PCEC looks back at busy fiscal year

Pat Koester highlights some of the more interesting speakers at the PCEC meetings during the past year.

It was a busy year for the PCEC and its members. Pat Koester at the Sunday, June 29, meeting of the Pattaya City Expats Club (PCEC) gave her Chairman’s Report on the club’s activities and accomplishments during the past year. She mentioned that she was giving it a week early since she would not be available for the PCEC’s Annual General meeting on July 6.

Member Richard Smith updates the PCEC on the current classes being given by the English Conversation Group.

Her report was in the form of a pictorial slide show. Pat began by highlighting some of the speakers during the past year including the interesting talk by Col. Mike Cavanaugh (Ret.) about the US Air Force’s Forward Air Controllers assigned to a special unit involved in the “Secret War in Laos”; by David Cole who not only described his climbing of Mt Everest but also brought his climbing parka and gear for all to see; and by Victor Kriventsov, Deputy Honorary Russian Consul, to tell us about the 60,000 Russians living in Pattaya and explained how Russian culture influenced Russian tourists’ interactions (or lack thereof) with expats from other countries.
In addition to the Sunday meetings, Pat mentioned the many outside activities organized by club members. These activities, which range from discussion groups to day or overnight tours, give members and guests an opportunity to get to know each other better while participating in activities they like. During the past year, there were two one day tours and two overnight tours. The latest being to Samut Songkhram & Petchaburi. Pat mentioned that following her report, there would be a photo contest to judge the best photo of those that went on this latest tour; the winner receiving a bottle of wine.
She also described how the club is giving back to the Thai community through its English Language Conversation Group organized by Richard Smith that operates under the auspices of the Banglamung District Chief. Richard also arranged for children from the Pattaya Orphanage to have a free visit to the Art in Paradise Museum. Jerry Dean has organized a Friends of Youth group that provides for periodic fun activities for disadvantage children, such as fishing trips, bowling outings, and more.
There are also social get-togethers to enjoy fine food and wine including a monthly club dinner at a different restaurant each month and that a member will usually arrange for a PCEC table at the Amari’s monthly Wine Experience and various wine dinners offered periodically by other restaurants and hotels. Pat also talked about the services provided to members and guests such as the monthly driving license assistance trip for those wanting a Thai driving license and the offering of guidance for those needing help in understanding Thai Immigration procedures. The club also has available a book and DVD exchange table at most of its meetings.
Pat then reported on some “new projects” that were started and accomplished during this past year. One was the design of a new more modern logo for the club - ideas were solicited from the members and a committee made up of Board and regular members chose the winning design. The club also purchased its own notebook computer, no longer relying on “borrowing” one from a member and upgraded its audio visual equipment. The club also has joined the social media websites Facebook and YouTube to better publicize the club and its activities. In addition, with the advent of the new logo, many members are now proudly wearing their club polo shirt with the new logo imprinted on them.
In concluding her report, Pat announced that although she will be remaining on the Board of Governors, she has decided that after two years of being the chairman, it was time to step down and let someone else take the helm to continue the club’s activities into the future.
After her report, Pat then proceeded into the photo contest for those that took pictures during the Samut Songkhram & Petchaburi tour. She explained that out of the several pictures that would be shown, she had asked those submitting them to select one or two to be in the contest. Further, the judging would be done by the members and guests present. The winning photo was submitted by Ren Lexander. Dot Casey and Richard Smith received honorable mention for the two runner-up photos.
After the Chairman’s Report and photo contest, Master of Ceremonies Roy Albiston brought everyone up to date on upcoming events and called on Tony Heron to conduct the always informative Open Forum where questions are asked and answered about expat living in Thailand, especially Pattaya.
For more information on the PCEC’s many activities, visit their website at www.pcecclub.org.

PCEC members and guests selected this photo by Ren Lexander as being the best of those submitted for the photo contest of photos taken during the Samut Songkhram & Petchaburi tour.

Horses give special needs children emotional, physical lift

Children participate in horse-therapy activities to promote their physical and mental health.

Jetsada Homklin
Special-needs children were given a physical and emotional boost by riding horses courtesy of Nongprue Sub-district and the National Health Insurance Fund.
Mayor Mai Chaiyanit donated use of the Pattaya Shooting Park to the Parents Group for Special-Needs Children so it could organize the equine-assisted therapy event June 26. The therapy sessions will be run monthly on the last Thursday.
Kids from the Father Ray Center for Children with Special Needs enjoyed a day of drawing, coloring, trampolining, food and pony rides in a day that mixed fun with constructive work on overcoming disabilities.
Organizers noted that horses are ideal therapy assistants that provide benefits on both the physical and emotional level. Their natural motion mimics the feeling of walking, giving disabled children a chance to “walk” on their own.
Horses also are extremely empathetic animals and riders can learn to control their pulse and social behaviors, as the pony mirrors to the feelings of the child on its back.

Additional activities included drawing & coloring.

Local inventor wins 3 prestigious awards

Stuart is presented with the Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals for his inventions by Associate Professor Kosum Chansiri, of the Department of Biochemistry, Srinakarinwirot University.

Local inventor Stuart Saunders was awarded Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals for his inventions at Thailand Inventors Day, 2014.
Associate Professor Kosum Chansiri of Department of Biochemistry, Srinakarinwirot University, Bangkok (also a UNSW graduate) she presented the medals to him on June 25.
Stuart won the Bronze Medal for his alternative transport plan for Pattaya, called Pattaya Bypass, which will effectively move Bangkok 10 minutes closer to Sattahip. Extending an existing road to become a bypass and widening it, it will have double the capacity of the main Sukhumvit Rd, and eliminate 7 traffic lights. Plans can be seen at www.pattayaprogress.org.

The current situation on Sukhumvit Road in Pattaya.

His Silver Medal was for FlossFirst Credit Card Dental Floss, a dental floss pack with the regular length of floss of 50 M in a pack the size of a credit card, and only 4mm thick. Indications are that good oral hygiene could give up to an extra 10 years healthy life, as so many diseases are now being found to originate in the mouth; for instance, poor oral hygiene has been implicated in an 11 fold increase in the risk of breast cancer. FlossFirst facilitates good oral care, especially when traveling, and also doubles as a great promo item, popular with dentists, hospitals and hotels.
Stuart’s Gold Medal was for the KhaoLarmAtorium, a cooker for Khao Larm (a traditional Thai desert of rice, red beans, coconut milk and sugar, cooked inside bamboo), which reduces the CO2 emission of the cooking process by a (presumed) world record 99%; less than 2kg of gas, vs 250kg of coconut husk. With just a few friends using the device, Stuart said he is carbon negative to the order of 10 tonnes per month.
At the World Metro Summit in Shanghai last September, Stuart won the Engineering Excellence Award for his design of the proposed ‘YangMingShan MRT Line’ for Taipei, Taiwan; http://vimeo.com/11785326.
Inventing since the age of 11, with a stereo crystal set, Stuarts ‘career’ began with Queensland ‘Inventor of the Year’ for 1982. “My best inventions are mechanical; differentials, drivelines and 4WD systems; unfortunately, with the current patent system, they will never see light of day,” said Stuart.

Stuart’s design for a Pattaya Bypass won a Bronze Medal. The design would eliminate 7 traffic lights between Sattahip and Bangkok, and would provide and extra 200% of the capacity of Sukhumvit Rd, important considering the disruption anticipated due the tunnel construction. There are strategic and safety advantages to building the Bypass, and it will help develop the access starved Eastern Suburbs of Pattaya. Additionally, it will save time, fuel and lives, Stuart said.