B.C. Provincial News

June 2010   . Well here we are and summer is underway, British Columbia has three Chapters and they are all busy planning a great rally program for September.  The Dogwood Interior Chapter will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Newmar Kountry Klub at their rally in Osoyoos, the Dogwood Lower Mainland Chapter will join up and present the BC Provincial/Lower Mainland Joint Rally in Aldergrove, and the Dogwood Islanders Chapter will join up with Region 9 and have their rally in Central Saanich.  There will be more to follow as plans are finalized.   Once again each of our Chapters will be holding their Annual General Meetings at their respective Rallies, and with this comes elections, taking part in a Chapter Executive is a great way to meet and work with other Newmar Klub Members, please feel free to contact your respective executives and let them know if you are interesting in assisting or if you are available to serve as an executive member, participation is a very rewarding experience.   I have heard from many of our membership throughout the Winter and Spring, and through the efforts of Frank and Marilyn McKitrick we have revamped the Chapter Registration Form which the dealers so generously complete and fund all new members for the first year.   Thanks go out to Midtown RV in Penticton, and Traveland RV in Langley for their continued support of our Chapters, and the Newmar Kountry Klub.  Without their assistance the cost of our rallies would be much higher.  When you visit either of these great dealers please be sure to express your thanks for their involvement.   If you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to contact me at (250)-743-9796.    For those of you celebrating Birthdays, Anniversaries or other special occasions, congratulations, and for those that are under the weather, get well soon….    Gary Giles BC Provincial Director 13630L

December 2009   Where has the year gone?  It seems like only yesterday that I was up to my knees in snow.  That won’t happen again, as I will head south just after Christmas to a much warmer climate.  During the summer months I have had the opportunity to speak with many British Columbia members, these phone conversations and gatherings are always enjoyable and it’s great to catch up with everyone, where they have travelled, what they have seen and where they are headed next.    I have just returned from the three Chapter Rally’s in British Columbia, the first being in Merritt, British Columbia at Moonshadows RV park. This rally was the British Columbia Interior/British Columbia Provincial combined event.  The weather wasn’t the greatest, but that didn’t deter those that attended from having a great time.  As usual we ate far too much and my congrats go out to all the chefs and the executive of the Interior Chapter for putting on a great event.  Especially I would like to thank the other Hosts Carol and Arnold Penno, Presidents of the BC Dogwood Interior Klub, and co hosts, Bob and Judy Griffith, Joe and Inga Bridge and Bob and Evelyn Jaggard.    Following the event in Merritt, four coaches headed out for Hope, British Columbia for the BC Dogwood Lower Mainland Rally at Hope Valley Campground, here the weather was great, very hot and sunny, and very welcome after the cold, wind and rain in Merritt.  Congratulations go out to Dave and Joanne Killey, Brian and Carol Anderson, and all of the other volunteers who put on a great rally, special thanks to Carol Anderson for feeding us all, and wow baking all those pies each day…..   Travelling by Ferry for and hour and half, I arrived on Vancouver Island and headed to Vantreight Farms, world renown for the production of Daffodils.  Ian and Lynn Vantreight open the farm and buildings to host a great rally, Gary and Mary-Anne Tennant also hosted the event and graciously provided all of the great food.  The chefs were without a doubt dedicated to their tasks and provided a wonderful menu.    I would like to thank both of the British Columbia Dealers, Midtown RV and Traveland RV for their continued support of  the Chapters in British Columbia.  Without your continued assistance it would be difficult to present quality events such as we have experienced this year.   For those of you celebrating, Birthdays or Anniversaries congratulations from all of your Newmar Friends.  For those of you under the weather, or experiencing health issues, get well soon, we miss you…   Gary Giles BC Provincial Director 13630L   (250) 743-9796

