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Poetry follows business at PCEC meeting
Treasurer Judith Edmonds
gives the annual financial report as part of the PCEC’s Annual General
Meeting.
It was business and poetry at the Sunday, July 6, meeting
of the Pattaya City Expats Club (PCEC). First up was the business. The PCEC
holds its Annual General Meeting on the first Sunday of July. Club Treasurer
Judith Edmonds opened the AGM noting that it would be a short meeting since
the chairman gave her annual report last week because of travel plans. She
called on Electoral Officer Wilson Fletcher to announce the filling of
vacancies on the Board of Governors. Wilson announced that since the number
of vacancies exceeded the number of candidates, that Roy Albiston, Jerry
Dean, Judith Edmonds, and Lawrie McLoughlin, all incumbents from the
previous Board, were acclaimed for another two year term. Judith then
presented the annual treasurer’s report, solicited comments from the
membership, and then adjourned the AGM.
As part of the PCEC’s Annual
General Meeting, Electoral Officer Wilson Fletcher announces the results of
nominations for the Board of Governors and that the four candidates, all
incumbents, were acclaimed for another two year term.
Then it was time for poetry. Indeed, for 40 minutes, PCEC member Ian Frame
regaled his audience with what he modestly described a “poetry of sorts.”
The poems were presented on slides, accompanied by cartoons, and were
recited by Ian. Ian has spoken previously at the club on building a family
tree and on his experience working and living in Brunei. He has also shared
his beautifully done nature photographs on another two occasions.
Ian’s career as a poet started in 2004 when he entered a competition for a
travel company advertisement in a Scottish newspaper. This was his winning
entry:
Ian Frame explains how he
started writing poetry by winning a poetry contest when on a visit to his
native Scotland and why he considers it fun to do.
“Travel in Easy Coaches to Donegal or Aberdeen,
Or Take an Easy Break in romantic Gretna Green.
Dinner, B & B, and entertainment too,
So much satisfaction, so many things to do.
With deals for every pocket there is no need to delay;
More details can be provided - contact us today.”
Roy Albiston conducts the
PCEC’s Open Forum where members and guests can ask questions about expat
living in Thailand or provide comments and observations on movies,
restaurants, or other items of interest.
Ian then recited a poem he called “Rules to Live By”:
“Never eat a plate of food bigger than your head.
Never eat a hearty meal when there’s weight to shed.
Never scratch a lion’s nose if it has not been fed.
Never pull a tiger’s tail if it isn’t dead.”
The highlights of the session were two poems about Thailand which touched on
a lot of the things many of us like about the country along with some things
we may not like as much. The first poem was titled simply “Thailand”:
“Thailand has culture, sun, and smiles,
And sandy beaches that stretch for miles.
Magic temples decked with gold,
Plus silks and gems one wants to hold.
Where the food is spicy and often hot,
And vehicle accidents occur a lot.
Where street dogs many have bodies thin,
And car & truck audio systems make a din.
Where “falang” retirees may have a base,
And the pace of life is not a race.
Where women are elegant and move with grace,
And it is so important to not lose face.
Where motorcycles can transport five,
And the fish in markets are kept alive.
Where elephants have trouble finding a place,
And the smell from drains could be used as mace.”
The second poem was about Songkran:
“Songkran it is here again,
A time that I don’t like.
When hooligans spray water,
And I say “Take a Hike!”
When sitting on a baht bus,
And past some louts I go.
Buckets of water get thrown in,
And my anger it does grow.
After two weeks it will finish,
And for that I can hardly wait.
A time of no more worries
When I step outside my gate.”
Although he writes the poems mostly for fun, Ian has made an effort to
publish some of them on a very small scale. Ian explained that he took a
collection of his poems and created a booklet using cartoons drawn by
artists on Pattaya’s Walking Street. He had 200 copies of the booklet
printed. In addition, Ian has had a few of his poems published in Pattaya
Mail, in the letters section.
The audience enjoys the
humorous poems and their accompanying cartoons presented by Ian Frame at the
PCEC meeting.
