The Transmitter – March 2021
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The Transmitter Volume 20 | Issue 1 March 2021 Natural Isolation President’s Report, 1 Community Volunteer, 2 Budding Friendship, 3 Home Sweet Home / L’AttrAit du foyer, 4 Pension Fund, 4 Pandemic Polling, 5 PolkA Radio, 6 Do Something, 7 A Kind MAn, 8 Photo: courtesy of Nick Denesyk, CBC PNA, Saskatoon, SK Museum UpdAte, 8 Nick Denesyk lives on the edge of the nature preserve of the Meewasin Valley next to the South Saskatchewan River, approximately 2 km southwest of Fiddlin’ Firth, 9 downtown Saskatoon. The road beyond is a walkway and bike lane. Nick’s spirits are high in this wonderful place of beauty and isolation. GrAtitude, 10 PNA Elections 2021, 11 President’s Report Bob Forrow, CBC PNA Regional President, Edmonton, AB Special Assistance Fund, 12 I hope you are coping well despite the challenging times, and that you will have a rewarding 2021. In this report, I will tell you about some of the In MemoriAm, 13 good work being done by PNA members in our region. Then I will briefly talk about a medical event that helped me appreciate how important it is for us to look for ways to keep up our spirits during the pandemic. I will finish by letting you know how you can contribute to the PNA through some volunteer opportunities. (Continued on Next Page) 2 Immediately following the annual general meeting last September, the regional executive and representatives of the Saskatchewan Chapter and the Southern Alberta Chapter (SAC) met to take care of other business. We talked about how once a year we communicate by telephone with each member of the region on their birthday. We divided up the calls and I phone the members in and around Edmonton, NWT and Saskatchewan, while Jeff Collins of Calgary phones congratulations to members of the SAC. Since then, Jeff has done a terrific job in connecting with people. In one instance he was so concerned about not being able to contact a member that he went to the man’s home and also talked to the neighbours. Jeff reported his concerns to the police and sadly, that led to the discovery of the man’s death. I deeply appreciate Jeff showing such care for another PNA member. I am pleased to tell you that our regional Vice-President, Lutz Walsh of Regina, is taking part in a national project entitled, “Becoming Indispensable”. It’s an initiative to make the PNA more helpful to members. Lutz’s group is one of four working on recruitment, advocacy, diversity, and communications. The groups will report at the Triennial Convention later this year (date to be announced). Life during the pandemic has certainly not been normal and I’ve looked for reasons to feel optimistic. In December, I learned how better health can make me feel more optimistic. My heart had been beating too slowly and my blood pressure rising too high, so I went into hospital to have a pacemaker installed. Frankly, though, the thought of contracting COVID-19 at the hospital worried me more than the heart procedure. Thankfully, I was not infected by the coronavirus, and now I have the pep to finish my term as regional president and even let my name stand for another term. My next medical event is cataract laser surgery. Then I’ll become a visionary president. Finally, if you are bored stiff sitting at home and staring at your walls, the PNA has a solution – volunteer to be a member of the regional executive. There are vacancies for secretary, treasurer and editor of The Transmitter coming up at the annual general meeting on September 15th this year. Joanne Skidmore and Cécile Magnan have served the maximum terms as secretary and treasurer. The positions of President and Vice-President will also be open and the people currently in them, Bob Forrow and Lutz Walsh, are each willing to serve another three-year term. You can find out more about how your skills and enthusiasm would be useful on the executive by calling Bob Forrow at 780-437-5074 or Past President Jim MacVicar at (780) 987-5933, the Chair of the Nominating Committee. Call us soon! Bob Forrow President, CBC Pensioners National Association, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and NWT Region Call: 780-437-5074 or 780-983-2838 Email: [email protected] Lifting Up Your Community Bill Ringrose, CBC PNA, Devon, AB Photos: courtesy of Bill Ringrose It’s amazing and rewarding when you find ways to help your community during a pandemic. Marg and I volunteer much of our time with our local Lions Club. Over the years we have read books in schools and been part of a group that talks to Grade One students