Reports
Treasurer’s Report “Dues and Views” - Barry Mitchell
As is the case with many of you, my thoughts on HKVCA are influenced considerably by the tremendous convention we just attended in Calgary. The Alberta/Saskatchewan Region certainly did themselves proud in the way they hosted this affair and are now firmly established as a responsible arm of the Commemorative Association. Their committees all worked so very hard and one of the benefits of all this activity is the introduction of many new people to our organization. Yes, it’s baptism under fire, but it also creates a commitment for those who want to follow through and see the results of their efforts.
From a financial standpoint, I can’t help but reflect on the over 200 people who pay their own way to attend this national get together and make it truly an all Canadian endeavour. I think that the personal dollar cost alone speaks to the devotion we all have for the HKVCA. The Hyatt hotel, for example, is a great place to stay and conduct business but we must all pay for that privilege. There is no subsidy provided to the executive or others and the complete exercise is accomplished on a volunteer basis. It’s easy to do, of course, when we are motivated to honour our veterans as best we can.
No doubt much of our financial focus in the coming year will be centered on the Memorial Wall project. We were most gratified at the response we received at the convention in our appeal for funds for this project. During that weekend in Calgary, we received almost $20,000 in donations with promises from some of the Regions of more to come. Including what we had in the bank previously, I can safely say that we now have about one-third of the funds that we think will be necessary to design, construct and maintain a first class Memorial Wall in Ottawa. Initial approaches to the private sector have recently been made and we anticipate a favourable reception here as well.
I’m pleased that we have a meaningful project to get our teeth into but we must not lose track of our primary and on-going objective of getting the story of the Battle of Hong Kong out across Canada. We have a good start in Ontario and BC in providing school divisions with information for their curriculums and this needs to be expanded to other regions. We also have activity in some cities where we attend educational forums and tell our story through displays and presentations.
All of this costs money, folks, and we ask that you help us accomplish these tasks by paying your dues promptly each year. Your Regional Treasurer should be hammering away at you if you are a little forgetful, as we need nothing less than 100% in membership fees. Of course donations help a lot as well and I remind you that we can provide you with an income tax receipt for all donations over $20.00. You can provide valuable support to the HKVCA with dues, donations and the purchase of our merchandise. Thanks for your participation.
Membership Report - Jim Trick
To Make Better Use of Your Membership Dues...
It is the policy of HKVCA to send only one newsletter to each address even when there is more than one member living there. If you need more copies, please contact the HKVCA Secretary (secretary@hkvca.ca). If you wish to read this newsletter and the regional newsletters online, please use this link:
http://www.hkvca.ca/newsletters/index.htm
and notify us if you do not want to receive a newsletter by mail. If you elect to stop receiving a paper copy, we can put the resulting savings to good use in meeting our association's goals.
Another benefit of supplying us with your email address is that we can keep you up to date on happenings that are time-sensitive, allowing you to be more involved in the ongoing activities of HKVCA.
Here's our membership status as of Sep '07:
|
Membership Region |
Regular |
Veterans |
Widows |
Total |
|
Al/Sask |
76 |
17 |
13 |
106 |
|
Atl |
91 |
3 |
6 |
100 |
|
BC |
93 |
21 |
44 |
158 |
|
MB |
196 |
25 |
65 |
286 |
|
ON |
127 |
31 |
58 |
216 |
|
QC |
68 |
24 |
63 |
155 |
|
Total: |
647 |
121 |
249 |
1021 |