By Esther Tan

A MOTORCYCLE enthusiast who convinced his father to allow him to earn his riding licence two years ago died in an accident this week.

Private Abdul Hadi Kamal, 20, a full-time national serviceman (NSF) with the Singapore Civil Defence Force, won his dad over to the idea by assuring him that he would 'be a safe rider'.

On Wednesday, Mr Hadi left the Civil Defence Academy in Jalan Bahar and was headed home when his vehicle skidded along Old Choa Chu Kang Road.

He grazed an SMRT service 975 bus and fell off his bike. The bus then ran over him, said police.

He was an only child and his parents are devastated, said his uncle, Mr Ali Mohd, 55.

Yesterday afternoon, Mr Hadi's family, friends and camp mates gave him a send-off in a ceremonial burial accorded to those who die in the line of duty.

Senior Warrant Officer Mohd Salleh Ali explained that as Mr Hadi had left the camp less than an hour before the accident, he was considered to have been still on duty.

He described Mr Hadi as a hardworking clerk who did his work responsibly.

The brief wake at the void deck of Block 414, Woodlands Street 41 was attended by more than 50 people, half of whom were Mr Hadi's former schoolmates from Marsiling Secondary School.

They remembered him fondly as an athletic individual who enjoyed sepak takraw and soccer and was also the group's fun-loving joker.

Mr Muhammad Fazil Yunos, an NSF who had been friends with him for 10 years, said Mr Hadi had earlier this week suggested gathering some friends for a day at East Coast Park.

'He said he missed the times we spent going out together,'said Mr Fazil, 20.

SMRT said it was saddened by the accident and that it was assisting the police in investigations. The driver and 25 passengers on the bus were unhurt.

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Nov 7, 2008.

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