On Saturday night September 20th, the Aranda Ballroom at the Amari Ocean Pattaya was again sold out for the 4th Annual Gala Party Night staged by Jester’s Care for Kids. The gala is one of the Jesters few fund-raising events and all who attend are appreciative of the work done by this group in assisting disadvantaged youth in our community. Shown here, Bernie Tuppin (right) presents Gator (3rd left) and his family the top prize in this year’s Grand Raffle – a Honda PCX 150 motorbike. This is the second time Gator has won the grand prize of a motorcycle in the past 3 years; he said that he would give it to his daughter.
Jesters Care For Kids 2014 Sponsored by Glencore International and Canadian Jackalope Open
On Saturday night September 20th, the Aranda Ballroom at the Amari Ocean Pattaya was again the venue for the 4th Annual Gala Party Night staged by Jester’s Care for Kids. This event, one of the most popular on Pattaya’s social calendar, was again sold out and enjoyed by all who attended. The Gala is one of the Jesters few fund-raising events and all who attend are appreciative of the work done by this group in assisting disadvantaged youth in our community.
On arrival party goers were welcomed in the foyer with easy listening background music, complimentary drinks and hors d’oeuvres supplied and served by the attentive Amari staff. On display front and center was the feature prize for the grand raffle drawing, which was a new red Honda PCX motor scooter donated by the Jesters MC. Jester’s committee members were kept busy checking admissions and selling raffle tickets to the arriving guests.
It was soon time to enter the main hall, where the party would get underway. Our emcee for the evening, Paul Strachan, took to the stage to set the night’s agenda. Then it was time for food. The Amari once again supplied the most amazing buffet with something to satisfy all tastes; certainly no place for weight watchers.
While everyone was enjoying the food and wine, the foyer music continued until local group Slow Ride took the stage to render their unique brand of blues with vocalist Mary getting up close and personal with the guests. It was a great show by very talented musicians with the likes of Tony Stevens and Snowman.
On Saturday night September 20th, the Aranda Ballroom at the Amari Ocean Pattaya was again sold out for the 4th Annual Gala Party Night staged by Jester’s Care for Kids. The gala is one of the Jesters few fund-raising events and all who attend are appreciative of the work done by this group in assisting disadvantaged youth in our community. Shown here, Bernie Tuppin (right) presents Gator (3rd left) and his family the top prize in this year’s Grand Raffle – a Honda PCX 150 motorbike. This is the second time Gator has won the grand prize of a motorcycle in the past 3 years; he said that he would give it to his daughter.
Between the set by Slowride and the first live auction bidding for the evening, Jester’s Chairman Lewis [Woody] Underwood officially welcomed everybody and thanked our major sponsors. Particularly of note was the milestone reached by Mike Koerner, who has donated one million baht over the last ten years. In the meantime, a power point presentation was on the big screen depicting the work carried out by Jesters Care for Kids over the past year.
Jesters Care for Kids Charity Chairman Lewis “Woody” Underwood welcomes everyone with a heart felt speech where he acknowledged the numerous generous sponsors.
The first stage of the auction then began competently conducted by Mark Rogers. This year’s array of items were most varied; sports-themed memorabilia which featured autographed jerseys and photos of greats from hockey and golf were popular, as well as a signed NFL helmet by Joe Montana.
Multi-instrumentalist Paul Rosenberg heralds the start of the Grand Raffle.
The art aficionados could bid on paintings, bronze statues and ceramic artifacts and a grandfather clock from Myanmar. Of special note, were the 3 beautiful charcoal drawings by artist Mathew Fournier. For those chasing music memorabilia, posters featuring The Who, Mott the Hoople and Uriah Heep were available, along with two great guitars. The electric one was beautifully handcrafted by Niven Walters featuring the Jester’s Logo while the acoustic one was donated by Thailand’s hugely popular Carabao signed by all members of the band.
A boxed set of Johnny Walker aged whiskies donated by Joe Banks attracted the most interest from those that like a wee dram. This item garnered the biggest bid of the night at 34,000 baht.
For anyone interested in something completely different an Iraqi Military certificate was available. There were many other interesting items on display for the silent auction and guests were advised to lodge their bids on these throughout the evening.
