D-Day Approaches

Tuesday the 29th of November 2005 heralds the staging of the second annual Jaidee Appeal JW Drunkatholon fundraiser in support of the Camillian Centre, Rayong.
The Jaidee Appeal is an initiative launched on the 31st of December 2001 under the http://www.bahtbus.com umbrella to help the children orphaned by and/or born with HIV who live under Father Giovanni Contarin’s care.
100% of all monies raised go in toto to the Centre; to date over one million baht has been raised.
Last year the event raised 103,000 baht; this year our sights are set on at least doubling that figure.
Whilst the title ‘Drunkatholon’ may conjure up visions of people behaving badly by over indulging, this is far from the reality. The title actually reflects the light hearted nature of the event, although it would be true to say that some participants may well in fact seek refuge in the occasional can of amber nectar to take their minds off their lack of ability in the four ‘sporting’ activities, which include: 8 ball pool, 9 holes of golf, 10 pin bowling and a darts competition.
This year’s Jaidee Appeal JW Drunkatholon is dedicated to the memory of Aom, a young Thai lady who sadly lost her battle with the unforgiving HIV/AIDS syndrome in September of this year.
The format of the event is as follows:
9.30 am Meet at the Navy 9 hole golf course, Bang Saray for a 10 a.m. tee off.
Directions from Pattaya: Go south along the Sukhumvit Highway to the 167 km marker and turn right into the Navy compound. The Golf Course is situated 200m from the main gate on the right. The dress code prohibits jeans and shirts must have a collar.
1.00 pm. Bangsaray Club for lunch and refreshments.
Shower facilities will be available as well as use of the swimming pool.
3.00 pm Ten Pin Bowling at Soi Zero, Pattaya Second Rd
5.00 pm The Harley Pub, Eden Hotel Complex Soi 17
The pool and darts competitions will be held at the Harley Pub and a buffet will be laid on courtesy of the Master Butcher, Wayne Harper of Western Foods.
Father Giovanni will be in attendance for the evening festivities and will close the day by presenting prizes to the winners.
A minibus service will be available with individual hotel or home pick up, and will also be on hand to return you safely home at the end of the evening.
The event promises to be a great day out and full of fun as we raise money to help the unfortunates dealt such a cruel hand in life. All are welcome to ‘compete’ (in the loosest sense of the word!) so please let us know as soon as possible if you plan to participate.
For those who may be unable to attend the full day, please feel free to join us at The Harley Pub in the evening as you will be most welcome.
For further details on the event, to arrange minibus pick up or for any other enquiries, please e-mail: bahtbus@csloxinfo.com
If you are unable to attend on the 29th but would like to make a donation directly to the Camillian Centre (from within Thailand or anywhere in the world) to help kids please go to http://www.bahtbus.com

Source:PATTAYA MAIL 25th Nov 2005

Thailand-UK are still collecting donations towards the Jaidee appeal and any forum member who wishes to donate via paypal, cheque or bank transfer still has time to contact me lee@thailand-uk.com to arrange this.

To date the Thailand-UK collection is standing at £1412 - aprox 100,000 Bt.

A big thank you to Spectrum for donating the 2 satellite receiver packages that have now been sold AND to Flip for his continued efforts with the mobiles

Big thanks to all the Thailand-UK contributors - Conrad, Keith, Paul, Casey, Nick / Noi, Rich / Orisa, Dave - Ae & Jenifer, Flip, Austin, A&A, Galahad, SteveR, Gareth, James, Thailand-UK Slush fund, RobC, Grahame, Colin244, Chip, http://www.allergease.co.uk/ http://www.pankanarn.co.uk/ , Ray, Anon 1, Billbo, Graham, Clive, Ash, Tobias & Jenny, Laurence, Marcus, Richie & Jeab, Steve Saranya & Fearne, Mike, Mem & Min, Spectrum Satellite.

PLEDGES TO November 25th - 2005:

SUMMARY:

Bahtbus Bt.110,460



Thailand-UK Bt.100,000



Thaivisa Bt.16,000



Total Bt. 226,600

Many Thanks.
Lee.

Well TG917 touched down I was in Bangkok but my luggage was in Bogota. Or at least it might have been for all there clue Thai had. Luggage eventually restored I have some thoughts and observations which I hope when read together may form a coherent whole.

