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Chaine des Rotisseurs looks at new horizons
Miss Terry Diner
The world’s largest gourmet group, the Chaine des
Rotisseurs, met at Horizons Restaurant (23rd floor Pattaya Hill Resort) to
view Pattaya from on high and discuss the ‘menu’ for the year’s
culinary events.
Local Bailli (president) Louis Noll of Mata Hari
Restaurant outlined the suggestions that he and his board members had put
together. These dinners range from a casual Italian evening, through to a
president’s dinner, with tuxedo and chain, to be held in the
Presidential Suite of the Royal Cliff Royal Wing and Spa, with the meal
cooked on site, or en suite. Other dinners are being scheduled for well
known five star establishments such as Bruno’s (in March) and Casa
Pascal (October).
The local Chaine des Rotisseurs has turned into a very active group,
and (the ebullient) Louis Noll and Hugh Millar (of the polished Edinburgh
brogue) and the board are to be congratulated in fostering the traditions
of fine wining and dining in Pattaya.
Marlowe
and Malwinder Malhotra, John Littlechild (standing l-r) and Douglas
Rosario (seated) enjoy the evening.
For
once Louis takes his beautiful wife Paiwan out (of the kitchen) to see the
sights of town.
“And
what do you owe your success to” asks Dr. Iain Corness (right) of Louis
for the Pattaya Mail Plus TV programme.
More
happy people. Standing (l-r) are Malwinder and Elfi Seitz, seated are the
lovely Richard and Janet Smith.
The
regulars, (l-r) Wim de Vries, Jan Olav Aamlid, Dirjke Frei, Dinie de Vries
and Hans Frei.
The
most gracious host of the evening Chef Jack Pfaff (centre) flanked by Hans
Banziger, Elfi Seitz, Chris Kridakorn-Odbratt and Randy Nelson of
Nelson’s Autohaus.
Rotarians asked to “Stand up
for the rights of children”
Children from broken homes need the power of love
Last week members of the Rotary Club of Jomtien-Pattaya celebrated the
Year of the Monkey at their regular meeting held in the Rotary Room of the
Royal Cliff Grand Hotel with a lavish Chinese meal, prepared by the chefs of
the resort. But it was not to be just celebrations, as the guest speaker
that evening was Jorgen Guldborg Rasmssen, president of the World Scout
Committee’s Honors and Awards Committee who had a lot to say, which
enlightened the gathering about “Rotary and the World Scout Movement.”
 President
Peter Malhotra presents a certificate of appreciation to Jorgen Rasmussen
for his outstanding dedication to the Scouts and Rotary movements.
Sutham Phanthusak, international commissioner of the
Scout movement in Thailand, accompanied him. Sutham was president of the
Rotary Club of Pattaya twice and is now an honorary member of the Rotary
Club of Jomtien-Pattaya.
In his introduction speech, Jorgen said that Lord Baden
Powell established the World Scout movement in 1907, just two years after
Rotary was founded. Giving an insight into the principles of the
organization he continued, “The mission of Scouting is to contribute to
the education of young people through a value system based on the Scout
Promise and Law. The pledge aims to help build a better world where people
are fulfilled as individuals and play a constructive role in society. This
is achieved by involving them during their formative years in a non-formal
educational process using a specific method that makes each individual the
principal agent of his or her development as a self-reliant, supportive,
responsible and committed person, assisting them to establish a value system
based upon spiritual, social and personal principles as expressed in the
Promise and Law.”
(l-r)
Jan olav Aamlid, Sutham Phanthusak, Jorgen Rasmussen, President Peter
Malhotra and President Elect (2005-06) Chris Gibbins.
Jorgen went on to say, “There are so many similarities
between the Scouts and Rotarians. Mainly, our organizations are built like a
pyramid with a very wide base and tapers to the top, unlike some
organizations that start at the narrow tip and spread to the wide base. This
proves that we have a much more solid base because it is constructed on the
foundation of team spirit and unity of the masses. This makes us strong from
the bottom up.”
Quoting Lord Baden Powell, founder of the Scouting
Movement Jorgen said, “The movement embodies the spirit of happy
comradeship which cannot fail in bringing about what we all pray for -
goodwill and world peace.”
 All
decked out in their finest Chinese costumes, (l-r) PP Bruno Keller, PDG
Premprecha Dibbayawan, PP Erika Keller and Ferenc Friscai.
"Scouting is unique,” said Jorgen. “We come in very
close contact with the people especially children. Scouting gives the
children, especially those from broken homes, an opportunity to belong and
to be touched by camaraderie and love.”
Jorgen said that one of his duties at the moment is to
re-establish the Scouting Movement in Eastern Europe. “This is one vast
area where the children desperately need us. Having gone through decades of
turmoil and suffering, the aftermath has left millions of young people
without families or anyone that cared for them, taught them, guided them and
least of all, gave them love and warmth.”