With the first part of the auction over and the cutlery and crockery cleared, an alternative pop rock Band Goobah Gun took to the stage. This English group, consisting of Ian, Tim and Paul, who have an international following, played tracks from their latest album. Judging by audience reaction it will do very well. The second part of the auction followed with some spirited bidding for the remaining items before the first five grand raffle prizes were drawn live. Uncannily, the first prize Honda PCX went to Gator for the second time in our four years of the Gala. As a time-saving measure, the winners for the remaining prizes were displayed via power point.
An added bonus for guests were a number of door prizes – these were delivered direct to the lucky winners during the evening again to allow more time for entertainment. For those who were not in attendance, the full list appears at the end of this article.
To close the formal part of the evening, the winning bidders for the silent auction were announced, and then it was time to get in the groove again with Goobah Gun, who returned to the stage and rocked the crowd. The popular group, The Core, with years of international experience, displayed their professionalism worthy of any occasion and wrapped up the evening.
Local legend Mary sings her heart out and entertains the crowd.
Another great night came to a close with winners excited, dancers exhausted, drinkers merry, and everybody was pleased that they came.
As always there are so many to thank for making such an event possible: Jesters Care for Kids committee, who put in so much time to ensure a great party; the prize donors for their generosity; Amari Ocean management and staff for the venue and service; and particularly the entertainers, the emcee and the auctioneer, all of whom donate their special talents freely.
Thanks to all who participated; many of the special children in our community will benefit.
If you would like more information, please go to www. care4kids.info, www.facebook.com/jesterscare.kids and/or https://twitter.com/JestersCare4Kid.
| Jesters Gala Party Night auctions winners: | |||||
| Order | No. | Item | Donated by | Winner | Bid |
| 1 | 18 | Charcoal drawing – Sandman | Mark Gorda | 17,500 | |
| 2 | 8 | Hockey jersey signed by Gordie Howe | Todd Moren | 20,000 | |
| 3 | 14 | Johnny Walker box set | Joe Banks | 34,000 | |
| 4 | 3 | Uriah Heep signed poster | Dieter Schobel | 5,000 | |
| 5 | 4 | Joe Montana signed SF 49er’s helmet | Ian Harrington and Steve Gray | 20,000 | |
| 6 | 24 | Carabao folk guitar signed by the band | Bjarne Nielsen | 31,000 | |
| 7 | 17 | Charcoal drawing – The Cat is back | Matthew Fournier | 15,000 | |
| 8 | 2 | Burmese antique bronze statues | Anonymous | 15,000 | |
| 9 | 19 | Charcoal drawing – Skull | Mark Gorda | 21,000 | |
| 10 | 6 | Home-crafted electrical guitar with Jesters logos | Niven Walters | 16,000 | |
| 11 | 5 | Ryder Cup 2012 cap and flag signed by winning team | Mark Sherwood | 16,000 | |
| 12 | 16 | The Who Quadrophenia poster signed | Leo Blues Bar | 11,500 | |
| 13 | 9 | Signed hockey jersey sign by Sidney Crosby | Anonymous | 15,000 | |
| 14 | 15 | Iraqi military certificate | Mike Soloman | 1,500 | |
| 15 | 12 | Electric bass guitar | Anonymous | 5,000 | |
| 16 | 13 | Signed Johnny Bower photo | Luc Lafreniere | 4,000 | |
| 17 | 7 | Arnold Palmer signed photo | Bobby Taylor | 4,000 | |
| 18 | 20 | Mott the Hoople signed poster | Niven Walters | 3,500 | |
| 19 | 1 | Antique Burmese set of 6 framed deities | Anonymous | 8,000 | |
