Capital Connections Newsletter of the Friendship Force of Ottawa, Canada

Transcription

1 Capital Connections Newsletter of the Friendship Force of Ottawa, Canada September Meetings September 21 November 30 (AGM) FFO Board 2015 President Donna Nicholson VP Exchanges Kathy Hatherill VP Membership Jean Farrell Treasurer Leonard Bonnet Secretary Janet Wilkinson Directors: John Cooke (Member Engagement) Brian Ingham (Media Equip.) Alain Dawson (Archives & Assets) Past President Pierrette Benoit FFO Webmaster Conrad Gregoire Newsletter Editor Jane Rau FFI Field Representative Jaap Schouten FFO website friendshipforceottawa.ca FFI website friendshipforce.org Message from your President As we begin the fall season we look forward to once again reconnecting with friends through activities and meetings and we can also look back on a very busy year with 5 exchanges and 1 stop-over already completed plus 1 outbound exchange and 1 stop-over remaining in the year. Our focus in all of our exchanges in this our 20 th Anniversary year has been to present FFO as a club with much to celebrate. We have welcomed ambassadors from around the world to help us celebrate this significant milestone. We are growing in numbers, we are experimenting with new creative ideas and new themed exchanges, such as our very successful first Mystery Exchange and we have an abundance of hard-working, creative, energetic members who have contributed significantly to our exchange committees and volunteered as EDs. All this makes us a successful club that is the envy of many. I am very pleased to be making an announcement at our September 21 st General Meeting that Friendship Force Ottawa has been presented with a special award by Friendship Force International. It is a great honour to be recognized by FFI from among the 350 clubs worldwide and I believe that it is because of the commitment and dedicated work of so many of our members that we have received this award. Thank you for all you do to make Friendship Force Ottawa, one of the best clubs in the world! Attending the 38 th Friendship Force International Conference in Vancouver from August 28 th to 31 st was a stimulating and exciting event as 500 delegates from 120 clubs representing 24 countries attended workshops and discussion groups over four days. Canada was very well represented by 117 delegates while the presidents of the 23 Canadian Clubs met for a day to discuss issues relevant to Canada. Minutes of this meeting can be found on our FFO website under Club Newsletters and Minutes. Angie Grikis, President of FF Metro Vancouver was elected as the new Chairperson of the Canada Council of FF Presidents for the year We will be getting to know Angie better as we plan our reciprocal exchanges with Vancouver during We will also be welcoming Christiane Beaupre as our new FFI Field Representative for Eastern Canada in 2016 as Jaap Schouten completes his 4 year term. Thank you Jaap, for your dedication and commitment to our clubs and FF over the past years. We have been privileged to have you as a member of our club, representing our ideas and concerns to FFI over the past years. Club Assets Donna Alain Dawson (Director, Archives and Assets) has recently updated the club s list of assets. These are an invaluable source to members who are organizing exchanges and social events. Even if you are not in planning mode now, it is worth perusing so to see what is available. FFO Capital Connections September 2015 Page 1

2 Update: FFI Field Rep Workshop, Atlanta, July Jaap Schouten On July 21-24, 2015, Friendship Force International (FFI) hosted the annual workshop for US and Canadian field representatives in Atlanta, USA. Barb Clarke (Western Canada) and Jaap Schouten (Eastern Canada) both attended this workshop, together with nine US field reps. Dany VandenBroeck, field rep for Belgium and The Netherlands, attended for the first time. He is the President of FF Leuven, Belgium. During these three days field reps interacted with FFI staff and, also, via Webex, with field reps from Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil. Dutch FFI Board member Loes Epping, coordinator for Europe, participated via Webex during part of the meeting. The highlights and salient points of this workshop are summarized below. Workshop participants, left to right: Gwen Deas (Northeast/Mid-Atlantic), Tom Laggy and Charlotte Laggy (Southeast), Mary Mwambay (FFI), John Heard (Southwest), Barb Clarke (Western Canada), Jaap Schouten (Eastern Canada), Lyn Hargreave (Great Lakes) and Laurie Ann Scott (Field Rep Coordinator); Adrienne Moen (Midwest) is shown in the