After the recitation, Master of Ceremonies Richard
Silverberg brought everyone up to date on upcoming events and called on Roy
Albiston to conduct the always informative Open Forum where questions are
asked and answered about expat living in Thailand, especially Pattaya.
For more information on the PCEC’s many activities, visit their website at
www.pcecclub.org.
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PILC hosts monthly lunch at News Steaks & Grill
A handful of the over 40 PILC
members that gathered for the club’s monthly luncheon at News Steaks & Grill.
Sue Tait,
PILC Hospitality
On Tuesday July 1st more than 40 members and guests of the Pattaya International
Ladies Club gathered at the News Steaks & Grill on Thappraya Road in Jomtien for
their monthly luncheon date.
The vibrant Trips and Activities team were again fully employed signing up many
members for the exciting outings arranged for the next few months, in and around
Pattaya and further afield.
After settling down at our tables in the restaurant and ordering our choices
from the menu from the cheerful and helpful waiting staff it was time for our
president, Helle Rantsen, to make some announcements. Firstly, she welcomed
everyone and thanked the News Steaks & Grill for organising the lunch. Helle
then spoke about our trip in mid-August on a special guided visit to the Palace
in Bangkok, explaining that is was a once in a life-time visit. She also
mentioned details of the Mozart Concert on July 12th and detailed various buffet
dinners in honour of the French Bastille Day.
It was then ‘time for Lunch’ - we were treated to a lovely selection of great
food, appetizers, entrée and dessert, all of the best quality and delivered
individually by the waiting staff.
The last task of the day, the raffle, as always was enjoyed by all.
Helle also announced that those at the lunch would receive a discount card from
the restaurant. Helle further announced to ‘Save the Date’ for our up-coming
Holiday Bazaar on November 23rd to be held at the Holiday Inn, Pattaya Beach
Road.
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We on Wheels
Nanthini “Nina” Doowa
If you live or have visited Pattaya before you would have definitely seen people
on wheelchairs roaming around the city or in malls and hospitals. The numbers of
wheelchair users are increasing drastically in Pattaya City. But have you ever
wondered or questioned how these users travel?
I had an ordinary life until 2 January 2010, when I became a victim in a
terrible car accident in which I sustained a severe Spinal Cord Injury (SCI)
which left me paralyzed from the neck down. Since then it’s been a challenging 4
years and I’ve been completely dependent on a wheelchair. I never realized the
challenges and the impact of being on a wheelchair, until it became my only
means of mobility. Yes, it looks like an easy task, but each time a wheelchair
user needs to get to a new location, the hassle starts.
Statistics of people with disability - From
24 September 1994 to 31 March 2014.
Source: Information as of 1 April
2014, Disabilities All: 1,744,831 persons; Disabilities alive: 1,509,113
persons; Disabilities dead: 235,718 persons.
Living in a city and trying to accomplish a normal and
independent lifestyle for wheelchair users like me is still a major question and
concern. Being dependent on others limits our opportunities. Maybe it’s time for
Pattaya to follow the world’s major cities and create a wheelchair inclusion
society where the able-bodied and the disabled can share the same platforms.
Before all I must express my gratitude to Pattaya City for the special lane for
Persons with disability (PWD) that was constructed in front of the Father Ray
foundation. This special lane project is a step towards creating Pattaya as a
wheelchair friendly city.
Pattaya, being the country’s most happening city, has portrayed itself as the
real estate hub. It also has attracted a large number of tourists and it serves
as a perfect retirement destination due to its weather, cost of living and
friendly people. The AEC promises new levels of opportunity, therefore the
infrastructure that best serves all will provide Pattaya with more advantages
and opportunities. Pattaya, also known for the ‘Pramahathai School for the
Disabled’, is a platform for the disabled to seek knowledge and secure jobs to
support themselves. In short, the city has attracted and positively impacted the
disable tourist sectors and locals.
