President's Message - 1987

OHS Yearbook 1987

The President's Message:

In looking back on my first year as your president, I must say that it has been a real learning experience for me. I've always known that this Society was held together by a handful of dedicated people, but what I hadn't completely grasped was that the rate of attrition far exceeds the rate that people are coming forward to volunteer their services. Not only are we having trouble filling vacant positions, but our membership cannot even be gotten out to the meetings. This caused serious concern among your executive. So a questionnaire was drawn up to poll the members on their wants, needs and interests. A grand total of nineteen of the 400 sent out have been returned over the past five months! Ladies and Gentlemen, that is a sad commentary on the state of our affairs.

With the drastic cuts in home gardening information available from both the Provincial and Federal governments, organizations like ours are going to have to be ready for increased demand from the public. It would be a sad turning if we too had to turn them away for the lack of willing workers.

I know that a lot of you feel you haven't enough knowledge to do anything. Well, we have many experts from whom you can draw information but never enough willing hands. Besides, many of the jobs, like public planting you already know how to do. We have many diverse jobs that need doing like helping with the library or the sales table at the Tulip Show; working with children so that maybe we could get a Junior Program off the ground; becoming involved with the shows, even if it's only to keep an eye on the exhibits and showing people seeking information to someone who can help.

As the saying goes 'many hands make light work'. If even half of our members gave the Society one day a year of their time, we could move mountains. But, I'd settle for planting a few mole hills.

You will notice that this is not the usual bright upbeat president's message and I've been told by those close to me that I shouldn't write this kind of letter. But, I believe that, (to put it in common parlance) when I'm bugged, I share the scratching. Or maybe I think that only 1 in 50 of you will bother to read this. Only time will tell. Anyway, I want to hear from YOU, so spend .34 or better still come to a meeting and tell me what you want in person. I'll let you know the tally next year of how many people actually read the President's Message. Until then, good gardening in 1987.

[Signed Linda Temple]

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