september 2015 retirement matters
Transcription
september 2015 retirement matters
BURLINGTON RWTO/OERO SEPTEMBER 2015 RETIREMENT MATTERS PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Welcome back everyone! I hope that you all have enjoyed this beautiful summer. I actually did not mind the cooler weather since I was pretty close to home most of the summer with my “broken foot”. Thank you to all my dear friends who offered to take me to the doctor, for groceries, to the bank, etc. and those who came to visit while I had cabin fever. I look forward to this new RWTO year with eagerness and expectation! The new Executive had their first meeting in June and I must say I quite enjoy working with such an enthusiastic group of talented women. We welcomed Laura Hay who has replaced Helen Dahl as Archivist. Thank you, Helen, for your service as Archivist this past year. Helen has joined the Program committee. Bev Pickard is serving as Past President and I know I will be able to count on her mentorship as well as her wisdom over the next year. The rest of the Executive has remained the same, which is exciting for me since these wonderful gals already know what they are doing. Our Program Committee under the leadership of Bonnie Folkard has outlined an interesting line-up of guest speakers for this year, starting with “String Along Ukulele” in September. Please refer to the Program brochure and online reminders for details of upcoming events. ! Our interest groups will begin again in September. Two new groups have been formed-Paper Crafting /Cards and Knitting. Many new ideas for interest groups were garnered from the Posters at our May meeting. I encourage you to seek out areas of interest to more fully enjoy your membership in our branch and to forge new friendships. PENTA Prior to 2004-05, Burlington Branch was part of the Hamilton and area group. In 2004-05, we became part of Area 12 and the PENTA group was formed. Penta is the association of all five branches in Area 12: Oakville, Mississauga, Peel North, Milton and Burlington. It actually made good sense since many of us had taught in the east and the north of Halton and lived in the west. Penta meets yearly and each branch takes a turn at hosting the gathering of all 5 branches. Our turn will be in November 2017. ! This year, Oakville Branch is hosting PENTA on Tuesday, November 17 at St. Volodymyr Cultural Centre on Dundas Highway at Fourth Line, just a stone’s throw from home. The host branch goes to a lot of effort and cost to provide a wonderful day’s events. I attended my first PENTA in Milton in 2011-12 after I joined RWTO and have looked forward to it every year since. I hope we will make a special effort to support our Oakville sisters this year. Look for a sign-up poster at our September Luncheon for anyone needing a ride to this event. RWTO Convention in Stratford Unfortunately, I was unable to attend Convention this year because of my broken foot. I would like to thank MoiraJane Plexman who filled in for me at the last minute and accompanied Bev Pickard and Nancy Parkhill. Our resolutions were well accepted as a whole. Please read further on this in the Convention Report contained in this newsletter. Next year’s convention will be held at Caesar’s in Windsor. I have been retired from my profession since 2001. I was reluctant to join RWTO at the onset because my Halton teaching career had been in Oakville for more than 20 years, all the while living in Burlington. My good friend Mary Lyons brought me to my first luncheon in December 2010 and it was so much fun that I joined the very same day. The camaraderie that existed was contagious! Everyone was involved and helping out! I have never looked back! I enjoy all the old friends I meet and all the “new” friends I have made over the past 5 years. I have never been afraid of volunteering…it keeps me healthy, happy and busy. Consider joining us on a planning committee, in an interest group, making a presentation to our members or visiting members who cannot get out. Many hands make things easy! Just let me know you would like to help. Drop me a quick message at [email protected]. and I will get back to you or give your name to the appropriate person. Lastly, I look forward to working with your Executive and seeing all of you at our luncheons and events over the coming year. I also encourage you to bring a retired teacher friend to our events. We certainly would like to see our numbers grow and make sure that everyone has the opportunity to participate in the Caring and Sharing and Having Fun enjoyed at Burlington Branch! Cecile Leach RWTO/OERO PROVINCIAL CONVENTION 2015 STRATFORD The Arden Park Hotel in the lovely city of Stratford was the setting for the Provincial convention attended by Carol Martin and three branch delegates: