Meet George Barrie Honorary British Consul

by Rodney James Charman

Earlier this year Bert Elson BEM who is retiring as the British Honorary Consul of Chonburi had a small farewell event attended by H.E Mark Gooding OBE British Ambassador, HM Consul, British Embassy to Thailand Joanne Finnamore-Crorkin, family, friends, and community organizations who came to show their appreciation of the work Bert has done. The Ambassador thanked Bert for his service over the last 10 years and said that he will be sadly missed.

Now after all the necessary administration and security checks have been completed we can announce that Bert Elson BEM has handed over the role of Honorary British Consul to George Barrie.

George told me: I was born in Glasgow in 1955 I joined the Royal Navy at 16 and served for 10 years. After leaving the Royal Navy I studied for my Bachelor’s Degree, and started working in the Oil and Gas Industry as an electrical engineer for nearly 40 years I travelled to many countries around the world and it was while working in Myanmar that I discovered Thailand. In 2006 I based myself here and married my wife Linda in 2008. This year we celebrated our 15th anniversary.

During the pandemic, my work slowed down and I made the decision to retire, and where better than Thailand? This has allowed be the time to become Honorary British Consul for the region and I hope that I can be of some help to my fellow expatriates and British Tourists here Thank you George wishing you the best of success.

UPDATE FROM THE BRITISH EMBASSY

Please note that George Barrie will be officially appointed as the new British Honorary Consul next year. The British Embassy is currently finalising his appointment process with the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In the meantime, Bert Elson will continue as the Honorary Consul for Chonburi.