July 2010 The rally and social activities in the Region are now well underway with more rallies scheduled as the season progresses.   The joint Alberta Provincial/Alberta Wild Rose Chapter was the first out of the block having held their rally and chapter AGM in Castor, Alberta. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the new executive for volunteering their time to help keep the Newmar Kountry Klub running smoothly within the Region. We would also like to thank the dealers who helped to support this event. In the early part of June we had the Provincial Saskatchewan/Prairie Lily rally in Craven, Saskatchewan.   Traveland Supercentre in Langley, B.C. sponsored a wonderful luncheon at their facility for the B.C. Dogwood Lower Mainland Chapter; once again it underlines what great dealers we have in Region 9.   We will be making our way eastward to attend the Region Directors Conference in Nappanee, and then on to the big event the 25th International rally to be held in Goshen.   We would like to thank John & Audrey Noblet for volunteering to be our Team Leaders, to help us set up the NKK merchandise store.  Would members who are attending the rally let us know so that we can arrange a Canadian gathering along with Region 8.   On our return from Indianna we hope to take in some of the Chapter rallies, and also personally thank the Newmar Dealers for their support.   We can be reached at home: 250 245 8071 dgharris@telus.net or Cell: 250 619 6737   In the meantime we wish you all safe travels. God’s speed, and have FUN.

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June 2010 Here we are half way through 2010; finally the weather is starting to improve day by day.   We would like to take this opportunity to welcome Tee Pee Trade & RV Centre Ltd., located in Camrose, Alberta to the Newmar family.  They are now the new Dealer for the Newmar towable product line.   The rally season is now under way in the Region with the joint Alberta Provincial/Alberta Wild Rose Klub rally held in Castor now in the history books.   Now that all the members are back from their winter sojourn we have been busy with Klub business.   We will be leaving the Island later this month to attend the Region Directors Conference being held in Nappanee prior to the 25th International rally in Goshen August 16 - 21st.   If you have any ideas concerning the Klub you would like to have brought up at the Region Director’s Conference please contact your Provincial Director or us so that we can have it put on the Agenda for discussion. We can be contacted by email at dgharris@telus.net  home phone: 250 245 8071.   We would like to hear from anyone who is planning to attend the International rally so that we can co-ordinate a Canadian get together with Region 8.   We would like to wish all father’s a Happy father’s day, and hope you receive something to add to your existing toy box.  To everyone celebrating a special event we send our best wishes, and to those recovering from sickness or surgery we wish you a speedy recovery.   Safe travels to everyone and we look forward to meeting up with you as you proceed along life’s highway; Try to avoid the bumps and pot holes.

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April 2010 Things have been extremely quiet in the Region over the winter months with a large majority of our members spending the time in the warmer southern climates.   We at home on the North Pacific west coast have endured warmer than normal temperatures, but have experienced a considerable amount of rain which certainly underlines the term Wet Coast which is what it is often referred to.  However the daffodils appeared early along with other bulb plant species, and the grass remained as green as ever.   We have kept in contact with some of our members by e-mail, and are looking forward to meeting up with everyone when they return home to the Region.   We have a busy year ahead of us, and we plan on leaving our Island base at the end of June to head eastward for the Region Directors Conference, and to attend the 25th Anniversary International rally being held in Goshen Indiana August 16th – 21st.   We hope that the members within the Region will be able to attend the 25th as it will be a very special one to mark the longevity of the Newmar Kountry Klub.   As stated in our previous article we will be stepping down as Region Directors at the end of this year, but we understand that we will not be alone as some of your Provincial Directors and Chapter Officers are also considering the same.  We want to encourage all of you to consider applying for one of these positions should they become available in order to keep this great Klub functioning smoothly.  We rely on the valuable input from all members, from the Chapter level up, because this is your Klub.  Please give this matter some serious thought; the great rewards are seeing members enjoy themselves and the lasting friendships made at Newmar Kountry Klub events.   We would like to wish everyone a very Happy Easter. We wish you all good health and happiness, and to those recovering from illness or surgery we wish you a speedy recovery.   Safe travels to you all. We can be reached at 250 245 8071 or e-mail dgharris@telus.net- note new e-mail address