foreground. Effective Use of Webex Video Technology Thanks to savvy FFI staff, workshop participants benefited greatly from the effective use of Webex video conferencing technology. One of the field reps, Marilyn Peterson (Pacific Northwest), recovering from knee surgery, participated via Webex for the full 3 days. Link-ups with field reps around the world proved to be a great way of sharing information and insights. One of the US field reps reported that club presidents in her region were now 'meeting' once a month on Webex. Similarly, in Brazil, club presidents 'meet' once a month on Webex to resolve issues. For our Canadian clubs, Webex would be an effective way to improve communication and consultation among club leaders. FFI staff stands ready to support our clubs and leaders in using this technology on a regular basis. Regional Conferences vs Leadership Meetings During the workshop, a fair amount of time was spent on finding better ways to communicate and consult with club leaders and members. In the US, 9 regional conferences are currently scheduled for the next 6-12 months. However, organizing and hosting these conferences is a responsibility that fewer and fewer clubs are willing to assume due to the amount of work involved. Given their relatively high costs and limited benefits, several US field reps seemed to prefer holding leadership meetings (30-45 participants) rather than regional conferences (over 100 participants). Since the use of Webex has now become popular, there seems to be less need for regional conferences. When considering organizing future national or regional conferences, Canadian leaders may want to take note of this development. Using Webex technology FFO Capital Connections September 2015 Page 2

3 may be a better investment of time and money. Innovations in Training New Club Leaders In addition to leadership meetings, field reps expressed a strong preference for holding training sessions focusing on skills development. The model for such training is the Leadership Exchange for new club presidents, held in Milwaukee, in July 2014, organized by Dave Kalan, who is an FFI Board member and the president of the FF of Greater Milwaukee. The concept behind this first Leadership Exchange was to provide training for leaders of new clubs around the world and to give them an experience which reading a manual alone couldn t provide. By combining training sessions followed by hands-on activities that demonstrate the concepts learned in the training sessions, the new leaders will be able to return to their clubs and set up a plan of sustainability and growth for their club s future. 11 leaders from Ulan-Ude (Russia), Kiev (Ukraine), Kampala (Uganda), Volta Lake (Ghana), Mexico City, Guadeloupe, Toronto, and Oklahoma City applied and were accepted. Canadian club leaders may want to consider holding these kinds of training sessions on either a national or regional basis. NextGen for Everyone: A Promising Start! FFI reported on the success of the first-ever NextGen exchange which took place recently in Bogota, Colombia. Ambassadors from several countries participated in this 'Vamos Colombia' exchange; half of them taking part in their first exchange. For 2016, Brazil is seeking two clubs in North America, located near each other, that are willing to host a group of young Brazilians on a NextGen exchange, which includes an English-language learning component. Japan (Nara) is working with Debbie Lattey in New Zealand, to initiate a NextGen exchange which will also involve an English-language component. Nara has developed a new associate club membership for year olds, with lower fees and forms of participation that are less time-consuming. Together, these efforts are starting to make the much-debated NextGen initiative a reality, regardless of the age of the participants. Best Practices: International Success Stories Several US clubs have recently had considerable success recruiting new members. The Friendship Force of Olympia, Washington, recruited numerous new members at a special event where Rick Steves, the well-known travel author, was the keynote speaker. FF Twin Cities, Minnesota, recruited over 30 new members, while FF Birmingham, Alabama, recruited many members by hosting a Meet and Greet event, following an approach similar to the one of FF Taupo, New Zealand. For the first time in 10 years, a new club was established in the US: FF Georgetown, Texas. We also learned that Brazil, where there are 23 clubs of which only 7 actually host, now has a coordinator for domestic exchanges. These exchanges are usually of shorter duration (3 nights instead of 7 