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Local writer becomes an author
What is the difference between a ‘writer’ and an
‘author’? According to our newest local author, it is about 40 years.
 This
author is the Pattaya Mail’s special correspondent, Dr. Iain Corness, who
has just had the satisfaction of seeing his first book on the shelves. “I
had my first magazine article published in 1967 and have been writing ever
since, but it was not till this year (2007) that my first book was
published. It was only when I saw it in the shops that I felt I had
graduated. I was now an author!”
The book has been very well received, and within 48 hours of it being
available in Bangkok, the Lonely Planet website had an entry posted entitled
“Funny Book about Thailand - There’s quite a few books written by farangs
living in Thailand. Some very good, most not so brilliant.
“Just finished a very funny and refreshing book written by a Scottish/Aussie
doctor who lives in Pattaya. The guy obviously loves the place and puts a
cute spin on some of the facts of life that can drive many expats to drink.
“Not a very original title, but there you are. ‘Farang - Thailand through
the eyes of an expat.’ by Dr Iain Corness. Published by Maverick House and
worth every bit of the 495 baht I paid for it. Most bookshops, I reckon. I
bought my copy at Asia Books.
“From the back cover: ‘Corness revels in the chaos and charm of the only
country in the world where you can be run over by a shop.’ Highly
recommended.”
According to Dr Iain, the book is a collection of short stories describing
life in Thailand, with all the vagaries and frustrations that life here can
have, and yet why the native charm of the Kingdom keeps him here (and his
wife and two children).
There will be an official ‘release’ on Friday September 28 at Jameson’s
Irish Pub on Soi AR, with some finger food and a keg put on by Kim Fletcher,
Jameson’s Landlord, between 7 and 8 p.m. All welcome, and a limited number
of copies of the book will be available for purchase and will be signed by
the new author.
Dr. Iain will not be drawn into projecting sales figures, but has indicated
that if it sells well enough, he has another book up his sleeve.
Royal Cliff’s Ranjith Chandrasiri chairs judging panel at prestigious International Wine Challenge
Panel of wine judges from
Thailand’s wine hotel and restaurant industries chaired by Ranjith Chandrasiri
(5th left).
The International Food and Hospitality Show (IFHS) 2007 was
held at the brand new state-of-the-art Royal Paragon Hall from September 5-8.
Packed into the impressive facilities of the Royal Paragon Hall on the 5th floor
of Siam Paragon were international exhibits from all over the world including
food from the US, spices from India, equipment from Germany, snacks from the UK,
wine from Australia, cheese from France, technology from California, interiors
from Thailand, IT from Japan, appliances from Sweden, chocolate from Belgium,
in-flight solutions from Germany and utensils from Switzerland. IFHS 2007 was a
truly global event.
Gathered together alongside IFHS was the 2007 Asia Pacific Travel Catering which
not only showcased the latest delicacies and solutions for in-flight and travel
catering but also hosted the ITCA’s annual Asian In-flight Conference program.
New for 2007 were a wide host of industry competitions, seminars and
conferences. The International Culinary Competition that include 8 international
chefs teams, the Wine Professional Challenge, the Thai Rice Foundation
Conference under His Majesty’s Patronage, the Hospitality Hotelier Awards, the
Bartender Competition and re-cycled fashion show to name just a few events.
One of the popular highlights was the International Wine Challenge 2007
organized by the Food and Beverage Association of Thailand and the Bangkok
Exhibition Services, held on day one of the exhibition followed by a press and
prize giving dinner at the Reception Hall in conjunction with the Thailand
Hospitality Hotelier Awards at the Royal Paragon Hall. 109 international wines
had entered the completion and were judged in 8 categories of Premium and Super
Premium by a panel of 10 wine experts from Thailand’s wine, hotel and restaurant
industries, chaired by Ranjith Chandrasiri, the president of the Royal Cliff
Wine Club and the deputy general manager of the Royal Cliff Beach Resort.
Trophies were presented to each category winner and the two best overall winners
by Mr. Chandrasiri at the award ceremony.
Among the winners in the premium category were Chamdeville Blanc de Blanc
(Champagne / Sparkling Wines), Firefinch (Sauvignon Blanc), Lake Breeze
(Chardonnay), Monsoon Valley White (Blended / other white), Delicato 2005
(Merlot), Pedler Creek (Cabernet Sauvignon), Bremerton, Tamblyn (Blended / other
red) and Pirrramimma Stock’s Hill (Shiraz) while the winners in the Super
Premium category were Delemotte Blancde (Champagne/Sparkling wines), Sileni
(Sauvignon Blanc), Evans & Tate Margeret River 2006 (Chardonnay), Chateau Ste
Michelle (Blended / other white), Elderton Barossa 2004 (Merlot), Majella
Coonawara (Cabernet Sauvignon), the Musician by Majella Coonawara Cabernet
Shiraz (Blended / other red) and Evens and Tate Margaret River 2003 (Shiraz)
while Elderton Borossa Merlot 2004 and Pedler Creek Cabernet Sauvignon were
voted as the overall winners in the Super Premium and Premium categories.
PILC Annual Holiday Charity Bazaar to be bigger and
better than ever
This year the Pattaya International Ladies Club Annual
Bazaar on October 6 at the Royal Cliff Hotel is set to be bigger and better
than ever! Last year the bazaar raised over 500,000 baht which has been used
throughout the year to help many organizations. This year the Bazaar is
kindly being sponsored by Volclay Siam, Transpo International Ltd. and
Foster Wheeler.
The PILC has been spending the money and these are just a few examples of
how the money helped children in our area:
Kao Bai Sci School - money was given to help with renovation works at this
school for handicapped children. Your money also helped pay for renovation
work at Nikom 9 School (toilet facilities) and Noang Koboag School (toilet
facilities and eating area in conjunction with Jesters Care for Kids). At
the Drop in Centre at the Fountain of Life, playground equipment was
supplied and at Christmas last year, 160 families were given food parcels.
