It's no mean feat growing a small club of 56 individuals to a mind-boggling 77,000 members.

The Automobile Association Singapore has accomplished that feat in its 100 years, and celebrated its centennial anniversary with an 8-course dinner attended by some 500 members and guests earlier this month.

The emcee for the evening was entertainment industry veteran, Victor Khoo, who livened up proceedings with action-packed stage games, an assortment of hit-and-miss jokes, and a gamut of cheesy sound effects. A lucky draw with 100 prizes - the biggest one being a 2.4L Toyota Camry - was also conducted midway through the evening. To top it all off, the icing on the cake was a live performance by the 'Australian Bee Gees', who were specially flown in to round off the night's entertainment.

But as I looked around the packed Grand Hyatt ballroom that evening, I couldn't help but feel a little out of place.

Other than Mathew, my PR contact and dinner companion for the evening, most of the folks at the dinner looked at least 10 years older than me, if not more.

WHERE ARE 'THE YOUNG ONES'?

I raised the question when I met AA Singapore's CEO, Mr Lee Wai Mun during Saturday's dinner.

He explained that AA Singapore puts together events based on the different needs and interests of their member segments instead of 'catch-all' events.

This made sense, because the dinner event seemed to be targeted at an older audience, based on the evening's programme.

AA Singapore's the toast of the town!

Younger members would more likely be found at events like AA's Genting Highlands Escapade - a mass drive to Genting where AA made it possible for tech-inclined drivers to try out in-car GPS navigation systems during the trip - as well as upcoming road trips to Pulau Tioman and Penang.

However, I still managed to track down a relatively young member, Jeff Tay, 36, who has been an AA member for about five years, just to find out what his motivations to join were.

The childcare centre manager revealed that the 24-hour Roadside Assistance Service was the key factor in signing up, because he "doesn't want to be left stranded without any help" if and when his car breaks down. Jeff has already called on the service several times when his Italian saloon could not start.

With AA Singapore being an affiliate of the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), members like Jeff will also enjoy such support if they decide to drive in any of more than 120 countries, simply by producing their AA Singapore card, which was recently given a facelift.

GLOBAL CHALLENGES

The Australian Bee Gees were not the only overseas guests for the 100th anniversary dinner.

Mr Peter Doggwiler, Director General of the FIA - the non-profit umbrella organisation for 213 national motoring organisations in 125 countries - also flew in from Switzerland specially to grace the occasion.

In addition to championing causes like road safety, lobbying for lower taxation, and finding means to reduce traffic congestion, Mr Doggwiler also accepted that recruiting new, young members remains a challenge to AAs across the globe.

"The young ones, they don't worry, they don't need to become members - they can fix it (car problems) themselves - they have a different attitude.

"Their fathers are already members. Do you want to be a member of the same club with your father?" he said with a smile.

Mr Doggwiler suggested that the AA concentrate their efforts on drivers above 30 instead, who would be more likely to appreciate the advantages and security that AA membership brings.

"Once you have a family, a house, paid your first mortgage, then you start to feel the need to be safe," he said.

"Then you remember, ah... there's an AA! Then, you become a member."

CHARITY: THE BIG WINNER

One thing that could have raised heart palpitations even more than the Australian Bee Gees, was the draw for a 2.4L Toyota Camry worth in excess of $100,000 (at prevailing COE prices). The winner of the sedan was Mr Stephen Loh, 48, a manager in an IT firm who has been an AA member since 1999.

But in terms of sheer dollar value, the beneficiaries of AA Singapore's year-long fund-raising far outweigh the Camry. Half a million dollars is the target set - and looks likely to be achieved - for the end of the year. The twelve beneficiaries who will receive funds from AA are:

Ang Mo Kio Community Care Network
Assisi Hospice
Bishan East CCC Bursary, Welfare & Community Fund
Dover Park Hospice
Down Syndrome Association (Singapore)
Ling Kwang Youth Centre
Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS)
National Arthritis Foundation
National Crime Prevention Council
National Safety Council of Singapore
Singapore Disability Sports Council
Society for the Physically Disabled

The packed AA events calendar ends with the Centennial Charity Gala Dinner at the Ritz-Carlton Millenia on 16th November, with President S.R. Nathan in attendance. Organisers are hoping to raise $250,000 from this event alone.
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"As long as there are individual car drivers, we will have car clubs, and they will lobby for the rights and interests of the car driver." - Mr Peter Doggwiler, on the continuing relevance of national automobile clubs like AA Singapore.