A FORMER Mount Gambier couple who were instrumental in transforming a small rural village in Thailand into a booming hub have been recognised for their efforts with a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).
Don and Alicia (Toni) Hein, now of Adelaide, were recognised on the prestigious Australia Day Honours List for significant service to archaeological research and the people of Thailand through social welfare initiatives.
The pair spent “many, many years” working in South East Asia with stints in Cambodia, Laos and Burma (now Myanmar), but a majority of the time spent in the northern Thai village of Ban Ko Noi.
Mr Hein, an archeologist, worked for more than 20 years at the village after excavating his first kiln there in 1980.
During the excavations, the Heins lived in tents with no electricity or running water in the village.
“It was a poor, rural village when we first got there,” she said.
“When you are living in a village, you get to know the people and you get to know their needs.
“We realised there were a lot of stomach upsets and we had to get water from the river ourselves, so my husband put in a water supply.
“The toilets had no sewerage and my husband taught the villagers how to build a septic tank.
“The health of the village went up considerably.”
Ms Hein said the pair’s humanitarian efforts extended into the education realm when they discovered only one child from the village was attending high school.
“We have always really valued education and we thought we should really try to send some of the children to high school,” she said.
“It started off with one child, then two children and I think we had about 50 at one time attending the high school.
“We had to beg the parents to send them and we begged our family and friends for sponsorship, but everyone was fantastic and willing to contribute.”
Ms Hein said a number of the students had continued their education after graduation, with one student completing a Masters degree at university.
“There are a lot of former students that have started small businesses and have been very successful,” she said.
“We have an architect, we have an engineer there.
“We are very, very proud of all of our students, but we do not feel we have done anything special.
“They are the ones that have done the special things.”
The couple recently returned to the small village, with Ms Hein commending both their former students and the broader community for their continued development programs.
“The village looks so prosperous and there are new houses, new cars and new motorbikes which is probably because of the children sending back money for their parents,” she said.
“There are now homesteads in the village where people can come and stay in the homes and there are two museums of Don’s works that are open for tourists.”
Despite being influential across a number of initiatives – including a booming tourism industry, the installation of electricity and water and providing a major contribution to the country’s historic culture – the humble pair downplay their efforts.
“As part of Don’s work, we just got to know the villagers and their needs,” she said.
“We have been very, very fortunate in the grants we have received from the Australian Government, the people we met, the friends we made and the support of our families.
“We feel very honoured and privileged to receive this award.”
