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City presents Meritorious Public
Service Awards to 7 Pattaya citizens
Narisa Nitikarn
Last month at a ceremony in city hall, Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh,
chaired a meeting to announce and honour 7 selected persons for their
service to the Pattaya community.
In his presentation speech Ronakit said, “Pattaya as you well know is a
small city with its unique beauty and way of life. Though Pattaya has
developed at a rapid pace, we have still managed to maintain its charm and
character. Pattaya has developed into a multi-cultural dream city, which
attracts millions of people from all over the world, who come to visit for a
short period of time or even come here to make this community their home.
Pattaya is a modern and thriving city, but if you look closely, you will
find that there are many areas that are still lacking in development and
most unfortunately a large number of underprivileged people living amongst
us are in dire need of support for their families and their livelihoods.
We are extremely lucky that in our small city, we have a large number of
service and charity organizations operated by Thais and foreigners, that
make it their moral obligations to seek out these needy people to look after
their well-being.
Of course any organization is only as good as the people who belong to them.
There are the dedicated few who carry out their organisation’s policies and
objectives in the service of mankind.
Today we honour 7 such distinguished people. They come from a diverse
section of cultures, both Thai and foreign. All of them are leaders and
executives of their individual enterprises and are considered to be
successful in both their businesses and family lives.
They are people of high ethical standards who dedicate and sacrifice their
time and efforts to provide humanitarian service, develop community service
projects that address many of today’s most critical issues, such as children
at risk, poverty and hunger, the environment, illiteracy, clean water and
violence. They also support programs for youth, educational opportunities
and international exchanges for students, teachers, and other professionals,
and vocational and career development, and by dong so strive to build
goodwill and peace in the world.”
The seven honoured citizens of Pattaya are, Bernard Tuppin, Charity Chairman
of Pattaya Sports Club, Peter Thorand, Charter President Rotary Club
Taksin-Pattaya, Dr.Olivier Meyer, President Rotary Club of Pattaya Marina,
Sanga Kij-samrej, President, Pattaya Entrepreneurs Club, Robert Schindler,
of Bob’s BBQ and member of the Rotary Club of Pattaya, Kalle Kristensen of
the Nordic Group and Pratheep Malhotra, MD of Pattaya Mail and Rotary
District Governor Elect for 2008-2009.
The mayor’s message to the recipients of the Meritorious Public Service
Awards said, “The awards are presented to you with profound appreciation and
gratitude, in recognition of your outstanding dedication, leadership and
commitment to community service through your untiring efforts to advance the
progress of our city and for your resolve to better the quality of lives in
our Society and Communities. May you maintain this goodness as your
everlasting symbol of honor.”
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Bernard Tuppin |
Sanga Kij-samrej
recived by son Khomsan |
Robert Schindler |
Peter Thorand |
Kalle Kristensen received by son Tom |
Dr.Olivier Meyer |
Pratheep Malhotra
The recipients pose with
family and friends in front of the statue of King Taksin the Great.
Vasinee Malhotra, Jintana
Wetchote, Lamyai Meyer and Nittaya Patimasongkroh were also present to
witness the presentations.
Pattaya Airpark broadens its horizons
Now anyone can fly
Paul Strachan
Pattaya Airpark held a fantastic display on Saturday the 23rd of June to
highlight what the facility has to offer to those with the flying bug
and those who prefer to keep their feet firmly on the ground.
 Rear
Admiral Chanchai Charoensuwan adorns one of the pilots with a garland.
It also marked the opening of “Princess Siribhachuthaporn’s Center of
Volunteer Pilots for Preservation and Rescue and the opening of a new
restaurant called “The Flyer”
The black skies didn’t put a damper on the proceedings as planes swooped
down over the crowd as Cheerleaders from Asian University provided some
entertainment.
Rear Admiral Chanchai Charoensuwan, Commander of the Royal Thai Navy Base in
Sattahip cut the ribbon to open the new centre, which will provide
assistance to the 15 volunteers who give up their free time to help their
fellow pilots.
The event also heralded in the Ultralight “Beaver” from Canada by CPA
Product which was demonstrated by Nawaporn Sawaetwong (Neil) a member of the
Royal Aeronautics Sports Association of Thailand who manages the airpark
under Foundation for Preservation and Development of Thai Aircraft under
H.M.The King’s Patronage.