nights) and have resulted in the founding of a new club, FF Sao Luis, in the far north of the country. New Initiatives by Friendship Force International In order to promote the development of new clubs, FFI is now initiating Pioneer Exchanges, during which contacts are being established with potential future club leaders and support is provided for getting a new club off the ground. FFI efforts focus on San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and the Philippines. Depending on the results of these exploratory efforts, Pioneer Exchanges could soon be followed by Discovery Exchanges, involving limited day or night hosting. Previous efforts in Eastern Russia (Siberia) and Mongolia have started to bear fruit and clubs are being formed there. Laurie Ann Scott, FFI Club and Field Rep Coordinator, made an excellent presentation regarding the 'vetting' (read: 'screening') of new exchange applicants, unknown to Exchange Directors, in which she summarized the work of a task force made up of field reps from Canada, Australia, and the US. FFI has established a strong working relationship with EF Language Courses Abroad (EF stands for 'Education First'), which provides for courses in a variety of languages and includes home hosting.given the demise of the FFI partnership with the popular Enrichment Voyages, FFI has now established a partnership with Grand Circle Cruises, which also includes small ship river cruising and travel to the Black Sea. FFI members will be charged the lowest rate for the month in which they travel on one of these cruises. Jaap Schouten, Field Representative (Eastern Canada) Ottawa, July 31, 2015 FFO Capital Connections September 2015 Page 3

4 2015 OUTBOUND Thailand November INBOUND Belo Horizonte, Brazil September Baton Rouge Stop-Over Exchange September 30-Oct OUTBOUND New Zealand March Australia April Virginia and North Carolina April Seattle (Tacoma) and Metro Vancouver April, May 1-8 Japan and Taiwan November 2016 INBOUND National Capital Area, US June Sweden September Metro Vancouver October FFI World Conferences 2016 Conference Marrakech, Morocco Sept See for details VP Exchanges, Kathy Hatherill 2015 EXCHANGES We are coming to the end of our exchanges for 2015, thanks to everyone for another great year for FFO exchanges. In May and June we were busy with our very successful Mystery and Australian inbound exchanges. Thanks to our enthusiastic ED s Joanne Curran and Alain and Donna Dawson A group of 5 from Vietnam arrived in Ottawa in August and we joined them for dinner. Thanks to Barb Smith for her patience corresponding with the group since early September 10 th sees the arrival of Belo Horizonte Brazil. Anna and Paul Rochon have planned an exciting program. Early October we will have a stopover of ambassadors from Baton Rouge coordinated by Mary Cajka. The final outbound of 2015 is the long awaited exchange to Bangkok and a visit to Myanmar. Thanks to John Cooke and Danielle Allard for being ED s on their first outbound exchange 2016 EXCHANGES Outbound Exchanges We had registration and draws for our 2 oversubscribed outbound exchanges. These are Seattle (Tacoma) and Vancouver in April/May, Claire Fortin offered to be ED, and Taiwan/Japan in November and Donna and Andrew Nicholson are the ED s. March/April is S.Taranaki NZ and Perth WA. We had a lot of people sign up but for various reasons there have been withdrawals. Think how warm it would be down under in March and consider joining this exchange. We are currently working with FFI to seek more participants for this double exchange. Richmond Virginia and Colonial Carolina will welcome us in April, Wendy and Steve Adams will be the EDs. There are spaces still available so sign up at the GM. Inbound Exchanges We have 3 inbounds in 2016 In June we will welcome the National Capital USA, and John DuVernet has kindly volunteered to be the ED. In September we will welcome Helsingborg Sweden and Ian Wilson and Linda Steingarten are the CoEDs, both having visited Helsingborg on an exchange in Metro Vancouver will visit in October and the ED will be Lynda Heffernan. Lynda is travelling on the outbound exchange to Vancouver so will be able to give the ambassadors a warm Ottawa welcome. Sign-up sheets for hosting will be at the tables at the GM, so volunteer to be on a committee and host our guests. Registration is always open for all outbound exchanges. Names can be added to the waiting list if the exchange is already oversubscribed. Just send me an khatherill@gmail.com or sign up at the GM on the 21 st September. ED and Treasurer Training is being planned for Wed. Oct.21 st, 12:30-3:30 p.m. All 2016 EDs and Treasurers are strongly encouraged to attend. Anyone interested in learning more about the operation of exchanges,(especially new members) are invited to join this valuable and informative workshop. Let Kathy Hatherill know if you plan to attend. FFO Capital Connections September 2015 Page 4