| 20 | 26 | Antique clock | Mark Gorda | 5,500 | |
| 21 | 25 | Tea pot and cosy | Mark Gorda | 13,000 | |
| 22 | 27 | Catamongst Thepigeons Barossa Shiraz | Judi McNamara | 2,500 | |
| 23 | 28 | Bundaberg Rum – Double Barrel | Judi McNamara | 10,000 | |
| 24 | 29 | Backstage Pass medley (35) | Judi McNamara | 1,000 | |
| 295,000 | |||||
| Jesters Gala Party Night Grand Raffle winners: | ||||
| No. | Prize | Donator | Winner | Ticket Number |
| 1 | Honda PCX 150 | Jesters MC | Gator | 3470 |
| 2 | Car Rental voucher from Q Cars | Q Cars | Wix | 1925 |
| 3 | Trip for 4 to River Kwai | Judi McNamara | Elfi | 1896 |
| 4 | iPhone 5c 16GB | Capt. Steve Ponter | Muffy | 3366 |
| 5 | Samsung Galaxy Tab II | Jeff Paladeau | Michelle | 1500 |
| 6 | iPad Mini 16B | Capt. Steve Ponter | Paul Janzen | 1539 |
| 8 | Nirvana Resort, Koh Chang. 2 nights, inc. ABF and dinner for 2 PAX | Nirvana Resort | Paul Carumba | 737 |
| 7 | Discovery Dives x 2 | Mermaids Dive Center | Dale | 2356 |
| 9 | Discovery Dives x 2 | Mermaids Dive Center | Alan | 1472 |
| 10 | Wellness Center – Complete blood evalution | Maximum Performance | Banks | 1177 |
| 11 | Wellness Center – Complete blood evalution | Maximum Performance | Ronnie G | 358 |
| 12 | Pinnacle Grand Jomtien Resort & Spa, 2 night stay in a Superior Bungalow including ABF | Pinnacle Hotels | Jim Horn | 553 |
| 13 | Pinnacle Grand Jomtien Resort & Spa, 2 night stay in a Superior Bungalow including ABF | Pinnacle Hotels | Terry W | 1722 |
| 14 | Pinnacle Grand Jomtien Resort & Spa, 2 night stay in a Superior Bungalow including ABF | Pinnacle Hotels | Gordo | 1633 |
| 15 | 4 Course Gourmet Set Menu for One | Casa Pascal | Jim Horn | 566 |
| 16 | 4 Course Gourmet Set Menu for One | Casa Pascal | 2374 | |
| 17 | Nicky’s Restaurant Sunday Roast for 2 PAX | Nicky’s Restaurant | Supranee Dokkhoram | 179 |
| 18 | Siriam Spa facial | Siriam Spa | Gator | 636 |
| 19 | Casa Pascal Daily BBQ Breakfast & BBQ Lunch Buffet for 2 PAX | Casa Pascal | Brendan | 3180 |
| 20 | Casa Pascal Daily BBQ Breakfast & BBQ Lunch Buffet for 2 PAX | Casa Pascal | Neil | 1781 |
| 21 | Casa Pascal Daily BBQ Breakfast & BBQ Lunch Buffet for 2 PAX | Casa Pascal | Kerry Ann | 75 |
| Casa Pascal Daily BBQ Breakfast & BBQ Lunch Buffet for 2 PAX | Casa Pascal | Mike | 1906 | |
| 22 | Siriam Spa body scrub | Siriam Spa | Gator | 649 |
| 23 | Siriam Spa aromatheraphy oil massage | Siriam Spa | Nunapa Kittirojanama | 2421 |
| 24 | Siriam Spa head, shoulder & back massage | Siriam Spa | Mam Yamsas | 315 |
| 25 | Siriam Spa oil massage | Siriam Spa | Hakan | 3456 |
| 26 | Siriam Spa foot massage | Siriam Spa | Wayde | 1912 |
| 27 | Siriam Spa foot massage | Siriam Spa | Matt OS | 1109 |
| 28 | Siriam Spa foot massage | Siriam Spa | Geoff Gilmore | 538 |
| 29 | Siriam Spa foot massage | Siriam Spa | Gordo | 1627 |
| 30 | Siriam Spa Thai massage | Siriam Spa | Neil | 1436 |
| 31 | Siriam Spa Thai massage | Siriam Spa | Paul Carumba | 735 |
| 32 | Siriam Spa Thai massage | Siriam Spa | Kojak | 1311 |
Goobergun rock the Aranda Ballroom.
Veteran musicians Slowride play a note perfect set at the Gala Party.
Brendan Daly, GM Amari Pattaya and his lovely wife Sarah look forward to a fun night.
Elegant ladies add glamour to the gala event.
The lads from the Booze Lounge get into the swing of things.
(L to R) Deborah ‘Debs’ Philbrook and Helle Rantsen, President of PILC, collect tickets at the registration table.
The Jesters Care for Kids annual Gala Party was once again a rockin’ affair.