The objective of this letter is to explain the significance and the need for an
accessible public transportation for wheelchair users; i.e., wheelchair
taxi/vans or even customized wheelchair accessible ‘songthaews’, wheelchair
ramps, signage’s and accessible roads or lanes, that best fit the city’s
infrastructure. PWD and the elderly population are mainly not exposed to the
outside world. Moreover, the major expenses we have to deal with, i.e., daily
activities, caregiver fees and transportation fees, are crippling our family’s
finances.
Getting around in a wheelchair is a huge challenge as we all know, especially in
a country like Thailand where ramps and wheelchair accessible taxis are not
available. I and many like me have to depend on others to take us out, which
means we have to follow others’ schedules. Many PWD are stuck at home because
they have no transportation modes that can drop them to their destination. Apart
from these issues people on a wheelchair are also faced with issues like
ignorance and negligence.
Bangkok, the capital of Thailand is one of the most popular tourist destinations
and has no doubt attracted large businesses, investors and tourists from all
around the globe. The quality of life now known as ‘The Empowerment Act’ of
citizens has become governments’ top priority in improving the welfare of most
countries. Bangkok itself has invested in wheelchair accessible taxis to give
the minority group a chance to fit in this society, but due to political reasons
all projects funded by the government have taken a plunge. In Thailand, people
with disabilities receive only 500 baht per month as a disability allowance and
are also covered under the universal coverage under the ‘Persons with
Disabilities Empowerment Act B.E. 2550 (2007’).
These wheelchair accessible taxis will provide PWD and the elderly population
with the independence to travel and reach areas that would not be possible
otherwise. Being able to have the freedom to travel or just reaching a
particular destination is by far a dream of every wheelchair user. Moreover, the
inclusion of PWD in the society will educate people about the challenges and
could create awareness to the society.
Most famous cities around the world have seen the importance of wheelchair
accessible taxis and other public services, i.e., public toilets, ATM booths,
etc, which have been customized to serve PWD and the elderly sectors. It’s
hopefully now time for Pattaya to see and understand the positive impacts it can
have for the elderly and the wheelchair user population, most importantly to the
image and status of the city.
Yes, the disability group is seen as a minority group but with those staggering
numbers we sure know that there are many out there that need help. The number of
wheelchair users are increasing, ranging from all ages, both local and tourists.
Let’s join hands in turning Pattaya into a wheelchair friendly city by providing
wheelchair taxis, wheelchair signage, and ramp services so that people with
disabilities and the elderly group have a chance to have a better quality of
life. Transportation and accessible ramps are all it takes for wheelchair users
to reach their destination and to experience freedom. The number of obstacles
PWD have to meet to fit in the society is still kept a silent tale. Therefore,
let’s make this happen.
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Pool tournament raises 600,000 baht for Father Ray Foundation
Banthit Siritanyong, president of the Pattaya
Entertainment Business Club, presided over the tournament.
Jetsada Homklin
Sports fans and politicians helped get the Father Ray Foundation from behind the
eight ball by raising 600,000 baht in a charity pool tournament.
Banthit Siritanyong, president of the Pattaya Entertainment Business Club,
hosted the July 2 tournament at the Regent Pool and Sport Bar attended by top
executives from the charity foundation, current and former politicians,
community leaders and billiards fans.
Money raised through the tournament will be used for scholarships for the 850
kids under the care of the Father Ray Foundation.
In all, 64 players took part in
the one day tournament.
The final match was a duel between Jeerawut Buatong and Manop
Donrat who traded shots to keep the score close, won only in the final shots by
Jeerawut five games to two. Former Culture Minister Sonthaya Kunplome awarded
him the championship trophy.
Manop got a cup and cue stick from Pattaya Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome while
Gabriel Burns finished third, receiving his trophy from former MP Poramet
Ngampichet. Bandit finished fourth, getting his cup from Banglamung District
Chief Sakchai Taengho.
In all, 64 players took part in the one day tournament.
(Center, L to R) 1st thru 4th
place - Jeerawut Buatong, Manop Donrat, Gabriel Burns and Banthit Siritanyong.
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