Following the very successful Santa Scramble held earlier in December last year, which was held to raise money to purchase presents for the 75 to 80 orphaned and abandoned children that are cared for by the Baan Jing Jai Foundation here in Pattaya, when a sum over 200, 000 baht was raised, New Years day was the first possible occasion that the children could be presented with their presents, as over the Christmas period they were very busy touring the city giving carol concerts at many establishments.

Some 80,000 baht of the amount raised was utilised to purchase the presents, with all of the children having requested their heart’s desire they already knew what Santa had in his sack for them, the balance was put towards the fund that has been set up to build a new home for 100 plus children to be built on the outskirts of Pattaya.

The event was held at The Haven Hotel, now becoming a regular haunt for the children, where a very jolly Santa gave them all a special bag followed by a special take-away meal box as they set off to enjoy the rest of the day on a coach trip to Bangkok.

This year the Baan Jing Jai Santa Scramble was held early than usual, as the middle of December has become overcrowded with so many competitions which while it had an effect on the total entries, did not make a big difference to the amount of money raised. This year the plan was to raise enough money to buy each of the 80 plus children a Christmas present of their dreams with any excess money being directed towards the funds for the New Home for 100 plus children that is planned to be built on the outskirts of the city on land that has already been purchased for that purpose. Since last year the home, that cares for orphaned and abandoned children between the ages of 1 year and 17 years, has received the official status of a charitable trust under the title of The Baan Jing Jai Foundation. This change in status still does not mean that it will receive any monies from either central or local government and will still therefore have to rely on donations from commercial and private individuals and fund raising activities such as the day’s events which are vital to its ongoing survival.

Last year’s wonderful sum of 200,000 baht was again matched with the last minute addition of a final donation made by a famous anonymous donor to take the total from 180,000 to a total of the following;

Golf activities - 45,000
50/50 draw - 87,000
Donations - 68,000
Total 200,000 baht

In addition to this figure following the presentations there was a special donation of 500,000 baht made by the family of the late Benny O’Connor from his estate, the presentation being made by long time friend and fellow golfer Alec Hoare, watched by some of the students of Alec’s school whose home is with the Baan Jing Jai. Benny had been a long time member of the IPGC and fervent supporter of the Bann Jing Jai while he was still with us in Pattaya and his family had asked that the donation be put towards the New Home Fund in his memory. It is planned that a room or section of the new home will bear Benny’s name for posterity in recognition of his support for the cause.

Whilst not wishing to exclude and also not mentioning any individual, many who gave very generously either through the 50/50 draw or directly into the fund with donation, it is right to give credit to those commercial sponsors who helped to make this such a successful day, these were; Pattana Golf and Sports Resort, the T.Q., World of Wine, Fairways Driving Range, The Pattaya Mail, Pattaya Sports Supply, Pattaya Coffee Roasting Co., and the Haven Hotel.

The day started with clear skies and a strong breeze that seemed to be against on every hole no matter which nine were being played, the course having been set up for the first division 2.8 to 8.3 to play the arguably harder A and B courses with the second division, 8.8 and above, playing the C and A nines.

The A nine has just come back into operation following a six month period during which much of the course has been re-laid and it would be fair to say that the greens on that nine need another couple of months to be seen at their best but the rest of the course is in great condition. The B course is as always a stern test and is only marred by the unfortunate sight on the first hole where the lake on the right has completely disappeared during one of the recent heavy storms but should soon be back to normal, but where the water will come from is another matter no doubt. Apart from the sight, the play of the hole is unaffected and the rest of the holes on the nine are in their usual good condition. The C course is also in excellent condition whilst playing the shortest distance.

The first division was led in by Rodney, Bill, Daryl and Garry with a scintillating round that included ten birdies and no bogeys over the par 73 course, closing strongly with a gross 30 on the inward half.

Only a tick behind them in the runners up spot was the team of Russell, Shane, Jon and Richard who slipped in an even better 12 birdies also recording 30 on the back after a 31 outward nine.

Just missing out on the prizes was the team of Steve, Barry, Bubbles and Stephen who matched the two teams above them for the last nine but had started a little too slowly to catch up with the top two sides.

The second division saw a very close result between the top three teams with the two Pauls, Stefan, and Stephen just getting the edge on the A course returning two halves of 34 for a gross 68 with four birdies.

