You could say that Sunny Fernandez’s career has come full circle.
Embarking on his journey amidst the neon-lit aisles of the retail world in 1980 at 17, he is now back in the same industry that witnessed his humble beginnings.
“I used to sell sports goods at Metro and luxury shoes at Bally. It was an easy and fun job to smile and serve customers, and many guys like me were waiting for NS,” said the 61-year-old.
He rejoined the retail industry in 2015, where he worked for a golf retailer.
No Business Like Show Business
In between his retail jobs, Sunny has had an eventful career.
Living up to his name, the self-confessed joker used to sing and entertain his colleagues at Bally when there weren’t any customers. One of his colleagues suggested he become a singer or musician, sparking his interest to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.
He was further inspired by Joe Ferdinands, whom he met while doing National Service. Joe, one half of the local country-pop duo Mel & Joe, is also a band member of one of Singapore’s top bands, Gypsy.
“I met Joe in the army in 1982. He and his brother Mel appeared on Talentime during the seventies. They inspired me to become an entertainer like them,” Sunny recounted wistfully.
While still in the retail line, he took up a Disc Jockey (DJ) course. The rest, as they say, is history. He would spend the next 28 years entertaining people with his humour.
In his five years as a DJ, Sunny worked in the local club scene and had the chance to hone his skills at Kota Kinabalu’s Tiffany’s Disco and Music Theatre for six months.
At Tiffany’s, he spun records for many outlandish, over-the-top events like fashion shows, arm wrestling competitions and female bodybuilder contests.
Part of his job was to host the event and hype the crowd into a frenzy.
“DJs during those times had to talk and entertain to get the crowd going,” Sunny said.
Sunny eventually polished his hosting skills and became a master of ceremony.
From there on, he filled his days dazzling crowds with gravity-defying games and rubbing shoulders with celebrities like Chew Chor Meng, Joe Augustin and Mr X.
Culinary Ambition
As glamorous as showbiz was, the effervescent entertainer soon got tired of the nightlife. The entertainment scene was also becoming overly competitive, with fly-by-night companies undercutting prices to make a quick buck.
Fuelled by his lifelong passion for cooking, Sunny swapped his microphone for a hawker’s humble apron in 2012 at 49.
He ran a stall selling Eurasian-inspired fusion food at Golden Mile Food Centre, more popularly known as Army Market. Fuzion Kitchen received good reviews and was featured in the media.
“I had great fun creating my own dishes, like Diablo Bolognese, a twist on the usual Bolognese, which mixes corned beef and chilli padi into its minced meat sauce.
“The hours were long and tiring, but I loved to cook and experiment with food,” Sunny shared.
A New Chapter
Rising food and rental prices and creative differences soon ended his culinary career, driving Sunny to where it all started — the retail industry.
Now at 61, he sells golf equipment and advises on the right items to use on the course.
These days, Sunny is more focused on his retirement plans. He welcomes the recent announcement to raise retirement and re-employment ages to 64 and 69, respectively, by 2026.
“Raising the retirement age is a good move, as people are living longer these day — up to their 80s and 90s. It will help them build their retirement funds. We also have CPF LIFE, which will ensure we have money until the day we die.
“I also applaud the higher re-employment age as I plan to continue working. Once you stop working, you need something in your life to fulfil your days; you can’t afford to sit at home and watch TV all day. Also, if you retire early and your friends are still working, there’s nothing for you to do,” he explained.
Sunny is also pleased with the increased CPF contribution rates for workers above 55 in 2024. Workers will contribute one per cent more, while employers will top up 0.5 per cent.
“My take-home pay may be less, but not by a significant amount. At the end of the day, I will have more savings in my CPF,” he said.
The young senior also hopes that senior workers have more training opportunities.
“Upskilling and training will help workers reach certain goals in life or meet job requirements. These days, everything is changing so fast that everybody needs to learn something to gain something at the end of their lives.
“I hope that there will be more simple, easy-to-understand courses for work and personal development. There could also be basic skills like needlework that older workers could use as a retirement hobby,” he said.