SkÅl sails into the sunset

The smile brigade, Ingo Räuber (left), Bob Lee (center) and Tony Coolen (right).

“Aren’t we just handsome guys Sophie?”

“Want to see what I got?”

“Time for another beer Niel.”

May and Som relaxing in the afternoon sun.

Max (right) explains the intricacies of diving to two long staying guests at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort.

Da boys are back in town... Murray, Tom and Don, the Eastern connection.

Pat, “No, I’m not going swimming!”

Kannika and Rungthip glad to out and about.

Archie (right) reminisces about the days on the QEII with David Ferguson. Archie’s prize, a 40 year old bottle of malt whisky from the QEII, was later auctioned off.

Ning (Centre) and the Doc, working hard as Jan Olav Aamlid outbidding himself collects the first ‘big’ auction item.

Everybody attacks the microphone by the end of the night!

The Rotary Club of Taksin-Pattaya held their meeting on board.

The members and guests of the Skål Club of Pattaya and East Thailand held their Xmas function last week aboard the Royal Cliff Beach Resort’s catamaran, the Island Dream. Leaving at 4.30 the sixty cruise revellers were treated to another wonderful Pattaya sunset and then watched the twinkling lights coming on across Naklua, Pattaya and Jomtien.
A BBQ buffet on board and a live band set the atmosphere, and Skål members Tony Coolen (PolTony’s Restaurant) and Fred Wilson (SBI Superstar Karaoke) attacked the microphone with much enthusiasm. President Murray Hertz was also publicly most appreciative of the hard work put in by the secretary Andrew Wood, the GM of the Royal Cliff to make the cruise so successful.
A light-hearted auction, run by the Pattaya Mail’s Dr. Iain, brought in 37,500 baht for club funds as well as being light entertainment. The cruise returned to dry land with Skål Club members having memories of one of the best Xmas functions in the history of the club.

Danes, Swedes and Banglamung Boys Home win Banana’s birthday scramble

Bjarne (right) presents awards to the winning team, the Danish/Swedish team of Anders Pedersen, Magnus Johnson, Jan Ove Haggman and Martin Hansfeld, at the after golf presentation party at the Cafe Kronborg.

Bjarne Neilson (3rd from right), his wife Kran (5th from right), Bjarne's family, and Jan Olav Aamlid (tall man in the back) at the presentation to the Banglamung Boys Home, warmly accepted by Mr. Anusan Thienthong (4th from right) and the staff at the home.

Bjarne “Banana” Nielsen’s birthday golf tournament was for the 7th year running, again a big success and attracted a big field of golfers to the scramble at Siam C.C. Nov. 5.
Winner on the day was the Danish/Swedish team of Anders Pedersen, Magnus Johnson, Jan Ove Haggman and Martin Hansfeld, with an impressive net score of 54.75.
Runners up where the team of Lumpy Russell, Paul O’Mahoney, Andy Nisbet and Peter Thomsen with 56.75.
The presentation was at the Cafe Kronborg after the tournament, with the usual big buffet for all the golfers, all enjoying Kran and Bjarne’s hospitality.
But the main winners this year were the residents of the Banglamung Home for Boys, as Bjarne donated all registration fees from the day to the boys’ home. The proceeds totaled 26,000 baht.
On November 26, Bjarne, his family and friends donated the proceeds to the superintendent of the Banglamung Boys Home, Mr. Anusan Thienthong and his staff. The donation was made in the form of goods needed, school bags, shoes, socks, milk, milk powder, plus a TV set very generously donated by Mio and Jan Aamlid from the House of the Golden Coin.
The Banglamung Home for Boys cares for 150 boys, 7-18 years of age, who have been orphaned or have social problems. At the home, the boys get fed, clothed, they have a place to sleep and receive an education for a better future.
Bjarne chose a good cause to help, and his generosity was warmly welcomed at the home.

Santa goes to the gym

David, guests and staff

Receiving prizes for best costumes

At the buffet table

Led by their sexy Santa Claus, David Garred, the management and staff of the Dusit Resort Fitness Club welcomed their members and guests at the Christmas party held at the gym recently.
An extraordinary number of members turned up to work out their mouths and gastric system using all equipment on display such as canapes, Parma ham, assorted satays, quiches, cinnamon mousse, and even Christmas pudding. One wonders if this is one of David’s schemes to get the members to extend their membership after the party to burn off the calories they just consumed.
Members winning prizes for the best Christmas costume were Laura Linkomies wearing a Christmas tree hat, and Chiemi Yamada with her reindeer hat.

Large crowd turns out to meet German Ambassador

His Excellency, the German Ambassador, Andreas von Stechow called for another get together in Pattaya on November 30. Embassy officials expected around 300 Germans to turn out for the event at the Amari Orchid Resort. But they would soon learn that number was a little low.