The Pattaya Mail team, having won the Summer Scramble, slipped down to second spot this time as they followed a very strong three under on the front nine with a scrambled two over on the back that included three unfortunate bogeys and a lone birdie. They finished by the narrowest of margins (point one of a stroke) ahead of Don, Wayne, Robert and Hal who finished with a one under back nine after a three under front nine on a card that showed no bogeys.

Those that made the effort to support the day’s very worthy cause were rewarded with a great day’s golfing enjoyment in the knowledge that they had all helped towards making it a Very Happy Christmas for a lot of deserving children.

After the golfing activities the contestants returned to The Haven where the usual sumptuous spread had been laid on and continued until all were totally satisfied.

Stephen Beard presented the prizes to the winners and thanked all who had helped to make the day such a great success from the prize donors, 50/50 sellers, donation collectors, buyers, donors and golf organizers and the staff of the Haven for keeping everyone topped up with food and drink in the evening.

There was also a sad moment of reflection on the recent passing of Roy Thornton who had been instrumental in starting the Santa Scramble on behalf of the Baan Jing Jai in conjunction with The Haven three years earlier.

First Division
1st Rodney Nabbe, Bill Piggott, Daryl Burkett, Garry Barling (5.5) 57.5
2nd Russell Exley, Shane Ruddle, Jon Lay, Richard Hurley (2.8) 58.2
3rd Barry Winton, Steve Mascari, Bubbles Davies, Stephen Beard (5.8) 60.2
Second Division
1st Paul Taylor, Stefan Hoge, Stephen Lewis, Paul Hartley (8.8) 59.2
2nd Dan Dorothy, Martin Bilsborrow, Peter White, Benny Hansen (12.4) 59.6
3rd Don Everett, Wayne Waywood, Robert Carlhausen, Hal Hart (9.3) 59.7
Technical Prizes
A 1 Stefan Hoge
A 3 Garry Barling
A 4 Al Keith
A 7 Jon Batty
A 8 Peter Lock
A 9 Alan Riddle
B 1 Steve Mascari
B 3 Rodney Nabbe
B 4 Al Keith
B 6 Jon Batty
B 7 Jon Batty
B 9 Jon Lay
C 1 Tronde Rogne
C 2 Stephen Lewis
C 5 Paul Taylor
C 7 Benny Hansen
C 8 Dan Dorothy
C 9 Paul Blackshaw
50/50 Draw
1st Dave Howden
2nd Norwegian Seaman’s Church
3rd Steve Mascari

Baan Jing Jai Summer Scramble - Monday 4th July 2011

Following the very successful Santa Scramble, the promised summer event was held at the Khao Kheow Country Club after the organizers were offered a very good deal by the management to help support the day.

After heavy and prolonged overnight rain the course was playing about as long as could be remembered by any of the participants with absolutely zero run from the tee shots. But apart from the heavy conditions the course was as usual in excellent shape with even the rough having been cut down to a reasonable height in spite of difficulties with the weather.

The competition got away exactly on time and the rounds proceeded at a brisk pace, considering the four person scramble format, with most teams round being completed in less than four and a half hours.

As the day progressed the skies remained overcast with a slight wind ensuring everyone had a great day’s golf whether they were among the prize winners or not.

With a maximum of five tee shots for each team member the system allowed all levels to compete in what is designed primarily to be a fun tournament which everyone can join and enjoy with the real winners being the charity.

The standard of scoring was exceptionally high under the conditions aforementioned with the divisions being split at 7.4 and below for the first division and 7.5 and above for the second division.

The First Division was led in with a winning gross score of 64 followed by a gross 62 and third place went to another gross 64. The difference between first and second being the size of the team handicap which had been set at 12.5 % of the total playing handicaps without a cap on the final handicap figure.

The winning team managed to record eight birdies with no bogeys and without a 5 on the card which was a fantastic effort with all of the team being involved on every hole and splitting the tee shots 5.5.5.3.

The second team was even better at the gross level with one eagle, eight birdies and no bogeys splitting the tee shots 5.5.4.4., but they did have a 5 on the card. The third team also had eight birdies and no bogeys split 5.5.4.4.from the tee.

