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Charity Club of Pattaya receives seventh platinum sponsor
(L to R) M.D. Philip Coghlan
of C.S.P. Construction Co., Ltd.,
Nong and Malcolm Boden from the Charity Club of Pattaya.
Christina Boden
Malcolm Boden from the Charity Club of Pattaya met managing director
Philip (Tom) Coghlan’s at his office in Huayai to receive the Platinum
Sponsorship money for the Charity Gala Dinner, which will be held in
January.
Tom Coghlan is the M.D. for C.S.P. Construction Co., Ltd and Charity Club
members are pleased to welcome them as Platinum Sponsor number seven! For
more information about his company, email [email protected]
This will be the second year that C.S.P. Construction Co., Ltd has been a
Platinum Sponsor for the Charity Gala Dinner.
ED visits PCEC
Sunday meeting
After the usual announcements, MC Stuart Saunders began the
Pattaya City Expats Club meeting at the Amari’s Henry J. Bean’s Restaurant on
Sunday, November 16, by introducing the week’s guest speaker, Neil Maniquiz from
Bangkok Hospital Pattaya.
Neil Maniquiz, originally from the Philippines, is a Registered Nurse, having
received his training in the USA. Neil’s presentation was on the issue of
Erectile Dysfunction (ED), its causes, severity, and treatment - especially with
the use of sexual enhancement drugs currently available.
 Neil
Maniquez from Bangkok Hospital Pattaya makes a point during his very informative
and entertaining talk to Pattaya City Expats entitled “The Pros & Cons of
Viagorous Exercise”.
Neil, with the aid of a Powerpoint presentation, described the normal sequence
and some of the causes for ED. He explained that ED can usually be considered to
be psychogenic or organic. Psychogenic ED can be caused by a fear of sexual
failure, depression, relations problem, lack of interest, etc., whereas, organic
ED is most often caused by vascular, neurological, hormonal, or hypertension
problems. He said that in 20 to 40% of men experiencing ED, the cause is from
having a low level of testosterone. Also, many patients undergoing a
prostatectomy (surgical removal of all or part of the prostate gland) may
experience ED.
The risk of experiencing ED can come about through aging, chronic illnesses,
surgery and trauma, or from the side effects of drugs or other medication. Neil
mentioned that smoking, alcohol intake, and a lack of exercise also contribute
to ED.
If low testosterone is the cause, then one can receive testosterone replacement
therapy. However, if a hormonal imbalance is ruled out, the next line of
treatment is usually with a class of drugs called PDE (phosphodiesterase)
inhibitors. Viagra is the most well known of this class of drugs. It has about
80% of the market because it has been on the market the longest (about 10
years). Two more recent arrivals are Levitra and Cialis, both having been on the
market about 3 years.
Viagra and Levitra work about the same, requiring ingestion about 15 minutes
before anticipated sexual activity and having duration of about 4 hours. Neil
said that Cialis needs to be taken about 1 hour before and has duration of about
24 hours. He also explained that these drugs, in order to have the desired
effect, need some form of audiovisual stimuli. He also cautioned that for those
individuals taking nitrate medications for vascular problems should not take
these PDE inhibitors without first consulting with their physician. PDE
inhibitors drastically increase the dilation effects of the nitrate medication
and can, in some cases, lead to death.
If the use of PDE inhibitors does not work, Neil explained there were other
treatments available. Two other medications can be used. One is injected direct
into the male organ with a hypodermic needle and the other is inserted into the
urethra. He showed diagrams and explained how these methods worked. Although
there were several questions from the audience, no one seemed ready to describe
any personal experiences with ED.
Ann from Bangkok Hospital Pattaya handed out flyers showing the check up
promotions available during December. She also said that, as in the past, if
paid for before the end of December, you could get the check up any time before
the end of March.
MC Stuart Saunders then updated everyone on upcoming events and, in the absence
of Hawaii Bob Sutterfield, called on Lawrie Mcloughlin to conduct the always
informative and sometimes humorous Open Forum where information is shared on
living in Pattaya and Thailand. During the Open Forum, one PCEC member advised
that he had just renewed his retirement visa at Pattaya Immigration. He said
that they are now requiring some evidence to support your address (the same as
they now do with the 90 day address reporting).
