After over 20 years, more than 45 issues and 10 masthead styles, we’ve come to the final chapter of Fusion, the Club’s quarterly print publication. What started out as a simple 14-page newsletter is now a close to 72- page comprehensive magazine, boasting a circulation of 18,000 copies per print run.
From the magazine’s early black-and-white to its current full-coloured print issues, Fusion has evolved through the years, making its way slowly but surely into the digital era.
As we close the covers of our beloved longstanding publication with this final issue in your hands, the team at CSC revisits the humble evolution of Fusion and what it means to some of our members.
Birth of a newsletter
Appearing first as a cyclostyled copy, produced on a typewriter, the inaugural issue of the ‘Civil Service Club Newsletter’ was launched in 1978. A communication channel to inform public service officers on the sporting events of the Club – then known as the Singapore Civil Service Sports Council (SCSSC) – it mirrored the organisation’s objectives of providing recreational and fitness activities for civil servants.
26-year-long CSC member, Lai Fong fondly remembers the publication as a “plain black-and-white newsletter with some photos and write-ups of past events”. In 1996, with SCSSC renamed to the present Civil Service Club (CSC), the publication’s coverage gradually transformed as well.
By 2002, the CSC Newsletter was completely revamped including a change of name to ‘Fusion’ – denoting the friendship, unity and vibrancy associated with CSC. Its modest dozen or so pages slowly grew to over 20 pages, then 40 and more – in tandem with the Club’s development and expansion.
From a single Club housed in an old military complex at Tanglin, CSC grew to three sprawling clubhouses. Fusion’s contents also expanded, covering a wider scope of events, activities and courses in both sports and lifestyle. Longtime CSC member Kay Siong recounts, “I found that it was quite a useful way for me to get to know the Club’s activities. I liked that I could find news about activities I was interested in – like Mother’s Day, dancing sessions, and overseas trips to Malaysia.”
Evolution through the ages
With the dot com boom, digitalisation made its way into society. In 2012, the print-only Fusion made its foray into the digital world, offering easy access to its members near and far, with new and archival issues available on the CSC website. Readers no longer needed to wait for the hardcopies to arrive by post or obtain a copy from the Clubhouses. With an easy click of the mouse or tap on their smartphones, they could easily read a full copy of Fusion.
By this time, CSC had evolved into a Club not just for public service officers but one for their families and the general public. This change saw CSC initiating more inclusive and pro-family activities. Likewise, Fusion expanded its contents to cover more social activities and events like Lunar New Year celebrations, as well as kids-friendly workshops like ‘Learning Through Script-Writing’ and ‘Mad Science Workshops’, and profile interviews with our members and participants.
The expansion didn’t go unnoticed. “It’s not just a newsletter but it’s evolved into a magazine. There’s so much more content and information now,” Kay Siong noted.
An exciting future
As Fusion takes its final exit after this issue, we’re sure it’ll be missed aplenty by its longtime readers. However, it’s not a farewell as the transition to E-Fusion merely reflects – to quote member Jin Hua – “an alignment with the continuous advancement of technology”. Recalling how Fusion’s past shift from monochrome to colour was ‘definitely an improvement’, 84-year-old Kay Siong expressed, “That’s progress, isn’t it? The whole world is becoming like that. We don’t want to be left behind.”
Sharing her hopes for the incoming E-Fusion, Jin Hua said, “Personally, I wish to see more food articles and local or overseas short trips being covered!”
And indeed, with E-Fusion going live from 1 Jan ’24, the same much-loved contents and stories will still be available, just in a different form – and in real time! Readers can now be led to their favourite courses, activities and events with a simple click of a button, and to more robust and engaging content with highlights and a summary of monthly activities.
As Kay Siong brightly says, “Once my son sets it up for me on my phone, it should be all right!” And with that sentiment of optimism, we await the new E-Fusion that is to come!
Don't forget to keep your membership email up-to-date as we transition to E-Fusion, ensuring you stay informed about all the latest happenings.