You would not actually see a knight in shining armour coming to the rescue but, metaphorically speaking, that is what happened recently when The Growling Swan came to the rescue of Wat Pong School.
Most residents in Pattaya are only conscious of the main 11 schools in the centre of town accommodating a minimum of 1500 children in each school and, fortunately, having all the facilities that children need to help them to concentrate on their studies. But, beyond the borders of central Pattaya, there are an additional 80 schools, many situated in areas having only a few hundred students. Some of these students have to walk 2 kilometres or so to and from school.
Some children with Peter and guests.
One such school is Wat Pong School situated in the middle of farm land 3 kilometres from the road that leads to route 36 just beyond Lake Mabprachan. They have 500 students under the age of 12 years, but the most significant factor is that they did not have clean drinking water which we all know is so important to, not only children, but everyone living in Thailand with temperatures continually in the 30s. Every day they had to buy water from the local shop which puts a financial strain on poor families, particularly those with more than one child.
Peter Grey and his band of merry men, members of The Growling Swan Golf Bar, are quite a remarkable bunch of guys, hailing mainly from Australia, for they have raised in excess of 250,000 baht in the last 4 years for charity. A magnificent achievement. When presented with the problems besetting Wat Pong School they had no hesitation in agreeing to fund the installation of a clean water filtration system which includes taps and a covered area. Not only do these systems help the children but the entire family for many families can take a water container to the school and afford themselves of the opportunity of clean water.
‘Can I really drink water from the tap’?
It was so rewarding to see the children so happy with smiles from ear to ear for this would be the first time in their lives that they have been able to turn on a tap and drink the water that filled their cups.
The Growling Swan Golf Bar is situated in Soi Chaiyaphun close to 3rd Road. They play golf on Mondays and Thursdays, lawn bowls on Sundays and they are always happy to welcome new members. Go and say hello to Peter and his friends and have some fun.
