THE OAKLINE

THE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF THE OAKRIDGE OPTIMISTS

December - 1999

I think we can all agree it is great to be back at Thames Valley Golf Course for our dinner meetings. Chef Lee, has put on some great spreads and has made us feel very welcome. Our recent breakfast meeting was another example of a fine meal. Based on this response we are looking for another one in February.

The NOW breakfast meeting was well attended by members and new faces. We have five new members and a couple of prospects still considering membership as a result of this meeting. Welcome to Optimists Craig, Dave, Bill, Scott, and Doug. Thanks to all the members who attended and brought out friends to the meeting. I look forward to a large induction ceremony at our January meeting.

Last month I reported that Jeff Melpass from city hall addressed the Zone Nine members and provided information about bingo proceeds. As a result of that meeting, I have corresponded with his clerk and she has approved every request that I have submitted. Other clubs have also reported improved cooperation with the city over requests to provide funding.

I had the opportunity to help hand out the awards and gifts at the Oakridge hockey tournament on November 21st. Every coach and player that I spoke to was impressed with the job done by our tournament committee headed by Opt. Bob Stark. We owe the entire committee our thanks for providing such a great opportunity for youth to display their skills and for leaving a positive impression of London and the Oakridge Optimist community.

The Christmas season is fast approaching and we will all be celebrating together at the Ilderton Curling Club on December 18th. Don Draper is making the arrangements and I know that a great meal and lots of fun awaits us. I would like to take this opportunity to wish each member of the club and their families a happy holiday season. - Rick Gillespie

Doug McMaster, this is your "Oakography". Doug joined the club in 1979 and is now a life member. He held the office of President, has been the Vice President of both Youth and Ways & Means and has served as a Director. He is currently a co-chair of the Bingo Committee along with Fred Fickling.

His life was changed forever when Seinfeld aired the famous Soup Nazi episode. Doug is now commonly known as the Bingo Nazi.

Doug has served as a member of the hockey committee a Forest City House League rep and as the convenor of officials.

Doug has been married to his wife Joyce, a.k.a. Lightning, for 34 years. I wonder what she calls him. They have three children: D'Arcy, Jonathan and Christine and 3 grandchildren with more on the way. It should be noted that Doug had a perfect bingo attendance record going until the day his daughter got married on.......you guessed it, the day of a bingo. Wouldn't you have liked to be a fly on the wall the day Doug suggested to Joyce that they push the wedding back an hour so he could do the bingo!

Doug worked at 3M for 38 ½ years until retiring on April 1st, 1996. He has been pretty busy since then with his Trump-like real estate holdings on the beach. He now lives full time at Ipperwash and does a lot of traveling to make our meetings and Bingos.

Doug has lots of great Optimist memories. He includes some bus trips, working Bingos and attending conventions with Don Boos as great times. He also mentioned garage sales. There seems to be a trend here amongst our lifers with the garage sales. Fellow Optimists have always enjoyed Doug's stories. His sense of humour is infectious.

Thanks for all your contributions to the club and the community Doug!
 

CHRISTMAS PARTY DECEMBER 18TH

Location is the Ilderton Curling Club, on the east side of the arena complex.

Those who wish to wish to curl (even if you have never done it before) are invited to arrive by 5:00 p.m. Dress casual - a warm sweater and/or spring jacket would be suitable for on-ice. If you do not curl regularly, please bring a clean pair of running shoes to change into at the club. Any dirt on street shoes can play havoc with the ice. Slip-on sliders and tape are available for those who wish to try sliding when delivering rocks. Brushes also are there but if you have your own please bring it. Individuals who have curling experience will be on each team to offer concise instruction.

Cash bar will be available after 5:00 p.m. for those who wish to simply watch or use the lounge facilities of the curling club. Snacks are available, there's an excellent viewing area, and a pool table and shuffleboard table can be used.

6:30 p.m. Curling ends. Cocktail time. If you wish to join the group at this time that is OK.

7:00 p.m. Fully catered meal (turkey and ham) by Linda Arthur of Thorndale "Village Caterers". Cost is $10.00 per person. All you need to bring are "gag gifts", one for each person attending. Label gifts as male or female.

Rumor has it that Santa will pay a visit to help distribute gifts. The bar will remain open after the meal. Prices are reasonable. 40 people plan to come to the party. If you were not sure when the call captains contacted you and you now want to attend there is room for more. Please call Don Draper (471-1925) of any change of plans so the caterer can be updated.

DINNER MEETING NOVEMBER 18TH

14 members and 3 guests enjoyed an excellent meal and good company on this occasion. Guest speaker was Ken McTaggart who taught elementary grades in St. Thomas and now devotes his full energy to research and writing as a local Historian.

