HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]: 

Swedish group helps get you to hospital (in time)

235,000 baht donated to help little Woaw

Bangkok Pattaya Hospital hosts charity event

Royal Cliff Wine Club to host another exclusive wine tasting

Obituary: E H John Wheable

Swedish group helps get you to hospital (in time)

 Dr. Iain Corness

Two Swedish doctors, who are specialists in ‘pre-hospital’ treatment, visited Pattaya as part of a fact-finding mission sponsored by the Swedish government. Their mission was to see the preparedness, or otherwise, of the local medical facilities and the local Emergency Medical Services. The Swedish fact-finding group also included representatives from the Swedish Embassy and Connector Asia, a company that works in the Sweden-Thailand interface.

Two Swedish doctors, who are specialists in ‘pre-hospital’ treatment, plus representatives from the Swedish Embassy and Connector Asia, a company that works in the Sweden-Thailand interface, visited Pattaya as part of a fact-finding mission sponsored by the Swedish government.

Dr. Anders Lindberg works in the Emergency Medical Services in Sweden, and is one doctor who flies to accident scenes by helicopter. He was one of the volunteers who assisted in Phuket post-tsunami. His report, and that of the King of Sweden, who visited Phuket, was enough to spur the Swedish people into seeing what they could do to help Thailand and the Thai people in the future. Getting people to medical assistance as soon as possible means that there is a much greater chance of a positive outcome, and both Dr. Anders and Dr. Dan Gryth, another Swedish specialist who accompanied him, are passionate about the need for skilled Emergency Medical Services personnel.

The group visited the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital, where all were impressed by its facilities, which they judged as world class, spending much time with the hospital’s own Emergency Medical Services team and inspecting the Cardiac Ambulance. Later they paid a brief visit to the Pattaya International Hospital and then to the Sawang Boriboon Foundation, where again they were impressed by the dedication of its senior personnel. The Swedish team feeling that the Sawang Boriboon Foundation was an excellent ‘starting point’ for further training and expertise in pre-hospital rescue and transport.

Pattaya was the group’s last region to assess, but obviously impressed the medical specialist visitors. They have vowed to return, to pass on some of their skills to local personnel.

235,000 baht donated to help little Woaw

Burned and turned out into the streets, this little girl is looking for adoptive parents

Staff reporters

A sad and ugly tale of a little girl who was deliberately burned to increase her worth as street begging material has touched the hearts of members of the of the Pattaya community.

The Austrian Consul in Pattaya, Rudi Hofer, is very eager to help the little Cambodian girl Woaw, who suffered scars from burning by an old woman who sent the little girl begging on Pattaya’s streets.

On behalf of Austrian Consul in Pattaya, Rudi Hofer and his two friends, Elfi Seitz delivers a cheque for 235,000 baht to the Rotary Club Eastern Seaboard members and President Martin Brands.

Rudi passed on the amount of 235,000 baht, sponsored by his two German friends, to executive editor of Pattaya Blatt, Elfi Seitz. She in return went to the Rotary Club Eastern Seaboard to deliver the money to President Martin Brands at the club’s regular meeting on March 12 at the Marriott Resort & Spa.

In presence of many members and the hotel’s general manager, Elfi thanked Martin Brands for his and the club’s great help with the little girl.

Woaw has already undergone a number of successful operations, sponsored by “Operation Smile”.

Elfi said, “Of course, nobody can give Woaw back her lost eye, but at least we can try to make her look like a human being again.”

Little Woaw still needs many more operations and this money - and hopefully more donations - will help restore her face.

The club, Consul Hofer and Elfi, with the great help of Sopin Thappajug, are desperately trying to find adoptive-parents for the little girl, because since she is Cambodian her stay in Thailand is uncertain.

Martin Brands thanked Elfi and Rudi Hofer for their support and said he is happy that there are people who really care for others.

Bangkok Pattaya Hospital hosts charity event

Donates to three local organizations

Ariyawat Nuamsawat

Like a double-edged sword, the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital held a charity walkathon last weekend. The purpose of the three kilometer walk was to not only raise funds for charity but to also promote heart disease prevention amid the community.

Pattana Boonsawat, Pattaya deputy mayor and Prof. Dr. Somchai Pattananek, Bangkok Pattaya Hospital director donate 100,000 baht to local organizations.

Dr. Somchai Pattananek, Bangkok Pattaya Hospital director presided over the start of the charity walk, along with honored guest, Pattana Boonsawat, Pattaya deputy mayor, to jump start the “Warm Heart for you” project.