Past President Bev Pickard, Vice President Nancy Parkhill, and Moira Plexman, Membership Chair taking the place of President Cecile Leach who stayed home to nurse her foot. Throughout the convention there were Shakespearian references in keeping with the setting. Thankfully there was no tragedy but there was comedy. Costume too played an important part. Imagine a room of retired women having dinner in their “night dress” or ladies decked out in fascinators all doing “Bolly dancing” at lunch. The best drama however was to be found on the floor of the convention as resolutions were presented, discussed, challenged and voted upon. One resolution was withdrawn and another referred to the Board of Directors for study. As you know from the published resolutions, your Burlington Branch Resolution Committee submitted a number of resolutions. These resulted in much discussion. At one point an impassioned Bev Pickard implored the Board of Directors to seize the opportunity to advertise RWTO in a well made TV ad. First time convention attendee, Nancy Parkhill got caught up in the mood and made an impassioned speech to rally voters to support our resolution on committee membership. Finally I presented our last resolution which seemed so self evident that I did not expect to need to say anything beyond the rationale. When it became clear there was resistance, I did rise to dispel some misinformation being touted by those with an opposing view. This resulted in a call to vote. I am happy to report all of the Burlington resolutions passed. We did note that a number of branches talked about “Having Fun”. Adding “Having Fun” to the “Caring and Sharing” motto of RWTO was a resolution proposed by Burlington and defeated at the Sault Ste. Marie Convention. Informal discussions with others suggest there may be a ground swell of support if we were to propose this resolution again in Windsor where the 2016 Convention will take place. Whether official or not, we will continue Caring and Sharing and Having Fun in Burlington! Moira Plexman Provincial Delegate: Burlington Membership Convenor PROGRAM COMMITTEE We have now firmed up our speaker and topic for January 2016, Barbara Boles-Davis who is speaking on her topic "Where have all the Dollies Gone?" Mark your calendars January 18, 2016. We are also looking for new members to add to our committee. Please contact Bonnie Folkard at [email protected] if you are interested or have questions. Bonnie Folkard A special anniversary is coming! Please consider joining us at Windsor Convention next June to celebrate 60 years of RWTO/ OERO What is Happening this fall in the RWTO Book Club? The RWTO Book Club meets monthly in member’s homes, usually on the second Wednesday at 1 p.m. We have 12 members although many of our members travel and join us when they are in town. Some of us visited a winery in August to enjoy winetasting and lunch. This year we have a mix of fiction genres. Our September book is the current best seller, The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant, about a grandmother who tells her granddaughter of her life growing up as an immigrant to America. October’s book, All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, is a New York Times bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy who are trying to survive WWII in France. In November we will read The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, a story of WWI and two sisters. We round out the year with The Sultan’s Wife by Jane Johnson, a romantic historical novel set in 17th century Morocco and London. All promise to be interesting and to lead to lots of discussion! Call Heather White (905-639-2922) AREA 12 DIRECTOR My name is Edith De Quetteville and I am your newly installed Area 12 Director for 2015 -2017. I am a 15+ year member of the Oakville Branch as well as an associate member of the Burlington Branch. For the past twelve years I have enjoyed working on the Oakville executive in a variety of roles. The position of Director provides me with new opportunities and experiences as I work with and support the five branches in Area 12-Burlington, Oakville, Lydia Snow (North Halton), Peel North and Mississauga. Indeed, I look forward to it with anticipation and excitement as I continue to meet with retired women teachers who are caring, sharing and having fun. 2 CORA BAILEY AWARD 2015 BEV BALCH We all smile when we think of Bev Balch because she is a very lovely person in every way. Her warm smile and sparkly eyes are just a hint to the kindness in her heart. She always looks so well put together with lovely outfits and fantastic shoes! She has 2 daughters and 4 grandchildren, 2 boys and 2 girls. Bev has volunteered in many positions at her church in Lowville. She is very involved with The United Empire