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Hendrick Antonius Polder(Henny)
Recently passed away at his home in the Netherlands. His remains are being
returned to Thailand, according to his wish.
Mr. Polder’s wife wishes to invite all friends and relations to the
interment ceremony.
The ceremony will be held at Thammasamakee Temple in South Pattaya at 11:00
AM on May 24th.
Food will be offered to presiding monks and the ceremony will follow.
Any enquiries may be made to Khun Daeng at 723-133.
Ken Allen 1935 - 1997
Ken Allen (1935 - 1997)
A sombre mood descended on Pattaya Orphanage last weekend
at the sad news of the death of Ken Allen. Ken, a retired buyer from
England, had worked as a full-time volunteer at the orphanage for 4 years,
co-ordinating the work of some 20 volunteers.
“Ken was a fantastic friend and a fantastic worker,” said Father Brennan.
“He was so dedicated to his work here. He loved the kids and was very
popular. He was a very organised person and sorted out a lot of our
administration into efficient systems. We are all stunned by his death.”
Ken worked closely with volunteer Dennis Gervais. “I will miss Ken. Not only
did we work together, but we were good friends, too. It seems so unfair that
someone enjoying a busy, useful life should be taken. This is a tragic
reminder that all of us are just visitors here, and we don’t know the date
on the return ticket.”
“Mr. Ken” was a friend to all the kids at the orphanage. The younger ones
visiting his office could play on his computer, and nobody left without a
sweet or two. Every Wednesday Ken took a party of youngsters swimming, or
for a McDonald’s treat, which was eagerly anticipated, and most weeks a
group of older boys were taken go-karting.
Ken instigated many small changes which benefited the children, such as
procuring some strollers (pushchairs) so that the babies can enjoy getting
out and about with the volunteer helpers, and setting aside a play room
where small groups of supervised toddlers are encouraged to use educational
toys. He ‘oiled the cogs’ of the administration office, helping it to run as
efficiently as possible.
Khun Sri-Udom, who regarded Ken as a close friend as well as a colleague,
recalls, “When he first came he seemed to spend months just pottering about
the office, patiently filing things. It wasn’t until much later that we
realised what a fantastic job he’d done.”
At any time a team of eight to ten young people, usually from Denmark,
live-in at the orphanage, looking after the children and organising
activities to occupy, entertain, stimulate and educate them. “Nothing was
too much trouble for Ken,” they told me. “He was so patient and so generous.
He always supported ideas we had for activities for the children and he
would make it possible for us to carry them out. Being so far from home we
sometimes have problems with tickets or transport or something, but Ken
always had a solution. Even though some of us can’t always explain ourselves
in English, he listened patiently until he understood. He did so much to
help the kids, and to help us help the kids, we feel lost without him.”
“The kids miss him too. They say ‘Mr. Ken’ and point to the sky. Even the
nursemaids and cleaning ladies were upset when we explained to them what had
happened.”
Ken was also working with a team of ladies from the Pattaya International
Ladies Club, editing the 4th edition of A Guide to Living in Pattaya, the
proceeds of which benefited the orphanage.
“Ken put a lot of time and effort into the Pattaya Guide,” says its editor,
Chantal Colmant. “He was such a kind and gentle person, who just wanted the
kids to have a good time.”
Twice a week Ken took a couple of hours away from his duties to enjoy a game
of bridge & go bowling. One of his bowling partners was Ruby Floyd. “Ken was
a dear friend. He had a heart of gold; he was kind and considerate. No
wonder everybody liked him. He chose to retire to Thailand because he felt
it was a happier place than England, and he felt he’d found his niche at the
orphanage, doing something to help other people. I just feel so bad that he
didn’t have longer to do what he was obviously very happy doing.”
Ken was due to visit his family in the UK in June, but knew that after two
weeks he would be itching to return to his ‘family’ and his work at Pattaya
Orphanage. Ken’s sons, Martin and David, traveled to Pattaya to take care of
their father’s affairs.
A small funeral service was held at St. Nicholas’ Church on Wednesday before
Ken’s ashes were interred in Pattaya Cemetery.
Ken’s easy manner, quiet disposition and cheery face will be sorely missed
by those who knew him.
Lindsey Gwynne
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