In one of his primary school years at Benchamarachuthit Chanthaburi School, Ratchanon Sukcharoen participated in the Honor Scout Corps Club. That was the first time he tried his hand at volunteering under the network of His Majesty King Vajiravudh and HRH Princess Bejaratana Rajasuda, the only child of King Vajiravudh.
“I saw the seniors wearing [scout] uniforms. I thought it looked so cool,” he recounted.
Later, the young Ratchanon discovered there is more to scouting than just wearing tidy outfits.
“The scouts we knew were different from reality. Volunteering there taught me how to be helpful to others,” he said. At the club, Ratchanon participated in activities that children could do such as being a teaching assistant, helping the elderly and cleaning.
Ratchanon is currently a senior at Mahidol University’s Faculty of Public Health. He admitted that the teachings and spirit of King Vajiravudh greatly affected the way he now lives his life. Outside university, he also works as a guide volunteer for the King Vajiravudh Memorial Foundation under Royal Patronage and Bejaratana-Suvadhana Foundation at Ruen Rudee Palace.
The now 21-year-old will be joining Thai people in honouring the 100th anniversary of the passing of King Vajiravudh on Nov 25, and also celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birthday of Princess Bejaratana Rajasuda on Nov 24.
Although it’s been 100 years, Ratchanon admitted that the solid determination of the late king has been carried on by the younger generation.
Ratchanon was first invited by the King Vajiravudh Memorial Foundation under Royal Patronage to work as a volunteer guide at Vajiravudhanusorn of Thailand’s National Library, serving as a storyteller about King Rama VI with wax figures as visual aids.
“He [King Vajiravudh] had a contemporary mindset,” Ratchanon said. “That was why people of that era did not quite understand him.”
King Rama VI tried to use media as a strategy to educate people, which explained why he graciously allocated a huge budget towards media development. Ratchanon also said King Rama VI established Chulalongkorn University despite opposition from the royal court, as they feared educated people from the next generation would take over the throne.
King Rama VI, on the other hand, focusing on the development of the nation rather than securing the throne.
In addition to being a volunteer guide, Ratchanon also worked as an assistant to the King Vajiravudh Memorial Foundation.
“Keep walking. Time and tide wait for no man,” he said, referring to one of King Vajiravudh’s speeches.