5 2015 EXCHANGE UPDATES REPORT: Inbound: Kempsey, Australia ED: Joanne Curran June 1-8 Our June 2015 Kempsey exchange began with Gidday! as we greeted our 14 Australian and one Belgium ambassadors and ended with No worries mates after missing the turn off for the Mill of Kintail! We began our week together by discovering what Canada s Parliament is really like and by learning how to experience the true flavour of Ontario wines by slowing down and paying attention to our senses. With Diane McIntyre as our guide, we strolled leisurely through downtown Ottawa learning about Ottawa s history and the people who built the city/country and took selfies in front of the public art and monuments listed in the scavenger hunt. A visit to the Museum of History capped off our day s history lesson. Thursday found us on a guided hike through Gatineau Park accompanied by four of the Wakefield Walkers and feasting on a picnic lunch at Huron Lodge. In the afternoon we were treated to an aboriginal experience that was made that much more memorable because our guide represented her culture with such warmth and pride. Lunch at Vanier s Sugar Shack and folk music and square dancing rounded out the Aussie s Franco-Folklore experience. A last minute visit to the RCMP stables was a great rainy weather activity and was followed on Sunday by a drive through the Ottawa Valley to visit 3 of the 7 Wonders of Lanark County.who said anything about needing to travel the world to see such natural and man-made wonders! A terrific week made all the more memorable by our genuinely friendly and fun-loving Ambassadors. A HUGE thank you to my planning committee, Pierrette Benoit, Rosemary Beseau, Joan Kinnie and also Susan Gardiner who helped out early on in our planning. And of course those volunteers who stepped in to help with set-up and clean up, guiding our walking and hiking excursions and all our Hosts.you are all living signs of friendship! FFO Capital Connections September 2015 Page 5

6 REPORT: Inbound: Vietnam Visit Coordinator: Barb Smith Aug 23 Persistence paid off and on Sunday August 23rd, 5 members, Mark and Barb Smith, Richard and Kathy Hatherill, Pat Cianfaglione and a future member of our club, Pat s daughter in law Cathy who is Vietnamese, met with 5 ambassadors from The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations. This group had hoped to have an official exchange with us but for several reasons were not able to do so. They visited Toronto, Ottawa and were heading to Montreal, prior to flying to Vancouver to attend the conference there. We enjoyed our get together at Les Buffets du Continents very much. Although Vietnam does not have Friendship Force clubs as we do here, they partner with FFI and are most welcoming and are very friendly. They have invited our club to come to Vietnam for an exchange as soon as we can arrange one. Inbound: Baton Rouge Stopover Coordinator: Mary Cajka September 30 October 3 Twenty-two members from Baton Rouge Louisiana, various cities in the U.S., Taiwan and Germany will be hosted by our club from September 30 to October 3. This is a stopover between visits to Niagara and Sherbrooke. This stopover, sadly too short, will include a visit to Museum of History, a boat trip, a tour of parliament Hill, and a free afternoon. The windup is a casual affair at the Barry's party room. Unfortunately, due to number restraints, it is open only to ambassadors and their Ottawa hosts. We are looking forward to hosting this diverse and fun-loving group. REPORT: Inbound: Brazil EDs: Anna and Paul Rochon September September 10th to September 17th the Friendship Force of Ottawa hosted 19 ambassadors from the capital city of the State of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. They experienced somewhat of a culture shock since they come from a city of 5.5 million people. The ambassadors saw some of the traditional stops of Ottawa which included the Parliament Buildings, Parc Omega, and the Museum of Civilization and also some things that may be somewhat outside their comfort zone. An opportunity to see a demolition derby was planned for Sunday September 13th. This was the 160th Anniversary of the Spencerville Fair. They also had a chance to see the largest pumpkin and zucchini and lots of exotic ducks, rabbits and chickens that are part of the agricultural exhibits. The day was topped off with a casual dinner at the Rochon's home - half way between Ottawa and Spencerville. Many members of our clubl also participated in the activities. Watch for Anna s presentation at the Sept.21 st GM. Outbound: Bangkok, Thailand EDs: Danielle Allard and John Cooke Nov This exchange remains fully subscribed (12 ambassadors from Ottawa and 2 from the United Kingdom). Eight of the FFO Capital Connections September 2015 Page 6