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February 2010 We want to start out wishing you all a Happy New Year!! 2010 Already?  It doesn’t seem that long ago that we were all wondering what was going to happen when we entered the new millennium! Remember Y2K and the speculation the computers were going to crash, and everything that relied on them was destined to fail.  Well here we are now 10 years later and everything electronic managed to make it, however we humans have managed to cause a few glitches along the way, but we have all appeared to have weathered most of the bumps.   We would like to apologize to Claire & Dianne Liefso who were the Co Hosts of the Alberta Prairie Dogs rally in Elkwater, an error was made in our December article.   We lost two wonderful members in 2009, Floyd Johnstone, who passed away Oct. 7th 2009 and Joe Zielke who passed away Dec. 26th our thoughts and prayers go out to Dorothy Johnstone, & Beverly Zielke & their families.   Before we know it the rally season will be upon us.   The joint Alberta Provincial/Alberta Wild Rose Klub rally will be held in Castor, Alberta, May 27-30th.   Castor will be celebrating their Centennial year with lots of fun and activities.  Also the Sask. Provincial Directors will be combining their rally with the Saskatchewan Prairie Lily Klub who are planning a special rally to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Chapter, knowing Cliff & May it will be a good one, put this date in your calendar June 10 - 13th at the Craven World Campground, Craven, north of Regina. Then we have the 25th Anniversary International rally in Goshen, Indiana August 16 – 21st, 14th & 15th being the early parking days, if you are planning to attend and wish to volunteer in the store please let us know. Come September the B.C. Dogwood Interior Klub will be holding their rally Sept. 7 - 10th at NK’Mip Campground in Osoyoos. The Alberta Prairie Dogs rally will be Sept. 9 – 12th the location to be confirmed at a later date.  The B.C. Provincial/Dogwood Lower Mainland Klub rally will be Sept. 10 – 13th again the location to be confirmed at a later date.  The last one in our Region will be the Region 9/B.C. Dogwood Islanders rally Sept. 16 – 19th at Vantreight’s Farm in Saanichton.  Let us get out and support these rallies and show your appreciation to the executives and volunteers for all their hard work. We would like to thank all the volunteers who are helping to keep this great Klub functioning during these difficult times.   Don’t forget to send your Love to someone special on Valentines Day. Happy St. Patrick’s Day to everyone who has Irish connections. Get well wishes to those of you recovering from surgery or illness.   This will be our last year as Region 9 Directors, as next year we are planning to go to Europe to visit family & friends in England, Ireland & France.  We look forward to meeting up with you all at the various rallies across the Region. We can be reached at home by e-mail: davegwenharris@yahoo.ca or phone: 250-245-8071. Safe travels.

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December 2009               We left Nappanee and headed west to attend the Alberta Prairie Dogs Chapter rally held in the Cypress Hills Inter-Provincial Park at Elkwater, Ab.  The rally hosts were Les & Marlene Ziegler (18077) & co-hosts Claire & Diane Liefso (18910). Unfortunately Marlene had broken her ankle prior to the rally, and had to use a wheel chair to get around. The rally was a great success, and everyone enjoyed the fun and fellowship.  There were 17 rigs in attendance including 4 guests units.  The volunteers did an outstanding job again, and we certainly enjoyed all of their efforts.  The Drumheller/Rosedale crew now referred to as the Valley crew handled most of the cooking, with help from other volunteers including some of the guests.  Les brought one of his toys to the rally a three wheeled Spyder motor cycle, the only problem he encountered was that he had forgotten how to start it, after a great of deal input from all the guys, they read the instruction book to finally get it started (would you believe it took 9 guys to figure it out) a lot of fun was had by all who went for a ride. Suzanne Sands (8813) along with Gerry Dufresne (12036), June Bickner (17916) & first time attendee Ken Drake (19092), and guest Andre Goulet provided the musical entertainment for the first two nights after the evening meal.   Bucars RV sales representative Doug Belanger and his family brought out a 2010 Newmar unit for everyone to go through.  Bucars also sponsored the steak & chicken BBQ which Doug & his wife Antoinette prepared.  Recipe cards were available for the fabulous dessert that Antoinette made.  We would like to take this opportunity to thank Bucars RV for their participation at this rally and for their most generous sponsorship for the delicious meal and the multitude of raffle door prizes which Doug’s three children Brook, Mitchell & Mathew participated in the final evening raffle event calling out ticket numbers and handing out the prizes.  Later in the evening Brook (who is 14) treated us to some musical entertainment by playing & singing, using a twelve string guitar lent to her by June Bickner.   