Mr. Goeres, Marion Vogt, His Excellency, Andreas von Stechow, and the general manager of Amari Orchid Resort, Michael Vogt in the recently renovated Lobby of the Amari Orchid Resort.
Throughout the day, Germans from the Pattaya area had the chance to meet with embassy officials to discuss questions and fill out requests. About 120 residents took the opportunity to come.
However, as evening fell, a surprisingly large number of people began to arrive. Expecting “only” 300 people to show up for free beer and snacks, the tables turned when at 6:30 p.m. at least 400 guests had already arrived ... with no end in sight. By 7:00 p.m., the number had risen to about 850 Germans and Thais, including tour busses with loads of tourists coming from the Jomtien and Rayong area to see the German embassy on their promotional tour. His Excellency, Mr. von Stechow was overwhelmed with the turnout and tirelessly spoke with as many people as possible.
In his opening speech, he kept a big surprise until the end. He was very proud to announce that the German Embassy now has a branch in Pattaya. For the first time, an Honorary Councilor has been appointed for Pattaya, Robert Stancke.
Mr. Stancke is a lawyer and has his own law office here in Pattaya on Thepprasit Road, called the Deutsch-Thailaendische Anwaltskooperation, Stancke & Tanun. This will make it a lot easier for Germans, since a lot of traveling to Bangkok can now be avoided and the embassy’s workload can be reduced.
Mr. Stancke and the ambassador, along with the most important employees of the German Embassy, circulated amongst the people. The crowd seemed to become larger by the minute until the lights were turned down at around 9:00 p.m.
Mr. von Stechow asked his fellow countrymen & women to always remember that they are living the dream of 80% of all inhabitants of the Federal Republic of Germany. “To be in an Asian country is a dream by itself, and you all chose to come here on your own, so stop complaining, live with your choice and make the best out of it...and even if the embassy can not make it a habit to come down here, you are not forgotten, you have your own office here now with Robert Stancke as a competent partner to talk to.”
At the end, he thanked everybody who helped to make this evening a success: Michael Vogt, general manager of the Amari Orchid Resort and his hard working team, plus the sponsors of Singha beer and Weihenstephan wheat beer.
The ambassador concluded by saying, “Let us not forget that all of us are ambassadors of our country Germany and Germany is a country which has always had a very good relationship with Thailand and the Thai people, so let us all live like that. Let’s make our country proud of us.”

The BCCT puts on a show for all the family

Christmas at the Amari

Greg Watkins (left) and David Nardone (right) take a moment to reflect.

"See, I told you there was a Santa Claus, and the bar is right behind him."

Show us your pearly whites...

Sunny Claus makes sure that all the kids get their gifts.

Rodney Bain (aka Sunny Claus) and Graham Macdonald enjoy a light refreshment before dinner.

Ken Sly from Garden International School (far right), Paul Dobbs, Santa Fe/Global Silverhawk (2nd right), Alan Craig, BCCT Chairman and his lovely wife Napa pose for the camera.

"We wish you a Merry Christmas."

"Can we start singing now?" ISR students get ready to perform.

Paul Horsting (centre right) and guests enjoy the festive atmosphere.

"had a very shiny nose, like a light bulb.." Children from Garden International School in choir mode.

The British Chamber of Commerce Thailand is famous for their outstanding networking evenings on the Eastern Seaboard. However, the dinner and entertainment held on December 4 was a family event and equally successful, as a couple of hundred kids pranced around the gardens of the Amari Orchid Resort for the BCCT Family Christmas Party, complete with ‘son of Santa’, Sunny Claus (aka Rodney Bain).
The family Christmas party is the first time the Eastern Chapter of the BCCT has ‘professionally’ organized such a gala evening. Last year’s event was held in Bangsaray, just south of Pattaya. This year’s sponsored event presented delightful shows from schools on the Eastern Seaboard and highlighted music and carols performed by students from the International School of the Regents, and the popular gymnastics troupe from St. Andrews, complete with Headmistress Jill Thomas, who was one of the organizers of the evening and plays an important role in the BCCT Eastern Chapter. Next up were Ken Sly’s carolers from the Garden International School performing a ‘hip’ rendition of ‘Rudolph the red nose reindeer’.
When the evening’s entertainment concluded, Sunny Claus announced that everyone could partake of the sumptuous buffet set out by the Amari team. Judging by the lines, the children were better-behaved than the adults. They may have been conscious of reports getting back to Santa if they misbehaved. Following dinner, Sunny Claus then reappeared to hand out gifts to the children on the condition they cleaned their plates.
This first family event was an enjoyable evening for all. Organizers thanked the sponsors of the evening: gold sponsors Santa Fe/Global Silverhawk and Smith Hodgkinson, Silver sponsors Hemaraj Land & Development and MBMG, all of whom had contributed to make the evening possible, as well as the Amari Orchid Resort.

Updated every Friday.
Copyright 2001  Pattaya Mail Publishing Co.Ltd.
370/7-8 Pattaya Second Road, Pattaya City, Chonburi 20260, Thailand
Tel. 66-38 411 240-1, 413 240-1, Fax: 66-38 427 596

Updated by Chinnaporn Sangwanlek, assisted by Boonsiri Suansuk.
E-Mail: [email protected]

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