OPA Raya Open House 2026: Keeping the “OPA House” Alive
By late afternoon on 11 April 2026, OPA Building compound was already filling up.
Around 400 OPs, family members and RMC boys turned up for OPA Raya Open House 2026. Some were familiar faces who rarely miss it. Some were newer faces. Children moved about, tables filled quickly, and OPs did what OPs do best when gathered among their own: they stayed, talked, laughed, and lingered.
What stood out was not just the turnout. It was how naturally everyone came together.
Old and young, seniors and juniors, all races, different batches, backgrounds and professions. For a few hours, those labels seemed to not matter. There were simply OPs enjoying Raya together. That has always been one of the quiet strengths of the OP brotherhood, and one of the enduring qualities of the RMC tradition that shaped it.
That is why this gathering continues to matter.
Over the years, OPA’s annual Raya Open House has grown into one of OPA’s most meaningful traditions. It is one of the occasions where the wider OP family comes together under one roof, and where the sense of belonging can still be felt plainly and naturally.
The support behind it has grown as well.
Year after year, regular batches continue to step forward with food sponsorships and contributions. Just as encouraging, new batches have also begun to join in. In many cases, these contributions go beyond simply sponsoring a stall. Batches come together, raise support among themselves, and appoint fellow batchmates or OPs in the food and beverage business to take part. In that way, the open house becomes not only a gathering, but also a way for OPs to support fellow OPs.
Many may not see the full effort behind an event like this.
As Exco members come and go, OPA remains one of the platforms where younger OPs learn the practical side of organising, coordinating and networking. Every year brings a new learning curve for the organising chairman and committee. There are budgets to meet, sponsors to secure, arrangements to coordinate, and attendance to estimate.
The question is not whether OPA can fund the event on its own.
The bigger point is that this should be an occasion where OPs come together and chip in to celebrate one another. If OPA is our common house, then gatherings like this should be brought to life by the very people who call it home.
That is also why even a small gesture such as an RSVP matters. It takes less than 30 seconds, yet it helps the committee plan better and host everyone properly. Small acts like these may seem minor, but they say something about how seriously we support the institutions we claim matter to us.
And every year, special care is taken to make our senior OPs feel welcomed. That effort matters. After this year’s event, one message shared that a few of the “OP tua-tua” felt truly welcomed. Another described the occasion as memorable and congratulated the Executive Committee and organising team for a splendid gathering.
That, in many ways, says enough.
Why do we continue to do this every year?
Not just for the food. Not just for the photographs. And not simply because Raya is a good time to gather.
We do it because events like this keep something important alive. They remind our senior OPs that they are still remembered and valued. They allow younger OPs and RMC boys to see what fellowship looks like beyond school. They give families a glimpse of the bond that continues long after RMC. And they provide one of those rare moments where OPs from different generations and walks of life can still come together under one roof and feel, quite simply, at home.
To the regular batches who have become the backbone of this event year in and year out, thank you. OPA owes you much for the consistency of your support. To the newer batches and individual donors who stepped forward this year, thank you as well. Your support has helped strengthen a tradition that deserves to keep growing.
This year’s event was a success. But it can be even better.
We hope to see more new faces. More batches stepping forward. More OPs seeing the OPA Raya Open House not just as a function to attend, but to also celebrate one another.
That is how traditions endure.
And that is how the ” OPA house” stays alive.
