C NTACT THE MAGAZINE OF THE BRITISH WOMEN’S GROUP BANGKOK
March 2021
BRITISH WOMEN’S GROUP The aim of the Group is to enable its members to meet socially, to welcome its new members and associate members to Bangkok and to establish a programme of social, welfare and cultural activities.
Contents
Directory Page 2
Diary Page 3
Chairman’s message Page 4
Pages 8-9 Article by Jackie Reynolds
Pages 12-14 February Coffee
Page 16 March coffee
Page 18 British Embassy book
Page 20 Book Club
Pages 22-23 Article by Yvonne Ziegler
Editor contact@bwgbangkok.org Advertising advertising@bwgbangkok.org Please note that the deadline for advertisements is the 5th of the month prior to issue. Please contact advertising@bwgbangkok for more information. PLEASE NOTE : Contact is published as a service to our members to keep them informed of news and events within BWG. The accuracy of other information cannot be guaranteed and is not an endorsement by the group. This also applies to advertisements that are included in Contact in order to cover some of the production costs. Every effort is made to produce Contact in good time to reach members before the first scheduled meeting, but the editor cannot be held responsible for unavoidable delays caused by circumstance beyond their control. It is the members’ own responsibility to know when meetings are scheduled and to contact someone to check if any changes have been made. Members are also asked to bear in mind when booking actives that most venues are not deemed suitable for children over six months of age and to make appropriate child minding arrangements.
March Diary SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8 Mah-jong
9 Bridge Golf
10 Mah-jong Art Group
11 BWG coffee
12
13
14 Mothering Sunday
15 Mah-jong
16 Bridge Golf
17 Mah-jong Art Group
18 BWG AGM
19
20
21
22 Mah-jong
23 Bridge Golf
24 Bridge Art Group
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
Weekly/Monthly Activities You are invited to join these groups, but final approval is at the discretion of individual group leaders
Monday Mah-jong - (beginners welcome) (10am - 1pm) Tuesday Bridge - Audrie Sill Golf - (morning) Sheona Jackson Bookworms - 1st Tuesday (10am) Jane Upperton Scottish Dancing - 1st Tuesday (7:30pm) Karen Burr Wednesday Mah-jong - (beginners welcome) (10am - 1pm) Art Group - Bistro 33 Sukhumvit Soi 33 (10am -12:30pm) Karin Worthington
Chairman’s Message It is always bitter sweet to leave a job, and the first Thursdays of the month will never be the same again. I realise that I have been very fortunate and privileged to work with all the people in the BWG, who have meant so much to me in the past 3 years. I am very proud to have been a member of such a talented team. Thank you for your support and friendship. No one achieves in isolation, and the successes of BWG are a result of our mutual cooperation and collaboration. It is easy to loose sight of the most important elements of any organisation - the people, you and me as individuals with hearts, minds and feelings. That we haven’t is what makes BWG unique. A huge thank you to the committee for your trust, your humour and all your hard work. Also a massive thank you to all our members, old and new, who have helped to make the world a better place by your continued support. Onwards and upwards, I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at our AGM on Thursday 18th March.
Ailsa Kneath
P.S. If there are any of you willing to become committee members please get in touch. The positions of Chairman and coffee coordinator are still vacant. Thought for the month :Leave people and places better than you found them.
Welcome to the February issue of Contact Magazine and I hope that you are all keeping well wherever you are in the world. I’m sure I join everyone in saying a fond farewell to Ailsa at the end of three years of being Chairman of the BWG Bangkok. She has seen the club through very important times such as the 50th anniversary in 2019 but also very challenging times with the Covid pandemic. Her enthusiasm, hard work and positive outlook have ensured that the club has continued to be a social focal point for ladies in Bangkok. It has been a great pleasure to work with her and I know that she will remain a very active part of the BWG. www.bwgbangkok.org
info@bwgbangkok.org
British Women’s Group Bangkok
Contact January 2021
nspiring ndividuals At KIS International School all students can shine. The midsize, caring community allows KIS students to be confident and to be appreciated as an individual, with unique dreams and strengths. The school is a full IB school, offering the International Baccalaureate Programmes for all age groups (IB Primary Years Programme, IB Middle Years Programme and IB Diploma), ensuring an academically rigorous curriculum that not only prepares students to be successful at university, but also teaches important life skills. KIS, it’s all about Knowledge, Inspiration and Spirit. Check out the students’ videos to learn more about their passion www.kis.ac.th
Tel: +66 (0) 2274 3444 Email: admissions@kis.ac.th
“With the power of imagination, characters can actually fly off the page” Jun, Grade 11.
