Kelly Lawson in Thailand (Chulalongkorn) has provided an update to Rob Helme on her fantastic time away.
"When we first arrived we attended a welcoming from Mr. Bhichai Rattakul, past Rotary International President and former Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand. He is a truly inspirational man. It was such an honour to meet him. He encouraged us all to be peacemakers and to put into practice all that we would be exposed to over the coming months. I will try and send through some photos of this special occasion.
I have had the opportunity to present at two Rotary clubs over the last couple of weeks. One being the Rotary Club of Bangkapi which is a beautiful club with lunchtime meetings at the Grand Hyatt. It was an English speaking club which made it easier to present and the people were so lovely. Specifically mentioned were Australia's efforts in assisting in the cave search for the missing young soccer players which they asked for me to convey to all back home. They were very grateful and spoke about how our country played a significant role in the rescue.
I also presented at an evening meeting at the Rotary Club of Pattanakarn. I had the pleasure when I first arrived of attending their family night which was a celebration regarding the change of President. It was a fabulous night filled with games and entertainment. The newly elected President, Tete Techapatsiri, is a 30 year old male with lots of energy and a passion for Rotary not seen in many young people. It was great to see so many of the younger generation joining Rotary and they had a significant amount of female representation which is not always seen in many clubs across Bangkok.
At both clubs I presented on my work as a Police Officer and spoke of the challenges faced with the diverse community that we represent. I specifically spoke of the issues with the Preston Mosque and used it as a case study and linked it to the Peace fellowship and how we can police through the lens of peace building. On both occasions it was a well received presentation with many questions.
They will also host an evening celebration for all the Peace Fellows on the 28th August as we come to finalising our time on the course.
This coming Friday we leave for a week field trip to Sri Lanka where we will study the conflict over many years regarding the Tamil Tigers.
On Friday 31 August, we present our studies to an open forum which is a great way to not only share our work but to highlight the significant contribution that Rotary is making to Peace building across the world. That night we have a graduation ceremony where all Rotary hosts across the various clubs come together in a night of shared celebration.
I look forward to sharing my experiences with you all when I get back. Kind Regards, Kel