YWCA gives to eight charities
Vimolrat Singnikorn
The YWCA Bangkok-Pattaya Center has approved a budget of 710,000 baht to donate
to eight charitable projects in 2009 in honor His Majesty the King’s 81st
birthday.
 Nittaya
Patimasongkroh, chairwoman of the YWCA Bangkok-Pattaya Center, speaks at the
meeting at the Diana Garden Resort.
The recipients for the generous annual donations are: Chai Pattana Foundation,
money for medical equipment for Banglamung Hospital to honor Her Majesty the
Queen’s birthday, Chonburi Female Prison to purchase necessities for daily life,
Chonburi Department of Protection and Probation of Youth to support the
development of children for good behavior, Banbung Children and Youth Training
Center to support learning, occupational training and children with behavior
problems, Ban Jing Jai, Children’s Safety and Development Center to support
orphaned children, and the Pattaya Redemptorist School for the Blind under Royal
sponsorship to support blind children.
At its meeting on November 18 at the Diana Garden Resort, chaired by head of the
center Nittaya Patimasongkroh, the association approved its annual charity
budget, also to make merit and honor His Majesty the King’s birthday.
Nittaya pointed out that these eight projects are only a portion of the
association’s funding of other ongoing activities for 2009, as other current
annual projects are still continuing, such as the lunch project to provide to
provincial schools and the “warm family project” which provides annual
scholarships to needy students.
Hospital trains for fire
PIC employees take part in the
annual fire drill.
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Some 100 people from the Pattaya International Corporation (PIC) group went into
emergency mode and followed safety routines in the company’s annual fire drill
at Pattaya International Hospital on November 19.
The early morning fire drill was conducted by officers from public hazard
defensive team for staff of the PIC, Pattaya International Hospital and Sugar
Hut Resort.
The training included instructions on using gas ovens, equipment to put out
fires and extra techniques on evacuating buildings.
There were demonstrations on how to douse fire with water and employees went
through the drill, especially on getting people out of high buildings. Fire
evacuating trucks from the public hazard defensive team were involved in the
training.
The PIC Group conducts fire drills every year to ensure that the hospital is
ready to handle fires and to train employees to provide the best possible safety
for both staff and patients.
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OBITUARY: Stephen David Donovan
1950-2008
Stephen David Donovan passed away unexpectedly, but
peacefully, on the 20th of November 2008 from injuries from a motorbike accident
on Thappraya Road in Pattaya.
The former chairman of the Pattaya Sports Club Golf section, Steve Donovan was
born in Cork, Ireland and was adopted by an American Air Force serviceman lawyer
and his wife when he was 12 months old.
 Steve
on his red Yamaha birthday bike.
Soon after his adoption, Steve’s new parents, Michael and Virginia Donovan, took
him back to America where he grew up in Bellevue, Washington, just outside
Seattle. He proved to be a good student and fine athlete, active in many sports.
Later Steve graduated from the University of Washington, earning a Bachelor of
Science degree with a major in mathematics and a fraternity member of Theta Chi.
He later received his Law Degree from Gonzaga University Law School in Spokane,
Washington.
With a university degree in hand, it was off to Sun Valley Idaho to earn $2.70
per hour as a front desk manager at the Elkhorn Resort, but he did get free ski
lift tickets and vouchers for golf - and that was all that mattered. It was here
that he dated and wooed the love of his life, his wife-to-be, Monica.
 (L
to R) Steve, Monica, Jake and Stacey.
Ever restless, he returned to the University of Washington to study law for the
next 3 years, and support his beloved Huskies basketball, football and tennis
teams. He then returned to Bellevue and took over the family law firm from his
father where he spent the next 3 years.
He enjoyed trial work, but didn’t like the office work. He had this little
problem about billing people, and if you don’t bill them you don’t get paid. His
new family required new obligations and responsibilities, so another career
change was on the cards. By now he was married to his wife Monica and they had a
daughter Stacey, followed by Jake 3 years later.
