My mother went into hospital this past week and, at 98, she may not leave. She had been, amongst many things, president of her Legion Branch, all women and she was one who served as a gunner in the British Auxiliary Territorial Service. Several years ago, she and the few women who remained, surrendered their Branch Charter to the provincial organization because no one was left to carry on. Almost every voluntary organization could say the same thing. From volunteer fire service to Community service clubs to bee clubs; each faced the same issue: Who will lead into the future?
Signs of renewal are sprouting! Today eight people are running for mayor in Victoria and another 37 are running for councillor positions. In Saanich, two are running for mayor and 22 are running for eight councillor positions. The jobs may come with a stipend of some sort, but typically require the incumbents to keep their day jobs. It’s a lot of nights and weekends and I am deeply respectful of the people who put their hand up to take on the challenge.
The Capital Region Beekeepers Association will reach its 50th anniversary next year and we, as a club, are at a similar juncture. Many of the long-time members have retired from beekeeping, taking years of knowledge with them. Those in club executive positions are moving to new communities, starting new ventures, or dealing with unexpected health issues. As we reach the end of our bee season and prepare our hives for winter, please consider how you can support the club by volunteering to shadow an executive role, sit in on exec (Zoom) meetings or take on an organizing role as a region contact.
If I have piqued your interest, please consider the role of Education Coordinator. Throughout the year we receive requests from clubs, schools, and associations to speak about beekeeping. The coordinator fields those requests and either personally attends or schedules other club members to attend and present to the group. If you are interested, please send a note to secretary@capitalregionbeekeepers.ca [1].
If you took your bees out to Jordan River to feed on the fireweed, then you were sitting in the Queesto Community Forest, owned by the Pacheedaht First Nation. Other forest management companies charge beekeepers to place their hives on the clearcuts and we truly appreciate that Queesto does not. If you are coming in person to our club meeting, please bring a contribution of jarred honey or get your jar into the hands of someone who will be attending. Carolyn Hissen will be making a trip out to the Queesto office to drop off the honey as a thank you gesture.
Tara Galpin, our regional inspector will join us via Zoom call to talk about some of the lesser-known bee diseases and a couple of our more seasoned beekeepers – Alanna and Heinz – will be at the meeting to share their own experience with these diseases. See you on Thursday.