I may not post in order it very much depends on how my days go:


1. Aoms things.

2. Soi 7 and Soi 8 Pattaya.

3. Chaing Mai to Burma.

4. Kikkies story.

5. A chat with Aoms Mum ( The truth about Aom )

5. An Art Gallery in London 2004.

7. The Camillian center.

I hope no post will be more than a few lines.

Richard

1. Aoms things.

I called around at my friends flat . He and his wife had cleared Aoms room and were waiting for me to arrive to sort out what I wanted to keep. We have a TV, a dvd, a small fridge ,cooking ring, clothes, photos, papers, bits and bobs of all sorts. Aoms cloths filled two bin liners and I was to take those to the Camillian Centre or Pattaya Orphanage as I would the white goods. I sorted the pictures into " our pics " of which there were several albums. There was an album of pics of Aom and her family from before I knew her, I recognized a few people. There were loose photos of people I did not know and an album of photos of Aom and her crew at the beer bar she worked at a few years ago. I resolved to take the photos of us and her and her family to her family and the photos of her and her friends to her friends. In the car to the camillian center I sorted through boxes of papers and made piles.

Here I came across plastic card from the Pattaya International. I was about to put it into the pile to bin as she was issued with a card from there a few years ago when she had an ulcer and I put her into hospital but then I looked at the date . 24th August 2005 . I first found out Aom was ill on the 6th of September when she was in the Banglamung. I continued going through the papers and found The Pattaya International release form . I read no Thai but two parts were readable. About two thirds of the way down were the letters HIV and at the bottom under reasons for release " financial problem ". Can anyone translate the Hippocratic Oath into Thai please.

Its odd to go through the remnants of a life. At the end of the journey I had only three piles . The first to bin filled the back seat. The other was a small envelope of things such as pictures of her son to take to her family . The third, for me, fitted in my shirt pocket. A picture of Aom as a young girl. It does seem that its what we were or did that lives on not our things that matter. There simply were no "things" that were or signified Aom.

Richard

Kikkies Story

About the time me and Aom were splitting ( the reasons I have explained previously ) I met Kikkie ( she has consented to me posting part of her story) Kikkie left school at 13. She has worked in the fields cutting rice and bamboo and on building sites. She is smart, fiesty has two kids she is lean dark and and has a dream. Her dream is to get to the UK where she can get a job in an old peoples home ( she has a friend who does this ) and earn " big money" For now she works in a large beer bar as its resident Kikkie Monkey . If she had had an education who knows.........

Kikkie "owes me one " I asked her to organize a cab to the Camillian Center and translate if necessary. She did so. Kikkies sister died of cancer about the same time as Aom. I met her sister who looked after her Kikkies kids. A nice lady.


As we went round the Camillian Centre Kikkie , who is normally Kikkie Monkey, went more and more silent. So sad, sad she kept saying. We got to the boys dorm where a few of the boys who dont yet go to school were having their afternoon nap. "They have too?" she asked. "Yes they are HIV positive too". "So sad so sad" she kept saying. In Father G"s office Kikkie looked at the posters and stuff and started to cry. She turned to me and said " Richard I lie to you before my sister have same your lady. I know this place now my sister come here one time for free medicine."

She told us that about a year ago Kikkies sisters ex husband found out he was HIV positive. He hung himself. Her sister got sick and was in and out of pretty much every hospital between here and Sisaket. She died in a hospital called the Queen something in this area. Kikkie said at the end she had a down turn and had tubes in her nose and they hurt her sister. Her sister improved and they took the tubes out but her sister and Kikkie were afraid that at the next downturn the tubes would be put in again. Her sister had not been able to eat for three days but in the end Kikkie got some orange juice down her. Kikkie was very pleased. "I think she drink orange she have power again".

Her sister died the next night. They never got the chance to put those tubes back.

A guy called Paddy who works at the Camillian Centre was there and he hugged her and I kissed her tears.

I thought I had my problems but on the day Kikkies came first, last and everything.

Others grief kinda puts yours into perspective.

Richard

In the freshly published words of Bangkok commentator Stickman...