Loyalists in southern Ontario and has been able to trace her family history back several hundred years. Bev loves to read and belongs to 2 book clubs. She loves music, gardening and travel. EDWINA TAYLOR By presenting the Cora Bailey award this year the Burlington Branch is happy to honour not only the career but also the contributions to our profession and to our organization of Edwina Taylor. Edwina was president of our Branch in 1993-94. Although she died just four years later, her legacy within our Branch lives on in the lives of many who have followed her example of Caring and Sharing. Several of the present day executive have memories of Edwina Bev worked for the Halton Board of Education as a classroom teacher, a special ed teacher and a vice principal. She was known for her hard work, her deep interest in student success and the positive attitude that she encouraged in her staff. When she retired in 2006 she was fondly remembered by parents, staff and students. RWTO Burlington has been very fortunate since that time that Bev has dedicated many hours to our group. She served the Executive as Vice President. President 2 years, Past President and Secretary. She was an integral part of all three Pretty in Pink campaigns as a Planning team member, Model and Chair woman. She initiated both our Book Club and Travel Club. No task has proven too big or too small for this woman to step up and get involved. Her involvement has truly made a difference in our groups’ success in every way.! ! Laura Hay and Bev Pickard which have enabled them to continue the work that she began those many years ago including a former Provincial President, a couple of our past Branch Presidents, a newsletter coordinator, and a program convenor as well as several of our members. Influenced by her values we have continued to demonstrate the ideals of the Retired Teachers of Ontario and our own Burlington Branch. Her life demonstrates memories of people in our lives, lives lived by women like Edwina, do make a lasting impression. Ruth Roberts 3 INSURANCE Welcome back everyone, especially any new women joining us for the first time since retirement. I hope you had an enjoyable summer. New retirees will be especially interested in all of the benefits that are available with our HOME AND HOSPITAL CARE PLAN. If this is your first year of retirement, no medical questionnaire is required and acceptance is guaranteed. Your spouse would have to answer a medical questionnaire. DO NOT CONFUSE RWTO HOSPITAL AND HOME CARE PLAN WITH THE INSURANCE PROVIDED BY RTO AND ADMINISTERED BY JOHNSON INSURANCE. Here is an analogy of the different types of Health Insurance available to members of RWTO. The CHERRY ON THE TOP is our RWTO Hospital & Home Care Plan. The ICE CREAM is the RTO Johnson Insurance or other major medical plan. The SUNDAE DISH is our provincial health insurance (OHIP). RWTO has a variety of insurance plans available: Hospital and Home Care Plan Accidental Death & Dismemberment Automobile & Residential Insurance Travel Insurance Plan The first two insurances are administered by Manulife Financial. New Enrollment: 1-866-410-0500 Plan members: 1-800-268-3763 The third is underwritten by CAN-AM Insurance 1-888-326-3535 and the fourth by Marsh Canada 1-800-265-2196. I have the brochures and application forms with me at all the meetings. Talk to me at a meeting or phone me if you have any questions or want more information. If you prefer, you can phone the above phone numbers to speak to an insurance representative directly or check out the website: www.rwto.org Sharon Ariss Insurance Convenor 5125 Bayfield Cres. Burlington, Ontario L7L 3J5 Phone: 905-333-9857 E-mail: [email protected] 4 Annual General Meeting Luncheon- May 25, 2015 A balmy day and greeters Norma Diell, Norma Brown, Marlene Horne and Mary Lyons sporting colourful flowers on their shoulders, welcomed those attendees of the RWTO Annual Meeting and Luncheon at the Burlington Golf and Country Club. ! Our incoming president, Cecile Leach welcomed all with a reminder that the Burlington Branch is 41 years old. There were reminders of the PENTA luncheon, hosted by Oakville Branch, on November 17th at St. Volodymyr’s on Dundas at the 4th Line. A vacancy exists on the executive of the 2nd vice president position and anyone who is interested can contact Cecile. ! Nancy Parkhill memorialized 3 of our members, Lillian (Emery) McLean, Elizabeth Ann Mattiussi (Bryant) and Joy (Dennison) Smith, who passed in the last year. ! Cecile recognized Past Presidents, Moira-Jane Plexman, Muriel Nightingale, Bev Balch, Bev Pickard, Ruth Ferguson, Ruth Roberts, Carol Martin, Marie Rhodes, Marilyn Branch, Mary Lyons, Pam MacDonald, Marina Lloyd, Daryll Fitzner and Edwina Taylor. Cecile presented Bev Pickard with her past president’s