The
Scandinavian Rotarians and families. (l-r) Brita Holst, Cath Christensen,
Tore Trosdahl, Helge Holst, Jorgen Rasmussen, Jan Olav Aamlid and Dr. Ola
Oleivsgard.
“As chairman of the European Scout Foundation, I must
see that this significant project succeeds for the sake of future
generations and it will be my biggest challenge,” said Jorgen.
Jorgen Guldborg Rasmssen was knighted by Queen Margaret
II of Denmark for his tireless work for children in International Scouting
and has received the United Nations Medal for service to peace. This
remarkable man ended his talk by asking the Rotarians to make a pledge:
‘Stand up for the rights of children’.
Motorcycle safety: ‘Hats off’ to you, Bruce Hoppe
by Peter Cummins
It was rather a case of ‘hats (helmets) on’. Indeed,
a most appropriate and timely gesture at the Pattaya Mail offices on
Saturday, when Bruce Hoppe, managing director of Emerson Electric Thailand,
arrived with a load of top-quality motorcycle helmets, incorporating the
latest safety features and technical advances, and distributed them to the Pattaya
Mail and Pattaya Blatt staff.
 The
Pattaya Mail and Pattaya Blatt team can now feel a lot safer as they ride
their motorbikes wearing these high quality crash helmets. Flanking them are
Peter Cummins and Peter Malhotra (1st & 2nd left) and Bruce Hoppe
(right).
Bruce was not setting any precedents here. He was merely
extending what he had already instituted for his motorcycle riders at
Emerson Electric on the Eastern Seaboard’s Industrial Estate. Do not mount
even a stationary bike without donning a safety helmet. But, not any old
helmet: the crash-tested and safety-proven head protection he had specially
made for his staff. “In fact,” he noted, as Pattaya Mail MD Peter
Malhotra produced some of the battered head-gear worn by the Mail
delivery staff, messengers and staff, “helmets like these are not only
lacking protection, they can be down-right dangerous in a crash.” Bruce,
who has flown light planes, drag-raced cars and motorcycles and taken up
scuba diving, should knows what safety is all about.
 “Never,
ever wear such low grade helmets ever again. Your heads are worth much more
that this,” exclaims Bruce Hoppe as he dumps a cheap low grade plastic
bucket (helmet) into the garbage bag.
With that, Peter produced a big black garbage bag and,
with much gusto, consigned the old helmets to the trashcan.
A large sign displayed at the Pattaya Mail office
instructs the staff to wear safety helmets at all times, not only to help
avoid serious - even, fatal - injuries, but to set an example in Pattaya of
the newspaper’s dedication to safe driving. Now, the old, battered helmets
are gone forever.
 Suchada
Tupchai, assistant editor, receives her brand new crash helmet. “Pattaya
Mail must set a good example for every one in the community.”
An engineer by profession and a leader in his chosen
field, Bruce’s dedication to safety - whether on the roads, in the air or
under water - or in and around the Emerson facilities - has been rewarded by
the Emerson parent body in the United States which recently conferred the
Gold Medal for an unblemished operation in Thailand.
Actually, an address entitled, “The Road Toll: how much
will we accept” which Pattaya Mail man Dr Iain Corness - himself a
campaigner on road safety and once a resource person on the Australian
National Road Safety Council - delivered to the Pattaya-Jomtien Rotary Club
early last month, motivated Bruce to explain his company’s concern and was
the catalyst in the helmet delivery.
As can be seen from the photographs, the many pretty
girls working at the Pattaya Mail looked even better in their
brand-new, shiny helmets, smiling through the transparent eye-protective
visas.
To all this, I can add a small anecdote. While I was
covering one of the 17 Phuket King’s Cup Regattas some years ago for the
press, I had the great fortune to meet the Danish Royal Consort, Prince
Henrik who was - and still is - a top-class sailor. He absolutely loved
Phuket and delighted, when he was not out on the Andaman Sea, to “sneak”
out of the (then) Phuket Yacht Club Hotel on a 50cc motorcycle and go
cruising ‘incognito’ around the island. I knew his timing, so one day I
hid in the bushes at the hotel gate and photographed him as he rode past.
That photograph - with the Prince’s permission, of
course - was blown-up to almost life-size and framed in the motorcycle
parking lot. The Prince was wearing a safety helmet and became the role
model for the staff commuting on motorcycles. The management pointed out
that there was a hidden camera which recorded all entries and exits at the
gate and there would be severe penalties - even dismissal - if anyone was
caught without a helmet.
The ruse worked and, up ‘til this day, there has not
been a fatality among the staff, although the death rate for Phuket at large
is quite high.
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