...”Don't forget that this coming Tuesday, the 29th of November, is the Jaidee Appeal JW Drunkatholon. It is the second annual Jaidee Appeal JW Drunkatholon fundraiser in support of the Camillian Centre, Rayong. The Jaidee Appeal is an initiative launched on the 31st of December 2001 under the BahtBus umbrella to help children orphaned by and / or born with HIV who live under Father Giovanni Contarin’s care. If you find yourself down in Pattaya this week, it'd be nice to get involved.”

Source: Stickman Weekly

Well the drunkathon has been and gone - it was a successful event by all accounts, and many of the participants are still recovering from their sporting exertions

I look forward to reading the reports !

Thailand-UK raised £1450 for the event and I will be forwarding a cheque to the centre next week. I'm sure Father G will have some kind words to say regarding our efforts and I will share them with you at the earliest convenience.

Once again a BIG THANKYOU to all those who helped raise such a magnificent total.

I hope as a forum we can continue to support the camillian centre in the long term ... more details coming soon.

Many, many Thanks

Lee

quote:

Originally posted by richardb:
Well TG917 touched down I was in Bangkok but my luggage was in Bogota. Or at least it might have been for all there clue Thai had. Luggage eventually restored I have some thoughts and observations which I hope when read together may form a coherent whole.

I may not post in order it very much depends on how my days go:


1. Aoms things.

2. Soi 7 and Soi 8 Pattaya.

3. Chaing Mai to Burma.

4. Kikkies story.

5. A chat with Aoms Mum ( The truth about Aom )

5. An Art Gallery in London 2004.

7. The Camillian center.

I hope no post will be more than a few lines.

Richard

I think it appropriate to continue on a different thread.

http://thailand-uk.com/eve/forums?a=tpc&s=41710441&...=212100909#212100909

The Camillian Center.

I visited the Camillian Centre where Aom died three times. Before she got there she had been at the Pattaya International ( released for reason “ financial problem” ) , The Banglamung ( released as she was well !!!!!! ) and The Bangkok Pattaya.

I was going to say that the Camillian was larger than I thought it would be then I was going to say it was smaller. I suppose this means that I have to say it’s just right. About 45 mins out of Pattaya on the Sukhumvit Road you turn left and into the Center. The buildings are arranged around a green leafy space with a little lake and a sala in the middle. It is quite and peaceful except for the sound of children’s laughter. To the left are rooms for new patients. On the first occasion I went a new patient was being brought in by her family the staff were welcoming her and making her comfortable. I know this as I was waiting while it all happened. A little voice in my head my ego was saying hold on what about me I have come six thousand miles to be here. Pay me attention. I mention this as an illustration of where the priorities of the Center lie. They lie with the Children and the adults who are HIV positive and their families. The Bishop of Bangkok could walk in but if someone like Aom needed a hug or a word then the Bishop would have to wait. That’s why I know Aom was in the best hands at her end.

In the Center there is a boys dorm and a girls dorm, canteen, chapel, teaching rooms and activity areas.

Father Giovanni is a big man with a big heart. A religious man driven by love but a pragmatist also a doer. A man who lives his faith and lives it big. I sat in his office as his phone went off continuously. I was expecting a University professor from Australia who was to lecture in Thailand this morning but instead came a Thai professor going to lecture in Austria laughed Father G. “No the bus to take the children to the Big C for a treat should be here ten o’clock in the morning not ten at night he told one of the helpers. Ah problems problems” Many would give a shrug mutter “This is Thailand” and give up but father G has been at it for twenty years now fluent in Thai he and his helpers pull it all together for the kids and those adults affected by the virus.

Apart from the Camillian Centre proper nearby there is the Eden project for adults to grow food and gain some independence and a future home for teen age orphans ( one girl is now 18 the longest living HIV child in Asia ) is going to be built soon when the funding arrives there is also a workshop project that’s going to be built. Many kids are sponsored by individuals who pay for the anti retrovirals they need to stay healthy. To achieve all that is truly amazing. The Camillian center is a simple place but to keep it going needs work and hard work at that.

Paddy showed me round and explained how the dorms were going to be classrooms as previously the local schools would not take the HIV children . Due to the Camillians efforts and educational program aimed at institutions such as schools as to the realities of HIV all but the sickest children can now go to local schools which they love.

