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Committee established to help complete
17th February Pattaya School for the Blind building
Shortage of funds has delayed completion
HM King Carl XVI Gustaf of
Sweden understands
the urgent need to finish the project.
Pratheep Malhotra
A meeting was held at the Woodlands Residence Suites recently to explore
ways of raising funds to complete the new building at the Pattaya Blind
School, the construction of which has begun but had to be slowed down due to
budget constraints.
HM King Carl XVI Gustaf of
Sweden, accompanied
by Aurora Sribuaphan, director of the Redemptorist School for the
Blind,
observes blind children using the Braille typewriter.
At the meeting Sven Philip Sorensen, advisor to the
Swedish Executive Scout Board was unanimously elected as Chairman. Other
committee members appointed to help facilitate the completion of the
building project were: Sutham Phanthusak - deputy chairman, Pratheep
Malhotra - secretary & public relations, Stephane Bringer - assistant
secretary, Alisa Phanthusak - treasurer, Jan Olav Aamlid - fund raising,
Suchai Rujivanitchkul - director in charge of construction, Father Lawrence
Patin - director and Aurora Sribuaphan - director.
 HM
King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden congratulates the newly inducted scouts.
To understand the purpose of the project, Aurora Sribuaphan, director of the
Pattaya Blind School informed the committee that the Pattaya Redemptorist
School for the Blind, under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess
Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, was licensed by the congregation of the Most Blessed
Redeemer in Thailand to construct two buildings for teaching blind people.
She said, “Part of the budget for the two buildings being constructed came
from money donated through the HRH Princess Foundation which was established
after HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn came to inaugurate the school
building in 1993 and donated 5,000 baht towards the development of education
for the blind. The school used that amount to set up the foundation with the
aim of receiving donations from kind-hearted people.
“The two buildings to be connected in an L shape consist of the HRH Princess
Sirindhorn Building, completed with a budget of 17 million baht and the
Father Ray Building now under construction at a cost of 14 million baht.”
HM King Carl XVI Gustaf of
Sweden inspects the unfinished school building.
He is accompanied by Sutham Phanthusak (right).
Sven said, “Construction of the second building has begun
and the building itself has been completed at a cost of 7 million baht. The
second phase of architectural work requires a total of another seven million
baht or one million baht for each floor of the seven-story building. But due
to lack of funds, construction and completion of the interior had to be
postponed until more money could be raised to complete the project.”
Sven asked the committee to help find generous donors saying, “Initially we
sought 7 donors of US $30,000 (one million baht) for each floor. The good
news is that when Honorary President of the World Scout Foundation, His
Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden visited the Pattaya Blind School on
February 17, 2009, to inspect the school’s scouting educational course and
to induct blind children into the scout movement, he was invited to inspect
the construction site of the new building. The benevolent King understood
the urgency of the need to finish the project, so together with HM Queen
Sylvia pledged US$30,000 from Her Majesty’s very own “Queen Silvia Fund”
towards the building project. The fund is operated by the World Scout
Foundation which raises funds for Scouts with disabilities. HM Queen Sylvia
is scheduled to preside over the official opening of the building in October
this year.
The 17th February Pattaya
School for the Blind building project committee. Seated (l-r) Sven Philip
Sorensen, Sutham Phanthusak, Father Lawrence Patin and Aurora Sribuaphan.
Standing (l-r) Stephane Bringer, Alisa Phanthusak, Suchai Rujivanitchkul,
Pratheep Malhotra, Choocheep Saisawasdi and Uttaporn Sribuapun.
The visit by His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
was initiated by Sutham Phanthusak, managing director of the Woodland Hotel
and international commissioner of the National Scouts Organization of
Thailand who is also a staunch supporter of the School for the Blind.
Sutham said, “I have always dreamed that the blind scouts would come under
the patronage of His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.” Together with
Sven Philip Sorensen, a close friend of HM King Carl XVI Gustaf, they worked
together to make this dream come true. “It was a proud moment for all of us,
especially the blind children when His Majesty presented scouting scarves
and caps to the blind scouts that day.”
Sven added, “Since then there have been other groups and individual generous
donations received to complement the funds already raised, but we still
don’t have enough.”
Sutham has put out a plea to the Pattaya community and service organizations
to help in raising at least one million baht to complete one floor of the
school. “If the people and service and charity organizations in and around
Pattaya can set aside a small budget from their fund raising programs, I am
confident that we can ‘Make Dreams Real’ for the blind children not only in
Pattaya but for children all over Thailand,” he said.