pin and flowers and thanked her for being her mentor and friend as she took over the reins from Bev. ! Moira Plexman briefly spoke about the Cora Bailey awards and introduced the presenters. Ruth Roberts spoke of Edwina Taylor. Carol Martin, Ruth Miller, Bonnie Folkard and special guests, Edwina’s daughter and son all added their impressions of Edwina and her qualities that make her deserving of the honour. Bev Balch was recognized as the second Cora Bailey Award recipient and was duly hailed by Bev Pickard and Laura Hay. Bev’s warm smile, sparkly eyes are only a hint of the dedicated person inside who has devoted many hours to volunteering both with RWTO and with her church. ! Marilyn Branch presented the Ontario Volunteer Award to Virginia McKee, Bev Balch, Moira Plexman, Marina Lloyd, Susan Edwards and Jo-Anne Tregunno. Pam Mac Donald honoured 4 ladies, Edith Bielby (105 in October), Pat West (92) Helen Pindilli (92) and Jo Moore, who were over 90, as an inspiration to us all. ! After lunch Mary McCully gave a wrap up of the years activities. Pam MacDonald reported on the Euchre and Photography groups. Claudia Stewart reported about the Travel Group, Cathy WilsonShields, the Book club and Mary McCully the Tea Room tours. We were directed to the displays for the possibilities for other new groups such as a knitting group or paper crafting group. We were encouraged to think of other interest groups that could start up to add to the mix. We want all members to feel welcome and involved. ! Ruth Miller distributed the table arrangements, created by Carol Martin--- very small grocery carts filled with marigold plants. The 50/50 winner, Cecile Leach, went home $44.50 richer. What a great way to end her first official meeting as President! Jo-Anne Tregunno 2015–2016 Executive BR: Pam MacDonald, Susan Edwards. Carolynn Blake, Mary McCully, Virginia McKee, Sharon Ariss FR: Bev Pickard, Nancy Parkhill, Cecile Leach, Carol Martin, Moira Plexman Missing: Laura Hay, Ruth Miller, Bonnie Folkard 5 TEA ROOM TOUR August Tea Adventure Tea and a Tour of McFarland House On June 9th, 14 intrepid ladies drove through intermittent heavy rain to visit the McFarland House and Tea Room. Our tour guide, dressed in period costume explained interesting aspects of life in the early 1800’s. We learned that there was a tax on paper so having books was expensive. We learned that 3 walls and a door constituted a room and was thereby taxable so closets counted as rooms. Mr. McFarland had 2 closets in each room on the main floor so his dining room, parlor and library counted as 9 rooms for tax purposes. Then there were the upstairs bedrooms each with closets. He paid a lot of tax! We were supposed to go somewhere else. But “somewhere else” called to say that they were very tired after their busy wedding season and they wanted to go on holiday. So we cancelled. Abigail’s has always been on our “do over” list and everyone who had signed up for Plan A immediately agreed to Plan B – Abigail’s Tea Room in St. George. Off we went for a drive through Ontario’s rural countryside on a spectacularly fine day. We ten ladies had the best time ever, and we were so well fed that most of us planned soup for dinner… or an ear of corn. Tea was enjoyed in the solarium. There was plenty of good food and conversation. The rain quit and the sunshine peeked out. A perfect end to an interesting day. McFarland House Atrium Mary McCully CARD MAKING SESSION IN MAY INTEREST GROUP: Twelve people came out to the second card making session. Lots of chatter. Creativity and inspiration abounded. Everyone had a good time. Jan Moxey and Bonnie Folkard are coordinating this group and have chosen the following dates to meet , pending the first get – together on Thursday October 1. The subsequent dates are Thursday November 12 , Thursday January 14 and Thursday March 31. Sessions will involve demonstration, make and take and individual projects. Sessions are held at the Community Room in Fortinos , Appleby Line and Dundas, from 1:00 – 3:30 pm. Sign up at the September luncheon or contact Bonnie at [email protected] for any further information. So many different interpretations . PAPERCRAFTING Happy Events Congratulations to Lawrie and Marilyn Branch who celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in July. They marked the occasion with a family dinner. Best Wishes to Ken and Marina Lloyd who recently celebrated their 55th Anniversary. It is interesting to note that both of these vibrant ladies have been very involved in RWTO and served on the Executive and as Presidents of the Burlington Branch. Perhaps their volunteer work has been a contributing factor to their enthusiastic zest for life! Sharon Dyson sent a lovely note congratulating RWTO for having such an entertaining and vibrant