about Canada’s flag and being proud to be a Canadian. (Continued on Next Page) 3 We’ve been surprised to discover how many skills we need (and develop) as volunteers. We have mastered the art of organizing our Lions Summer Fund-raising Breakfast and finding the right way to flip pancakes. The club has a fantastic RV park and we can spend a day or two each month working on such tasks as building tables and sprucing up the park. The pandemic has also given us a chance to help shut- ins by delivering their grocery orders from a local store. During the summer months, I have helped set up our Farmers Market which is continuing under very strict rules during the COVID-19 pandemic. Once a year I spend a day taking pictures of the vendors and buyers in action. Devon Farmers Market, summer 2020 We have also learned how to pivot. The Club usually has a Christmas Celebration in the Park. Instead, we decorated our float and took the lights to the people in the Merry and Bright 2020 Light Parade. The floats travelled throughout Devon to prevent a large crowd gathering along the traditional route used for summer parades. So, there are a lot of ways to find groups that need our help now and when we are part of the new normal. You’ll likely find them in your community, too. Keep safe, and here’s to a better 2021. Devon’s Merry and Bright 2020 Light Parade Budding Friendship Kathy Fitzpatrick, CBC PNA, Saskatoon, SK All through the warmer months, one sound never failed to lift my mood: the two little children playing next door, voices sweet as birdsong. Unfailingly, four-year-old Olive would call a boisterous “Hello Kathy” over the back yard fence, followed by an inquisitive “What are you doing?” One day she announced, “I want to give you something”, and dashed inside her house, returning moments later with a bright pink little fabric rose. Photo: courtesy of Kathy Fitzpatrick I keep it in a prominent place, to remind me daily of all that is good in the world. 4 Home Sweet Home / L’attrait du foyer Monique Marcotte, CBC PNA, Saskatoon, SK Photos: courtesy of Monique Marcotte It may sound strange, but the challenges of COVID-19 have actually made a positive difference in my life. After spending so much of the last 25 years at CBC/Radio-Canada in planes, trains and hotels – being retired and spending so much time at home has not been a hardship. What has made this early part of retirement particularly enjoyable is building a home life centred on family. My aunt of 96 is living with us now, since visitors are no longer allowed in personal care homes. I am learning a whole new set of skills as a caregiver. To be sure, we haven’t gone south for a warm vacation or visited with friends and family, but the unconditional love and joy of our little dog Echo keeps our spirits up. Louise and I hope we can reconnect with our Regina and Saskatoon friends from CBC /R-C very soon. Echo, the family dog ***** Cela peut sembler étrange, mais les défis du COVID-19 ont, en Echo, le chien de la famille effet, apportés une différence positive dans ma vie. Après avoir passé tant des 25 dernières années à CBC/Radio-Canada dans les avions, les trains et les hôtels, être à la retraite et passé autant de temps à la maison n’est pas une épreuve. Cette première partie de la retraite est particulièrement agréable puisque nous créons une vie ensemble centrée sur la famille. Ma tante de 96 ans est avec nous maintenant puisque nous ne pouvions pas la visiter dans le foyer. J’apprends de nouvelles compétences en tant que soignante. Bien sûr, nous ne sommes pas allées dans le sud et ne visitons pas la famille ni les amis, mais l’amour inconditionnel et la joie de notre petit chien Echo nous gardent le moral. Louise et moi espérons retrouver nos amis de CBC/R-C de Régina et de Saskatoon très bientôt. Pension Fund The CBC Pension Board of Trustees meets quarterly to discuss and make decisions about the pension fund. Following each meeting, the Board publishes a meeting Communiqué, which includes pension plan highlights, a financial overview, investment performance and strategy, and governance matters. The December 2020 Communiqué is available on the CBC Pension Plan website. The next report will be available soon. 5 Pandemic Polling Paul Grant, Moose Jaw, SK Photo: by Laurie Dickson and courtesy of Paul Grant More than 13,000 people worked at 1,100 polls during last October’s provincial election in Saskatchewan. Among them was retired CBC staffer Paul Grant, who filed this report on pandemic-style polling. The way our polling place was set up, you’d think Saskatchewan invented social distancing.