We were then entertained for the next couple of hours by Wanderin Wally and his guitar who challenged everyone present to come up with an oldies song for him play & sing.   One day during the rally Les acted as a tour guide for the area of the park that we were camped in, and it was very interesting to hear how the landscape was formed after the ice age had receded.  We visited a small church and Les told us about the people who came to live in the area and were buried in the cemetery.   After the rally was over we continued west to prepare for Bucars RV Open House Event in Balzac, AB.  We stopped over at SpringHill RV Campsite in Cochrane and visited with Denis & Karen Veraart (17754L) and their son Sean prior to going to Bucars.  We met up with Lyle & Marg Dowling, Ab., Prov. Dir’s at Bucars where we stayed for the weekend while attending their Open House.  We set up a table in their show room alongside a Canyon Star Toy Hauler, and we managed to talk to a lot of people about the Newmar Kountry Klub.  Doug Drover representing Newmar Corp was also in attendance. We had some discussions with the Bucars sales team and managed to persuade Bucars management to buy the first year’s membership to the Newmar Kountry Klub when they sell a Newmar unit.  We allowed some of the folks that attended the event to tour our own units.  It was a very successful weekend for Bucars and they are a great addition to the Dealer network with a wonderful facility and an enthusiastic staff.   At the conclusion of the event we continued our journey west, we visited Arnie & Carol Penno in Golden, Chapter Presidents of the B.C. Dogwood Interior Klub and then on to Midtown RV in Penticton and visited with George and his staff.   After leaving Penticton we met with Dave & Joanne Killey, Chapter Presidents of the B.C. Dogwood Lower Mainland Klub, we stayed overnight and the next day we visited with Traveland RV in Langley, unfortunately Dale was away setting up for an RV show in Abbotsford, but we visited with his partner Gordon and thanked them for their continued support of the Newmar Kountry Klub.                 From there we made our way to the ferry terminal and arrived home safe and sound.   Due to our schedule and commitments we were very disappointed that we were unable to attend a lot of the rallies in the Region this year, but we would like to convey our appreciation to all of you who volunteer your time to take office and help to keep all the Chapter’s running in the Region, and to all the members who help keep this great Klub together.                 We would like to wish every one a very Merry Christmas and a Happy & Healthy New Year. We will be staying at home this winter and will be thinking of all you snowbirds sunning yourselves in the warmer climes.  We can be reached by e-mail: davegwenharris@yahoo.ca or phone 250 245 8071 Safe Travels

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October 2009 We arrived in Craigmyle, Alberta and met up with Lyle & Marg Dowling to set up for our joint Region 9/Alberta Provincial rally.  Some of the other members namely Dave & Evelyn Walker, Doug & Helen Taber, Dale & Suzanne Sands were already there, and offered to help with the pre-rally preparations.  We were very surprised to hear that Dave Walker was recovering from heart surgery and therefore had recruited Doug Taber as his deputy fire master a task which he carried out; enduring some fun criticism from Dave Walker and others at the rally. We had a total of 18 coaches with one guest coach and one couple from West Vancouver Keith & Sally Gray who we welcomed as first time attendees. A good time was had by all and it was fortunate that Lyle & Marg had found this location where we had the use of a hall which served our purpose admirably.  We would personally like to thank everyone who helped and participated in what we called a recession rally.  We would like to thank Ed Schmidt & Suzanne Sands for the musical entertainment.  We had to endure some rain during the rally, but we all managed to survive.  We stayed over one more day and the weather turned really nasty, and although we managed to catch up on some paperwork we didn’t leave our rig all day as the wind and rain buffeted the coach.     However, the next day the sun came out and we continued on our journey east to Moose Jaw where we visited the Newmar dealer #1 RV we met up with Dale Nestor the principal.  On our way east we called in and visited with Stan & Elaine Iles in Regina before traveling to Winnipeg to visit Ken Langevin the Newmar dealer at Walt’s trailer Sales.      We then headed south down through north & south Dakota into Iowa.  Whilst we were traveling east on I-80 looking for a possible night stop we took the exit at Newton to head for camp Walmart, and as we drove along we passed a sign on the side of the road indicating a Newmar rally, after we had parked we drove back in our car to where the Iowa State rally was taking place and we surprised them all as we walked in as they were finishing up their pot luck supper.  We stayed and talked to the folks and in attendance were Jim & Wilma Weeks the Region Directors for that area, so we chatted till late in the evening.  The next day we arrived in Nappanee late in the evening after encountering several traffic detours.  