Category: MEMBERSHIP DRIVE REPORTS

Fall Bondi is Back!

This year, our club is going to try to make our northern adventure trip to Bondi Village Lodge and Cottages happen  for interested members. The Bondi lodge is located on Lake of Bays, just minutes from the Algonquin Park west gate. Traditionally, this has been one of the highlights of the canoeing year. 

This trip is tentatively scheduled for the 3rd week in September from Monday September 14th until Friday September 18th (5 days, 4 nights). 

We will be spending most of our days paddling various lakes and rivers in and around Algonquin Park, enjoying the rugged, scenic beauty of this region, the wildlife and the beginning of Autumn colours. The mid-September weather usually allows us to enjoy some late afternoon swimming on the Bondi Lodge beach, when we return each day. Outside evening activities may include: a wolf howl (led by one of our hosts), star gazing, or a campfire one night. While relaxing in the lodge, activities may include: a ping pong tournament or a game of pool in the lower rec area, working on a jig saw puzzle, or playing cards. As well, Bondi has Internet access, for those in need (… but no 5G network yet.) 

Each person who registers for this trip will participate in an information and planning meeting, in late August or early September. 

The cost is $288.15/ person (including HST) – about $72.00 per night – plus your share of the *food costs of your group. (Participants will be divided into *meal prep groups at our Aug./Sept. meeting.) 

A commitment to participate in this trip, including a $100 down-payment, will be necessary by early June. 

Before then, any questions may be directed to the trip organizer, Mark Zelinka. 

E-mail Contact: zelinkamd@gmail.com or Phone Contact: 519-651-3186 

This Fall Bondi adventure is meant as a semi-wilderness experience and a time to practise the canoeing skills learned over the summer. Also, it’s a time just to relax, breathe in the fresh air, enjoy the rugged northern Ontario scenery, as well as just a break away from our busy lives back home. 

Club members interested in participating in this trip, please, e-mail or phone Mark leaving your name and e-mail address/phone #, so more detailed information and updates may be sent out to you, as the canoeing season progresses. 

It’s in the Print!

I keep getting the same questions regarding forms and where to find things, etc., so I thought I’d address this separately, but before I get to that,  there are a couple of related items to talk about.

New club pamphlets & logo

In getting prepared for the Membership Drive, I was working very closely with our City of Waterloo advocate at Wing 404 on promoting our Club. The result of this is that new club pamphlets (tri-folds) were designed by the City of Waterloo graphics department (free of charge). The final draft of the pamphlet is a fresh new look that is both updated and very professional. A bonus is that the city also designed a new logo for us that looks modern, is easy to read and accurately captures the spirit of our club.  The actual pamphlets are stuck at Wing 404 until they open up again and were going to be used for the Membership Drive. However, the graphics department did provide me with a copy of the final draft that you can view below.

Front

 

Back

Old salts Seniors Canoe Club and Handbook

Last year, I talked about the club handbook that everyone is supposed to read before they sign the club waiver on the registration form. The final copy is now complete and is posted here.

Anyone who has a printer can print it if they want to.  However, several members have told me that they have no access to a printer. To accommodate everyone, we were able to have the handbook professionally printed (complete with colour pictures) and bound and are offering it to our members at a cost of $10. per book. This is a comprehensive handbook filled with good information and is something every member should read and have available to refer to either through this blog, or via hard copy. Every dollar raised from the purchase of the handbook will be kept for our Shed Relocation Project. Send an email to info@oldsaltsclub.com to reserve your copy. We only have 30 available, so it will be first come first serve!

other Printable materials

I am constantly asked where you can find certain forms. Hard copies of some forms can be found in the “blue binder” in the shed during the canoe season and includes:

    • Waiver for Non-Members – for members who bring guests on a canoe outing
    • Towing/Mileage Expense Form – for Towers to get reimbursed for their mileage
    • OSSCC Trip Sheet – for Trip Organizers

On the Blog under “Resources” you will find a section called “Club Documents (Printable)”
Here is what you will find in this section:

Please check out this section if you are wondering where anything is. Please note that what is on the blog is separate than what is on the web site. The only form available on the web site is the Registration Form for new members!

Communication is Key!

Ever since the club was formed over 20 years ago, much has changed in the way we communicate and how we present and store information as we continue our move into the technology age.

Today, we have a comprehensive web site that tells people who we are and what we are about. We also have a unique, membership driven communication and resource hub that is continually evolving . There was some initial grumbling about the changes, but making use of technology makes our work smarter, not harder for the benefit of our entire club and its future. Here is an update on our progression:

The Blog

Since the “Blog” was first introduced to the club 2 years ago, it has evolved into an efficient communication and resource hub. However, we can do better with everyone’s help!

      • Email Notifications
        These notifications are to let members know that there is a new post on the blog.  It is not the blog post itself. Videos, photos, links, etc. will not work in these emails, so you have to read the blog post. To read the entire post, click on the “post title” or the “continue reading on the OSSCC Blog” button to access the announcement on the Blog. (You will either go directly to the post (if you are logged in) or to the login (if you aren’t logged in) page. Please take the time to read these blog posts!!
      • Blog Issues
        For anyone who has issues signing into the blog, password problems, or is wondering how to navigate the blog, there is a great “how to” on the “Welcome” page.  If you forget your password, there are also instructions on how to reset it. Please choose something simple that you will remember!

There have also been improvements made to the blog to make it a better resource for our members so pertinent information is always stored in one place and you don’t have to keep searching for things. Whether you are viewing from your tablet, phone or desktop, take the time to explore our content and see what’s new!

Also on the Blog, you will find photo slideshows of our trips, as well as instruction videos to help reinforce skills taught in our training sessions. We are slowly posting more resources with the idea that the Blog will continue being the information repository for our Club.

The OSSCC Web Site

The website has had no significant changes, just updates.  However, there still seems to be some confusion regarding the difference between the “blog” and the “web site”.  The web site is available for everyone to view. It’s how we make our presence known to the public and let people know what we are about. The Blog is just for registered members. No one can access anything on the blog without logging in.

Keeping the lines of communication open and keeping our membership informed  is a priority for OSSCC and we will continue to move forward and improve as we grow. Direct questions and concerns to the club email address at  info@oldsaltsclub.com and provide feedback on blog posts using the “Leave a Reply” option.

Regards,

Carol Marion, Web Admin