In an interview with PMTV Neil said that the Beaver could fly as high as
10,000 feet however most pilots felt more comfortable at about 2000 feet.
He said that the airpark had been open for some time but now was in a
position to start promoting itself more.
With the introduction of the restaurants and plots for sale where owners can
actually park their plane next to their house, its fair to say that the
management have their sights firmly focused on a bright horizon.
Neil added that flying was in his blood, be it helicopters, Cessna’s – it
didn’t matter and that he felt very safe when flying, far more so than
standing at the top of a building.
He also said that enthusiasts could come down to the airpark to learn to fly
and that prices were far cheaper here than in Europe.
Anyone interested can check out the website
www.pattayaairpark.com
Manager of Pattaya Airpark,
Nawaporn Sawaetwong (Neil) pauses for a quick photo before taking to the
skies.
Rear Admiral Chanchai
Charoensuwan cuts the ribbon to open the new centre.
With Rear Admiral Chanchai in
the rear seat, Neil radios the control tower for clearance to take off.
Beavers are go!
Would you go up to 10,000 feet
in this?
It’s not only the men who love
airplanes.
A couple of high flyers
dropped in to checkout the new centre.
Our intrepid reporter is
offered a ride - but declines due to work commitments.
Special discounts were
available for RC (Radio Controlled) enthusiasts.
In between the air displays
cheerleaders from the Asian University entertained the crowd.
The crowd marvels at the
spectacular air display.
Rotarians provide for complex medical
treatment to rural children
Martin Brands
Rotary Club Eastern Seaboard
Chiang Mai and Mae Sot_ Rotarians from the Rotary Club Eastern
Seaboard, including President Steve Ryser, his wife Rotarian Toy and
Project Manager, Charter President Martin Brands, the project manager
travelled to Chiang Mai from June 14 - 16 to visit several patients that
were being treated or were being prepared for treatment at Chiang Mai’s
Maharaj Nakorn Hospital & Medical School.
Toy, Steve and Martin were greeted at the
shelter by their great friend
The US$63,000 (Baht 2.3 million) project provides for complex medical
treatment to seventeen children. Out of fifteen children from the Mae
Sot region, thirteen require heart surgery, and two require
reconstruction surgery to their digestive tracts. One child needs
extensive cranio-facial surgery and one is in urgent need of treatment
for burns, all of whom also require extensive rehabilitation and
physical therapy.
Funds for these projects came through the Matching Grants programme of
the Rotary Foundation.
Toy and Steve presented fruits for the kids
to the Supervisor of the shelter, whilst the younger kids also received
a teddy bear and the older ones a set of books and pens.
Kanchana Thornton, our Medical Partner from Mae Sot, who prepares and
coordinates the treatment for fifteen of the seventeen patients, arrived
the day before with a minibus full of kids and their mothers. She makes
such trips almost every two weeks. On arrival we met seven of the
patients and their mothers, five in the shelter and two in the hospital.
We met about 20 of the little kids who have now become known as
“Kanchana’s Children.”
We proceeded to the shelter, which provides a place to stay for the
patients when they arrive from their home in the remote areas of
Thailand.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rekwan and a specialist
from Mae Sot Hospital visited Chiang Mai to learn more about Echoscopy.
Echograms are a perfect tool to discover heart (and other) problems at
an early stage.
There they are ‘prepared’ for hospitalisation. Their ‘in-patient’ stay
at the hospital is seldom longer than 1 week, even for cardiac surgery
patients. Their transformation from a very sick child to a normal
healthy child is almost immediate and a real medical miracle! After
leaving the hospital they stay for another few weeks at the shelter to
monitor progress and to make them strong enough to return home safely.
After their return home they need to come back to the hospital for
quarterly or half-yearly check-ups.
Later that afternoon went to the Chiang Mai Maharaj Nakorn Hospital &
Medical School, which is situated in a huge complex. With over 2,000
beds, this hospital is comparable to the finest hospitals in Bangkok,
such as the Siriraj Hospital & Medical School, Ramathibodi Hospital &
Medical Faculty, where their cranio-facial patient would be treated and
the Chulalongkorn Hospital & Medical School, where the burns patient
would receive treatment.
Twelve young patients of which five are from
our MG project. Notice that three others have a facial tumour; they are
helped by gifts from The Operation Smile Foundation in Thailand
We were greeted at the Paediatrics Department by seven children and
their caretakers of whom two of them are supported by our project.