The Second Division was just as competitive with the net scoring even lower at a gross 68 for the winners, 75 for second place and 71 for third.

The winning team went out in four under gross but slipped slightly over the closing nine, as the requirements of the tee shots started to tell, coming home in level par and still good for the win which included four birdies and no bogeys.

The second team also went out nicely recording a level par nine but faltered badly with a double bogey on the tenth and finished with a bogey having been restricted to the better of only two tee shots with one in the water.

The third team had a very tidy round which included no bogeys but only one birdie.

After the rounds were completed the teams returned to The Haven where the usual fine buffet was provided which kept most of the players busy until the final analysis of the scores was completed and the prizes presented.

Whilst golf was the main attraction of the earlier part of the day, the concept was to use the tournament to focus on the raising of funds for the children of the Bann Jing Jai Orphanage which has some 80 children under its care and exists solely on the good will and donations of private individuals and charitable donations from organizations throughout the year. This event was organized to raise funds to go towards the construction of a new home, for approximately 100 children, to be built on over four rai of land on the outskirts of Pattaya, the land already having been purchased for that purpose.

Whilst there was not a hard and fast target for the day it had been hoped, having regard that the event was to be held in the middle of the low season, that somewhere around a hundred thousand baht could be raised. In the event this figure was exceeded.

Prior to the presentations there were special thanks to some of those who had assisted in setting up and organizing the day and or sold tickets for the lucky draw. These included Russell Exley, and Len Jones on the golfing side and Jim Farmer and Don Benson who between them sold a large number of tickets for the prize draw, together with all those who donated in any way whatsoever to the cause.

Following the draw for the 50/50 prizes the final total for the day was revealed as 116,000 baht which included a very generous payback from the main draw winner, Neil Sandilands, of 20,000 baht.

The total raised for the Baan Jing Jai New Home Appeal was made up as follows;

Golfing activities of the day 17,500 baht
50/50 Draw 49,700 baht
Donations 28,800 baht
Special Donation 20,000 baht
Total 116,000 baht

Whilst not wishing to exclude and also not mentioning any individual, many who gave very generously either through the 50/50 draw or directly into the fund with donation, it is right to give credit to those commercial sponsors who helped to make this such a successful day, these were;
Khao Kheow Country Club, The Pattaya Mail, The Links Golf Bar, The Fairways Driving Range, CJUK Cider, John & Jeff from The St Andrews Golf Centre, The Pattaya Sports Supply and The Haven Hotel.

Results
1st Division
1st Bob Lamond, Stuart Thompson,
Phil Knight, Orawan Meeraka (6.1) Net 57.9


2nd Shane Ruddle, Jon Lay,
Richard Hurley, Richard Line (3.4) 58.6


3rd Russell Exley, Chris Voller,
Mikael andersson, Jeremy Masse (3.8) 60.2

2nd Division
1st Jimmy Little, Martin Bilsborrow,
Peter White, Dan Dorothy (11.3) 56.7


2nd Matt Millar, Rich Wibrow,
Chris Harkins, Neil Sandilands (13.5) 61.5


3rd Yasuo Suzuki, Shuichi Kodaka,
John Squitiero, Rod Howett (8.3) 62.7

Technical Prizes on holes
B1 Jon Lay B2 Richard Hurley B3 Richard Line B4 Haruyuki Kato B5 Shuichi Kodaka B6 Bob Lamond B7 Trevor Schirmer B8 Peter White B9 Richard Hurley
C1 Stuart Thompson C2 Al Keith C3 Shane Ruddle C4 Masaki Suguya C5 Richard Line C6 Mikael Andersson C7 Richard Hurley C8 Haruyuki Kato C9 Jon Lay

50/50 Draw Winners
1st Neil Sandilands
2nd Jon Lay
3rd Bobby Shirkey

On Saturday afternoon the 7th May 2011 The Haven in Soi 13, played host to some 65 children from the Baan Jing Jai shelter for orphaned and abandoned children.

The organization is currently home to some eighty children and survives on donations from many groups and individuals that donate generously and on a regular basis to enable to facility to continue to provide a vital service in the local community and is housed in three rented houses in the eastern suburbs of Pattaya.