Positions available on the BWG committee. Dear Members, Our Annual General Meeting is scheduled for March 2021 and we are currently looking for volunteers to fill a number of Committee positions. We would very much welcome any members who would like to be part of the team and willing to participate in helping run the BWG going forward. The Committee is vital to the continued work of the BWG in Bangkok and vital also to the provision of a social network that benefits us all - newcomers through to old timers who have been here for many decades. Many Committee positions still remain available and include the following: Chairman Vice-Chairman Treasurer Vice-Treasurer Coffees Activities Raffles Welfare If you would like more details on any of the above, please contact our Chairman, Ailsa who will be delighted to explain more of what is involved. Email: aokneath@gmail.com
Celebrating 60 Years A proud tradition of learning excellence
We offer a British-style education for an international community, from Nursery through to Graduation. Find out how our approach to learning and outstanding teaching staff develop global citizens who shape their world through independence, empathy, creativity and critical thinking. Contact us at admissions@patana.ac.th www.patana.ac.th | +66 (0) 2785 2200 | 643 Lasalle Road, Bangkok 10260
Bangkok Patana is a not-for-profit, IB World School, accredited by CIS and NEASC
CHIANG MAI – CHIANG DAO - LAMPANG – LAMPHUN – CHIANG MAI 23rd December 2020 – 3rd January 2021 By Jackie Reynolds PART 1 Well when I set off on this latest adventure I wasn’t sure if I should or not due to the latest local Covid outbreak which had been reported a few days before. I’m so glad I did, as this country has so much more to offer than just the usual tourist destinations. I have had quite a few wonderful road trips over the years and without a doubt that is the best way to find the hidden gems. My friend Clare who lives in Chiang Mai had brought a car since I’d last visited, prior to that our trips out had been on her motorbike - fun but not for long distances and bad weather. Our first trip out of Chiang Mai was on Christmas Day to Chiang Dao Mountain where we stayed overnight at Chiang Dao Nest 2 (I would certainly recommend it). It only takes 90 minutes to get to and is set amongst beautiful scenery and less than 5 mins walk from the Chiang Dao Caves which is well worth a visit. It is only 40 Baht to enter which is such a deal. The resort has 2 locations located 1 km apart and is known by local expats for its excellent food, which we thoroughly enjoyed at their 6 course Christmas Dinner that evening. On route we stopped off at Bua Tong Waterfalls which cascade down over limestone rocks.
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CHINESE COFFEE MORNING AT LIZ DOBSON’S HOUSE – 11 FEBRUARY 2021 - by Gale Bailey 25 ladies including the hostess attended the coffee morning was the day before Chinese New Year officially started. It proved that we prefer our coffee mornings in someone’s residence as it gives such a warm and personal feel to it. Most ladies were bedecked in red and/or a Chinese theme which added to the ‘special’ occasion and Liz gave us all a Chinese envelope containing money – very kind and generous of her! The table was laden with sandwiches, cakes and fruit - some provided by Liz and others donated by the guests and these were munched through whilst tea and coffee was being partaken. The noise level was HIGH with all the chattering and catching up being done – it was great and how a coffee morning of BWG ladies should sound! A raffle was held and many bought tickets as hard to escape Amelia who is now back in Bangkok honing her selling skills. It was all good fun and many ladies were delighted to go home with their prizes. Ailsa presented Liz with a nice bottle of wine for being the hostess before folk started to make tracks and leave. However there were a few hardy souls who knew it was 5 o’clock somewhere in the world so the wine and beer started to flow. When there were just 5 of us, we gravitated to the garden to feed the fish and to sit beside the lake – it was lovely and we put the world to right too!
I left home just after 8.30 am and arrived back over 12 hours later – it was like the old days ha ha. Thanks to Liz for being such a great and generous hostess and hopefully other ladies will offer up their homes for future coffee mornings.
