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‘Humbug’
Jodie Comperat, Year 11
The St Andrews Amateur Dramatic Society - SAADS for short - was
inaugurated in March 2008 as a club with a mission: to put on our first ever
Secondary School production. The journey to the drama production of
‘Humbug!’ had begun.
 The
narrator introduces Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Past (L to R - Jos
van Doorne, Tevin Jones, Benjamin Bryant).
Before the summer holidays everyone had been allocated roles and given a
script adapted by our Drama teacher and director, Mr. Langston. When we came
back after the summer holidays everything started slowly with everyone
trying to learn their lines. Eventually we got our school stage and then
everything really started to come together.
At the start we had only break and lunch practices. Then, as we got closer
to show time, we moved onto lesson practices. At one point our director was
starting to look into doing the play on the hard-court at school because he
thought we wouldn’t be able to pull off a big venue performance! That gave
us the incentive we needed to pick up the pace. After our first whole day
practice on Thursday 4th December, Mr. Langston started to believe that we
could do it.
Then on Sunday 7th December we had another whole day practice, but this time
it was at the Pattaya Park Tower Hotel - with splendid facilities offered to
us by the hotel owners. After the whole day of practicing everyone was
feeling more confident; even Mr. Langston was smiling!
Monday 8th December - the day of the production. We were told that we didn’t
have to go to school in the morning as then we had time to chill out and
relax; we met that afternoon in the ‘theatre’ at the hotel for one last
rehearsal. We then had time to go have a shower and change into our
costumes.
The wait backstage seemed to last forever as we waited for everyone to
arrive and then finally come in and take their seats; but when the play
actually started it was over in a flash. Scrooge had been very effectively
haunted and had changed his miserly ways in a whirl of smooth set changes,
great acting and beautiful Christmas songs.
Special mention must to go Jos, our Scrooge, Benji, Tevin and Nathan as our
ghosts and Yvonne as our carol girl. But the whole cast worked hard and
produced a magical night for our first ever dramatic production. At the end
of the production the room was buzzing. Bravo!
We are already asking Mr. Langston when and what the next production will
be, and we don’t believe his ‘never again’ for one moment - Humbug!
The carolers sing Silent Night
(L to R - Jasmine Wilson, Jasmine Rose,
Kerryn Opperman, Yvonne Sorensen).
Two charitable ladies try to
get a festive donation from Scrooge!
(L to R - Fiona McHardy, Jasmine Rose, Jos van Doorne).
The Ghost of Christmas Future
appears (Benjamin Huber).
YWCA members visit scholarship students on Koh Larn
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Two kegs of ice cream definitely made more popular the visit by members
of YWCA Bangkok-Pattaya Center to 16 scholarship students at Koh Larn as
part of the association’s “Happy Family” campaign.
 YWCA
members talk to scholarship students.
Led by the association chairwoman Nittaya Patimasongkroh and Bernie
Tuppin, charity chairman of Pattaya Sports Club, the members visited 16
scholarship students at Pattaya City School 10 on December 17.
They were welcomed by school director Narong Pewonn, students and
teachers.
Nittaya said the “Happy Family” campaign each year donates some 500
scholarships to hard-working students from low income families.
She said some scholarship students at Koh Larn had been getting lower
grades, especially in the subject of foreign languages.
Jongdee Jabtaisong, teacher and scholarship treasurer, said the school
strictly controls the scholarship money, ensuring that it goes straight
to the school when the new school year starts. They also use it to buy
books, equipment and uniforms.
Nittaya Patimasongkroh,
chairwoman of the YWCA Bangkok-Pattaya Center, surrounded by children as
they enjoy their ice cream.
Students at Pattaya City
School 10 have fun with YWCA members.
Students meet trees at Suan Nong Nooch
The youngsters are
enthralled by the variety of plants on display.
Patcharapol Panrak
For 300 students from Pattaya City School 9, the end of the year
was a good time to greet and hug a tree. And where better to do this
than to take a fieldtrip to Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens?
Nong Nooch staff welcomed the students to observe plants from all parts
of the world to encourage their love of plants and nature as also a way
to fight global warming.
On December 18, Sorachai Chemkaeng, deputy director of Pattaya City
School 9 (Pohsamphan), took a field trip with fourth graders and nine
teachers to explore the botanical garden.
