D Home Charity Silent Auction and Dinner.

Not too often does one gets a chance to stroll on the seaward side of the E&O Hotel in Penang and it is still a breath taking experience anytime of day. This Hotel is one of Penang's Heritage site and has a history of its own that stretches back into colonial times.

From this mélange of cultures and colonial commerce, four Armenian brothers, the Sarkies, would emerge to establish some of the world's greatest hotels in the East, including The Raffles in Singapore and The Strand in Rangoon.

The first of these, in 1885, would be the Eastern & Oriental Hotel, once pronounced as "The Premier Hotel East of Suez", boasting more than 100 rooms, 40 of them with adjoining bathrooms, hot and cold running water, individual telephones and a 902-foot seafront, "the longest of any hotel in the world".

In its long and colourful history, the E&O Hotel has seen two World Wars, the wane of the British Empire as well as the birth of Malaysia. It has welcomed the glitterati of the literary and entertainment worlds including Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Noel Coward, Rudyard Kipling, Somerset Maugham and Hermann Hesse.

Through the highs and lows of events around the world, the E&O has retained its charm and weathered the passage of time with character and grace. Today, more than a century since its establishment, it is still nigh on impossible for travellers to think of luxury travel in the East without also calling to mind the graceful elegance and storied colonial charm of the E&O, one of Asia's truly great hotels.

Find out more about the vibrant history of the E&O Hotel from the book The E&O Hotel: Pearl of Penang. The book celebrates the rich heritage of the E&O Hotel, from its beginnings in 1885 to the present day. Authored by Ilsa Sharp, it is available at the E&O Hotel Bombay Shop and leading bookstores. RP: RM188.50.

Situated in Georgetown at the intersection of Farquhar Street and Penang Road, the E&O Hotel is 20 kilometres from the Penang International Airport and within walking distance from the food havens, shopping complexes and entertainment outlets of downtown Georgetown.

D’Home was envisioned by one man who dared to dream of making a better tomorrow by building a better world. His mission: to give hope and meaning in life to those who are desperately in need of hope.
Dato’ Leslie Lee Kim Guan, Executive Chairman of New Bob Group of Companies and President of D’Home Mental Health Association is no stranger to mental health issues. He has first hand knowledge of what it is to care for a loved one with mental illness. He has been looking after his older brother who has been suffering from schizophrenia for the past 42 years. 

Right from young, he has vowed to help ease the pain of others with the same struggles. It was this passion that propelled him to provide an avenue for others to learn more about mental illness and to find support and encouragement.

Dato’ Leslie, like Lao-Tzu, believes that ‘The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step’. Thus he took the initiative to take that first step in late 2004 by sharing his vision with Dr. Leela Ryan (MB BCh, MRCPsy) the Associate Professor of Penang Medical College. Dr. Leela Ryan then introduced him to the Family Link Education Programme. Together with the pioneering team that shares the same passion, namely, Dr. Leela Ryan, Dr. Lau Kim Kah, Dr. Lai Fong Hwa, Mr. Lee Khai, Mr. Leong Eng Khoon, Mr. Lim Kee Hor and Mr. Jeya Balan, they proceeded to develop the concepts and objectives and D’Home was born….

is Dato’ Leslie’s dream and aspiration that D’Home will soon be able to have in-house psychiatrists and psychologists to cater to the needs of its members as well as the general public. He hopes too that D’Home will be able to expand its services and open more branches in other states in the not too distant future.

Dato Dr. Tan Chee Kuan bought my piece of donation for the event. This  was my third consecutive participation in this fund raising event and would gladly hope to continue to do so into the future. This year's event was organized by none other than my brother Lee Khai which made it extra special.

Dato Dr. Tan has thus far collected a number of my artworks ever since he first attended my solo exhibition at the ABN AMRO USM Gallery back in 2004. I like him as he has always been down to earth friendly towards me and knows his art.