C NTACT THE MAGAZINE OF THE BRITISH WOMEN’S GROUP BANGKOK
November 2020
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
Friends for all Children’ Pages 6-7
Plastic Waste Pages 10-11
Book Club Pages 14-15
Macmillan Coffee Pages 18-19
Message from Ann McKinnon Page 20
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.
Chairman’s Message As we gallop towards the end of the “year that was”, I am sure we are all thinking, how different and difficult this Festive Season will be from what we had planned. We will be back to Zoom gatherings with family and friends, with the usual seance talk, “are you there, I can’t hear you, I can’t see you”.
However, we are very lucky to be healthy and well, and living in a place that allows us easy travel around the country.
The BWG Committee are still beavering away on your behalf. Trying to still make Christmas as much fun as we can, and organising our regular Thursday meet-ups. We have had several lovely new members join us bringing fresh ideas, for which we are very grateful.
Please keep checking your emails as all information is put out via regular mailerlite, as well as advertised on our Face Book page.
Ailsa Kneath
Ailsa.
Thought for the month :-
Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.
Mother Teresa.
Welcome to the November issue of Contact Magazine and I hope that you are all keeping well wherever you are in the world. I looked back at what I wrote a year ago in November when I was so excited about the arrival of my first grandchild. So much has happened this year since that message and challenges have been presented to us all that we didn’t anticipate at all a year ago. I hope everyone continues to stay safe and hopefully we will see positive changes over the coming months. www.bwgbangkok.org
info@bwgbangkok.org
British Women’s Group Bangkok
Contact November 2020
November Diary SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9 Mah-jong
10 Bridge Golf
11 Mah-jong Art Group
12
13
14
15
16 Mah-jong
17 Bridge Golf
18 Mah-jong Art Group
19
20
21
22
23 Mah-jong
24 Bridge Golf
25 Bridge Art Group
26
27
28
29
30 Mah-jong
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) (1pm - 4pm) Art Group - Bistro 33 Sukhumvit Soi 33 (10am -12:30pm) Karin Worthington
Celebrating 60 Years A proud tradition of learning excellence
We oer a British-style education for an international community, from Nursery through to Graduation. Find out how our approach to learning and outstanding teaching sta 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
Friends For All Children – by Yvonne Ziegler Many years ago, I went to a small Children’s Home in a soi off Ruam Rudee, with thoughts of becoming a volunteer there, but they had enough people to visit and so I joined the twice weekly van trip to Pakred, the Government Orphanage, and went regularly for about four years. However, a friend of mine took a particular shine to one of the toddlers at FFAC and I often met them, for coffee, at All Season’s Place when it first opened. Jee Jee was beautiful, with dark smiling eyes and an infectious giggle, but she had many physical challenges. Back at the Home many children arrived, became adopted and left for a new family life, in countries all over the world. Eventually, Jee Jee moved to the FACC branch in Chiang Mai, an even smaller Home, with a dedicated staff and plenty of love. Children come and go and my friend still visits ‘’her girl’’ as often as she can and has taken her to Phuket, several times, on holiday with her regular carer. I also moved to Chiang Mai six years ago, and visit Jee Jee and her little friends from time to time. They have great care, and appointments with specialists, physios and appliance makers as appropriate. You see, they all have physical challenges of various kinds, and those who can attend school do so, and are extended mentally and physically, leading as full and productive lives as possible. Jee Jee is 18 now, and views the comings and goings with a welcoming grin or puzzled frown, she is tall and beautiful and profoundly challenged – she teaches us that life is precious and a smile is worth giving and receiving, even though she cannot even sit up or help herself in any way. This year, Covid Year, visitors have had to stay away, so no extra play diversions or casual volunteer physios, or extra snacks and fruit gifts, which add value to the usual annual Budget. The British Women’s Group kindly made a cash donation to fill this gap, and to reassure the Staff that we are not far away if ever there is a need. FFAC – www.ffac-foundation.org FB – Gwan Panyada (for photos and latest stories)
Fast
t
n Convenie
behind a e d i Clinic. t e n h t a t s s i t n I a Th PD d’s new O a r g n u r Bum It is perfect for minor illnesses, prescription refills, preventive care including vaccinations, or a doctor’s note. Instead of waiting for hours on end you can see a doctor, settle the bill, receive your prescription and be on your way in under an hour. Simply scan the QR code to learn more about the new OPD Instant Clinic.
