Once again, here we are at the start of a new year with plenty of work to be done!
During the Summer, we prepared our Annual General Meeting which was held on August 16 at Lakeview Restaurant in St. Agatha, Maine, as part of the Worldwide Acadian Congress and on the day of the Michaud Family Reunion.
On account of the large number of English-speaking people, we conducted this meeting in French and English and I believe that our American members appreciated our gesture. Our summary of events and financial reports were presented and approved. Further on in this Brelan issue, you will find these reports.
Some thirty people attended and participated actively in the reunion and others joined us for the Friendship Brunch. Many thanks to Albertine Michaud Ouellet from Madawaska, our local representative, for her involvement in organizing this event. We were also made aware that our Brelan is an essential link with our members; Sylvia even mentioned that she can read it wherever she is in her home.
Of course, we talked about the decrease in our membership. Rod Murphy, Jean Michaud's husband, made many suggestions and since the reunion, he has been busy working on them. I cannot say more on the subject since it is has to be submitted to the members of our Administration Council at the meeting scheduled for October 18 in Quebec City.
After the brunch, we joined the large Michaud Reunion organized by Bernard and his team on the site of the St.Agatha Catholic Church and for which more than 700 Michauds had registered. I do not know if they all showed up, but one thing is sure, those present warmed the atmosphere in the Church Hall!
We held a stand which was visited by many participants. Charles, Andrée Michaud's husband, acted as genealogist and he had numerous requests for his services. Many thanks, Charles!
Our promotional items - booklets, ballpoints, calendars, etc, were a great success. In fact, our sales
at the end of the day amounted to around 600$. Our thanks go to Andrée, Charles, Suzanne, Raynald and Réjean who took charge of our stand. Radio-Canada Acadie (CBC French Network) reported on the activities of the day. This report can be viewed on "Radio-Canada Acadie - Téléjournal Acadie du 17 août". An interesting report by Mr. Serge Bouchard from Radio-Canada Acadie. Thank you, Mr. Bouchard.
This new year will be very demanding for all. The decrease in our membership will be at the heart of our action. And not to forget, this will be election year for the following positions on the Administration council: president, first vice-president and secretary. We need young people with modern ideas to pursue the Association's future goals.
I wish to point out the duties of the Administration Council members (always in their own possible ways):
- Attend the Council meetings, two of them usually taking place in Quebec City, in October and February.
- Participate in the December telephone conference.
- Attend the Annual General Meeting.
- Conduct the various dossiers agreed upon at the Council meetings.
Between our meetings, as necessary, we communicate by phone or internet.
We are also looking for local representatives for the Rimouski, Rivière-du-Loup, Trois-Rivières areas and others regions of Quebec and the Maritimes.
Eventually, a replacement for the position of genealogist will be needed.
I wish to invite you to respond to this request. On the back page of this Brelan, you will find all the names, email addresses and phone numbers of those presently in office. I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Until then, in the name of your Administration Council, I wish you a very colourful Fall season, in your own nature sites and in your hearts.
On behalf of the Administration Council,
Lise Michaud Landry (no 1375),
President