President s Monthly Review Volume 10 No. 2 August 2015/2558 As we find ourselves in the heady months of August and September, as Expats our minds may often stray back to those at home and the summer days of Europe, and the USA, and of course the cooler days of winter in Australasia. It seems that many of us take this time to go and visit family and friends back home and the Expat life of Samui turns a little quieter for a few weeks. It could be just an excuse to get away from all of those very, very white people riding scooters around the island either without a helmet at all or one of those pots that could be more dangerous than nothing at all don t you just love to play spot the tourist at this time of year. Within Rotary it is true than not so much will happen during these two months. Many of our club members, myself included, are heading home. The Fellowship dinners will still run each month, but news and other activities will be limited. As you know the Rotary club have been supporting the Special Needs School construction project for 2 years now, and have already donated more than 500,000 Baht. It was with great pleasure that I attended the SNS fund raising event on 2 nd August, which was held in the grounds of the new school itself. More than 200 people attended, along with monks and local dignitaries and one very senior ranking general. The event was highlighted by the donation of 1 million Baht by the CEO of Bangkok Air. There were also many money trees from other companies and individuals. Whilst this money will give the construction project a good boost, we still need to raise more to complete the project and then to continue funding on an ongoing basis so our efforts must continue so that we can help the kids and staff who need our support so much. Phil Harnett President 2015-6 Please note the next formal meeting of the Rotary Club will be at Nikki Beach on Sept 30 th at 7pm. Please feel free to come along and join us, we have so much to do. Have a great summer season wherever you choose to spend it. The Rotary Club of Koh Samui has been working for the underprivileged of Koh Samui and elsewhere since February 2003. Projects have ranged from Tsunami Relief on the west coast in the early years; school building work and painting; supply of computers for temple schools; supply of specialised equipment to the Government hospital; and latterly, to provide building materials to the new Special Needs School currently under construction. The club membership consists of a group dedicated people, whose numbers fluctuate as members move away or move to Koh Samui. We constantly need new members to replace those leaving so that we can continue our vital work here in our paradise island. Are you such a person? Contact adele@rotarysamui.org for further information on becoming a member.
Following the success of our first new venue this year at Mövenpick Resort, we are delighted to invite you to another new venue, Stacked Restaurant, Ozo Resort, Chaweng Beach Road. The Fellowship Dinner is on Friday August 28 th, commencing with Registration at 6.30 pm followed by Dinner at 7.00 pm. The price of 1,000 baht/person, as always, includes the meal, red/white wine, beer, water and soft drinks. Please send your registration requests to adele@rotarysamui.org
July Dinner Party at Mövenpick Resort This was Rotary s first visit to the recently opened Mövenpick Resort. This was all topped off with freshly made pancakes and Mövenpick Ice- cream. Located just off the main ring road heading North out of Nathon, the resort is set back from the road and provides a quiet venue down to the beach. Upon entering the resort, one is greeted by the view of three swimming pools that run down through the beautifully kept gardens to the seafront. For sure that the island has another fine dining restaurant that will soon make it s mark with the locals. The restaurant is open to the sea and provides lovely views across towards the mainland and Angthong National Park. The staff all gave us friendly service and made us feel very welcome, but the highlight of the evening had to be the food provided by the new chef Tomas from Sweden. During the meal we were treated to a fire show by some locals on the beach, including their finale which entailed standing on a bench in the sea and twirling balls of fire that gave out sparks to form a firework effect looked pretty dangerous to all. He has been based in Thailand for around 10 years now, but only arrived on the island 6 weeks ago. All of the buffet dishes were great, but comments of excellence went out for his Beef Bourguignon. Thanks go out from the Rotarians to Emmanuelle Levasseur the GM, Tomas for his wonderful food, and all of the staff for making this such a wonderful evening.
PROJECT ROCKS 2010 11 The club, chartered in 2003 has been involved in many humanitarian projects aimed primarily to help the people of Koh Samui. Here is one such project in 2010/11, the purchase of the Jaws of Life set of pneumatic tools for Samui Rescue Organisation. A total of over 350,000 baht was raised by members from Dinner Parties, a Second Hand sale and the sales of 1000 raffle tickets with a Fino Disco Motorbike as the main prize.
Thai Calendar 2015/2558 Wed Jan 1 st New Years Day National Holiday Sat Jan 10 th National Children s Day Observance Fri Jan 16 th Teacher s Day Observance Sat Feb 14 th St. Valentine s Day Observance Thu Feb 19 th Chinese New Year s Day Observance Wed Mar 4 th Makha Bucha National Holiday Mon Apr 6 th Chakri Day National Holiday Wed Jul 1st Mid Year Holiday Bank Holiday Thu Jul 30 th Asalha Bucha Day National Holiday Fri Jul 31 st Buddhist Lent Day National Holiday Wed Aug 12 th Queen s Birthday National Holiday Fri Oct 23 rd Chulalongkorn Day National Holiday Wed Nov 25th Loy Krathong Observance Sat Dec 5th King s Birthday National Holiday M- W April 13-15 th Songkran National Holiday Thu Dec 10th Constitution Day National Holiday Friday May 1 st Labour Day National Holiday Tue May 5 th Coronation Day National Holiday Wed May 15 th Ploughing Ceremony Day National Holiday Thu Dec 24 th Christmas Eve Observance Fri Dec 25 th Christmas Day Observance Thu Dec 31 st New Year s Eve National Holiday Mon Jun 1 st Visakha Bucha Day National Holiday Contact information Rotary Club of Koh Samui P.O. Box 41 Nathon, Koh Samui, Suratthani, 84140 Rotary Club of Koh Samui Board of Directors and Committee President Secretary Treasurer Phil Harnett Adele Smith Adele Smith Phone: 0897256795 Immediate Past President Jeffrey Martin info@rotarysamui.org www.rotarysamui.org President Elect TBA Past Presidents Sister Clubs R.C. Tormohun, Devon, England R.C. Hong Kong South, Hong Kong R.C. Sritapee, Suratthani, Thailand R.C. Makati South, Manila, Philippines R.C. Khok Chamedun, Hat Yai, Thailand Paul Harris Fellows Ken Chung 1987 Paul Hawkins 2006 Paul Watson 2006 Mike Langaskens 2007 Ken Chung (Charter) 2003 Bernd Schillig 2003/4 Paul Hawkins 2004/5 Paul Watson 2005/6 Rico Stapel 2006/7 Adele Smith 2007/8 Philip Parker 2008/9 Claudio Cerquetti 2009/10 Peter Breaks 2010/11 Philip Parker 2011/12 Adele Smith 2012/13 Jeffrey Martin 2013/14 Jeffrey Martin 2014/15 ROCKS Newsletter compiled and edited by Peter Breaks