already, Morris spends his time involved in local activities. He often does volunteer work and exercises to keep fit; he does a bi-monthly hike along the Southern Ridges, which lasts three and a half hours – the route includes the ascent and descent of Mount Faber, a serious physical challenge that Morris faces head-on.

Morris shares his excitement for learning new skills, too, as an enthusiastic student of drumming who plans to learn the ukelele in future. In fact, he recently broke out the drums for a performance at the National Library! Looking forward, Morris hopes to get involved in the SG50 celebrations by taking part in the National Day Parade as he did so many years ago.