7 ambassadors have made arrangements for a customized 12 day pre-trip tour of Myanmar (Burma) and are looking for additional participants to keep the costs down. This trip is open to the general public. For more information you can check the following web address: or contact the Exchange Director, John Cooke. REPORT: Outbound Global: Victoria and Vancouver Island Post FFI Conference Exchange Submitted by: Maria and Jaap Schouten - Sept 1 5 On September 1, 2015, 14 delegates to the FFI World Conference in Vancouver took the ferry to Victoria to go on a global exchange. They came from 8 different countries: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Ghana, South Africa, the UK and the USA. During the next 5 days, we were hosted by members of Canada's newest club, the Friendship Force of Victoria & Vancouver Island. Our program included a wide variety of activities such as a welcome picnic with a game of bocce and a trip to Salt Spring Island's market (because the shuttle buses from the ferry were late, we hitchhiked to the market, which made us feel 40 years younger). For us, one of the highlights was volunteering at a place for homeless persons, something we have never done during an exchange. Maybe food for thought for our club? Our hosts, Patrice Goyette and Brian Grover, who moved from Ottawa to Victoria six years ago, did a fantastic job introducing us to many of Victoria's unique attractions. It was their very first FF hosting and they were great hosts! We were all impressed how this young, and relatively inexperienced club pulled off this global exchange. They have, no doubt, a very promising future! All ambassadors were assigned a half-day volunteering activity; here we are chopping onions in a soup kitchen for homeless persons in downtown Victoria, an excellent reality check 2016 EXCHANGE UPDATES Outbound: Seattle (Tacoma) and Metro Vancouver ED: Claire Fortin April/May The Vancouver exchange will take place May 1-8 but a date has not yet been set for the Seattle (Tacoma) exchange. An ED will only be posted in September so we anxiously await further news. Several have already booked an Alaskan cruise at the end so all looks good. FFO Capital Connections September 2015 Page 7

8 Call for Guadeloupe Exchange Participants The Lincoln, Nebraska FF Club is seeking 5 bilingual English/French speaking participants for their Feb 2016 exchange to Guadeloupe. Spaces are available for anyone willing to join their exchange to help facilitate conversation during the exchange, since all the Nebraska folks are English speakers and most hosts speak French. This would greatly help to make this exchange more enjoyable for both ambassadors and hosts. Basic fees are as follows: FFI International Fee $165 Host Club Fee 190 Euros (about $210 US) Lincoln Club Fee $25 Contingency Fee $100 (returnable if unused) Gift to Host Club $10 The dates of the exchange are Feb. 4-11, 2016 which is during Carnival. Hosts will be off work at that time. There is also an opportunity to combine this exchange with a cruise ship experience. If you are interested in this exchange, please contact Pat King, Lincoln ED at pking4@neb.rr.com or (402) or speak to Eileen Howell. Useful Travel Tips from our FFO Experts Passport Advice from an Immigration Officer This is an excellent tip i.e. to always insert your ID in your passport on the address page. Read on to know why: A passenger with an American passport, changed money and in the process left his passport and boarding pass on my counter. As it was placed on the side, where my monitor blocks the view, it remained there for over 20 minutes. When the next customer brought it to my attention, I went outside, to search for him but to no avail. The passport was well worn, with numerous visas, including Japan. He had travelled from Narita to LAX. The page in the (U.S.) passport where one can write home address and third party contact was blank. All there was his address. I went online and ed him a brief message, including my phone number. He turned up about a half hour later, profoundly grateful. He was blissfully unaware that his passport was missing! He was checking