Thanks to funds provided for medication and food supplements they are
now strong enough to receive cardiac surgery in the very near future.
She was scheduled to receive Tetralogy of Fallot surgery on June 15 but
this had to be rescheduled as the Cardiac Surgeon (a professor)
unexpectedly had to attend other business. She will now receive her
surgery on or around June 22, as will another one of their young
patients.
A visibly pleased Kanchana with her new Paul
Harris Fellowship
We spoke with Cardiologist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rekwan Sittiwangkul of the
Department of Paediatrics and thanked her and the Cardiac surgery team
for the outstanding work they do. We noticed that in the back of her
crowded office, there were 2 Echoscopy units actively in use, forcing
our visit to be brief. She mentioned that Chiang Mai Hospital is looking
for some Baht 2.5 million (around Euro 55,000/US$ 73,500) to buy a
portable Echoscopy unit for use in remote locations such as in the
hill-tribe areas.
It seemed to us that Chiang Mai Hospital was the ideal setting to thank
Kanchana Thornton on behalf of The Rotary Foundation and our Sponsors
for all the dedicated and often difficult work she does for patients
from the Mae Sot area. We presented her with a Paul Harris Fellow,
Rotary’s most valuable award of recognition given to a person who
vigorously works for the good of mankind.
Kanchana, born in Thailand but raised and married in Australia, lives in
Mae Sot with her husband, a writer and journalist. She is tireless in
her efforts to help children that are in need of complex medical
treatment. Very charming, but at the same time very purpose-driven, she
does not easily take ‘no’ for an answer! Steve, Toy and Martin expressed
their admiration and felt a sense of honour and privilege to have met
her and to present her with Rotary’s most distinguished recognition she
so truly deserves for her fantastic work!
On my way up to Chiang Mai, I made a detour and drove to Mae Sot in Tak
province to review the current status of Thongchai Muhamed, a 15-year
old mentally handicapped boy who walked into an open fire last October
and suffered severe burns to his chest and knees. He has been
hospitalised since the accident. After four skin transplants, his
condition has visibly improved but more work needs to be done in two
main areas. First, there remain two ‘open wound’ surfaces. As General
Surgeon Dr. Somsak of Mae Sot Hospital mentioned, skin graft options for
this are limited. A burn specialist contacted after our visit confirmed
that skin graft is the only proper method. This means a further
hospitalisation until end of this year.
Secondly, and even more important, he needs rehabilitation through
physical therapy (PT) to eliminate the contracture of legs and arms,
caused (over time) by the burns. He receives PT, but only tolerates
minor efforts as they cause considerable pain. As we have seen in other
burns cases, PT is not too much of a problem for a mentally healthy and
motivated patient, but for Thongchai this could be too much of a burden.
A second specialist contacted after our visit confirmed that very small
PT steps are the only option. If this approach fails then – as feared by
Dr Somsak – he may not be able to walk again. Another concern is that he
is still very thin, notwithstanding a high protein diet and supplements.
This will hopefully improve after all the wounds have healed.
Thanks to funds raised by our Honorary Members Aad and Witha Scholtes,
and in particular a very generous gift from Mr. Wim Scherrenberg of
Stichting Hukino, Thongchai receives the best possible treatment.
Back in Chiang Mai, we looked into the case of Wang, a 3-year old boy
with quite large (but fully healed) burns scars on one of his arms. The
Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon recommended not to open the old wounds
but instead use ointment that will ‘soften’ the scars over time. Helping
children in need is one of the best things we can do in life. We really
are very priviliged to be able to do this wonderful work with the help
of our sponsors, The Rotary Foundation, our Medical Partners the
doctors, nurses, volunteers and kind hearted and dedicated Rotarians!
This is a joint effort of many, and all of us receive enormous
satisfaction in return! On behalf of our patients, their parents and the
Rotary Club Eastern Seaboard, we thank all of you!
Special thanks go to our fantastic Sponsors: Jan & Renee de Vaan (Main
Sponsors of MG 61544), Wim Scherrenberg, Aad & Witha Scholtes, the
Rotary Club Pijnacker-Nootdorp and Rotary International District 1600,
all from The Netherlands. Without your great financial and moral support
we could not have these wonderful projects!
