the rotary club of bangkok south south...

CLASSIFICATION INTERVIEWS

SOUTH WINDTHE ROTARY CLUB OF BANGKOK SOUTH

President : Narain Suradejvibul • Immediate Past President : Mike Doyle • President Elect & Membership Director : Krin Charnmaytesakul • Vice President : Dana Caron • Vice President : Joop van Delden • Secretary : Finbarr O’Connor • Treasurer : John Casella • Administration Director : Alastair Timblick • Communications Director : Ravi Sehgal • Fundraising Director : Tim Cornwall • Rotary Foundation Director : Yod Tantianunanont • Service Projects Director : Dean Outerson • Sergeant at Arms : Songkran Grachangnetara

Charter Granted 7 August 1961

facebook.com/RotaryBangkokSouth @RotaryBkkSouth

No. 259516th October 2015

Today’s Topic:

“DG CHAIVAI POONLAPMONGKOL’S ADDRESS TO RCBS”

It was, as usual, an exercise in putting people in their place, in relativizing pretensions. Starting with the program schedule. I mean it should have been speaker Dr Leroy Rebello speaking on Stem Cell research, but he could not find his cells so had to pass. Keeping up the academic level our Rtn Dr Chase Schneier was scheduled for a cross-examination from Mike Doyle

But Chase got a flu, or a cold, or cold feet, and passed too. Meaning Rtn John Casella had to be called off the bench. Never a shirker, he accepted.But, thought the Program Committee, John’s an accountant and may not have much of a life to talk about. So better have a second interview too, with CP Geoff Carter, who never has that sort of problem, and Colin Hastings seeing as we’re close to the anniversary (the 949th to be exact)

Mike was his normal sweet and gentle soul, John gave as good as he got.I can’t find Tarrana on the map of Canada, but that’s where’s he’s from, born in 1966 to an Italian- Scottish lineage so, all things considered, he has done well.His was the only family I have heard of where BOTH his parents married below themselves. (Test – does your wife admire you?) John wanted to be an Ice-hockey-player but failed the medical as he was border-line sane. He had heard the “Lumberjack song” and knew he wasn’t cut out for the timber industry, so he became an accountant “because I was good at maths”.

Have any of you EVER seen an accountant who could work out 5% without a calculator? He worked at Arthur Anderson before they became famous, and in 1997 at the tender age of 31, decided to move to Chile because the wine is better.

He was good at maths remember, not geography, so passing via his sister working with CNBC in Bangkok at the time seemed like a good idea. There should be a law against guys visiting Bangkok under the age of 40. He never got to Chile. He met the very nice friend of a friend who

liked the same hobbies as he (after asking what they were) No due diligence was conducted. 18 years and three kids later, all I can say is he didn’t deserve to get that lucky. John worked at Baker Tilly in Bangkok for quite a while but has now set up his own accounting company PKF Thailand with offices in the swanky Sathorn Square.

He joined the RCBS in November 2009, I inducted him and it was one of the few things I did right. For the last two years he has been the RCBS Treasurer and our funds are still more or less intact John had no idea what his classification was, but it’s “Business Consulting”.

Despite Colin’s best efforts we only got half way through Geoff’s 8-page 10.000 word CV before running out of time : that’s Geoff for you. 1948 was a very important year in the history of the world and produced some great people but, though he was born in that year, in Dulwich in the UK, neither of those points necessarily relate to Geoff. Just as there is no necessary significance to the fact that Dulwich became quite chic after he moved out. To Orpington where he nearly became a rock-star in a band he was starting together with Alexis Korner’s brother. Thwarted

by a family move to Nottingham young Geoff decided to become an Electrical and Mechanical Engineer for the EGB and, when the electricity generating business turned pear-shaped moved

on to a private company installing generators and later sewage / waste water

/ waste recycling plants. Geoff rose to be the MD of the company installing equipment all over Europe.

At the same time he followed his life-long interest in music by co-organising the first Donnington Monster Rock Festival at Castle Donnington in the

UK And here, Colin was starting to realise that he was only 3.000 words in and had 5 minutes left, so he started fast-forwarding. Like the Christmas spirits accompanying Scrooge we touched lightly with one foot for a scene and jumped a decade or two. We heard of a shop in Wimbledon selling Thai food, of Durian on a Qantas flight, of meeting Shrimp and accompanying models whilst handling waste disposal for the Siam Pan group, of a Thai temple in Chicago, of a connection to Rotary going back to 1987, of a Rotary club called FARC, of a spell in Kota Kinabalu, of joining the RC Piyathai and founding the RC Sri Nakarin, of keeping a low profile in Lybia (there you have got to be kidding us Geoff) and of joining our club in 2010 before we landed with a bump and a screech of tyres in today where Geoff spends a lot of time sequencing music and making money on the SET with a little bit of help from Adrian. But our hunger for info was left unsatisfied. There was no mention of the wife and three children said to exist, no hint as to where to buy those incredibly long neck-ties, no comment on his colour-blindness. Geoff is an incredibly active and bright guy who does more in a month than I do in a year and we really need to fill in those gaps!Surely we need to come back for the sequel.

Visiting Rtn, PP Sutham from Bangrak, Rtns Poul and Lalit IPP Mike and Rtn John

Rtns Rudy, Mark Shaw, Arie and the lady from Cosmos

Rtns Paul and Ron

IPP Mike’s guest, Michael Pash, Rtn. Rudy and the lady from Cosmos

Rtn Colin and CP Geoff

LAST WEEK’S SCENE, 9th October, 2015

Mercury VilleBTS Station: Chidlom

Siam ParagonBTS Station: Siam

Empire TowerBTS Station: Chong Nonsi

www.dressedthailand.com

salads, wraps, sandwiches, paninis, pasta, soups, smoothies

3M SPONSORS COINS ON SILOM EIGHTEENTH TIME

ADVERTISING SPACE

AVAILABLEplease contact Khun Khob at

info@rotarybangkoksouth.org

With Coins on Silom fast approaching, it is time to sit back and reflect on this amazing event started 18 years ago and the continuing support we receive from 3M.

