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Regent’s School undertakes International Award training in Kaeng Krachan
Regent’s International Award
group getting ready for the hike.
Ryah Khale
On Saturday 19th November a group of Year 11 and 12
students assembled bright and early for the journey to Kaeng Krachan
National Park for our first International Award training expedition of the
season. This three-day trip had been eagerly anticipated by all, having been
postponed two weeks earlier due to concerns about the flooding situation in
Bangkok.
Visiting some beautiful
locations in Kaeng Krachan.
Ten students participated in the training expedition,
which was geared towards challenging the students with the hiking conditions
and leadership responsibilities that they will face on their qualifying
expedition. Two expedition ‘teams’ worked independently to prepare for the
trek. The students on the expedition were required to be entirely
self-sufficient: this meant they planned and cooked their own meals and
carried all the equipment they needed on each leg of the trek themselves.
Kaeng Krachan is the largest national park in Thailand
and is home to a rich and diverse ecosystem. The students encountered
gibbons, langurs and macaques on their trek, including the opportunity to
observe troops of dusky langurs in very close proximity to the trail. The
forested hills echoed with the eerily haunting song of gibbons. On several
occasions we saw flocks of hornbills flying overhead, their wings beating
loudly as they flew. The groups were also asked to observe their environment
closely as they travelled and they were soon aware of how much fascinating
life there is below the canopy, whether it be in the form of insects, fungi
or plant relationships.
The expedition’s second day was a particularly
challenging one, with students completing a 22km circular hike to the base
of Thorn Tip waterfall, many sections of which were through steep uphill
stretches of jungle; the final days 15km descent felt like a gentle stroll
downhill by comparison. Well done to all participants, who are already
starting to plan for their qualifying expedition.
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Photisampan School
celebrates New Year’s
Teachers and staff at
Photisampan Pittayakarn School let down their hair for a fun-filled New Year
party.
Manoon Makpol
More than 100 teachers and staffers at Photisampan
Pittayakarn School let down their hair and brought 2011 to a close at the
annual New Year’s party.
Principal Visanu Phasomzup opened the Dec. 29
celebration, thanking teachers and other personnel for their hard work
during the year. Guests dined on Chinese cuisine and enjoyed stage
performances from groups of teachers and exchanged gifts.
The annual party was festive as teachers and staff get to
relax and party with singing, dancing, dining and chatting with other
members of the school.
Principal Visanu Phasomzup
welcomes everyone to the party and thanks them for their hard work during
the past year.
Pattaya Archers give local orphans a Christmas treat
Time for a group photo.
Eric Hearn, Club
President
On December 27, members of the Pattaya Archery Club
organized a Christmas trip to Pattaya Water Park for 41 orphaned
children, plus teachers and caregivers from Pattaya Orphanage.
The smile says it all.
After stepping from their coach the children rushed
to the ticket office and, as one, sat down on the ground, train style,
waiting for the whistle to blow.
Tiew, the Casey Jones of the grounded orphan train,
in liaison with Pattaya Archery Club chairman Mervyn Gillham, duly
issued tickets to all and so we were all ready to go.
The train rose up to become a string of expectant
children, tickets in hand, ready for the off. K click, k click the
turnstile sang as if the train passed down the line, but only as we hit
the pool, left hand side, did children’s joy become so loud as to drown
the existing half-clad crowd.
The youthful swarm of
laughing splashers do what kids do and throw themselves into the pool.
A hasty change to swimwear became a wave towards the
pool as our youthful swarm of laughing splashers did what we did when we
were young and threw themselves into the pool. The water slides quivered
under the constant stream of orphans trying to break the sound barrier
into the water and I also saw some of our French archery members bombing
down the slides with just the same look of joy as the kids. Wonderful to
behold such abandon and see the smiles on all.
After all of the fun and finally eating dinner at the
poolside it was time for home and in a touching tribute everyone from
the orphanage lined up with us for a photograph, whereby the children
turned to face us as one and sang a beautiful Christmas carol as a thank
you for the archers’ help and support.
I am sure I saw some archery club members eyes water
at this point … or was it the spicy food we had just eaten? … Who knows?
Pattaya Archery Club is proud to have made a small
difference and help the children enjoy an absolutely splashing
Christmas.
Nicolas and 3 new friends.
Pattaya Orphanage wrote on their website:
http://www.thepattayaorphanage.org/ “The Pattaya Archery Club, led by
Chairman Mervyn Gillham, and coordinated by Mr. Gilbert Pelissier, our
volunteer, gave 34 school-aged kids of the Pattaya Orphanage a special
treat by taking them out to the Pattaya Park this afternoon. Fourteen
members of the Club, along with our supervising teachers and caretakers,
made sure the children have lots of fun and food while keeping safe.
Each child seems to have spent all the energy in the pool and at the
giant sliders.
Please accept our sincere appreciation for your kind
support. Wishing the Pattaya Archery Club, its members, and their family
members great joy and prosperity each day of the New Year.”
Pattaya Archery Club shoots on Tuesdays, Thursdays,
Saturdays and Sundays, beginning at 10.00 a.m. and finishing at about
noon or thereafter.
Anyone - Thai or farang, young or old, man or woman -
is welcome to come along to the Pattaya Shooting Park in Hua Yai and
find out what it is all about.
Beginners’ Coaching is held on a Tuesday and / or a
Saturday. The coach’s services and the use of the club’s bows, arrows
and other equipment are free for beginners, and so it costs nothing to
see if this challenging sport is for you.
For more details visit Pattaya Archery Club’s website
at www.pattaya archeryclub.com, or telephone Eric, the club’s president,
on 089 535 1193.
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Friends of Youth take Banglamung Boys Home boys
on Xmas shopping spree
Some of the boys and
their helpers anxiously await the “go” signal to begin shopping.
Jerry Dean, Friends
of Youth President
On Dec. 17, Pattaya ‘Friends of Youth’ hosted the
first of 6 homes at Banglamung Boys Home to a Christmas Shopping Day.
We took them to the Big C store in North Pattaya, and
gave each boy 200B to spend on anything they wanted. It did have to be
Ok’d by the house parents, who also made sure that they stayed within
budget. 19 boys and 10 staff members (house parents, teachers and
drivers) enjoyed the event, as did the ‘FoY’. Kids, true to form, picked
out toys, and some snack food they do not normally get.
A heartfelt thank you.
10 club members went shopping with 4 boys in each
shopping group, headed by a house parent and staff person. For many of
these kids this was the first time that they have had any interaction
with a westerner.
Ice cream - what a treat!
The behavior of the boys, whose ages ranged from 5 to
11 years, was impressive. The next day (Sunday) we did homes 2 & 3 with
a total of 40 boys. We will take homes 4, 5, & 6 on their shopping day
in mid January. These boy’s are 12 to 20 yr olds.
If you live in this area and would like to become a
part just drop a reply and we will be happy to get in touch with you. If
you would like make a donation (which would be very much appreciated) we
would let you know where and how to send it.
Santa even paid a visit.
Check-out time was as
smooth as could be expected with so many boys.
The toy section was
popular on the day.
Youngsters wait their
turn.
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