www.bumrungrad.com Contact Center: 0 2066 8888
nsive
e Compreh
Plastic Waste by Jackie Reynolds
Precious Plastics Bangkok is an NGO organisation that collects bottle tops & recycles them into other products, which I think we can all agree is a very worthy mission. Below are 2 ways you can get the plastic bottle tops to their location. One is a free mail system from 7-Eleven and the other is various drop off locations throughout Bangkok, please see the attached google map below for locations, Also if you have young children attending school here perhaps you could mention this organisation to the school and see if they would like to start their own drop off box if YES they could then get in touch with Vee & she could add them to the list. her email is worabhorn.p@gmail.com This is the link to the Google Map to find the plastic drop off locations: PPB Plastic Drop-Off Locations (Public) - Google My Maps This map is frequently updated by adding new places or removing the cancelled ones. There are drop-off boxes in Siam Paragon and Emquatier. At Emquatier, the box is supposed to be in the parking lobby area on level B. If you go there and for some reason cannot find the box, then ask the staff at that location, in case they changed the location. Alternatively, you can maybe collect the bottle tops at home/school and send via a postal/SpeedD service. SpeedD is a new shipping service run by 7-Eleven, and you can ship for free if you have a small ticket from the shop (and a Thai ID card). A 7-Eleven staff should be able to explain the process. I have now created my own plastic drop off box and placed it in the small shop community near my apartment. Prior to doing this I would just go around and ask them and a university restaurant on the klong that I frequent. They have all been very responsive to it which is great.
I think anyone living near to a convenience mom and pop shop or restaurant could easily do the same.
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.
Bookworms - November Between us we read and reported on three books this month.
How we Disappeared - by Jing-Jing Lee
This is a remarkable, original novel that uncovers the longsilenced atrocities that the ‘comfort women‘ in Singapore suffered at the hands of the Japanese during WW11. The book is in beautifully written English and its characters are based on the author’s family members. The story is told through the perspectives of an older woman named Wang Di and a school age boy Kevin Lim. Wang Di’s story alternates between her teenage years and her seventies. Kevin’s story is about his search for answers to a family secret which he learns about from his grandmother just before she passes away. I struggled to understand why Kevin’s story was in this book and this aspect attracted comments like ‘it was easy to read but unnecessarily ‘complex’, ‘ frustrating ‘ and ‘confusing’. Most of us were familiar with the story of the comfort women of Korea and the fact that Korea and Japan have been at odds over reparations and apologies over this matter for many years - but this was the first time we had heard of the comfort women in Singapore and their suffering. Wang Di was an innocent working class girl in her teens when the Japanese army invaded Singapore and took her and other girls from their families and put them into houses to service the needs of the Japanese army. The soldiers paid and were given tickets which the girls had to hand in at the end of the day to count how many soldiers they had served that day. Wang Di counted 42 tickets for just one day. Her survival depended on her belief that some of the money would go to her family and at the end of the war she learned the family had received no money. She was ostracised by both her family and the community because she had served the Japanese and she felt very ashamed. Somehow she survived and went on to marry a man 18 years older than herself but she was never able to speak of the atrocities she had suffered at the hands of the Japanese.
Scores: 2 - 6/10, 2 - 7/10, 1 - 8/10
American Dirt - by Jeanine Cummins
This is the story of a Mexican woman named Lydia and her 8 year old son Luca who flee their home and undertake a harrowing journey to the U.S border after gunmen from a local drug cartel kill most of their family, leaving mother and son the only survivors. One comment was that it was similar to ‘A girl from Aleppo’. Interestingly, refugees in both books appear to be quite well off and able to smooth their way with payments. This book was well liked by our book club readers and described as a good read but apparently attracted much criticism from Latino readers.
Scores: 1 - 7/10, 2 - 8/10
The Overstory - by Richard Powers Just one of the members had read this book some time ago and another managed 20% as I did. This is not an easy book to read. One member commented that it was more a story about families not about trees. I did enjoy the stories of the two families that I read and their clear connection to trees. It has attracted some very good reviews - some of them as hard to read as the book- but also very mixed ones. One reviewer stated that he’s as excited to read this authors books as much as Harry Potter fans must have been when a new one appeared. ‘The Overstory’ is a sweeping impassioned work of activism and resistance that is also a stunning revocation of - and paean to -the natural world.’ ‘From the roots to the crown and back to the seeds the novel unfolds from New York in the late twentieth century Timber Wars. There is a world alongside ours - vast, slow, interconnected, resourceful, magnificently inventive and almost invisible to us.‘
No scores
Next meeting will be November 3rd at 28/06, Urbana, 55, Lang Suan.
