President's Message

I will commence my first message with a little personal information to help you to get to know your new (and rather overwhelmed) president.

With my husband, Rheal, I operate a small farm near Powassan, which is twenty miles south of the city of North Bay in northern Ontario. We purchased the farm fourteen years ago, as a new venture in anticipation of his early retirement. We have three grown children, (two sons and a daughter) and until a few years ago, the farm and the family filled my time.

I first learned of REAL Women in the fall of 1989 when our local pro-life organization invited Gwen Landolt to be guest speaker at their annual dinner. My life has never been the same since! Like most of you I had become dismayed by the sweeping changes in our Canadian society, and until Gwen's visit had felt helpless to do anything about it. Gwen's message changed all that, and in 1993, with the assistance of like-minded friends, I helped form the Northern Ontario Chapter of REAL Women.

Our chapter moved into high gear pretty quickly, and last year we hosted the National Annual Conference. Last month in Calgary, you did me the honour of electing me National President, and I ask your patient support as I set about learning the ropes of my new position.

The recent Calgary Conference was a huge success due to the efforts of the Alberta Federation of Women United for Families, our affiliate and host organizers. Hermina Dykxhoorn, along with her team of Mary and Phil Doherty, Rosemary Gauthier, Carol Tholenaar, Marg Le Guilloux, Trudy Cain, Thea Oakley, Ailsa Doherty, Pat Collins, Diane Karafil, Alaina Michenko, and Waltraub Rhinehold Jacobs, must be congratulated for a job well done.

Meeting with the various Provincial Representatives is always a pleasure. Each is to be commended for her hard work, often carried out in the face of a hostile media.

It is my belief that one of our most important tasks is to rebuild, in our nation, respect for the institution of marriage and the family. To help do this, we need not be possessed of extraordinary gifts or talents. We must start with friends and relatives, especially the young, constantly reaffirming the importance of these God-given institutions, being ever alert to counter the anti-family propaganda which has become so much a part of our culture. By doing this, we can and will reshape our nation one person at a time.

We're most thankful to the Status of Women for the $6,000 grant received prior to our Conference. I enjoyed meeting and talking with both Valerie Lavergne, Program and Development Officer Women's Program and Jackie Claxton, Director General and Regional Operations, Status of Women Canada.

Last, but not least, I want to thank Cecilia Forsyth for all her hard work and dedication as President during the last five years, and I look forward to working with her in the future.

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