Recently the organization has received recognition as a “Charitable Foundation” authorized by the local and provincial authorities which will assist in its planned programme of improving the services and facilities.

To this end approximately 4.3 rai of land has been purchased and plans drawn up to build a new home for the existing children, plus the inevitable additions, on the outskirts of the city.

The proposed plan can be viewed on the web site at www.baanjingjai.org

The children had a great day playing in the pool after feasting on a meal of a special Jing Jai hot dog, french fries, ice-cream along with gallons of soft drinks. After a couple of hours in the pool the children moved across the road to the beach for another hour or so swimming and then returned to the hotel where they were provided with a take-away khao pad goong to replace some of the energy spent during a great fun day.

The children’s day at The Haven was also the launch pad for the Summer Charity Draw to be held following the annual golf tournament on July 4th and following the very successful Santa competition when 200,000 Baht was raised for the children’s Christmas presents and additional necessities, it is hoped that another good event will result in another large sum to go to the building fund that has been set up to finance the proposed building project. As previously 50 % of all monies will be allocated for prizes and this time 50% will be for the benefit of Baan Jing Jai new building project.

Haven Hotel brings in Santa for Ban Jing Jai orphans

Seventy-five children from the Ban Jing Jai orphanage enjoyed a Christmas with gifts from Santa Claus at the Haven Hotel, which donated 200,000 baht to the Pattaya shelter.

Money was raised from guests at the Soi 13 hotel, and golfers taking part in the annual Haven Invitational golf tournament. Most funds were raised through selling tickets for the exciting 50-50 draw.

Ban Jing Jai children were then taken shopping, with each given a budget within which they could purchase anything they desired. Most came within one baht of their allotted budget.

These toys and necessities were then wrapped in Christmas paper and presented to the children during a Boxing Day party at the Haven.

The balance of the funds raised will be used to provide additional school and casual clothing during the coming year and the balance will be held for emergency and major projects that the home may have from time to time.

Off the Cuff Day Raises 32,200 Baht for Orphanage

On Saturday the 16th May a last minute discussion resulted in a day out for the children of the Baan Jing Jai Orphanage and a very useful 32,200 baht bonus towards the running cost of this very worthwhile establishment that looks after some 60 children of all ages.

The day began with a trip to the beach at Sattahip with the aid of one of Lewiinski's golf mini-buses, courtesy of Colin Davis, at 9.15 am. The weather of late was a worry and with rain on the way down to the beach even more so, but on arrival at the beach the rain stopped and for the next 3 hours the kids had a great time playing in the sea with canoes, rubber rings and the odd banana boat ride thrown into the bargain, under the instruction of Mikael Andersson I might add, who thought it better to go on the last banana boat himself in case further instructions were required!

Happy to be at play on the beach

Despite a very large snack bag and coke for each child on the beach, playing in the sea obviously gave them an appetite because they were keen to get to the second half of the day being arranged at the Haven Hotel, so we packed up and after an area cleaning sweep of the beach where we were all gathered we departed for Pattaya. On arrival at the Haven Hotel, we were met by Steven and Lamyai who greeted the children and gave them all drinks and the run of the swimming pool area. After spending 3 hours at the beach, you would thick that they had had enough of the water, but the swimming pool at the hotel was soon being invaded by eager kids wanting to play more in the water. Lamyai then provided a running buffet that must have kept the chef working for some time because some of the children made several return visits to the buffet and forced the chef to crank up the kitchen even after he thought he had long since finished.

A Big Thank You to Everyone

The day was rounded off by Steven and Norman Isherwood collecting from guests staying at the hotel and casual visitors alike. This added to funds already collected by a donation box on display at the Haven, funds from Lewiinski's Hidden 6 golf competitions and a very impressive anonymous donation, from a gentleman known only as big Jim, resulted in the presentation of the 32,200 baht to Piangta who runs the Baan Jing Jai Orphanage. In addition, Kenny Priddy turned up with some 30 football type shirts for the children. A very worthwhile day indeed, and a big thank you to everyone involved, God Bless you all.
Roy Thornton

Charity at the Haven

The Haven held a free party for over forty children from the Bann Jing Jai on Saturday the 25th October when we also presented the home with a donation of 41,500 baht from the golfers here at The Haven and also from some at Lewiinski's and a further donation from the UK.