his in the cab when he saw the mail I had sent so he turned the cab around and came back to the airport to collect it. He works in Japan and his work permit was attached to the Japanese visa in the passport. He was in the US only for a week. In retrospect it is evident that, even if he had written his address in the passport, it would not have helped. Even a phone number is not much help, as a finder may not be willing to call long distance. Submitted by Susan Aiken Free Emergency Contact Card In the Forever Young booklet that is available at the Ottawa Public Library, I found an ad for a free Emergency Contact Card. I sent away for it and it arrived as described - hard plastic with the details that I provided on it. I think it would be handy for anyone to have. Go to FreeEmergencyContactCard.com. It is free to anyone with a K Postal Code a community service provided by Canada Retirement Information Centre Inc. (an investment firm). I did this two months ago and have not been bothered by any contact. Submitted by Gail Nevraumont Many thanks to our two contributors, Susan and Gail. We would really like to receive more tips from members for future CapCon editions. Please send me your travel tips. I know you have lots to offer!! Newsletter Editor, Jane Rau, raujane@gmail.com FFO Capital Connections September 2015 Page 8

9 Social Activities: Art Appreciation Group Laura Légaré Bridge Club John and Louise DuVernet Dinner Club Jessica Sullivan Gail Nevraumont Friendly Wanderers Anna Rochon Golf Rheo Brunet Walking Club Fay McNeil Jane Rau Annual Events: FFO 20 th Anniversary/Christmas Party 2015 December 10 Bridge Group Conveners: John and Louise DuVernet There were 21 couples in the FFO Bridge Club and we had many great games this past year. The wind-up party was held once again at the Family Restaurant in Carlingwood Shopping Mall on September 11. Some stayed around to play a few hands after supper. Congratulations to the winners of the priceless prizes which were selected by Gail Nevraumont from her secret sources. Winners with the top scores were: First: Jean Farrell and Gail Nevraumont Second: Lucy and John Nelms Third: Frank and Mary Mayda Thanks to astute buying of prizes, there is still some money in the kitty, so the bridge club members will not have to pay the usual $5 fee next year - just the new players. For those who were not at the party, we will be processing more applications for the season after we return from the FFI exchange in Pau. Please submit your names by Oct 15 and indicate whether you want to play all 21 games or only a reduced number of games, an arrangement which appealed to some snow birds. Dinner Club Convener: Jessica Sullivan The new round of the Dinner Club starts in September. Each group consists of 8 people who meet 4 times during the year at different homes. The host pair provide the main course. 1 pair brings appetizers, another brings salad & the 4th brings dessert. It is a good way to get to know other people in FFO & to share delicious meals. Currently there are 64 participants. Many members stay involved every year and are slotted in a different group each year. For those already in the Dinner Club, I will carry your name forward unless you let me know that you do not wish to continue. I would be glad to hear from new members and answer any questions. New groups will be formed when 8 members sign up. Contact Jessica at or (see membership list for address) Supper Club Convener: Gail Nevraumont We are now taking names for the Supper Club which starts up in September. Folks can sign up as a pair or as a single (we will assign someone for you to team up with). Each group consists of 6 people. You will be contacted with the names of your group and one pair will be designated as the lead for arranging the first meal. Each group consists of 6 people who meet 3 times over the year for a supper. The "host' couple does the main course, with each pair bringing either appetizers, salad or dessert. It is a very pleasant way to meet new club members or to get to know other members that they may not know well. If you are interested, please contact Gail at or (see membership list for address). FFO Capital Connections September 2015 Page 9

