Australian Ambassador to Thailand Allan McKinnon honoured the occasion with a special thank you in his video message to Australians in the Kingdom earlier today (June 8).
“I would like to start today’s video by honouring a special Australian. Wal Brown was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in the Queen’s Birthday honours list overnight for his services to the international community in Phuket,” Amb McKinnon said.
“Wal is a legend down in Phuket. He was head of Region 8 Police Volunteers for some years and provided incredible assistance to visitors to the island.
“When Phuket citizens were doing it tough last month as a result of the economic downturn due to COVID-19, Wal sprang into action to coordinate food donations for those in need,” Amb McKinnon added.
“He’s also been a fantastic friend to our consulate-general in Phuket since it was established.
“Wal Brown, thank you – and take a bow,” the Ambassador noted.
Matthew Barclay, the Australian Consul-General to Phuket, is well acquainted with Wal’s years of service to people visiting and living on the island.
“This is incredibly well deserved recognition for Wal. He is an incredible Australian and a truly great member of the Phuket community. Whether it be his long contribution to community policing with the Region 8 police volunteers, his support for the needy in his neighbourhood or advice to Aussie tourists experiencing Phuket for the first time, Wal has done so with the utmost passion, kindness and care,” Mr Barclay explained.
“It stands to reason that before I took up my posting here that I knew the name of one person I wanted to meet straight away on reputation alone – that was Wal,” he added.
The Phuket News was told that arrangements are being made to recognise Wal for receiving the award in the near future.
The esteemed award is much welcome, Wal told The Phuket News this evening after he returned from helping with his latest campaign, Feeding Friends Patong, launched with the help of friends to help feed people in Patong left without any income due to the COVID-19 crisis.
“[It’s a] Fantastic feeling for myself and my family, They know more about what I did, actually we as a group did, to support Australian tourists, and for that matter all tourists in Phuket and Patong through the Immigration Volunteers and then the Region 8 Police Volunteers,” Wal said.
“When I was first contacted four months ago advising me that I was nominated as a possible recipient for an award and that I was not to talk to anyone about the possible nomination. I was skeptical about it and how it would affect my life here in Thailand,” Wal explained.
“I couldn’t talk about it and I felt some of them – my other volunteers, 45 of them from 12 other countries – deserve recognition. Anyway I said yes and left it at that. I did not hear another thing about it until this morning,” he added.
“I’m not sure if I am breaking any confidence but I was considered for a term as Honorary Consul for Australia after Larry Cunningham retired. This I declined reluctantly because I felt at the time that I was doing more for tourists working with the police than I could if working from the consul’s office…
“Our Volunteer Program was cancelled two years ago by the new incoming police colonel to Patong and hasn’t been restarted as yet, mainly because of the impact of the coronavirus this year,” Wal explained.
“The volunteer impact on tourism is massive, more than the police realise, when we Patrol the streets and beach we talk with tens of thousands of tourists each year. Why do we do this? To make the tourists feel good, comfortable, inspired by letting them see us working with the police and take their problems we are told about back to the police, tessabaan [municiaplity] or other government agency. This in turn helps the government.”
The presence also helps with the image of Phuket, and Patong, in the international media, he added.
“How many news feeds from other countries come to Patong to do a story and want a volunteer that speaks their language to walk with them,” Wal noted.
Right here, right now
Regarding the current situation which has left thousands in Patong alone without any income to provide for themselves, Wal commented, “How do I feel about the actions the local government has taken with the coronavirus? The results are on the government’s side. I felt at times that the lockdown could have been opened in some areas quicker, but for what? Businesses will not open any faster and be productive,” he said.
“There is still a long way to go before Phuket, and Patong, can get back to [a similar situation to] this time last year and it will need a lot from the local government to understand the issues local businesses will face to get the Thai economy started,” Wal said.
“My current project [Feeding Friends Patong] is working with Tony Love Linay and Ally Gleeson, who coordinates Phuket Thailand Groupies with Lynda Munro. Monies raised mainly in Australia are used to provide food packages for Thai people in need. We are doing around 2,000 meals per week and 400 packs of milk for children,” Wal added.
For more information about Feeding Friends Patong, see their Facebook page, here.
See also:
Phuket: Lending a helping hand to the island’s tourists and expats