Sutham went on to say, “There are not enough schools for blind children in
Thailand, so the Pattaya School for the blind receives children from all
over the country. What we are trying to achieve here will benefit thousands
of these unfortunate children. Please help them as much as you can.”
Update of the construction and information will be posted on the Pattaya
Redemptorist School for the Blind website (www. pattayablind.org) with a
link which will feature the story: “HM King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
inducts Cub Scouts at the Blind School, Pattaya.” Also, read the Pattaya
Mail article: http://www.pattayamail .com/813/features.shtml#hd1
HM King Carl XVI Gustaf of
Sweden signs the guestbook at the construction site.
Construction of the new
building for the Pattaya School
for the Blind is underway, but it is far from finished.
Royal British Legion Thailand travels
to ANZAC Day in Kanchanaburi
At the smaller Chungkai
Cemetery.
Bert Elson
Once again members of the Royal British Legion Thailand travelled to
Kanchanaburi (Bridge over the River Kwai) to join our Australian and New
Zealand friends in their commemoration of ANZAC Day.
 Our
Standard Bearer Richard Holmes whose uncle is at rest in Chungkai Cemetery.
This year 28 of us travelled up by mini bus along with 30 packed lunches
once again provided by Beef of KPK Foods. Once there we were joined by 5
more members. There were plenty of sore heads at 7 a.m. Friday morning as of
course many of us had celebrated St Georges Day on Thursday.
You will notice this year an increase in the number of wreaths that we laid.
We had one poppy wreath sent from the UK by the Cannock Branch of the Royal
British Legion, we also had two wreaths hand delivered, one from the
Amersham Branch of the Royal British Legion and one from the War Widows
Association.
After the First World War, returned soldiers sought the comradeship they
felt in those quiet, peaceful moments before dawn. With symbolic links to
the dawn landing at Gallipoli, a dawn stand-to or ceremony became a common
form of ANZAC Day remembrance during the 1920s. The first official dawn
service was held at the Sydney Cenotaph in 1927.
Dawn services were originally very simple and followed the operational
ritual. In many cases they were restricted to veterans only and the daytime
ceremony was for families and other well-wishers.
Before dawn the gathered veterans would be ordered to “stand to” and two
minutes’ silence would follow. At the end of this time a lone bugler would
play the Last Post and then concluded the service with Reveille.
In more recent times the families and young people have been encouraged to
take part in dawn services, and services in Australian capital cities have
seen some of the largest turnouts ever.
Our Standard is lowered for
Last Post.
Reflecting this change,
the ceremonies have become more elaborate, incorporating hymns, readings,
pipers, and rifle volleys. Others, though, have retained the simple format
of the dawn stand-to, familiar to so many soldiers.
We certainly felt that air of comradeship as the first light of dawn started
to put shapes to what had been shadows and we could start to see faces, so
many of them young school children here on a pilgrimage or young backpackers
who had all headed here for this one day. It was well worth our 3 a.m.
reveille to get here and the dark walk to the cenotaph lit only by candles
along the path and the ones we carried.
As members of the Royal British Legion we were honoured to be alongside our
Aussie and Kiwi friends and honoured that they allowed us to both collect
money for our Poppy Appeal (a total of 18,915 baht was collected, about 380
pounds) and fly our Standard, but our Parade was not over yet. There is
another lesser known cemetery in Kanchanaburi called Chungkai, which is
situated about 10km from the main one and lays on the banks of the River
Kwai. Chungkai was one of the base camps on the railway and contained a
hospital and church built by Allied prisoners of war.
(L to R) Greg Ritchie, Mrs
Dorothy Knowles
and His Excellency Quinton Quayle, British Ambassador to Thailand.
The war cemetery is the
original burial ground started by the prisoners themselves, and the burials
are mostly of men who died at the hospital. There are now 1,427 Commonwealth
and 314 Dutch burials of the Second World War in this cemetery.
We first visited Chungkai 2 years ago and found that not one wreath had been
laid there so decided that in future years we would order an extra wreath
and after a few words by our chairman Middy Campbell lay it at the Chungkai
Cenotaph. This year, however, I am glad to say 3 wreaths were laid, ours,
the Amersham Branches’ and provided by the Amersham Branch one from the War
Widows Association. Our Duties now complete we returned to our guest house
for a well earned cold drink or three before turning into tourists and
exploring the local sights!
We will return again next year along with our extra wreaths, Poppy Boxes and
alarm clocks for that 3 a.m. reveille, for they are just small burdens to
have the honour of paying our respects to so many, and should anyone reading
this wish for us to lay a wreath on their behalf it would be an honour.
