President's Message - October 2002
Look to the past for guidance into the future
-Robert Jacob Goodkin

Now that the month of September has past and all the memorial events of September 11 have been held, we must forge ahead in our daily lives and deal with the uncertainty that life brings us. But we must always remember what the past has done for us.

As it is October, it is also Past Presidents Night on October 9, 2002, as you have seen in our September WP magazine highlights. We are featuring Eddie Shack as our guest speaker. But this night is also about thanking our Past Presidents, who have laid the groundwork for this dedicated association. This is also the night that we introduce Louise Rivett as Past President.

I would like to extend my congratulations to Laurie Walker, London Chapter Delegate, and her committee for the wonderful time I had at the London Chapter Gold Tournament.

In February 2003 we will once again host Claims 2003. We are arranging informative seminars to run in conjunction with the Trade Show. Contact our business manager for further information.

Every year, we help our members by providing the opportunity to apply for the OIAA Bursary. We award $500.00 per Chapter to successful candidate. Please seek out your Chapter Delegate and ask for more information and the application.

After six years of updating our web site at www.oiaa.com, we have finally overhauled the site. Please review the site and provide us with your feedback. I would like to thank our Second Vice-President, Spencer Baily for countless hours devoted to the update of our web page.

Although it quite early in the year, I must mention we are changing the month for election of Toronto Delegates to April. If you are interested in getting involved, now is the time to come out to our meetings and introduce yourself to people. I encourage all in the province of Ontario to seriously consider being part of the OIAA. Please contact any of our current executive with any questions about the operations of the OIAA.

My last bit of information deals with my homecoming. On May 30, 2003, the Northern Ontario Chapters is hosting the Out-of-Town meeting in Sudbury. More details to follow in the coming months.

Hope to see you at the Past Presidents Night.