The next morning we visited the Klub Office to talk with Barney & Barbara, Vicky and Linda.  We made our way to the Miller campsite and prepared for the Region Directors Conference which was chaired by Barney & Barbara Barnett the International Directors.  It was great to see all the Directors again especially Ken Jenkins who recently had heart surgery a few weeks prior. The agenda included a number of items affecting the Newmar Kountry Klub and we can only highlight some of them in this article. Some of the items discussed not in any order of priority were as follows:                             Membership numbers are down                             Soliciting new members                             Recruiting & rewarding volunteers at all levels                             Low usage of the Klub website                             Konnection magazine subscriptions not enough and how to keep it in print                             Newmar Corporation sponsorship for the Klub                             Adopt a dealer program Newmar Corporation plans to stay in business and survive this economic downturn.  The Newmar Kountry Klub board members were present to answer questions.  The Region Directors had a separate meeting with Matt Miller regarding the Klub and he assured everyone that the Miller family was committed to the Kountry Klub.   After the conference was over we loaded the Klub trailer prior to setting out for Goshen.  Our responsibility this year was the Klub merchandise store, and we would like to thank those volunteers from other Regions who helped us with this task, especially Jim & Annabel Repp (14869) from Georgia who worked with us for the first two days all the time that the store was open without even taking a break.  We cannot thank them enough for their dedication, and we both enjoyed their friendship, Thanks again Jim & Annabel. We had approximately 430 rigs in attendance, and at opening ceremonies we recruited members from Region 7 & 8 to carry the Provincial/Territories flags, and Presidents Bob & Bonnie Schruise (5182) from the full timers Chapter carried the American & Canadian flag, Bonnie was born in Canada, we would like to thank you all for helping us out as we were the only members from Region 9 at the rally.    At the conclusion of the rally we packed everything up and loaded the trailer and headed back to Nappanee where the trailer was again unloaded.      We stayed on at the Service Department and got a few things attended to prior to us heading west. We will elaborate in our next article what our itinerary contained as we made our way back home to Vancouver Island.   Until then we wish you all safe travels and happy memories of renewing old friendships and making new ones for that is why we all belong to this great Klub. You can reach us at davegwenharris@yahoo.ca or 250 245 8071

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August 2009 We departed from our home on Vancouver Island en route to the Region Directors conference being held in Nappanee prior to the 24th International rally in Goshen Indiana. As the ferry from the Island was late we made our first stop at the Husky car/truck stop in Chilliwack where we stayed the night.  The next morning we set out for Penticton to meet with George Stayberg and his staff at Midtown RV; when we arrived we found out that George was on his way back from the factory after picking up four 2010 units.  We arranged to stay at Midtown RV for the night and we met up with George later that evening when he and the units arrived at the dealership.  We left early next morning and made our way to Cochrane, Alberta, where we stayed at SpringHill RV Park.  The next day we went to visit Bucars RV the newly appointed Newmar Dealer for the Province of Alberta.  We had a very good meeting with Jeff Redmond the General Manager and were given a tour of their facility by Doug Belanger who was familiar with Newmar, and looking forward to being able to offer the Newmar product line.  We also had a good conversation with Dave Westhaver the Sales Manager about the Newmar Kountry Klub and he invited us to come back and talk about the Klub to all their sales staff at some future date when they start to receive their initial units for their Open House launch of the Newmar Product Line in September of this year. We invited Jeff Redmond and his Sales Manager to attend our rally at Craigmyle, Alberta and to come out and meet some of the Klub members.  We also offered our help on behalf of the two Chapters namely the Alberta Wild Rose Klub, and the Alberta Prairie Dogs that when they have their open house some of the members would be on hand to not only promote the Newmar Product line, but also to talk about the benefits of belonging to the Newmar Kountry Klub. We left the dealership with a great feeling that Bucars RV will be a great addition to the Newmar family, and we look forward to them being able to be of service to all the Newmar owners not only within the Province of Alberta but to all who are visiting in their area to every ones mutual benefit. We will have more to report on after our Region9/Alberta Provincial rally and our visits with other dealers in our Region. We can be reached at 250 619 6737 Safe travels to you all.