BWG COFFEE MORNING – 11 MARCH 2021
INTRODUCTION - Coffee. Cake. Community. Steps is more than just a cafe. For five years we’ve been transforming lives by creating jobs for young people with learning differences. But we couldn’t do it without our customers. We consider you part of our family, so wanted you to be first to know we’re launching a new look to go with a new branch at The Commons. Soon you’ll see changes to our logo, our social media profiles, and inside our cafes, shops and training centres. Let us know what you think, and don’t forget to stop by our new branch in Thong Lor (opening 12 February) to say hi! VENUE – Steps With Theera, The Commons, Thong Lor - Sukhumvit Soi 17 TIME – 10 AM COST – Individual – pay for what you order – even stay for lunch! Max Simpson, Founder of Steps, will be telling us about the work and people involved with this enterprise. BWG will be holding a raffle Please book via Facebook or email lizziekahn@yahoo.co.uk – BY MONDAY, 9 MARCH PLEASE
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Remembering the British Embassy, Bangkok by Gale Bailey For anyone who visited the beautiful British Embassy on Wireless Road, this coffee table book is a MUST and only 500 Baht! All proceeds to BCTFN. Please contact bctfn@loxinfo.co.th or galebailey@hotmail.com to arrange payment and collection/delivery.
Bookworms - March
The Island
by Victoria Hislop
Ten of us turned up to discuss this book and another member sent in her score. This is the second Victoria Hislop book that we have read, the first being The Sunrise (December book club) which was set in Cyprus whilst The Island is set In Crete. The Island was the author’s first and very well received book. The story centres on a 25 year old English girl called Alexis Fielding who has planned a trip to Plaka in Crete to find out more about her family background and her mother Sofia’s childhood home. Sofia has never told Alexis of her past but has given a letter to Alexis which introduces her to an old friend called Fontini and gives permission for Fontini to tell Alexis of the history of her family. It’s a story with many twists and turns through tragedy, war and passion and murder. The family was intimately connected with the island of Spinalonga which served as a leper colony from 1903 to 1957 when a cure was found. Members of the family were sent to Spinalonga and one member was a boatman who ferried the lepers on their one way trip to Spinalonga until a cure was found. The story is well done and the author, who is a member of the Lepra, charity shares her knowledge of the disease and provides facts which most of us were unaware of and found interesting. We had a good discussion. Most of us enjoyed the book but one said she had struggled and said that she found the portrayal of the family ‘was not like that’. One of our members reminded us that one of our BWG members, Angela Stamford, had worked for Lepra when she returned to UK. Another visited Spinalonga during a trip to Greece and told us she found it to be run down with nothing much there. Joanna Lumley apparently visited Spinalonga in one of her travel programmes.
Scores 6/10 x 1, 7/10 x 4, 8/10 x 4 , 9/10 x1, 10/10 x 1
Next pick - The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
Next Book club - Tuesday 2nd March at 28-06 Urbana, 55. Land Suan at 10 am
Project Win by Yvonne Ziegler On Thursday 25th February, Ajarn Win and a small team of volunteers travelled to a small school in Chiang Dao, two hours drive north of Chiang Mai. This was for the Covid delayed Children's Day Party, usually held in early January. The beautiful setting, by a fast flowing stream, was high up in the mountains, reached by car, then four wheel and the last part was on foot, carrying most of the supplies by hand! The school is inaccessible in the rainy season because of the steep and narrow road. Two teachers care for the twenty Karen hill tribe children aged from 3-12. They are all well behaved and instructed in a range of subjects including Thai and English Language. We provided a bbq chicken and sticky rice lunch with cucumber, and a small cake and orange for dessert. They all tucked in happily, and left with extras to take home. Nothing is wasted up there! Afterwards there was great excitement as trestles were set up in the main room, and lots of gifts laid out for all - school bags, socks, exercise books and colouring pencils, food packs, noodles. And colourful hair bands, cars and dinosaurs to play with. The children performed action songs and rhymes for us before they all lined up and new school bags were filled up with goodies for each of them. After a final photograph we parted ways and the five volunteers walked back down the hill to the vehicle to take us back to Chiang Dao Nest Resort, which could well be the subject for another day! Many thanks to BWG for supporting this Project, and to other donors for providing school supplies, food and treats. Importantly, thank you to A Win for sourcing schools in ‘out of the way’ places, who deserve to receive the help he provides by way of education about organic gardens, simple home recycling and caring for the environment.