He came prepared with numerous anecdotes of London's past and particularly focussed on disasters in the late 1800's and the current century. Several members purchased his book, appropriately entitled, "London's Darkest Hours".

The subject matter definitely matched the locale. Ken described the intense competition between shipping companies operating ferry service along the Thames River - directly in front of our meeting place. He told of the "watering holes" or hotels across from the golf club. The climax of his talk involved a detailed description of how drunken behaviour and shoddy construction contributed to the disintegration and tumbling of the overloaded (600 passengers) "Victoria" on May 24, 1881 - not very far east of our meeting place. At least 182 people lost their lives.

Thanks to Opt. Jim Easton for arranging the program.

FUNDRAISING OPPORTUNITIES

Vice President Kevin Heslop has been pursuing recognition of our club as a charitable group with a Nevada Ticket outlet. He advises that we are officially on the waiting list for a location. If we can find a suitable store, in the meantime, to sell Nevada Tickets on our behalf the officials likely will endorse it. Please contact Opt. Kevin with any recommendations.

Kevin has also checked about the possibility of our club sponsoring ice skating Friday evenings at Oakridge Arena. Start up costs of $250.00 were approved at the Dec. 2^nd Directors' Meeting. Admission would be charged for this public skating initiative with the potential for some profit. Watch for more information on this venture as member assistance may be required to guarantee its success. Well done Kevin!

FUNDING APPROVALS

At the last Board of Directors meeting each of the following received unanimous support:

1. Forest City Midget Girls' Volleyball Team. $1000.00 for their trip to New Zealand in March 2000.
2. Community Services Unit of the London Police Service. $72.00 to purchase 12 "Wheels of Destruction" - an interactive Drug education tool.
3. London Police Department. $1500.00 to sponsor the PEACE program in 2000.
4. U.W.O. School of Dentistry. $600.00 to fund orthodontic work for two needy children immigrants from Colombia.
5. HOBY (see separate article). $500.00 for the Western Ontario Leadership Seminar in 2000
6. C.P.R.I. $300.00 to assist with the Operation Santa Claus program which provides gifts for needy resident children.
7. London Aquatic Club. $1000.00 to assist in paying for a scoreboard valued at $63 000.00.
8. Canadian Optimist Junior Golf Program. $150.00 for a "hole" sponsorship.

CELEBRATIONS

Happy Birthday to:   David Gilmore - Jan. 06

HOBY WHO?

In 1958, actor Hugh O'Brian returned from Africa highly inspired by his visit with Dr. Albert Schweitzer. Later that year, Hugh established the Hugh O'Brian Foundation, now known as the Hugh O'Brian Leadership, to seek out and develop leadership potential in youth.

The HOBY Leadership began in California. Today, there are approximately 105 seminar sites located throughout Canada, the United States, Mexico, the Bahamas, Jamaica and Japan. The program was introduced to Canada in 1983 by the Opt. Club of St. Clair Beach. Over 20,000 students worldwide benefit from HOBY seminars annually.

Each year our club sponsors grade 10 students from Oakridge S.S. and St. Thomas Aquinas S.S. so that they can attend the HOBY Western Ontario Leadership Seminar. In the year 2000, it will be held April 30 - May 2 at Ridgetown College. Keynote speakers include Leroy Hibbert speaking on the theme "self-esteem and Leadership"

Optimist members who have assisted as counselors during past seminars have deemed the experience most rewarding. If you have an interest in serving as a counselor please call Pres. Rick Gillespie.

OPTIMIST ORATORICAL CONTEST

Topic: "Growing Up In Today's World"

Who: Young people through grade 12

The Optimist Oratorical Contest gives youngsters that chance to speak to the world. More than $159,000 is awarded annually in scholarships to youth.

The second most popular of Optimist International's suggested annual activities, the Oratorical Contest was first conducted in 1928. Nearly 2,000 clubs participate.

We have not had representatives from our club for a number of years - which is too bad. Public speaking is a valuable skill, which may be extremely important for many young people as they enter the world of work. If you have children in your family in later elementary grades or secondary school please encourage them to consider composing their thoughts on paper based on the above theme. If they are doing essays and/or speeches at school they may be able to use their work for credit in English and also get recognition (and practice) by presenting at a club dinner meeting.

Please contact Don Draper (471-1925) if you have any candidates. Coaching is available.

CHRISTMAS HUMOUR SECTION

A Russian couple was walking down the street in Moscow one night, when the man felt a drop hit his nose.