group. She says that the enthusiasm is contagious! She sends good wishes to her friends Janet and Marilyn. We wish Sharon well as she moves to a new community. Ruth Miller, the happy recipient of a grocery cart of marigolds is overjoyed to report that the marigolds actually deterred the rabbits from eating her rose bushes. Please send your happy events for publication to Ruth Miller [email protected]. Let us celebrate the good things in life!!!! 6 Travel Club We had our June meeting at the home of Nancy Kumpf. It was a full house as most of our members had either just returned from traveling or were about to set off. Heather White presented a slide show of her trip to China. She had used Sinorama for her booking and found that they by far offered the best prices and provided excellent service. They are state owned with guides who are very well informed and professional. Several of the group shared their experiences traveling in China and those who had used Sinorama were very impressed with their services. We always make time to catch up with our members Travel adventures: Costa Rica, cruise travel, European sites, potential travel on the Rocky Mountaineer and more. Next meeting is Monday, September 14 at 1:00 at Laura Hay’s house. Bev Balch CAMPING ADVENTURES by Heather White This has been the year of camping adventures as we took our new trailer on the road to enjoy Canada. We used the retired teacher’s privilege of visiting provincial parks before school is out to enjoy quiet, uncrowded campgrounds. In May we appreciated our sunset cocktails with friends (our favourite “Rusty Nails” – Drambuie and Scotch) at the Pinery and had the beach to ourselves. As we left on Friday, we saw crowds lined up to get in for the weekend. Pinery, May 2015; Heather White A four day trip in early June to Rondeau Provincial Park revealed the tulip trees in full bloom among the Carolinian forest there Tulip Tree, Rondeau, June, 2015; Heather White Later in June we headed to Thunder Bay to explore Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, Kakabeka Falls, Ouimet Canyon, and the Terry Fox memorial, and chose amethyst rocks for our garden at a local mine. Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, 2015; Heather White In July we joined family at Presqu’ile Provincial Park, where we had fun on a rainy Saturday playing games under the awning. Fortunately, the weather improved in time for s’mores around the campfire. Our August trip has taken us to all three Maritime Provinces, as we reconnected with cousins, feasted on fresh seafood, and appreciated great views and relief from the Ontario heat. St. Martins, NB, August, 2015; Heather White We are already planning our next trip, possibly to Killarney, for the fall colour. It’s great to have a portable home to take with us wherever we want to go! Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, June 2015; Heather White 7 Calendar Monday October 19 Luncheon Grace: A Teacher’s Life, One Room Schools and a Century of Change in Ontario Millie Morton Tuesday November 17 Luncheon PENTA Oakville hosting Acoustic Circus Wednesday November 25 Christmas Planters at Wildhagen Tuesday December 8 Luncheon Christmas Celebration Newsletter Committee Registration for PENTA Due October 30 We are pleased to print recipes, restaurant reviews and Happy Events (Special Anniversaries etc) and items of interest to our members- just contact Ruth Miller at [email protected] or 905-634-1268. MEMBERSHIP MATTERS We were delighted with the response to our spring membership renewal efforts. Many of you took advantage of the $20 September lunch offer by renewing your membership before July 31. Those who renewed at or before our May meeting will have their names in a draw to win the September lunch. The draw will be made at the September meeting. Thank you to those who have paid up. It means fewer email reminders to your mailbox or messages on your phone. At the end of each school year RWTO Burlington Branch reaches out to new retirees and invites them to join our group. Special thanks to Ruth Miller who opened her home for a new member coffee meeting recently. Newly retired people are faced with many choices. Often they are not entirely sure what sort of things they would like to commit to right away. We find those who are a few years in to retired life are very much interested in joining our group. Why not invite a retired teacher to one of our tea outings or to a general meeting to see if she would like to join our group and help grow our RWTO? Convenor: Ruth Miller Editorial: Charlotte McLean, Ruth Miller, Jo Tregunno Layout: Bev PIckard Distribution Email Carolynn Blake [email protected] Mail Virginia McKee [email protected] 905-335-8723 Jo Tregunno [email protected] 905-634-3084 Moira Plexman, Membership Chair 8