10 Art Appreciation Convener: Laura Légaré Over the past few months, we have had two guided tours at the National Gallery of Canada. In June, we learned about an important set of Marc Chagall s lithographs and in early September we added an extra tour to view the Alex Colville exhibit which includes nearly a hundred of his works. Colville is one of Canada s most celebrated artists. This was an excellent exhibit and one worth seeing. The Art Appreciation Group will resume this fall with the schedule below. Tours are on Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. We meet in the corridor just outside the gift shop at 5:45 p.m. After our tour, we usually visit a local pub for some good food and conversation. Schedule for Oct 22, Beauty s Awakening: Drawings by the Pre-Raphaelites Nov 19, Monet: a Bridge to Modernity. Note that this guided tour will take place at 3 p.m. instead of the usual 6 p.m. since there are no Thursday evening guided tours for this exhibition Jan 21, New Inuit Art Installation May 19, Through the Looking Glass. Come and find out why and how!! Please contact Laura at if you are interested. Cost for each guided tour per person is $7 (NGC members) and $17 (non-members). The FFO Art Appreciation group has been in existence for over 10 years and is a good way to meet fellow FFO members who share an interest in art. We never cease to be amazed at how resourceful our members are! Maureen and Louis have repurposed plastic bags from the Art Gallery gift shop as umbrellas for an unexpected downpour after our Chagall tour. Golf Event Conveners: Rheo and Dorothy Brunet July 15, 2015 was a grand day for Golf and twenty-four enthusiastic players got together for a round at IRISH HILLS GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB in Carp. A good time was had by all and all were winners. As usual on such occasions, the score keeping proved to be so creative and also so terribly close that it was almost impossible to declare a clear winner. So... the Power That Be, namely ME, decided that in view of the value and exclusivity of the varied wonderful prizes that were available to the participants, these would be awarded purely by luck. The names went into a golf hat and picked by hazard. The prizes were very well received, though none in particular were 'fought over', and we expect that more than one may re-appear next year... possibly in the same brown bag even. An additional Nine FFO members, who had not played, joined us for the BBQ and social hour. They were most welcome. The Golf Club donated golf passes to the winners of our "Closest To The Pin" contest. Suzanne Gumpert and John Worswick were the deserving winners. Dorothy and I wish to thank all those who came, with special thanks to John DuVernet, Jaap Schouten, John Worswick and Mary Caijka, for their great help on the afternoon of the event. FFO Capital Connections September 2015 Page 10

11 Friendly Wanderers Convener: Anna Rochon The Friendly Wanderers are back to the Ottawa Citizen, Community Room on Baxter Rd. After one year away the Friendly Wanderers will return to its old location with Margie Bott giving a presentation about Argentina on September 30th at 7 PM. On October 28th Norm and Pat McLeod will be giving a presentation entitled "Cruising the canals of France." Each of the presentations are free and will promote the Friendship Force organization and will be advertised in the Ottawa Citizen in "Date Line". All members are invited and encouraged to bring non-members. The best referral to our organization is someone who is a member who tells a friend about the wonderful experience they have had. Walking Group Conveners: Fay McNeil and Jane Rau On August 4th, a beautiful sunny summer's day, fifteen FFO members met at the Aylmer Marina for a heritage walking tour of Aylmer's old village. Fay did an excellent job of researching and mapping out a route that included homes, churches, a market square, a court house and fair grounds. And who knew that Aylmer was once a summer cottage destination for Ottawans sailing up the Ottawa River?! In the Old Court House, now the Centre culturel du Vieux-Aylmer, we were fascinated by the whimsical clay sculptures on display (sculptor France Fauteux). We finished up back at the Marina and enjoyed a very nice patio lunch at the Marina Resto Bar. Thanks to all who participated and, for those who didn't, you can pick up a walking tour brochure at the Old Court House 120 rue Principale. Our next outing will be a fall ramble at Mer Bleu in October. Please let Jane or Fay know if you are interested. Note: For those interested in more historical walks, Gail and Ulysse Nevraumont recently went on a History walking tour of Ottawa - one of 4 offered by a local. It was on Protests in Ottawa. Others are Indigenous People, Rideau Canal and Parliament Hill (not the usual political one). They found them very entertaining and informative and would highly recommend them. Ottawahistorytours.com $20 per person. FFO Capital Connections September 2015 Page 11