We looked in to the Palliative care unit where Aom died. It took me a while to come to terms with the concept. In palliative care, the aim is to minimize the impact of the progressing illness so that the patient can live life to the fullest. Death is neither hastened nor postponed; life is affirmed and dying is regarded as a normal process. The people in the Unit were in a bad way but as Paddy showed me around each person got a hug or he had a chat and a joke. It was then that it struck me that I was the only one with tears on my eyes. The patients were all happy at peace. Yes they were going to die probably sooner than me and Paddy but we too will die one day. I truly believe that quality of life is so important and meeting those people I know that the gift of a peaceful happy end is so so important.

I missed the old Katoy who I understand looks after some of the littlest children. Father G is certainly not a bible thumper and I think his view is that if you have some love to give to the children it does not matter if you are Thai or Falang or anything just as long as you make their troubled lives better and believe me some of these kids have had troubled lives and need all the love and treats they can get.

As we moved round I peered into a room where the children who are too sick to go to school were having their afternoon nap. Most of the HIV children were born HIV positive. I say most as the rest contracted the virus through abuse. What can I say? Maybe that if there is wickedness in the world and what happened to those children is wicked then there is goodness in the world too to balance it out.

I think that there are few things in this world that are all good or all bad but really in the Camillian Centre I cant see any bad at all.

People say a picture is worth a thousand words and here are a few I took on my last visit:







Thailand UK doing it for the kids

http://thailand-uk.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/63410226/m/801100909

Hi

Glad to report that all the monies have finally been collected and £1480 has been handed over to Father G on behalf of Thailand-UK.com

I will post Father G's letter of thanks to the forum when it arrives - and look forward to debating our future support to the centre with forum members in the new year.

Finally, The Pattaya Mail have done a feature on the Drunkathon with some pictures of the event, see Pattaya Mail and the Bangkok post are currently working on a piece.

Thanks everyone.

lee

Letter from Fr.Giovanni Contarin, director Camillian Center Rayong Thailand to the Thailand-UK forum.

Dear Mr.Lee, Thailand uk,

with great joy and sactifaction I am sending you this thank's e-mail.

I received from Mr.Noel the sum of 103.000 baht (one hundred and three thousand baht), sent in the name of the http://www.thailand-uk.com website and all its members.

The Jaidee Appeal project started a few years ago when Mr. Noel wanted to support the new "Garden of Eden", a branch of Camillian Center Rayong.
So many thinks happened in these last ten years and so many people could get education and relief from being infectet by HIV/AIDS.
We tried our best to work at several levels to find out the best way to help people in the Thai society to reduce the number of new infections, to get acces to care and essential; drugs, to help orphan children living with HIV/AIDS.

You can see the wide range of activities visiting the
http://www.camillian-rayong.org

Without financial support from many places and people like you we could never succed in establishing such kind of services close to people in need.
The integration of several activities (volontary test, education, attitude,care at different levels) is the way to solve the problem of HIV/AIDS, is not a matter of doing something in one specific sector...for these reasons it involves more financial support and of course human resourse.

We really appreciate your effort in doing fund raising and we would like you to have a commitment to secure future support for our activities for the poor, abounded and children with HIV/AIDS.

Please assure a special thanks for all your menbers and a Blessing from the New Born Jesus.

May the New Year bring Prosperity and Happiness to all of you.

Thank You in the name of all our children and people in need.

Sincerely,
Fr.Giovanni Contarin, director Camillian Center Rayong Thailand

Just to further update matters-
An additional 1600 baht was added to the coffers directly,courtesy of Thaddeus,Mervyn,Mark W and myself following a refund of Xmas dinner monies.

If you're reading this Noel,you'll no doubt be aware from Jamie at the Harley Bar that the Xmas dinner was not a resounding success Should he feel inclined to refund further monies that we paid via Macam,please redirect them to the centre.

From the Bangkok Post Outlook section

Come together

Richard

[MODERATOR EDIT: Post edited to correct bad URL]

Above link changed to: Come together

Paul has managed to get hold of a copy of Saturday's Bangkok Post and have uploaded a scanned copy of the article Here.