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April 2009   Things are still very quiet in our Region and we have been kept busy doing things at home.  Some of the snowbirds have already returned home and others will be following very soon, as we approach that dreaded income tax time when we all have to file our returns for the year.   We have been in contact with Barney & Barbara our International Directors by telephone and they have been keeping us informed of what is happening with Newmar and the current situation with regard to the RV Industry in general.  We will be operating the Kountry Klub store again at this year’s International rally in Goshen, Indiana, and if any one is considering attending we would love to hear from you to see if you would like to volunteer some time to help us fulfill our assignment.   Spring has now sprung and the daffodils are now in full bloom, and the dreaded grass and weeds are growing with a vengeance.  The rally season is now upon us, and whilst we may not be able to attend as many of them as we would like we look forward to seeing some of you at our joint Region 9/Alberta Provincial rally being held in Craigmyle, Alberta on July 5th – 8th our theme this year is a recession rally for only $99.00. The Alberta Wild Rose Klub rally is at the end of this month in Castor. In the meantime we wish you all safe travels and hope to see you on the road. Dave & Gwen Harris Region 9 Directors

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March 2009   During the fall and winter months we have kept in contact with all the Provincial Directors by email and by telephone. Gwen has been busy keeping the website up to date when we receive information to pass on to all the members in the Region.   As in previous year’s things remain quiet during the winter months within the Region, and many members visit with each other and have impromptu gatherings down south when ever the opportunity arises.   We understand that all the chapters have been working on plans for their upcoming rallies, and we have been working together with Lyle & Marg Dowling on our joint Region/Alberta Provincial Recession Rally to be held in Craigmyle Alberta, on July 5th – 9th at a cost of $99.00 per coach with two people.  Let’s have a good turn out!! We would love to see as many members as possible.  The details are in our ad which is posted on the website along with the other Chapters ads for their rallies.   We wish every one good health and happiness in the forth coming year. and look forward to meeting you along the road.   To anyone recovering from surgery or illness we wish you a speedy recovery.   Safe Travels throughout 2009.   Dave & Gwen Harris Region 9 Directors

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February 2009   During the fall and winter months we have kept in contact with all the Provincial Directors by email and by telephone. Gwen has been busy keeping the website up to date when we receive information to pass on to all the members in the Region.   As in previous year’s things remain quiet during the winter months within the Region, and many members visit with each other and have impromptu gatherings down south when ever the opportunity arises.   We understand that all the chapters have been working on plans for their upcoming rallies, and we have been working together with Lyle & Marg Dowling on our joint Region/Alberta Provincial Recession Rally to be held in Craigmyle Alberta, on July 5th – 9th at a cost of $99.00 per coach with two people.  Let’s have a good turn out!! We would love to see as many members as possible.  The details are in our ad which is posted on the website along with the other Chapters ads for their rallies.   We wish every one good health and happiness in the forth coming year and look forward to meeting you along the road.   To anyone recovering from surgery or illness we wish you a speedy recovery.   Safe Travels throughout 2009.   Dave & Gwen Harris Region 9 Directors

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December 2008   Things are fairly quiet throughout the Region at this time of the year with many of our members already headed south to take advantage of warmer climes.  For those of us who are staying put we will endeavor to keep the home fires burning.   We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the outgoing Chapter Officers for their dedication to the Klub and thank the incoming Officers for stepping forward to help keep the Chapters running smoothly.  The Chapters could not survive without the help of volunteer’s, so again THANK YOU ALL.   We also want to thank those of you who submitted articles – newsletters – photo’s etc. of your Rallies and Luncheons to be put on the website. It is very important that we receive this information so that we can keep all our members informed of what is going on within the Region.   We have added a rally disclaimer form on the Region 9 website for our members, this can be printed off and sent to the respective rally hosts?    This is the latest update on Newmar after the November Board of Directors meeting; They covered a lot of important ground; for your information here are some of the topics you should be made aware of.   1) They have not given up hope of bringing the Konnection magazine back in some sort of modified format; there will be an email version and a hard copy for those who do not have email. However, the funds are not available at this time.   2) It is important for all the Officers of the Klub to pass on as much information as possible to all the members.  