To continue the PILC commitment to education, at Bang Chang School, uniforms
and shoes were bought for the children; and at Chaglooga School in Rayong,
scholarships were given to many children.
PILC also would like to thank the many businesses and individuals who have
kindly donated this year’s raffle prizes. Raffle tickets are on sale from
PILC members or please contact Cindy Logue, Special Events Chairperson
086-0397811.
Your money really counts, so please buy the raffle tickets and come along
and support this years’ bazaar and help PILC to make a difference to so many
lives. Doors open at 10.00 a.m.
Score a bulls-eye for PCEC meeting
Yet another busy programme was presented at this week’s
meeting of the Pattaya City Expats Club (PCEC) on Sunday September 9th at
Henry J. Bean’s.
 Eric
Hearn has PCEC members in his sights.
This week’s MC Richard Silverberg introduced the first of the morning’s
speakers, Eric Hearn. Eric is president of the Pattaya Archery Club and he
provided a fascinating insight into an activity which whilst it goes back
hundreds of years has embraced modern materials.
He started by describing the types of archery available. These were target
archery, the most popular and competitive; field archery where a replica or
model of an animal is used as a target; flight archery where the aim is to
cover a long distance; bow hunting where real animals are the target; clout
archery where an upright stick and sheet attached is the target and finally
popinjay where model birds placed in a tree are the targets.
The types of bow available consist of the Recurve Bow as demonstrated at the
PCEC, the Compound Bow which provided power assistance by way of cams and
pulleys, the English Long Bow, the American Flat Bow plus specialist bows
such as the Hungarian Bow.
Eric described the sport as a ‘mind game’ which presented a mental challenge
rather than one of strength. To ensure shooting accuracy a 19 point
checklist had to be applied. The Pattaya Archery Club is located in Soi Siam
Country Club and is open on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
The next speaker was Dr Kim Johansen, whose talk had the title, ‘Building in
Thailand from A – Z’. Dr Kim has a very impressive list of credentials and
experience in a wide range of building projects in Thailand and as a result
decided to build Pattaya Bay Resort, a 76 room hotel in Soi 15 and Second
Road.
Dr Kim provided a very comprehensive account as to how the project was
approached. He described how the project was conceived, financed and
managed. Every attempt was made to ‘do it right first time’ although some
problems were inevitable, primarily the effect of the falling value of the
U.S. dollar against the Thai baht. A wealth of information and advice was
given by Dr Kim which would be extremely useful even if smaller projects
than the Pattaya Bay Resort were planned. The completed project can be
viewed at www.pattayabayresort.com.
The regular Open Forum was then underway mediated by Larry King. This proved
to be the usual lively, entertaining and informative session. A large number
of questions were put regarding visa applications. For more information
regarding, not only PCEC Sunday meetings but also the varied mid week
activities, please see the Community Happenings section of Pattaya Mail or,
for more details, visit the Club’s website at pattayacityexpatsclub.com
KCR Homefinder bids fond
farewell to long time employee
On the evening of the 7th of September the management,
staff, clients and friends of KCR Homefinder met to wish bon voyage to Nong,
a long time member of staff. Nong joined the company some years ago as an
assistant to the secretary.
 Paul
Davies, on behalf of the entire KCR Homefinder staff, wishes Nong well.
By hard work and diligence she became office manager and worked in that
capacity for most of her time with the company. She was also a strong member
of the Real Estate Broker Association and was appointed treasurer of the
Eastern Seaboard group.
It was a lovely evening enjoyed by all, especially Nong herself who was
flattered to see so many of her friends and clients at the event. In an
emotional speech Paul Davies, managing director of KCR Homefinder,
complimented and thanked Nong for her hard work and loyalty over the years
and wished her good luck and fortune in her new position. She’s a class act
and a dedicated real estate professional is how Paul described her.
Obituary: Terence William Dalton
17 November 1941 to 3 September 2007
Terry was born on 17 November 1941in Liverpool. His
family moved to west London when he was 11 years old in 1953, and he
remained in the same area for the rest of his life.
 Terry
Dalton
1941 - 2007
He married in 1964 to Teresa and they had 2 children, Kevin born in 1965 and
Pamela born in 1967. The family lived in Heston Middlesex for 30 years until
Terry and Teresa divorced. Kevin went to live with his father in Ashford,
Ottershaw and finally at Kevin’s home in Sunbury on Thames.
Terry was always a great sports enthusiast, especially his golf. He joined
Wyke Green golf club in 1975 and became captain in the 80’s. He remained a
member there up to his death, except for a brief spell when he joined newly
formed Richings Park golf club, where in typical Terry style of getting
involved became their first ever captain.
Terry loved to visit Thailand, and has been “wintering” out here for over 20
years. His love for golf and helping others, led him to become a leading
figure in Pattaya’s golfing scene. He was liked by everyone and loved by
many.
Terry underwent a heart bypass operation 2 years ago and made a wonderful
recovery. His last “winter” here was memorable to his friends, as he was
back to his usual bubbly self, never passing up a chance to “bob” and jive”
… he just loved to dance.
On his return to England this March, Terry sustained a fractured skull after
falling from a trailer at work. Complications set in and Terry suffered a
brain hemorrhage.
Terry passed away peacefully in St. Peters hospital, Chertsey at 4.02am on
September 2007. His son Kevin was with him, and his last words to his father
were, “Dad, imagine you are in Thailand playing golf with the lads in
sunshine.” Moments later Terry was gone. Kevin hopes his father heard these
words, as Thailand was his second home and he had many good friends there.
Rest in peace Terry, gone but never forgotten.
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