Peter LaGrandeur VA6RPL, CARA Secretary, VA6RPL@techworld.ca

Greetings, fellow amateur radio enthusiasts. Happy April to all.

Your Executive Committee has been hard at work taking care of CARA’s admin tasks. These include financial matters (such as setting up a new on-line payment system for memberships), clarifying membership categories, asset storage, asset management (such as the vacuum tube collection), surplus asset disposal, investigating more CARA net infrastructure (a remote radio station and the AREDN), the next casino, requesting improvements to the CSCC building and grounds, and a new election strategy to turnover half the members of the executive committee every year to maintain continuity (oh, so important).

We look forward to the day when the Covid spectre departs and we can return to some normalcy. Members are longing to resume participating in our large roster of annual public service events, attending meetings for general gatherings and with our many interest groups, and with resuming classes in Basic and Advanced amateur radio. It’s a good thing that this latest pandemic occurred when we have global social networking technology available. Video conferencing has been a real boon, along with email, texting, and messaging.

In the immortal words of John F. Kennedy, "Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly." As applied to us radio amateurs, we have risen to the challenge of social distancing, and continued to have our meetings using electronic technologies.

The life blood of CARA are its many diverse interest groups. CARA’s claim to fame has been to support a wide range of interests in the amateur radio community. Your executive committee strives to keep its ear open to the needs and wants of its members. No one should be shy to suggest new avenues for our hobby, or even for the direction of the club.

There is one CARA member, in particular, I would like to recognize, who is also a member of more than one other amateur radio club in the area, who is currently serving as the editor of CARA’s long-time publication, the KeyKlix. Ken Oelke VE6AFO puts a lot of effort every month producing a fab newsletter, which really shows his many years of experience and participation in the hobby of amateur radio. Such a publication is the etched tablet of what the club does and is the club’s record for posterity. It is a pleasure to pick up and read every time it comes out. Well done, Ken!

In conclusion, I’d like to recognize the hard working members of the CARA executive committee, President Dave VE6DED, Vice President Harry VE6HRY, and Treasurer Stephane VE6NR, all of whom have been very dedicated to the smooth operation and well being of CARA. I have never seen such as group as this, that has an ongoing dialog of club business on a daily basis. Keep up the good work, guys!