Another season is upon us….the leaves are falling in the Lower Mainland and I hear the snow is starting in the Interior and further points north. It is time to finish cleanup and then to reflect on plans for next year – for both your garden and your association.
The MGABC 2013 Annual General Meeting was held October 20 in Vancouver but unfortunately not well attended. I think it is a shame as an AGM should be the time when we celebrate all that has been accomplished during the past year and then start planning the goals for the next year. Thanks go to the council members who finished their terms and a welcome to the new members joining the provincial council. Congratulations to Jan as this year’s recipient of the Golden Trowel Award for service and dedication to the MGABC, her own Victoria Chapter as well as other community organizations she belongs to.
It is now time to look at our ‘garden’ with eyes to the ‘spring’ to see where we are headed. The association is at a cross roads and we look to you, the chapters, for our new ‘garden design’ and direction. The Bylaws were done in 2012. The Policy & Procedure Manual was rewritten in June 2013 as a companion document and a new hosting and maintenance contract for our website, our communication line, was also upgraded in 2013. All these projects give us the ‘bones and foundation’ for building and sharing the future. We have the tools to move forward and build partnership in our communities and with each other.
One of the partnerships that is flourishing and growing is with the CBC, the ‘North x Northwest’ radio segment.
We have been asked by CBC to continue these Saturday segments which are shared by the chapters with different topics being featured each month. As mentioned at the AGM, a couple partnerships I would like to see us develop further are with Invasive Species Council of BC and Seeds of Diversity. Both organizations have community groups that chapters can partner with. These partnerships will help in our ‘education of ourselves and the public’ mandate. We can learn about the importance of being aware of planting or buying invasive plants and how seeds banks or libraries can play an important factor in helping to keep the diversity of our gardens alive and growing naturally – for the benefit of all.
Thanks go to all who help our organization – both provincially and chapter – we can’t do it without you.
Lynne Chrismas
MGABC President
