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5000 Girls Sea Scout Guides arrive at Navy Base
Admiral Nopporn Atchawakom,
commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Fleet presides over the opening
ceremony.
Wittaya Boriboonsrap,
president of the Sea Scouts Club, leads the Girl Sea Scout Guides in a vow
to Admiral Nopporn Atchawakom.
Patcharapol Panrak
Five thousand Girl Sea Scout Guides arrived at the Royal Thai Marine
Corps’ Prince Jetsada Camp in Sattahip on October 10 for their 12th
jamboree.
Admiral Nopporn Atchawakom, commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Fleet was
their host, with Rear Admiral Ruengrit Bunsongprasert, director of Naval
Civil Affairs, and Wittaya Boriboonsrap, head of the Sea Scouts Club, on
hand to welcome the Girl Sea Scout Guides who came from all over Thailand.
Wittaya said the Sea Scouts were established 72 years ago, and that there is
a close working relationship between the Scouts and the Royal Thai Navy,
which offers both moral and practical support to the youngsters and helps
encourage them in a love of the sea and outdoor life.
Rear Admiral Ruengrit said that an extensive program of activities was
planned including a music show, a display of art and culture from each
region, a course on sea life and environmental preservation, water sports,
an educational tour of one of the navy vessels, and a coastal route march.
Girl Sea Scout Guides from all
over the country march past to pay respect to HM the King and Admiral
Nopporn Atchawakom.
Scouts perform a signal flag
demonstration.
5,000 Girl Sea Scout Guides
from all over the country attended the meeting.
Plutaluang Rotary hosts nationwide youth leadership awards
Peera Potipipith, district
governor of Rotary International District 3340 participates in the
activities.
The youngsters truly enjoy
participating in campfire activities.
Patcharapol Panrak
Plutaluang Rotary Club was the organizer and host of the 15th Rotary
Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), presented at the Royal Thai Marine Corps
Training Center in Sattahip.
 The
impressive Zulu tribe at the campfire ceremony.
The awards are organized under Rotary International, with this year
seeing Plutaluang Rotary Club, led by its president Captain Dr Pallop
Supaporn, selected as host and Peera Potipipith, district governor of
the 3340 Rotary International, as the youth leader training project
director.
Ceremonies and activities took place over the period October 9 to 13 at
the Royal Thai Marine Corps Training Center in Prince Chumporn Camp, and
were attended by 500 students from schools in all regions throughout the
country.
This project arose because Rotary believes young people should have
every opportunity to learn how the world works, and to hone their own
leadership skills. Visits were arranged to Pluakdang Industrial Estate,
the Sahapat Group Industrial Estate, and Ban Sukhawadee, so the
youngsters could learn how the nation produced its industrial exports.
Apart from this there were campfire activities presented by Pilot
Officer Peera, in which the youngsters were divided into groups and
given advice on personal development and leadership issues.
They also learned about the importance of conserving the environment,
visiting the Sea Turtle Conservation Center and the mangrove forests
that are under the responsibility of the Air and Coastal Defense
Command.
Pilot Officer Peera said the youth leader training project was supported
by Vice Admiral Seewichai Sirisalee, commander-in-chief of the Royal
Thai Marine Corps, and Rear Admiral Surapol Thaipeerakul,
commander-in-chief of the Training Center.
There was also a distribution of awards to youth leaders who included Ms
Puangphen Butmata from Chonburi Rotary Club; Ms Thanaporn
Chariyawattanachaikul from Kantoralak Rotary Club, who won the
Friendship Leader prize; Tanawat Thoonsiri, Banchang Rotary Club; Ms
Pornthida Thongdee, Laem Chabang Rotary Club (Humanitarian Leader
prize); Ms Weerawa Saharinin, Korat Rotary Club (Talent Leader prize);
Wirat Pranamwong, Amnatcharoen Rotary Club; Ms Pachara Phensuwapab, Khun
Ying Mo-Korat Rotary Club (Executive Leader prize); Master Pongkan
Weerakul, Khun Ying Mo-Korat Rotary Club; Master Kwanprapa Thiangkham,
Jomtien-Pattaya Rotary Club (Sufficient Leader prize); San Kornanthawat,
Khun Ying Mo-Korat Rotary Club; Master Daecha Iam sam-Ang, Ban Chang
Rotary Club (Sportsmanship Leader prize); Ms Jeeji Saritchainantha,
Chantaburi Rotary Club (Conservationist Leader prize); Ms Pornchaya
Phumipan and Master Wichan Kuladee from Khun Ying Mo-Korat Rotary Club
(Honesty Leader prizes); and Ms Peeraya Preeprem, Ubon Rotary Club
(Creativity Leader prize). All received an honorary certificate, and
Somboon Pawaree from the Amnartcharoen Rotary Club (Leading the Youth
prize) received an honorary trophy and certificate.