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December 2008   As I sit here watching the snow come down outside, I think with fond memories of the wonderful times we had this past year.  My first year as Provincial Director was without a doubt a time of meeting new friends and re-establishing old friendships.  My first trip was to Du Quoin, Illinois to the International Rally where along with our Regional Directors Dave and Gwen Harris, and three other couples from BC enjoyed our volunteer tasks. I took on helping the photography crew, and worked with the rest of the Region 9 group and many other volunteers running the Kountry Klub Store.  My second trip was to Cranbrook BC where the Region 9/BC Provincial Rally was held at the Fort Steele Resort, we had a great time, and a fantastic turnout.  On my way back I had the misfortune of blowing up my engine and spent 10 days in Castlegar, BC, there aren’t too many sights in the Kootenays that I have not seen now…..   In September off I went again to Sicamous, BC for the Interior Dogwood Chapter Rally, our hosts Bill and Gerri Kruper put on a fantastic event, and it was great once again to see many of the Newmar Family new and old attending.  I then travelled down to Fort Langley for the Lower Mainland Dogwood Chapter Rally, and once again the event was very well planned and everyone had a great time, thank you to the Executive of the Lower Mainland Chapter for putting on a successful gathering.  Just a short note, for those of you that know me, you know I can’t resist a challenge when it comes to fixing some thing on a Newmar Coach, well….Carol and Harold Drobott who where parked next to me asked me to come and check their heat pump.  (I had just put on a dozen eggs to boil to make devilled eggs)  As Carol and Harold and I got the heat pump issue resolved  Carol remarked that she could smell something burning, upon looking out smoke was issuing from the fantastic vent in my coach, running next door, I found to my dismay a dozen eggs boiled dry, burst and splattered on every available surface…..we all had a good laugh, I obtained another dozen eggs, and dutifully stayed home until they were ready……My next trip was to Vantreight Farms for the Dogwood Islanders Chapter Rally, although the weather was questionable, we had a great time.   This year we lost 2 of our Members Ernie Sales from Quesnel, and Doug Martin from Duncan.  Our thoughts are with their families.   This year I decided to brave the winter at home instead of travelling south, this will be the first time in 8 years I haven’t headed to warmer climates.  Remind me again why my coach is snowbound…….       A big thank you to all the outgoing executives, it has indeed been a pleasure working with you, and to all of those who have volunteered their time to work on the 2009 executives, I look forward to the fellowship we all enjoy and many great times.    Happy Holidays   Gary Giles BC Provincial Director

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August 2008 After travelling 2500 miles to Duquoin, Illinois I arrived at the 23rd Newmar International Rally back in June.  British Columbia was represented by our Region 9 Directors Dave and Gwen Harris, Dan and Beth Hamilton, Bob and Sandy Smith, and Bob and Judy Griffiths, we had a great time and the Rally was exceptional.  Region 9 had the responsibility of the Newmar Kountry Klub Store, under the direction of Dave and Gwen Harris, and team leaders Cliff and May Carey, Saskatchewan Provincial Directors, and myself and the many volunteers who assisted in the store, everything went well.  Following the rally the Griffiths, Careys and myself headed off to Nappanee, Indiana to visit the Newmar Factory and Kountry Klub office.  After departing Nappanee, I travelled to the HWH Factory for some service and then headed west back to Vancouver Island.  Off I went again to Cranbrook for the Region 9/British Columbia Provincial Rally.  We had a great time in Cranbrook, and back home I went.  Don’t forget September we travel to the BC Dogwood Islanders Rally in Saanich, then the BC Dogwood Interior Klub Rally in Sicamous, followed by the BC Dogwood Lower Mainland Rally at Fort Langley.  You will find information on all of these events listed at the back of Konnections. I hope to see all of you at these events… Don’t forget to help out your Chapter Executives by volunteering any way you can, remember there are many tasks at hand, and your assistance would be welcome.   For those of you celebrating Birthdays or Anniversaries, congratulations.  For those that are under the weather, get well soon.   Please feel free to contact me with any questions or issues; I can be reached by e-mail at solar@pinc.com or by phone at (250) 715-8645   Gary Giles (13630L) British Columbia Provincial Director