Sigurd Hamgaard received the “Pattaya Pojke” award of the year 2006 at the Scandinavian Expats Annual Party held at Green Tree Restaurant and Pub on Beach Road in Pattaya.
Chairman John A Haerum explained in his motivation for the award – which translates as “Pattaya Kid of the Year” – that Sigurd is always ready to strum his guitar for a song or two and he was also one of the three founders of Scandinavian Expats.
It is only three years ago, that Sigurd, John and Peter Aas were driving home from another meeting in Pattaya when they decided that Pattaya and Jomtien deserved a dedicated association exclusively for its increasing number of Swedes, Danes and Norwegians living there full time or part time.
Today the association numbers 250 paying members and its newsletter goes out to 1500 emails in Thailand as well as in Scandinavia. The Annual Meeting was attended by 90 members.
“Our purpose is to have a good time together and help each other with understanding and complying with of all the rules and regulations associated with living in Thailand,” explains John A. Haerum.
“If we have a surplus on any activity, we spend it on charity. This is important because that is why we have no fighting among our members to be on the board. There is no benefit from being on the board, only a lot of work!”
For a couple of years, John was publishing a magazine The Viking in his spare time – which in John’s case means between three and four in the morning, but today the email newsletter is a much more convenient and cost effective means of member communication.
The evening started with a short presentation in Norwegian by John himself, supported by a few words in Swedish by board member Tyrone Milton and in Danish by Helge Andersen.
The buffet had both delicious Thai food and a few Scandinavian delicacies like Jansson’s Fristelser and smoked salmon provided by two of the members. Drinks were ordered and paid by the table in a simple and efficient way.
The entertainment was a few appearances of a troupe of young Thai dancers, providing a nice break alo for the discreet dinner piano player of the resaurant, and the lottery. The prizes to be won were among others a dinner at Tre Kronor, a dinner at Ettan’s Restaurant, a facial massage, a shish kebab dinner and several other nice prizes.
The top prize, a trip in Thailand valued at 5,000 baht by T Travel, a company in the Nordic Group, was won by Tarjei Lodden.
The next meeting was announced to be already Sunday 4 February at Pattaya Beach Tower in Soi 4, where the subject will among others be the rules for submitting tax declarations as this is getting a hot and urgent task for many.
Invitation for coming meetings and many other useful announcements are posted on the website of the Scandinavian Expats