Book - The Real Enid Blyton by Nadia Cohen Plus any book that members are reading which they can tell us about if they think they might recommend it.
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Aquabiking at the Novotel Bangkok on Sukhumvit 20
Thank you from Macmillan Thank you, you're the icing on the cake!
British Women's Group Bangkok, the World's Biggest Coffee Morning is nothing without you. Thank you so much for donating a gift of £200.
We hope you felt proud as everyone came together to tuck into all those delicious treats. Whether it was with cake, a cuppa or clinking glasses, you did something extraordinary.
Every penny raised will help Macmillan be right there for people living with cancer, as we continue to offer physical, financial and emotional support to those who need us.
Look out for a special thank you in the post, which should arrive within 15 working days (not yet received!).
Your donation reference is 37404490.
Thank you once again. Your Coffee Morning means so much,
The Coffee Morning Team
Macmillan Coffee 2020 by Gale Bailey MBE Despite Covid, I was keen for the annual Macmillan Coffee morning to go ahead as it has been on the BWG calendar for many years and enables us to make a donation to a UK charity as well as the many Thai charities that we support. FCCT once again donated half the fee for providing tea, coffee and water and laid out tables for the cakes and biscuits. Many thanks to all who donated goods especially Maria Cuckson and Sara Martin (former chairman of BWG) who actually baked cakes to donate. Thanks girls! It was a busy morning with Sister Louise of the Fatima Centre and Khun Tarn from CCD telling us how they have struggled this year without overseas volunteers who come to assist and who also bring donations. There was an excellent presentation from Scott Chang who told us about the many NGO’s who have set up their base at Nakhon Sawan Road, Pom Prap Sattru Phai Bangkok 10100 and do fantastic work in the community covering all ages and abilities. I managed to acquire a few good prizes for the raffle (some donated by generous BWG members) which raised over 7,000 Baht for BWG Welfare – WOW! I was so pleased when Scott drew out the first ticket – MINE! I chose the 3 course Sunday roast for 2 at the Robin Hood so it was well worth my effort to get it and it was not a fix, I am just a lucky lady! Thanks to everyone who helped on the day and who came and donated – it was great to see so many faces we have not seen for a while and judging by the decibel level, folk were enjoying catching up!
Message from Ann McKinnon Hi Girls, I thought I would put pen to paper, as it is now certain that we have given up our Apartment at Wewon Mansion, Soi Promjit, Bangkok, not in the way that we had hoped for, but due to Covid it became necessary. So sad that it had to be done in this fashion and that we could not be there to pack up our ‘chattles’. But many, many thanks to the Ladies (and 2 gentlemen) that did it for us, and all on WhatsApp or Messenger, no mean feat indeed. Not forgetting everyone who took photos for us to decide what was coming, what could not come and what to throw away. So glad that some of our plants (and pots) were rescued and went to good homes, I really wanted to bring some of the pots back here but of course impossible. It’s nearly the end of October but still Asian Tigers have not found a ship to send our container over to Oz. I can guess what will happen, it will arrive just in time for Christmas, when the Aussies take their annual leave, so we will be lucky to have it sometime in January. However that will give us time to look for a bigger place to house everything, as this apartment is just too small!!! This actually suits us, as now, for the first time in 40 years we do not have a Maid, oh how I miss Noi, but hubby has become very versatile in using a vacuum cleaner and washing windows!! This has been an extraordinary year for everyone, friends, family and neighbours, one which we shall never forget. However as soon as Thai Airways operates again (or in fact any airline from WA, when they open the borders) then we will return to Thailand, even if it just means passing through to catch up with friends and have that beer at Royal Oak!! Take care everyone and thanks for the last 9 years we spent in Bangkok and the 5 years in Songkhla, we loved it all. All the best and Lang Mae yer Lum Reek. Ann (McKinnon)
Betty Stewart Celebrates her 80th Birthday
We all wish her a very happy birthday and send her our love