The visit re-enforced student awareness of the impacts of natural
resource exploitation on the natural environment and ways to reduce
global warming through reduction of energy consumption and planting more
trees.
Mayor Ittipol Khunplome said that the park has established a good
educational reputation for having plants growing there from all over the
world, with students able to take free tours to enjoy the 2,000 acres of
land and trees.
Kampol Tonsajja, Nong Nooch director, said that the gardens have been
open for tourists for over 20 years and had won Kinnaree Awards three
years in a row.
“It is an absolutely perfect spot for exploring nature … profit is
returned to society as free educational tours to encourage the love of
trees,” he said.
300 students from Pattaya
City School 9 are excited
about their fieldtrip to Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens.
German envoy helps street kids
Elfi Seitz
On his very first visit to Pattaya, His Excellency Dr Hanns
Schumacher, German Ambassador to Thailand, accompanied by Dietmar
Erfurt, Third Secretary from the embassy’s legal department, visited the
Child Protection and Development Center under the patronages of Fight
Against Child Exploitation (FACE) and the Human Help Network (HHN)
foundation.
 From
photos guests can see how the center has developed since its
establishment.
Noja Supagong, founder and director of the center, welcomed the honored
guests and led them on a tour through the center.
Within only a few months the site had expanded from being two tents to
five houses, accommodating 37 children aged between 6 and 18.
The children go to different schools, the older ones to vocational
schools so that they can support themselves better and don’t have to
return to live on the streets.
Dr Schumacher was deeply impressed by the facility. He repeatedly noted
how much he admired Noja for his selfless efforts to help “stroke of
fate” people.
The ambassador has been a German representative for UNICEF for many
years and has particularly worked for exploited children.
At his first press conference held in Bangkok, he urged all to contact
governmental authorities should they know of activities by pedophiles.
“I’ll keep annoying them until they learn that things have to change,”
he said.
Radchada (“Toy”) Chomjinda, director of HHN, and Sudarat Sereewat,
director of FACE, both gave the ambassador detailed information about
their charitable organizations.
Then Dr Schumacher made a joyful announcement: an emergency aid of one
million baht is expected to arrive any time and there is even a chance
this money could be granted annually.
In addition, the ambassador will look for ways to raise extra funds so
the center could buy land and erect housing on it.
Noja Supagong (right) and
Radchada Chomjinda (standing in front of the ambassador) lead Dr.
Schumacher (2nd left) and Dietmar Erfurt on the tour through the center.
Xmas presents for Suttiwat School
PSC committee members
Nittaya, Bernie and Ron Herbert with Principal Somchok, teachers and
students.
B. Tuppin,
PSC Charity Chairman
Santa arrived on Xmas Eve at Wat Suttiwat School bearing gifts for the
Sports Dept.
Pattaya Sports Club, represented by Bernie Tuppin, Khun Nittaya and Ron
Herbert, were the unlikely Father Xmas deputies. Responding to a request
from School Principal Somchok for assistance to augment their sports
equipment, Bernie visited the school some weeks back to find out what
was required.
The school has 1050 students and like many schools in our growing
community the budgets just don’t stretch far enough to cover all the
requirements. What was lacking was almost everything, but table tennis
equipment was non existent so it was decided to give that priority.
Eventually the list of goods grew to include 3 tables complete with
nets, post, bats and balls sufficient to allow for all tables to be used
simultaneously. In addition, 10 soccer balls, 10 basketballs, 10
volleyballs and new nets for the volleyball court were donated at a cost
of B24, 000 baht.
This is not the first occasion that this school has benefited from PSC’s
commitment to promoting sport in the community. Each year PSC donates a
large amount of funds to many schools for sports equipment as well as
supporting sports carnivals and sponsoring trophies for many local
competitions.
The recent Special Olympics held at Nongprue and involving 180 disabled
athletes was funded by the Pattaya Sports Club’s donation of 200,000
baht. The Rotary Crossbay Swim had all trophies and medals donated by
PSC. The YWCA National Badminton Championships present all medals and
trophies donated by PSC. Many local golf tournaments are also supported
by PSC. These examples are just part of Pattaya Sports Club’s commitment
to the local community and we are happy to continue this valuable
service which is now closing on 30 years of giving to those less
fortunate.
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