A long-term Phuket expat and a longstanding active member of Rotary Patong, Walter here presents his first message to the Phuket community:
I am humbled to be elected president of the Rotary Club of Patong Beach in 2023-24 for the second time in my 11 years’ membership of the club ‒ although I must admit it was not planned.
I have stepped in while our President-Elect, Hans Guelich, has medical treatment. We wish Hans a speedy recovery and look forward to welcoming him back home to resume his presidency.
While I am president I am determined to lead our dedicated and passionate Rotarians to deliver on our existing projects: a swimming program to help Thai children learn to swim; a long-running scholarship educational programme, and our new ‘Lenses for Learning’ project providing spectacles to Thai schoolchildren with impaired eyesight. We are always evaluating new projects.
Here, I must pay public tribute to our Past President Best Wanamakok who steered the club through the difficult days of the pandemic. Our club and our ability to help Thai children on Phuket has emerged stronger than ever. Congratulations to PP Best and his team for receiving a well deserved 2022-2023 Rotary Citation Award.
I suppose I am typical of the Rotarians in our club from a very wide range of occupations and backgrounds who bring their unique knowledge and skills to the table to benefit Phuket. I completed my Swiss National Air Force service before moving to Singapore in the ’90s to work in the power and transmission and distribution industry.
I was president of the Rotary Club of Singapore East from 2009-10; president of our club from 2015-16 and was Assistant Governor in 2017-18. I am also a district club trainer and proud Paul Harris Fellow, which recognises service to the club and the community. I like to think I have used my experience positively to be a mentor to Rotarians on management and administration.
Rotary’s work is not just with people of need in the immediate community. This year Rotary International President, R. Gordon R. McInally has chosen ‘Create Hope in the World’ as his presidential theme for 2023-24. This is particularly relevant in view of what is happening in Ukraine.
Here in Thailand our District Governor, Dr Chatchawal Telavanich has set an admirable goal to keep up with the new technologies overwhelming all of us by encouraging Rotarians to use more online services such as My Rotary and Rotary Club Central, and other electronic media.
In this regard, one of my objectives as president is to ensure members attend meetings as regularly as possible to get the best benefit from their membership. This not only lends itself to fellowship, but to also learning from our guest speakers and to attracting new members. It’s easy for Rotarians and prospective new members, just click the registration link on our website https://www.rotarypatong.org/
We meet Tuesdays at 7pm at Four Points Sheraton Hotel, Patong Beach three weeks a month, with a delicious buffet dinner and interesting guest speakers. We have a dinner out on the first Tuesday of each month. Meeting dates are published on our event calendar on the website.
For more information email info@rotarypatong.org; visit Facebook: Rotary Club of Patong Beach (or RCoPB); or go to the website https://www.rotarypatong.org