We also thank Kanchana and our Medical Partner from Mae Sot for taking
such good care of the needs of 15 of our patients, the Medical Team of
Chulalongkorn Hospital headed by Dr Apichai for taking care of our burns
patient, the Medical Team of Ramathibodi Hospital headed by Dr
Chalermphong for taking care of our cranio-facial patient, and (not
related to this MG Project, but nonetheless important) Dr Kanoknart, Dr
Somchet and Dr Somsak and their team at Mae Sot Hospital who, together
with our friends of The Operation Smile Foundation in Thailand, take
care of Thongchai!
The baby seen here with her mother and new
teddy bear, is the first in line for cardiac surgery.
Wine Club rocked by Wolf Blass quartet
Miss Terry Diner
The July Royal Cliff Wine Club dinner was exceptional, with everyone
agreed (for once) on the quality of the wines, and all enjoying (as
usual) the gourmet food produced by Executive Chef Walter Thenisch. The
choice of the Yellowglen sparkler as the reception wine had everyone in
a good mood, even before the doors to the ballroom were thrown open.
 Dinie
de Vries, Elfi Seitz, John van Zantvoort, Anita Zweck and Ria Hesling-
Bosmans are just a few of the hundreds of diners who considered this to
be one of the best wine dinners ever.
The wines came from the Wolf Blass label, these days owned by the
Foster’s Group, and although everyone associates Foster’s with
Australian beer, the wine side of the business is now greater than the
amber liquid side. Foster’s (and Wolf Blass) were represented by the
quartet of Jake Jacob the GM SE Asia who described he and his fellow
Foster’s personnel as being like a rock group on a whirlwind tour, with
Patrick Low Category Development Manager on bass, Evan Seah regional
business manager on drums and George Samios the global wine ambassador
on keyboards.
 The
team that rocked their way into the hearts of the diners, Ekachai
Mahaguna, Managing Director, Canpac Beverages Co. Ltd. George Samios,
Wine Ambassador, Foster’s Wine Estates, Australia, Ranjith Chandrasiri,
Deputy General Manager and President, Royal Cliff Wine Club, Jake Jacob,
General Manager, Foster’s Wine Estates, Australia and Walter Thenisch,
Executive Chef, Royal Cliff Beach Resort.
It was a good description of the “Foster’s fab four” and it was obvious
that they enjoyed touring, and each other’s company. Jake Jacob made
much mention of the butter sculptures featuring the Wolf Blass eagle (it
was not a parrot, Peter Smith) and had himself photographed with his
personal butter bird and then consigned it to be deep frozen to take
back to his office in Singapore.
Some details on Wolf Blass wines, and on the legendary Wolf Blass
himself, were given by George Samios. Wolf Blass has the reputation of
having put “fun” back into the wine industry, claiming in one memorable
interview that “My wines make strong women weak, and weak men strong!”
He also claimed he was a victim of the tall poppy syndrome in Australia,
having come to the land down-under in 1961 with $200 and being 6 foot 5
inches tall, and was then hacked down to his current 4 foot 9 inches.
The seven course dinner was another tour de force for the Walter
Thenisch kitchen team, with items such as chilled potato veloute with
sesame flavored wakame and home smoked Mae Salong trout fillet later
followed by the Juniper berry dusted Atlantic cod on dried cranberry
risotto and micro salad. This was true gourmet food.
The credo behind the Wolf Blass label is that the wine has to be
velvety, soft and drinkable, and there was nobody that would have
disagreed with that. For me, the Gold Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 was
just superb, though the Bilyara Shiraz was not far behind.
As always it was a packed house, and some chose to celebrate special
occasions, such as Allan Sharratt, resplendent in a gold tunic, who had
his birthday there. Ekachai Mahaguna, MD of Canpac Beverages, was also
enjoying the wines, as he is the local distributor for the Wolf Blass
label. The ladies turned out in all their finery, with Kannikar Ottesen,
Sam Moore and Pat Burbidge leading the fashion plate awards.
It was certainly one of the best wine dinners that I have attended, and
it will be hard for anyone to top this one, organized as usual by the
Wine Club president Ranjith Chandrasiri. Mind you, Foster’s global wine
ambassador George Samios finished his address saying, “If you want to
shout me a cold beer later, I’m Australian and I’m up for that too.”
(Bet it was a Foster’s!)
The splendid Grand Ballroom was reminiscent
of a fairy tale setting.
Rita and John Blogg, Lina Stancias, Brenda
and Don Earnshaw at the pre-dinner cocktails.
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