It is an honour to be elected as the second female President of the Rotary Club of Patong Beach. I returned to Rotary two years ago after being a charter member of the Rotary club of Gonubie (District 9370) in South Africa for a short while before leaving for the Middle East.
I realised the extent of parenting only when I became a parent myself; and I feel much the same about becoming the President of our Club. Similar to our parents, the work of all of our Past Presidents to get the club to where it is today is remarkable and I thank each of them for their contribution ‒ this has made the start of my year easier. A special thank you to our Immediate past president Walter Wyler who led us through a year of consolidation and focus. His continued support and contribution to our club is very much appreciated.
Our Board is composed of a dynamic, forward-thinking team who will continue to build on current club projects as well and embrace new ones. Our Scholarship program provides educational opportunities to students of varying ages, who would not otherwise be able to afford access to education. As Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” This is a solid investment in the future of our community. Our Save-a Child-Swim program takes place towards the end of the Rotary year usually during the low season so that we have easier access to the use of swimming pools. Thai students are taught the basics of swimming, floating and survival by a wonderful group of Thai instructors. This is an important life skill considering that drowning is the number one cause of death among Thai children under 15 years old. We contribute to the Lenses for Learning program in collaboration with the other Rotary clubs in Phuket, where students in need have their eyes tested and are sponsored a pair of eyeglasses. By improving their vision it helps students function better in their environment and also hopefully have a positive impact on their education and learning.
We also have minor projects that we participate in yearly; the Vegetarian Festival, a cook-a-thon for World Food Day and for Children’s Day in Thailand, to name a few. Already this year we raised funds to assist less fortunate families in Thalang affected by the flooding at the start of July. At the beginning of August we are working collaboratively with the other nine Rotary Clubs on the island in a project providing dental services to prisoners. We also have a fundraiser reggae event in October and additional details will be made public shortly.
Rotary International President Stephanie Urlich has chosen the theme of “The Magic of Rotary” for the current year 2024-2025, where she calls upon Rotarians around the globe to “amplify the organisation’s power to save lives”. She has asked us to create magic with every project completed, all monies donated, and with new members joining. As Rotarians we are mandated to find a balance between continuity and change, and work for peace.
Our current District Governor, JakChai Visutthakul (District 3330) has a motto, “Take it Easy”, where he asks members to develop sustainable community projects built on strong friendships. This year, one thing I will focus on is building a strong relationship with the other nine Rotary clubs (all Thai) in Phuket so that we can work with synergy and make a difference in our island community.
I am a global nomad, used to being a minority in every country I have lived. I go by my nickname Cabbie with my birth name Carol-Ann being reserved for official documentation ‒ I rarely recognise it ;) I was born in Zambia, travel on a South African passport and have lived and worked in eight countries across Africa, the Middle East and Asia. I thrive in and respect cultural diversity as I believe this strengthens my ability to understand society and therefore contribute more meaningfully to the community within which I chose to live. I bring to the position of President a career spanning many aspects of Education which includes; Corporate Training and Development, consulting for school reform, school teaching and leadership, adult literacy… I’ve worked with learners as young as 3 years old to those nearing retirement. I have also owned a small retail outlet in South Africa.
I am positive and energetic about whatever challenges I face in my life. I also have a strong guiding light and that is to pay my way forward in life ‒ to do something unexpected for someone else without expecting anything in return. I am a champion of kindness to all living things. Our members come from over 20 countries with a vast array of professional and personal experience. We embrace diversity, equity and inclusion and I believe my mandate is to harness the collective abilities of members so that we can make a difference in our community. We would like to attract new members who want to be active in the club and use their knowledge and skills within our committees to make a difference in our community.
To find out more about our club follow us on our Facebook page or via our website RotaryPatong.org. We meet on most Tuesday evenings from 7-9pm at the Four Points by Sheraton in Patong with interesting speakers and a variety of topics. The first Tuesday of the month we have a dinner out and we invite prospective members, guests and friends to join us and find out more about the club and meet members.