Communication is going to be an important part of our survival.   3) There are currently only four manufacturer clubs that are viable right now. Newmar Corporation has made the decision to stick with us and ride it out, which is extremely fortunate for all of us.   4) For your information most of the RV manufacturers are closing down for extended periods starting almost immediately. Newmar’s current production is planning to work through the first two weeks of December and finishing up on December 15th and then they plan to return around mid January 2009.  This plan is obviously subject to change with the current world financial crisis.  The office personnel, parts and service will carry on working throughout this period.   Should anything further develop over the holiday period we will keep you posted.   We want to take this opportunity to wish all those members who are recovering from illness or surgery a speedy recovery in time for the holiday season.  One member that we are aware of is Carol Penno who is on the mend from surgery. Get well soon Carol!!   This is the time of the year for goodwill to be shared amongst everyone, and time for immediate families to celebrate the holiday season.   To everyone in our Newmar extended family we would like to wish you all a Very Happy Christmas, and a Prosperous New Year.   Dave & Gwen Region 9 Directors

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October 2008 We attended the Region 7 rally in Hamburg New York and then made our way back to Nappanee to have some service work done on our rig at the Newmar plant. We departed from Nappanee and headed west to Cranbrook B.C. for our joint Region 9 and B.C. Provincial rally.  On the way we called in to No.1 RV in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan and had a good visit with Dale and his staff.  We arrived at the campground just outside of Cranbrook which is located close to the Historic site of Fort Steele.  We had 23 rigs turn out for the rally.  The weather was kind to us with only one downpour which did not dampen the spirits of our members; everyone had a great time.  We would like to thank the members who volunteered their help, especially our NKK Chefs Joe, Colin and Ernie; they did a fantastic job cooking the 2 breakfasts, burgers and steaks.  We had a great time in the kitchen with a lot of laughter while cooking the food.  For us this was the last time that we had the opportunity to enjoy the company of Ernie Sales who passed away not long after the rally.  Ernie was a valuable member of the Newmar Kountry Klub and his talents as a chef at the rallies he and Ann attended will be sadly missed.  We sent our condolences to Ann and the family on behalf of all those in the Region that were privileged to know Ernie; Ann we keep you in our prayers.   At the conclusion of the rally we made our way to Penticton to visit with George and his staff at Midtown RV and to thank him for his generous support within the Region.  We then made our way back to the Island to catch up on some work at home.  We fully intended to make a day trip to the B.C. Dogwood Lower Mainland chapter rally but unfortunately Dave came down with the flu, and was not up to going anywhere.  Our apologizes to the members at the rally; judging by the photos we missed out on a good time. Although Dave had not completely recovered we did manage to attend the B.C. Dogwood Islanders Chapter rally held at the Vantrieght Daffodil Farm in Saanich just outside Victoria. This is the first time we have managed to attend an Islanders rally; since we were involved in the formation of the Chapter when Gerry & Rita Hartley were the B.C. Provincial Directors.  The rally was hosted by the current B. C. Provincial Director Gary Giles, and all who attended enjoyed each others company.  Ian and Lynn Vantreight went out of their way to make us all feel welcome and Ian gave us a tour of his daffodil and bulb farm and operations; it was very interesting and we came away with two boxes of bulbs.  (More work!!)  We all attended a benefit on the Saturday night; details of which are in Graham Caines excellent B.C. Dogwood Islanders newsletter on the website. Doug Martin who was Secretary/Treasurer of the Islanders chapter recently passed away, he will be sadly missed, our thoughts and prayers go out to Vera.   We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has volunteered their time to serve on all the Chapter Executives in the Region for the up coming term, and we must not forget the out going Chapter Executives for the outstanding work they have put in over the years; and for the wonderful rallies they have hosted. The local chapters could not function with out your help. Again THANK YOU! The Newmar Kountry Klub is weathering the current storm, and we are sure that we will all come out of this by staying true to the course.  We are pleased to report that Linda Feece will be re-instated at the Klub Office on November 3rd.   As you all must know by now next years International rally has been re-located to Goshen, Indiana and the month has also been changed to Aug 1 – 8. Please keep yourself informed by visiting the website on a fairly frequent basis. Safe Travels to everyone.   Dave & Gwen Harris Region 9 Directors