Every year, Rtn Mike Ellis and his crew lay 650 meters of 3M, ten-inch wide tape down both sides Silom. Using about 1.3 kilometers each year, that means that over the last 18 years, 3M have provided Rotary Club of Bangkok South with almost 25 kilometers of their premium quality, distinctively red tape.

Without this fantastic support in providing what has become the clearly distinguishable hallmark of our major fund-raising event, I do not believe Coins on Silom would not have the impact it now enjoys nor could we afford to purchase it in the quantities so generously supplied each year.

This year, as Fund Raising Director and Coins on Silom Committee Chair and on behalf of all of us who enjoy Coins so much, those of us who revel in the opportunity to support worthwhile projects with the proceeds and those who benefit from our support, we once again owe 3M a huge vote of thanks for their unfailing support.

Present from left to right: CP Geoff Carter, P Narain Suradejvibul, Francis Hu (MD 3M), Orasa Jun-Ngam (3M Country Business Services Leader) and Tim Cornwall.

Khun Khob’s Club Almanac #259516 October 2015

The Crowne Plaza Bangkok Lumpini Park Hotel, 952 Rama IV Road, Bangkok 10500 Thailandinfo@rotarybangkoksouth.org | 02632 9160 | www.rotarybangkoksouth.org

Happy Birthdays:Ravi Sehgal October 21Adrian Topham October 28Finbarr O’Connor October 29Ola Holmgren October 29Stuart Lucani October 30Marco Cassanova November 2

Wedding Anniversary Greetings:Prasert Mangkornkarn October 19PP Don La Voie October 22PDG Alex P. Mavro October 23Adrian Topham November 2

Attendance for 9th October 2015: 65%Present 40, Make-up 9, Absent 26, Exemption 29, Total 104

Visiting for 9th October 2015:

From LocalWillem J. Adolfs RC of BangkapiPP Sutham Sachaphimukit RC of Bangrak

From AbroadPP Per Dibber RC of Barbados

Invited Guests: Introduced by:Michael Pash IPP Mike Doyle Van Tang PP Nick Pisalyaput

Recent Makeups:

RC of Barrie, 17th September 2015: Tim CornwallRC of Feldkirch, Austria, 29th September 2015: Elmar LinsRC of Bangkapi, 6th October 2015: CP Geoff Carter

Makeups:

Membership, 7th October 2015: PP Andrew MacPherson, PP Don Lavoie, Jon Plate, Joop van Delden, PE Krin Charnmaytesakul, PP Mark Butters, IPP Michael Doyle, PP Nick Pisalyaput, PP Niti Meyer, PP Ole Madsen, Rui Belo, PP Vichai Tantrativud

COS-3M Photo Shooting, 7th October 2015: CP Geoff Carter, P Narain Suradejvibul, Tim Cornwall

Nominating, 8th October 2015: PDG Alex Mavro, PP Andrew Macpherson, PP Don Lavoie, PP John Quarmby, PE Krin Charnmaytesakul, Manu Mekdhanasarn, PP Mark Butters, IPP Michael Doyle, PP Nart Liuchareon, PP Nick Pisalyaput, Presert Mangkornkarn, PP Sean Brady

CLUB CALENDARFriday, 23rd October 2015 – NO MEETING – Public Holiday, Chulalongkorn Day“

Thursday, 29th October – Inter-club Delegations to RC Bangkok, Grand Hyatt Erawan at 12.15 pm

Friday, 30th October 2015 – NO MEETING : COINS on SILOM – Please mark your Diaries

Friday, 6th November 2015 – Tag Murphy – “Japan and the Shackles of the Past”

Friday, 13th November 2015 – PP Sirichai “The New RI Global Grants System“

Friday, 20th November 2015 – Dr Thitinan Pongsudhirak“Comparative Democratization in Southeast Asia“

Friday, 27th November 2015 – Anoop Sukumaran “Irregular Migration“

Friday, 4th December 2015 – Korn Chatikavanij, topic “TBC“– Delegations of other Bangkok Rotary Clubs to RCBS.Sister Louise with Xmas Gifts for sale – Ladies Day

Friday, 4th December 2015 – RC Pathumwan Celebration Dinner, 32nd Anniversary, Montien Hotel from 18.00 pm.

Friday, 11th December 2015 – Classification Interviews, “TBC“

Thursday, 17th December 2015 – RCBS Annual Xmas Party at PP Don Lavoie’s Residence from 18.00 pm – details “TBC“

Friday, 18th December 2015 – Fellowship

Friday, 25th December 2015 – NO MEETING – Christmas Day

Friday 8th January 2016 – Annual New Year’s Predictions

Friday 15th January 2016 – Rtn Robert Denning – Title “TBC”

Friday, 22nd January 2016 – “TBC”

Friday, 29th January 2016 – “TBC”

Friday, 5th February 2016 – Rtn Roy Howard – “The Birth of Thai Airways International“

For more information about Bangkok South events contact: rotarybangkoksouth.org/calendar-of-events

Option 2

“SOUTH MOUTH”They should not allow topless sunbathing on the beach. It was very distracting for my husband who just wanted to relax.”

“We went on holiday to Spain and had a problem with the taxi drivers as they were all Spanish.”

“It took us nine hours to fly home from Jamaica to England. It took the Americans only three hours to get home. This seems unfair.”

“When we were in Spain, there were too many Spanish people there. The receptionist spoke Spanish, the food was Spanish. No one told us that there would be so many foreigners.”