Should anyone wish to join the Royal British Legion in Thailand please come
along to Tropical Bert’s on 2nd Road across from the Bangkok Bank. We meet
Sundays from 2 p.m. Should you be an ex or serving member of H.M. Forces and
have a problem please contact us; we may be able to help.
Lest We Forget.
The Royal British Legion
Thailand on parade.
Duties done, time for a cold
one.
Now a major tourist
attraction, at the cost of so many lives.
Miss Tiffany’s Universe comes to its finale
The 12th anniversary of the Miss Tiffany’s Universe
pageant comes to its finale on Friday May 15, after grueling elimination
rounds on the way to the glittering crowning of Miss Tiffany’s Universe for
2009.
Dr. Seree Wongmontha, (left)
and Alisa Phanthusak Asstistant MD of Tiffany’s Cabaret are thrilled with
the lineup of the final 30 beauty queens.
The lead up to the finale began at Central World in
Bangkok last month, where Tiffany’s Show Pattaya, in conjunction with the
Tourism Authority of Thailand first presented the 70 hopefuls from all over
Thailand to a spellbound audience. The managing director of Tiffany’s Show,
Alisa Phanthusak said, “The increasing number of applicants prove that they
come from all over Thailand, from various walks of life, bringing scores of
talents and personalities plus their aspirations in life.”
The theme of the contest is “Live Learn Love to Enhance Your Beauty” and the
contestants were encouraged to be proud of themselves and their unique
individuality. Associate Professor Dr. Seree Wongmontha, advisor to the
pagaent organising committee said, “Today, being ‘who you are and best you
can be’ should be more significant than being classified by gender. Each one
should learn to live and love as an individual and pass on their beautiful
legacy to their society.”
This year, in addition to the pageant, there was the first Swimwear contest
which will be held at Central Festival Pattaya Beach on May 12. The winner
of this section will be crowned Miss Unlimited Sexy Star by Central Festival
Pattaya Beach, and will undoubtedly help bring more emphasis to Pattaya
tourism, said Alisa Phanthusak.
There are eight prizes to be won in the main pageant’s final judging on May
15, with the top being Miss Tiffany’s Universe 2009 who will become
Thailand’s representative for the Miss International Queen contest to be
held in November 2009.
The show begins at 9 p.m. on May 15, with a Venetian Fantasy extravaganza
presented by the Tiffany’s corps de ballet, followed by the pageant itself
at 10.30 p.m.
The Tiffany’s Show has been one of the principal tourist attractions in
Pattaya for the past 35 years, starting with three performers in a small
stage at South Pattaya, to now being staged in its huge palatial
state-of-the-art theater in Central Pattaya.
A line up of the 30 finalists
who will compete
for the Miss Tiffany’s Universe crown on May 15.
Celebrities strut latest fashions at Central
Models make a grand entrance.
Pramote Channgam
Some of Thailand’s top celebrities strutted the latest fashions at
Central Festival Center Pattaya Beach last week.
 Dr.
Nuttakit Tungpoolsintana, assistant marketing director of Central Pattana,
addresses the audience.
In the evening of April 29 at Central Court, Mayor Itthipol Khunplome, Niti
Kongkrut, director of Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Pattaya, and Dr
Nuttakit Tungpoolsintana, assistant marketing director of Central Pattana
Company, presided over the eye-catching event.
Dr Nuttakit said, “Summer is not only an important season for retailers but
also the season of change for fashion to be more colorful. This year we
organize the Oversize Summer Shopping at all Central department stores for
customers to enjoy promotions and discounts and various activities until
June.”
The highlight of the evening was sexy swimwear modeled by celebrities
including VJ Ja Nattaweeranuch, Tangmo Pattarida, May Feuangarom and Natalie
Davis.
Customers spending 1000 baht receive a coupon and a chance to win over 560
prizes worth four million baht, including a house, air conditioners, and
vouchers to many restaurants. The promotion lasts until June 17.
Other celebrities on hand to add sparkle included Kong-Karun Sorsodthikul,
Mai Visa Saralart, and Joy Sunansa Jiramaneekul who helped raise income for
the Baan Feuangfa Children Foundation for Mental Disability.
A percentage of every 500 baht spent by shoppers will be donated to the
foundation.
A little Champagne anyone? VJ
Ja Nattaweeranuch
models an unusual wardrobe.
Some of the swimwear and
elaborate beach cover-ups on display.
Natalie Davis models a
Madonna-like outfit.
May Feuangarom blooms with
radiant colors.
Charity Club of Pattaya Celebrate St. George’s Day
Christina Boden
Members of the Charity Club of Pattaya were at the Caddy Shack on
Tuesday April 21 to celebrate England’s national day, St George’s Day. Around 65
people packed the place, with that party starting at 7 p.m.
