The Angel of Bang Kwang Prison by Susan Aldous, Nicola Pierce Page A

Once again I enjoyed the freedom and independence just like when Pete and I headed around Australia. I did make lots of new friends in the different Christian groups that I came into contact with but I had no real ties and wasn’t perturbed by the constant travelling and living alone, or bunking in with assorted friends.
    But then I got a call from my friend in Thailand. Richard was working for the army and was given a few passes to the Southeast Asian Games and told to ‘bring goodwill’ to Thailand. A mutual friend suggested to him that he should ask me to accompany him since I spoke a few of the local languages and got on very well with Asians and would more than likely say yes to coming along.
    The Southeast Asian Games is a bi-annual multi-sport event involving the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia. In 1985 the 13th games were being held in Bangkok, from 8–17 December. Richard rang me and begged me to come over and be an interpreter during the games. All along I somehow knew that I would end up in Thailand and the idea didn’t appeal to me. Realising your destiny is a two-edged sword in that it is both exhilarating and utterly terrifying. For now I considered his offer.
    ‘Nine days Susan, just nine days out of your life that’s all I’m asking for. You’ll have a great time, I promise you!’
    How could I resist that?
    It was great fun. Again there was nothing formal about my role. I just hung out with the athletes and their crews and the media crowd, befriending them and helping out wherever I could. After the nine days were up I was asked —as I knew I would be—why didn’t I just stay on for a while? I returned to Indonesia to once again pack up all my belongings. Then I flew to Singapore for a quiet Christmas. I rang my parents before dousing what was probably going to be my last Christmas pudding for a while, in brandy. Afterwards I headed out for a walk along the streets, taking in the bright lights and the hundreds of beaming Singaporeans and Westerners who were out celebrating.
    This was it, I knew that my life was about to change forever; Thailand was where I was meant to be; I couldn’t deny or resist it any longer.

Chapter Three

    One of my first jobs in Thailand was minding Richard’s kids. He had recently married his second wife, a Thai woman, and they were expecting their first child together. In the meantime he needed me to look after his four American children from his first marriage. Richard was also a member of a Christian group and managed to do as much voluntary work as he could in between his day-time job as a teacher and his full-time career as a busy father. Naturally, once I had settled in, I helped him out with his charity work whenever I was needed. I hadn’t got a long term visa yet and had to keep leaving the country every six months. I would go visit my friends in Penang and Indonesia and help out in any projects that I could.
    One of the first projects that I set up on my own was teaching English to the Tourist Police. This branch of the police department was mostly made up of young recruits who had recently joined from up-country provinces. The vast majority had never been in busy Bangkok in their lives, never mind being next to near a tourist, and certainly did not know a word of English; therefore, if some enraged German or American had been the victim of a pick-pocket it would immediately become an impossible and frustrating situation for both parties. The tourist industry was becoming an increasingly viable and necessary asset to Thailand, so something had to be done. A course, including text books, had been specially written for them at Thammasart University but there was no one available to teach it.
    I heard about their dilemma and approached the chief of the Tourist Police to offer my services. He was an interesting guy, with fairer skin than me, and a Clark Gable moustache. He spoke English fluently, having studied in England, and was an advocate of education