CANADIAN ELK ÉLAN CANADIEN - Elks of Canada

Derek Barkley
Brothers & Sisters of the Elks and
Ladies of the Royal Purple:
Since my last message in
December 2010, I must admit, my
travels around the Province have
tapered off considerably. Part of the
reason for this is being busy with
family and work commitments, and
of course, dealing with the impact
another great Canadian winter has
on travelling on Ontario’s highways.
Luckily, we have the finest highway
department in Canada, so that certainly
does alleviate much of this
concern.
However, things are heating up
again as we prepare for the upcoming
Region 2 meeting in April and
also prepare for the arrival of our
Grand Exalted Ruler to Ontario. Bro.
Dave Hurley will be arriving in North
Bay on April 4 th and then will proceed
to a number of other Lodges in
Ontario to participate in regular
Lodge meetings and other special
events. We then will have the good
fortune of having Bro. Hurley return
to Ontario after his stint in Eastern
Canada, to join us at our Provincial
Conference in May.
O N T A R I O
At the time of this writing, the members
of the Ontario Elks Association
Executive are planning another
attempt at getting a Lodge started
up in Sudbury. Bro. Mike Bentley,
ON Elks Association Membership
Director, continues to be the lead
hand in arranging for this, and we
are hopeful we can garner enough
interest at our upcoming meeting in
Sudbury to get this initiative off the
ground.
I would also like to congratulate the
Lake of the Woods Lodge in North
Western Ontario who are planning,
in conjunction with the Region 1
Regional meeting, to hold a special
event on March 26 th to celebrate 50
years of community service in the
City of Kenora. I am also told that
there are special presentations
planned for a couple of very deserving,
long dedicated Elk members.
As I have been sworn to secrecy
regarding the identity of these great
members, everyone will just have to
wait until the 26 th to find out who the
award winners are. Special thanks
to Exalted Ruler, Dulcie Richards,
and to member Shelley Bujold for all
their hard work and efforts in planning
this event.
My last 2 months as Ontario
President will see me visiting 2-3
more Lodges and then it’s time to
make the final preparations for the
Ontario Provincial Conference
which will be held in Trenton on May
20 th and 21 st . My thanks go out to
Exalted Ruler Marta Lenart, P.P.P.
Carl Potter, and Lodge Secretary
Pam Dassylva for all their hard work
and enthusiasm in preparing for this
yearly event. I have no doubt that
this conference will be well organized
and the delegates will be duly
impressed with the level of competency
and fellowship shown by the
13
host Lodge.
In closing, I would like thank those
Elk members who saw fit to allow
me the honour and privilege of serving
you during the 2010-2011 term
as your President. The experience
has been wonderful and I will carry
some fond memories with me forever.
If there is one small thing I hope to
have accomplished, it is the hope
that you can put aside the negatives
that life throws at us, and choose to
take the positive path. As I have
mentioned time and time again,
please consider my motto for this
year, “Promote the Positive”, and
make the choice to be positive in
your life.
Your positive attitude and continued
respect for your family, friends and
fellow members, will result in keeping
a healthy spirit and an appreciation
for the gifts life brings to us.
I wish you all the best as we move
forward to another successful year
of Elkdom.
Sincerely and Fraternally,
Derek Barkley, President
Ontario Elks Association
Ontario Elks Provincial
Conference
May 20 - 21, 2011
HOSTED BY
TRENTON-WOOLER
ELKS LODGE NO. 486
Please join us!