President Report - Derrill Henderson
Thank
you for the privilege of serving as your President. Our association is
entering a period of ambitious undertakings to meet our Mandate of ensuring
the Battle of Hong Kong, and the Canadian men and women involved, will never
be forgotten. It is exciting to be part of these projects and I encourage
every one of you to get involved to the extent possible in your particular
situation. Since I have only been in the position for a short while, I have
little in the way of personal activities, although I did attend the Reunion
of the Atlantic region in Florenceville, NB. This small, yet dedicated,
group adopted our priority projects with vigor and enthusiasm.
The Memorial Wall (which Carol Hadley has written about in this newsletter) has captured the energy of not only our veterans, widows, and members, but also other groups across our nation. The Canadian Legion and Veterans Affairs are among this group.
Another of our nation-wide foci is the implementation in our schools of the Ten Lesson Plan developed by the Ontario Region. The insight and the dedication of the individuals involved under the leadership of Pat Turcotte are to be commended. We all owe Pat a great deal of thanks for this educational material. When not available inside our membership, she persisted in getting the necessary outside resources to complete the task. Bravo to all involved.
Now it is time for me to throw the gauntlet to you, the reader. We have been successful to date because of our membership. The larger our membership, the more attention is paid to our requests by government; by companies of whom we are seeking assistance in one form or another; by Education Boards; and by the Canadian citizen in general. The Atlantic region has chosen, when they mail out the Membership renewal notifications, to challenge every member to get another individual to join. Our veterans and widows comprise a significant portion of our membership, so this approach will not double our membership, but will result in a major jump in our numbers. Remember, one does not need to have had a relative in “C” Force to join. It is open to all.
So please, get more involved. Contact your region councils to offer your services. If your talents cannot be put to immediate use, this will enable them to have a list of potential resources when the need occurs. Talk about and promote our association and our projects whenever possible. The person whose interest you peaked may well be the association’s President one day!
Email: Derrill Henderson