Some friends wrangled him a job at the Boeing Corporation and he was now on the
corporate ladder. “They didn’t know what to do with a lawyer on board. I was a
little underutilized,” he said with a grin. He eventually settled into a
position that would challenge his talents and make good use of his knowledge and
natural Irish craic.
 The
Boeing “brothers”: Steve Donovan and Chris Morgan.
The golf course experience would also help in the airplane business. Every other
week he was heading off to some seemingly exotic location; he would come to
Southeast Asia on a monthly basis. Selling a Boeing 747 for 185 million dollars
is not an everyday event. It took him two and a half years to sell nine 747’s to
Philippine Air Lines. Much of the work was again done on the golf course and
wining and dining at the finest hotels and restaurants. Corporate expense
accounts were never better utilized.
Then, Steve and close friend Chris Morgan worked in Vietnam selling planes. The
Boeing Boys had a chance to make a difference in restoring a relationship that
had been destroyed in what is referred to by the Vietnamese as the American war
and we call the Vietnam War. They worked closely with the US Embassy during
those days and were once invited to attend an Embassy party hosted by Ambassador
Pete Peterson.
Chris remembers Steve saying to the ambassador sometime after midnight that
perhaps Boeing was getting its fair share of its tax dollars - the Boeing sales
team having a fair share of beverages and being the last to leave the party.
Ultimately (after 10 years) they were successful and on the day that the
Vietnam-US bilateral trade agreement was signed, Vietnam Airlines signed to buy
seven 777’s in Washington DC.
Despite the lifestyle, he decided to take Boeing’s voluntary retirement program,
even though it was hard to leave. The travel and time away took its toll and his
marriage began to fall apart.
He went to Palm Springs California for 6 months where he had a house, but then
bought a round the world ticket, with destinations of Manila, Bangkok and
Ireland. While in Manila he joined a golf tour to Pattaya. He loved it and
returned a second time for another golf weekend here but when ready to return to
the Philippines suddenly thought, “Why am I going back to Manila?” So he stayed.
That was November 1999.
It was not only the golf that attracted Steve to Pattaya, it was the acceptance
of him by the people here. “I liked the camaraderie. This is an easy place to
get a 4 ball together.” They liked him too and for Steve, success is purely
happiness and honesty. His advice to the new generation is, “Life’s not so
serious - enjoy it, even though it’s terminal,” he said with that cynical Irish
wit he was famous for.
So the man with his round the world ticket stayed here, and that has been a
blessing for us all. Three years ago, all the boys chipped in and bought Steve a
red Yamaha motorbike for his 55th birthday. The bike became his legs and gave
him access to a world of friends he would stay in touch with and friends’ bars
and restaurants he would support and promote, bringing in customers from his
wide circle of friends. Steve always looked after his friends.
His years at Lewiinski’s and later the Tahitian Queen were where most guys here
will remember him from. It was hard to go there for just one drink, his big
hearted generosity made sure of that. His Modus Operandi would be to buy a round
and then leave so you wouldn’t be able to reciprocate.
But this generosity extended far beyond the watering holes of Pattaya. Dono was
very active in local charities and the Jesters Care for Kids fundraising. He was
always there to help and contribute for the cause.
Steve Donovan was a class act. He was a smart guy and sharp guy with a big
personality and he kept his humility and genuine warmth for people the way a
good Irishman should. He loved his family deeply and only blamed himself for his
failed marriage. He was often in touch with Monica and the kids and always spoke
proudly of them.
In truth, he did have many physical problems to overcome. His legs were on their
last legs. His big heart was failing him also, and this must have been
tormenting and frustrating for such an avid sportsman who excelled at golf,
tennis and basketball. They don’t make too many people like Steve Donovan. He
never wanted a fuss made over him and did not relish the limelight he was in.
Give him a cold beer and stimulating conversation, some 60’s Motown tunes and
sports on the television in the background and he was in heaven. And heaven is
where he is now.
Stephen David Donovan was 58 years old when he died and he is survived by his
former wife Monica, residing in Seattle and their children Stacey, 24, who is in
the Peace Corps in Botswana, and Jake, 21, who is attending university in
Colorado.
Literally hundreds of people
attended this remarkable man’s funeral.
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