500 youngsters from
schools all over Thailand attend the event.
St. Andrews School of Football
Award winners.
Green Valley has now become used to the inward migration
of dedicated young footballers and their tireless and devoted parents every
Saturday morning.
The second very successful six week course has just been concluded, a
‘celebration of the beautiful game’ in which all students had the
opportunity to develop their skills in the sport. They are assessed and
graded in conjunction with the English FA award scheme and have the chance
to compete with each other for various awards. This is its primary aim.
The School of Football has a secondary aim. By raising funds on every course
the school has been able to send off a considerable sum of money to the
Nepal Child Welfare Foundation. This Nepal based organization is fully
supported by a UK registered charity, the Esther Benjamins Trust. Open up
their website www. ebtrust.org.uk to discover more about their fantastic
work with marginalized children in Nepal.
The next St. Andrews School of Football course, Saturday mornings from 8-10
a.m., will begin on November 4 at the school campus and is open to
youngsters of all ages. For further information, please contact Mr. David
McCracken at St Andrews International School on 038 893 716 or email
[email protected]
We’re all ears.
Little people play.
The Fobissea Music Festival
at Garden International School
7th - 12th November 2006
by Andrew Watson
Shruti Kumar is an unassumingly young lady from a fine family. They hail
from Delhi, but have been residents in Thailand long enough for Shruti
(now in Year 12) to have been at Garden International School more or
less ever since its birth eleven years ago.
I had the pleasure of guiding her elder brother Aseem through his IB
diploma four years ago and I know her parents to be amongst the most
patient, tolerant, trusting and generous people I have ever met. They’ve
experienced their fair share of ups and downs at the school over the
years but their faith has been rewarded; in this brave new world of GIS,
the only way is up.
 Shruti
Kumar;
Heading down Bollywood Boulevard?
“It’s changed a lot, a lot, a lot!” enthuses Shruti, with a smile. She
reflected, “From the time in the old building, when the computer room...
(Had no computers it seemed! I add) to now - we have a whole new
basketball court (And almost 150 computers). It’s really changed.” Who
was her best teacher ever? “Miss Prendiville” came the response; one
that I’ve heard many times before from GIS students. Then, seeing my
(mock) disappointment, she adds with typical modesty, “But the best Art
grades I ever got were with you.” I remind Shruti that it was she that
did all the work.
So what about Fobissea, now not so much on the horizon as around the
corner? “It’s a completely different experience. It’s going to be
unique. It’s going to promote the school very highly. Already more
students want to come to the school.”
What is she going to be doing? Playing her flute? Shruti tells me that
she would like to; she’s very accomplished. She also used to perform
classical Indian dance, I remember. Does she still? “I practice whenever
I can” she says, adding that she also dances “Bollywood”. “What?” I ask
with an air of surprise, “Is that a style of dancing?” Apparently it is!
“It’s got stories, it’s got songs and its own style of choreography,”
I’m told. Well, well. Learn to live to learn indeed.
She goes on with tremendous enthusiasm, to tell me about her favourite
actress Madhuri Dixit, star of films such as Engineer (2006) Hum Tumhare
Hain Sanam (2002) and Devdas (2002). Shruti’s favourite music is, wait
for it... ‘Bollywood’. Maybe the Fobissea festival is a little like
Bollywood? “Well, it’s certainly going to be huge! Maybe like a smaller
version of Bollywood. It’s certainly less like a competition and more
like a get together.” So who’s made it happen? I ask, kinda knowing the
answer; “Mr O’Shea. People hadn’t really thought about this sort of
thing in our school before; the school was so small.”
What does Shruti want to do when she leaves school? “I want to study
genetics,” she tells me. I shouldn’t be surprised, even though she could
probably dance her way through life if she wanted. Like her brother
before her, she’s taking an “irregular IB diploma” featuring three
sciences. You can expect her to excel, as well.
Watch TV coverage of the unfolding Fobissea festival at GIS every Friday
on PMTV.
For further information, please email music.fest@ gardenrayong.com or
check at the GIS website; www. gardenrayong.com
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