by Dr. Iain
Corness
A “Jester” in more ways than one, Paul Baker is a
young chemical engineer who is destined to go places. The first place is
Ubon Ratchatani where he and three friends are saddling up for the Amazing
Bike Ride to Pattaya on the 18th of this month. Despite claims that this
could be thought of as masochism, the ride is for charity, raising funds
for the Redemptorist School for the Blind and drawing attention to the
fact that the Jesters Care 4 Kids Charity drive is on again for another
year.
Paul’s
father is a mechanical engineer who circumnavigated the globe as part of
his work postings. On one of those trips to Sydney, Australia, Paul was
born, the youngest child, with two elder sisters. However, Australia was
not his home for long as Baker Senior returned to the UK and then went to
Milan, where Paul received school tuition in English and Italian. “I can
still understand Italian, moderately.”
Returning to the UK he engaged in tertiary education.
“I went to drink beer and play rugby in Wales, and they threw in a
degree.” That degree was in Chemical Engineering. “It was one of the
few things I thought I could do. It was more interesting than the other
engineering disciplines.”
During the undergraduate years Paul had been working on
building sites in Reading, saving up money to go to Australia and bum
around for a year. However, his father arranged for the possibility of a
job with Foster Wheeler in the UK. “It was a choice - join Foster
Wheeler and get paid to go around the world, or go to Australia on my own
and pay my own way. It took me half a nano-second to make up my mind!”
So the newly graduated Chemical Engineer spent a couple
of years in Dorset and then another two at Foster Wheeler head office
before requesting a transfer to somewhere with a jungle. “The choice was
Brixton or Thailand.” So in 1982, with Foster Wheeler just opening their
office in this country Paul Baker received his first taste of life here.
“It was wonderful - life was one big party and you got paid for it too.
Here I was, 26 years old and single on an assignment in Thailand!”
Eighteen months later he was thirsting for new
experiences and took a posting to Indonesia, which was followed by a
choice of Glasgow or Singapore. Singapore won, where he spent the next two
and a half years. “You get more experience by going overseas - but not
necessarily more seniority. You can get forgotten about by your superiors
when you’re not there.” He went on to explain the system. “In the
first 6-8 years of your career you are learning. I’d rather do it in the
jungle than in a cold grey office in Reading.”
After Singapore he returned to Pattaya and became one
of the Jesters, the local Harley Davidson motorcycle club, well known for
its work with charity on the Eastern Seaboard. “It’s like a Rotary
Club on wheels,” was Paul’s explanation. “Anyway, the Harley
Davidson is one of the few bikes I can actually fit on.” The
6’2", 110 kg Paul Baker was not jesting about that one! With the
Jesters, Paul became club secretary and charity co-ordinator and was one
of the driving forces (or should that be ‘pedalling forces’) behind
the very successful charity bike rides held over the past four years.
However, the engineering project he had been working on
in Thailand was to be built in the Philippines and Paul moved there. “I
wanted to follow the project through to completion. I like to do this.”
He found the Philippines very different from Thailand, “Higher poverty
levels, a greater gun culture and Catholicism,” and was looking at
spending some more time here in Thailand. He left Foster Wheeler and has
now joined Royal Dutch Shell and after his vacation here will report for
duty on July 1st in Holland. “It was a great career opportunity, and an
excellent financial package.”
In the interim, as well as pedalling from Ubon he will
be getting married to his Thai fianc้e. “I have to be back from
Ubon by the 26th of May because there’s a party I have to go to and
I’m flying out on the 28th of May.”
I asked Paul what his definition of success would be
and he shot straight back with, “Finishing the bike ride!” He did go
on further to say, “Enjoying every hour of every day if possible, but
I’ll take 80% of them.” He does, however, have a serious side. “I
like to help people, especially kids - but I like to make it fun too.”
His advice to the young engineers of this world was
forthright. “Get as much experience as you can, both work and worldly
experience as soon as you can. Go to places other people haven’t wanted
to go - but learn from the experience, both about yourself and other
people. The more you give, the more you get out of everything - work, play
and charity.”
This fun loving young man had a full list of hobbies,
though some are becoming spectator sports. “I love motorbikes, the
Jesters, rugby (though I trashed my knee when I was 20), football,
cycling, swimming and drinking.” After the Ubon Charity Bike Ride he may
remove cycling from that list, but knowing Paul Baker and his ability to
bounce back he will do it all again.
Even though he is leaving Pattaya soon, I confidently
expect to see his smiling face again. People who enjoy living as much as
Paul Baker does, must always return to Pattaya - the fun city by the sea.
