by Barry Kenyon
Wally Pickering & the bookshop
It’s arguably the best second-hand bookshop in Pattaya, yet all its profits are returned to charitable enterprises to benefit Thai nationals at serious risk. And it’s certainly reasonable – any book costs you just 80 baht with a 50% discount on exchange of the volumes. There are well over 22,000 books on display in well ordered sections covering fiction, non-fiction and a score of languages and not just English.
One of the master minds behind the Thais4Life bookshop is Wally Pickering, a personable and no-nonsense Australian, who has known Thailand for thirty five years and has been based here in Pattaya since
2003. “Thais4Life originated after a group of friends collected one and a half million baht to save the life of a Thai diagnosed with total kidney failure and the stark reality of
facing death unless dialysis was available,” says Wally. The story had a happy conclusion, a kidney transplant followed and today the young man may expect a near normal life expectancy.
In the past five years,Thais4Life – a recognised trading agency and charitable foundation under the name of bookshop manageress Khun Kai – has assisted literally thousands of Thais, both directly and indirectly, hence the title. These days, Thais4Life receives the ponsorship support of many supporters both in Thailand and abroad. There’s even a monthly quiz in Pattaya to support the far-reaching work which is aimed principally at supporting Thais with medical or special needs who, generally speaking, would not receive help from other sources.
Wally, a member of the ad hoc expatriate group behind the foundation, explains“We don’t give cash directly to Thais in need as this is an unwise admission ofongoing responsibility or even liability. If the person really is without any funds at all, we are able to provide meal vouchers which can be used at several local food outlets.” There is a close working relationship with Dr Philippe Seur of Heartt 2000, which provides anti retro viral medicine for aids sufferers, but hais4Life is open to all Thais what ever their health problem, sexual orientation, age or gender.
So where do all those books come from? “It’s just amazing,” admits Wally. Apparently never a day goes by but that new donations are arriving from well wishers or even people anxious to dump their unwanted titles. “We benefit substantially from donations after people die and the Pattaya police regularly bring us piles of books unclaimed after someone has shuffled off this mortal coil.” It should be noticed that the charity centre also offers CDs, DVDs and an exclusive line in greetings cards.
Wally and the committee are already planning ahead and an upstairs room will soon be brought into use to house extra ooks. “Apart from fiction, our most popular lines are science fiction and biographies,” comments Wally
as I peruse a biography of Augustus Caesar who was my special subject at university forty odd years ago. Indeed, the more you browse the books on offer, the more you realise the potential of this unique Pattaya reading room.
Also for the future, Thais4Life is cooperating with a new range of agencies in the resort to assist more destitute and poor individuals and families. Projects in hand, through the intermediary agency Pattaya Today media group, include financial support for Banglamung hospital’s charity fund which assists destitute Thai patients (who can’t benefit from the 30 baht medical scheme) and school scholarships for children of promise from the poorest families in the province.
If you don’t yet knowThais4-Life, you can look up their website www.thais4life.com or visit them (noon to 1800 hours but closed Sundays) at the bookshop located in Soi Yensabai Condotel, opposite the snooker hall. Cash donors are noted on the website and, don’t forget, this is an ideal place to off-load your unwanted books for others to enjoy. Personally speaking, I’m hoping there’ll be more biographies on sale of the later Roman emperors.
Credit by : pattaya2day.com
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