"I think it's raining", he said to his wife. "No, that felt more like snow to me", she replied. "No, I'm sure it was just rain, he said".

Well, as these things go, they were about to have a major argument about whether it was raining or snowing. Just then they saw a minor communist party official walking toward them.

"Let's not fight about it", the man said, "Let's ask Comrade Rudolph whether it's officially raining or snowing".

As the official approached, the man said, "Tell us, Comrade Rudolph, is it officially raining or snowing?"

"It's raining, of course", he replied, and walked on.

But the woman insisted: "I know that felt like snow!", to which the man quietly replied: "Rudolph the Red knows rain, dear"

***********************

It was supposed to be a happy time, but it wasn't. Santa was really angry. It was Christmas Eve and NOTHING was going right. Mrs. Claus had burned all the Christmas cookies. The Elves were complaining about not getting paid for the overtime they had put in while making toys, and the reindeer had been drinking all afternoon and were dead drunk. They had taken the sleigh out for a spin earlier in the day and crashed it into a tree, breaking off one of the runners.

Santa was beside himself with anger. "I CAN"T believe it! I've got to deliver millions of presents all over the world in just a few hours from now and all my reindeer are drunk, my Elves are on strike and I don't even have a Christmas tree! I sent that stupid Little Angel out HOURS ago to find a tree and he isn't even back yet! What am I going to do?"

Just then the Little Angel opened the front door and stepped in from the snowy night, dragging a Christmas tree.

He says: "Yo, Santa, where do you want me to stick the Christmas Tree this year???"

And thus the tradition of Angels perched on top of the Christmas trees came to pass.

*********************

The Name the Newsletter contest closes at the end of the year. Call or send your suggestions for a knockout title for your Oakridge newsletter to Bob Moldowan.(471-0057 or bmoldowan@home.com) A prize will be presented to the member whose title is chosen.

UPCOMING DINNER MEETINGS AND EVENTS

Please mark these events down on your calendar now.

December 15 and 16 - Salvation Army Kettle Drive at Oakridge Mall. Optimist Michael Hoy is coordinating the staffing of the kettles and has a few time slots open. Please give him a call and volunteer. It's a great way to meet friends and neighbours you haven't seen in months.

Saturday, December 18th - Christmas Party at the Ilderton Curling Club - Catered meal, casual dress, curling, each person must bring a gag gift marked Male or Female.

Sunday, January 16th - Bus trip to the Detroit International Auto Show and Joe Kool's in Troy, Michigan. Cost for members $20. Cost for guests $30. Pay your money now to Rick Gillespie to reserve a seat.

Thursday, January 20th - Dinner meeting at TVGC. Cocktails at 6:30 PM and dinner at 7 PM. Cost $14. Guest speaker is Gord Henry who was a member of the Canadian Men's Rowing Team at the Barcelona Olympics.

Thursday, February 17 - Sports Committee appreciation night at Clyde's - 340 Wellington Street.

Breakfast meeting - We will be setting a date for a breakfast meeting at TVGC. Date to be announced.

Thursday, March 23 - Old timer dinner meeting at TVGC 6:30 PM. We hope to have some of our past members out to tell some tall tales.

Thursday, April 20 - Election night and dinner meeting at TVGC 630 PM

May - The zone is planning a Respect for Law dinner. Date to be announced.

June 15 - BBQ at the London Police Association "Cuffs" 630 PM
 

FUTURE BINGOS

Please mark these dates on your calendar now and come out. We have had some real big Bingos lately and we need all the help we can get. The times listed are the times you should arrive.

January 23 @ 345 PM - team 1 & 2,
February 20 @ 1145 AM - team 3 & 4
March 2 @ 600 PM - team 1 & 2

President                                         Richard Gillespie              641-2815
Vice President Youth                        David Gilmore                   663-9057
Vice President Ways & Means          Kevin Heslop                    472-2627
Past President                                 Don Draper                       471-1925
Treasurer/Director                            Jim Easton                        641-0798
Secretary                                        Steve Cochrane                 657-8865
Director                                           Rick Harriss                      473-2412
Director                                           Eric Riley                          472-2025
Director                                           Michael Hoy                      471-2712
Director                                           Max Davis                         472-9890
Director                                           Peter Hegler                      471-4928
Hockey Chair                                   Bob Litvinchuk                   474-0255
Baseball Chair                                 Joe O'Neill                         641-8441
Soccer Chair                                   Jim Harkin                         474-1074
OI Foundation Rep                           Norm Smith                       473-0899

Next meeting of the Board of Directors is at Oakridge Arena - Jan. 06, 2000, at 7:00 PM.