 The
club’s mascot, Bertram the Bear models his St George’s Day shirt.
The 300 baht ticket price was great value for money, as a fish and chip supper
was included in the ticket price! Thanks to the generosity of Keith and Koy at
the Caddy Shack, the Club was able to put 200 baht of the ticket price straight
to the Charity Club.
The staff was really run of their little Thai feet, but they managed with the
orders admirably.
Bertram Bear, the Club’s mascot was in attendance in his St. George’s Day shirt.
He took pride of place on the pool table, but as he was being surrounded and
loved by all the ladies he was taking too much room near the bar!
For a change this year a games night was part of the proceedings, and people
were asked to sponsor the games. The sponsors were Dave Lee, Kevin Fisher of
Cranes & Equipment Asia www.cranesasia.com, Vic King of the Queen Victoria Inn
www.queenvicpattaya.com, David Isitt from Rosie O’ Gradys www.rosieogradys .com,
George Joannou, Simon & Rin, owners of Isan flowers www.isanflowers.com and Fat
Boyys Sattahip.
 Rob
Malkin (right) presents a prize to David Isitt (left).
The winners of the games were given prizes donated by Easy Kart www.easyk.net,
meal vouchers from Queen Victoria Inn, Rosy O’Gradys, and Swiss Food Restaurant.
As well as the games evening the Club had a raffle with prizes donated by: Pig &
Whistle Pattaya www.pigand whistlepattaya.com, Valentino restaurant
www.valentino pattaya.com, Shenanigans Irish Pub at The Avenue
www.shenanigans.com, The Caddy Shack, Minus 5 Supper Club www.minus5pattaya .com
and personal donations including a selection of DVDs, a Hard Rock voucher, and a
hamper.
The winners of the Hard Rock voucher and one of the Minus 5 supper club vouchers
handed back their prizes and asked for them to be auctioned. Along with these
prizes, a golf club and a large teddy bear were also up for auction.
All in all a great night was had by all, which lasted well into the night.
 Vic
King (right) from the Queen Victoria Inn presents a prize to Kevin Fisher (left)
from Cranes & Equipment Asia.
The most important part of the evening was the total raised, which was a very
impressive 74,720 baht. This will be used to help build a fresh water filtration
system in a Wat in Krasang for the use of five local villages.
Malcolm and Christina would like to extend a big thank you to Keith, Koy and Ben
from the Caddy Shack and Reg for all the hard work which went into helping the
Club with this event.
The Charity Club would like to thank all who supported the event and joined in
to make the evening the success it was.
The next event for the Charity Club of Pattaya will be in August at the Pinnacle
Grand Na Jomtien.
For details please contact Malcolm on 0897441040 or Christina 0895454185 charity
[email protected]
The hard work is over, now it’s
time to have fun.
Caddy Shack is packed to the
rafters.
75,270 baht raised at PILC annual Trivia Night
Kavita Lamba
On Saturday May 2, the Pattaya International Ladies Club (PILC) held
their annual Trivia Night at Bangkok Hospital Pattaya. This once again was
generously sponsored by AGS Four Winds International Movers.
 Gilliam
Thom (right) is ready to read the questions.
The theme of the evening was Pub and Pint, so guests were treated to a
delicious pub style snacks buffet supplied by Jameson’s to enjoy with their
pints.
The teams consisted of six people and with fourteen teams, the room was
filled with only the sound of thinking at many times, when asked questions
by quiz mistress Gillian Thom.
The winning team was the Parliament of Owls, followed second by the Young
Ones and in third place, the PIGS (Pattaya International Gentlemen’s
Society).
A raffle was held during one of the breaks with prizes donated by Casa
Pascal and Ursula’s Antiques. The evening raised a total of 75,270 baht, of
which half will be donated to a premature baby unit situated in the north of
Thailand.
For those of you who missed out this time around, you will have your
opportunity to be challenged next year. Details of all events and activities
organized by PILC can be found on
www.pattaya-pilc.com.
Gilliam Thom (left) presents a
certificate of appreciation
to event sponsor Paul Wilkinson from AGS Four Winds International Movers.
Gilliam Thom (left) presents a
certificate of appreciation to Pattaravadee Wangviriyaphan, marketing
executive with the International Marketing Department, representing event
sponsor Bangkok Hospital Pattaya.
Yes, that’s it! Write it down…
Jesters Care for Kids, led by
Woody Underwood (left),
brought along their brain trust to try and answer the tough questions.
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