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August 2008   We departed from Vancouver Island and headed for Bashaw in Alberta for the joint Provincial and Alberta Wild Rose Klub rally hosted by Provincial Directors Lyle & Marg Dowling and the AWRK Presidents Lorne & Marlene Pearson.  The rally was a great success with some 26 coaches in attendance which included 5 first timers, which was really great to see.  Every one enjoyed them selves and the hosts did a really tremendous job.   It was a great opportunity for us to renew old friendships and make some new ones.  At the conclusion of the rally we attended the AGM of the AWRK at which time a new executive was elected by all members in attendance.  We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the members of the outgoing executive; especially Lorne and Marlene for staying the course and volunteering their time over the past four years.  We also want to thank the members of the new executive for allowing their names to be put forward for their respective positions and volunteering their time to keep the Chapter running. We departed from Bashaw and headed eastward to Moose Jaw in Saskatchewan along with Lyle and Marg Dowling who were headed to the Newmar Plant in Nappanee for some service work.  We visited Dale Nistor the Newmar Dealer in Moose Jaw, and from there we headed south to cross over in to the USA.   On our arrival in Nappanee we were able to give Lyle and Marg some pointers as to how the Newmar system works.  We then departed for the Region Directors conference, which was being held at the Miller Family Campground not far from the Newmar Plant.  We met with all the other Directors and during the social hours we discussed and exchanged several ideas as to how we can continue to keep this great Klub running.  The agenda for the meetings had already been laid out by our International Directors Barney & Barbara Barnet, and during the three days we covered a lot of ground.  We can only highlight some of the items discussed in this article.  The three main ones being the changes to the Officers manual, and as to how we can all maintain the membership and attract new members.  In order to control costs due to the economic down turn in the RV industry we will all have to change some of the things we have been doing in the past and we will be in contact with all of the Provincial Directors to discuss how this is going to affect us all in the Region.  One of the things the Newmar Kountry Klub has to implement is that the Konnection magazine is going to be published bi-monthly.  This will be a cost saving measure and they will be putting more information on the website in order to keep you all informed.  The Corporation will also be introducing other cost saving measures in order to survive this situation.  It will be up to us all to support our dealers in this very trying time as they also will be put to the test in order to stay in business. We also spent time discussing our duties and responsibilities for the International Rally in Du Quoin Illinois. At the conclusion of the conference we all set out for the fairgrounds in Du Quoin.  On our arrival and after we had settled in, we met with the fairground staff and familiarized ourselves with the locations of various buildings and venues which were to be used on the grounds during the rally.  The camaraderie and fun that goes on at these events is second to none in our opinion.  For there is time to have fun and a time to get serious when the work has to be done and everyone pulls together to make it happen. Thanks to our Team Leaders this year; Cliff & May Carey, Saskatchewan Provincial Directors and Gary Giles B.C. Provincial Director we managed to get a jump on things and got the store set up ahead of schedule.  With out their help it would not have gone as smoothly as it did, and we thank them again for their great enthusiasm and help. THANKS GUYS!!    We also want to thank all the other volunteers (too many to name individually) who helped us during the course of the rally, and sincerely hope that they enjoyed the experience.  We were extremely pleased to welcome the first timers from the Region and thank them for getting involved right from the start. At the opening ceremony, Matt Miller the President announced that Jim Hagadon the current Region 1 Director has been appointed to the position of Member at Large to fill in for the late Jeanne Fallen.  We want to wish Jim all the success in carrying out his new duties. During the rally we had a Canadian gathering along with members from Region 8 and again the food selection was terrific; we all had a chance to socialize with the other members present.   We were honoured to have several guests drop by and experience some real Canadian hospitality.  We also attended a gathering of members who had been on the Calgary Stampede & Canadian Rockies Special Event.  This gathering was set up by some of the members at the rally, and was attended by several people who had experienced the event over the years.  We were invited to join in on this reunion, and to view all the photographs that had been taken. At the conclusion of the rally we attended the wind up meeting chaired by Barney & Barbara Barnett at which time all the Directors exchanged ideas and information for what had gone on during the rally. Next year 2009, the International rally will be held in Perry Georgia and as one rally winds down the planning for the next one starts. We departed from Du Quoin and headed north to attend the Region 7 rally in Hamburg, New York together with Ken & Marilyn Jenkins Region 8 Directors.  We can be reached by phone at 250 245 8071, or email: davegwenharris@yahoo.ca Safe Travels to you All. Dave & Gwen Harris Region 9 Directors