“The Bangkok Pattaya Hospital is part of the community and over the last 14 years we have gained the trust of residents and tourists who need medical care. The hospital wishes to support and give back to the community in appreciation for trusting us,” said Dr. Somchai.

Shortly after 7 a.m. over 300 government employees, members of the community and private enterprise, set off from the front of the hospital’s beauty clinic for a 3-kilomter walk to the Dusit Resort Pattaya.

Once arriving at the destination, a total of 100,000 baht was handed over to three local organizations; the Pattaya Orphanage, Redemptorist Vocational Center for the Disabled and the Fountain of Life.

Deputy Mayor Pattana Boonsawat presided over the ceremonies held at the hotel.

The walk, also held to promote healthy hearts, saw over 100 doctors and nurses from around the Eastern Seaboard attend a special seminar regarding heart care by Bangkok Hospital’s leading heart surgeon Kittiphan Wisuttharom.

Royal Cliff Wine Club to host another exclusive wine tasting

The Royal Cliff Wine Club is scheduled to host an exclusive Wine Tasting for members on Wednesday, April 20 at 6 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of Royal Cliff Grand. In the spotlight are selected wines from Thailand’s very own PB Valley Khao Yai Winery. The forthcoming wine tasting offers a total of 10 wines of different vintages plus royal canap้s during the reception. This event is free but for members only.

PB Valley Khao Yai has been busy drumming up buzz on their recently released wines in major dailies and magazines lately. There’s been excitement on the quality of the wines which some say have grown by leaps and bounds. The forthcoming wine tasting will enable members to experience the winery’s new range as well as different vintages of their already established labels up close and personal.

Co-sponsored by PB Valley Khao Yai Winery Co., Ltd., the event will have no less than the Kingdom’s first Thai winemaker, Prayut Piangbunta, who is currently Khao Yai’s chief winemaker, as one of the guest speakers.

He graduated in Viniculture and Oenology at Lehr-und Versuchsanstalt fuer Weinbau und Obstbau Weinsberg (LVWO) in Germany. His most recent achievement was having the Khao Yai Reserve Shiraz 2000 selected to be served at the gala dinner hosted by the Thai Prime Minister for the Heads of States at the APEC 2003 conference in Bangkok.

PB Valley Khao Yai Winery is located amidst a lush and fertile 2,000-rai plantation of which 500 rai are dedicated to growing grapes. The Valley is located 300 metres above sea level on the edge of the Khao Yai National Park. The company was founded by Khun Piya Bhirombhakdi.

Limited stocks of all the wines offered at the tasting will also be available for purchase at heavily discounted prices. As always, limited seating will be offered for members and prior reservation is essential.

The Royal Cliff Wine Club is accepting limited memberships. For applications or inquiries, please call (66) 038-250-421 ext. 2782 (from 09:00 to 18:00 hrs) or ext. 2007 or 2037. Email us at [email protected]

Obituary: E H John Wheable

Dana F. Greer
Brother Officer
and friend

On Sunday 13 March 2005 the Buddhist funeral of John Wheable took place at Wat Sawangfar, Naklua, Banglamung. John Wheable had lived in Thailand with his wife Linda for 17 years since his retirement from the British fire service at 60 years of age - following some 40 years service.

E H John Wheable

Most of John’ working life was spent as a dedicated senior fire officer in the London fire brigade, followed by an appointment by the home office as course director at the UK’s prestigious national fire service college -where he taught fire officers from throughout the land (as well as overseas) senior managerial procedures as well as tactics at major fires and incidents. He received the Fire Service Medal for exemplary service in 1976.

He always took a great pride in his uniformed service, which was probably born, out of his military career, when in 1945 he enlisted in the cold stream guards, subsequently transferring to the paras. He saw active service in Palestine for which he was decorated in 1949.

Many of Fireman John’s friends said their last goodbyes at Wat Sawangfar.

I served with John Wheable in the fire service myself, knowing him personally since 1972. His awesome operational capability, his command and control at major fires, and his huge presence, inspired men under his command to give of their all. He always led from the front and became known throughout the British fire service as “Big” John Wheable, for without doubt, he was big in stature, big in heart, and big in kindness and patience toward his fellow man.

His passing will leave a gap in many people’s lives, and if I might borrow the closing paragraph of a speech given by Chris Hills at his retirement function, “…from one Londoner to anuver … God bless yer Guvnor… cos we’ll miss yer…”

(And miss him we surely will)

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