Doc joins Lee Shamrock on stage.
Well known local personality, Dr. Iain Corness, earned 6
cycles last week by somehow managing to reach his 72nd birthday. The following
excerpts from his birthday speech show how, given his oft adrenalin filled life,
including spectacular motor racing accidents, some might consider it a small
miracle he reached this milestone, and in fact, looking so fit and youthful at
that!
Was it really 12 years ago that he celebrated his 60th birthday at the Residence
Garden? For him, in some ways the time has just flown past, but there have been
some life changing events in that 12 years.
Some of you who were there at the 60th may remember his special guest. A rather
shy young Thai girl called Som who stood next to him when he cut the cake. That
young girl got over her shyness and is now his wife and the mother of their two
children, Marisa now 9 and Evan now 8.
In the 12 years there have been moments of sadness too. His mother passed away
in Scotland, aged 94, a couple of years ago. A wonderful innings, and the anchor
for the family.
Pop wails on the real guitar whilst
Dr Iain flails away on the air guitar.
His best mate over here in Thailand, Alan Coates, died
suddenly of cancer. It was Alan who said that he had managed to complete one of
his ambitions - he was the last one through the intersection on the red light.
The photographer at his 60th was Howard Green, one of the casualties of the
expat lifestyle and is now resident in that great darkroom in the sky.
Just making it to 72 is an amazing situation. Until Dr. Iain, no male member of
his family had ever lived to see his 57th birthday.
As most people know, motor racing has been his passion, all of his life, and
that has brought him to the brink of death on a couple of occasions. He was
caught in a race car fire in 1992. You get one minute in the fireproof suits and
it is estimated he was trapped inside for 40 seconds. It felt like 40 minutes.
He ended up with no eyelashes or eyebrows and blisters on his back. It wasn’t
his time, and he raced in a borrowed car the next day.
Last year at the Kaeng Krachan circuit, his car barrel rolled four times before
coming to rest upside down. As James Bond would say, he was shaken, but not
stirred!
He acknowledged a couple of people that that he owed much to for helping him get
to 72:
Peter Malhotra, of the Pattaya Mail Media, has helped guide him for even more
than the past 12 years, and Steve Graham who has helped him out of a jam more
than once in the past decade.
There are more, but his final thank you went to his wife Som. Like all married
couples, he said they have had their ups and downs, but shared a depth of love
which will keep them going until his next significant birthday, his 84th.
(L to R) The birthday boy and his
son, Dr. Jonathan with good friend George Strampp.
(L to R) Mr. 6th cycle has a laugh
with Jonathan, Steve Graham and Paul Azzopardi.
(L to R) John Moreton and friend
join the party with Som and that young Dr Iain.
(L to R) Nigel Quenell, Joy
Azzopardi, Torben, Noi Sripradwithaya, Som, the life of the party and Wanna.
(L to R) Jeab Graham, Joy Azzopardi,
Mr. 72, Wanna, Lee Shamrock (at the back), and Nigel Quenell.
