Kitimat Branch

 

 

Kitimat Branch Executive

 

 

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Branch News and Events

 

Kitimat Branch Report 2011

For the last several years, a group of retired teachers in Kitimat have met for lunch every Thursday, originally at Robin’s Donuts and now at the Chalet. We catch up on what everyone is doing, and celebrate birthdays and special occasions. If anyone is visiting in town, or if any group in the community needs help with an event they are putting on, they always know where to find us!
In the last few years, the number of teachers who have remained in Kitimat after they retired has increased. In 2006 some of us decided to join the North Coast RTA which meets in Terrace, but we weren’t always able to get to the meetings. In June of 2009, when Judy deVries and Sheila Pither were on their recruiting trip along Highway 16, they encouraged us to form our own branch of the BCRTA. Our founding group of l8 more than doubled during the first year and we now have every retired teacher who lives in Kitimat (except one) signed up!
The main focus of the KRTA is to keep all of our members informed. We are very proud to belong to the BCRTA and are very impressed by the wonderful work our organization and executive members are doing. Our excellent BCRTA website, our very informative Postscript, and the many emails that are sent out keep us very well informed on issues and activities. Our thanks to the Vancouver and Prince George RTAs for forwarding copies of their very interesting newsletters which also help to keep us inspired and “in the know”. We schedule our AGM in June and our Post BCRTA AGM meeting in October, and call additional meetings whenever necessary.
Socially, we have a Christmas luncheon in December, and evening dinner celebrations for birthdays that end in 0 or 5, usually four or five a year. We meet with the North Coast RTA for a pot luck luncheon at Lakelse Lake in June, and many of our members continue to meet for lunch every Thursday, all year.
And then there is our volunteerism! Individually, our members are actively involved in almost every aspect of life in our community. Ultimately that draws many more of us into the activities that are going on. One of our members is a municipal councillor, and several others are board members and directors of the museum, the library, Hospice & Palliative Care, the Concert Association, the Child Development Centre, the Kitimat Valley Institute, Arts For Youth and the On Cue Players. Members of the KRTA have spearheaded the Retire In Kitimat campaign, headed the Literacy Day celebration, joined the Health Advocacy Group, and volunteered with the foodbank, meals-on-wheels, tutoring, elections, the hospital and RC Legion auxiliaries, girl guides, the telethon, church groups, and the seniors centre. Two of our members write articles for our local newspaper, one on the history of Kitimat, and the other on wildlife in our area. One of our members was coordinator of the Canadian Cancer Society Relay For Life for several years. Our team, The Retired Teachers & Friends – Caring Colleagues, has raised $26,205 in the 8 years that we have participated.
And so it goes! Life is busy when you are retired! (And then there are family and travel activities, too!)
Our delegates are looking forward to attending our Northern Zone Meeting and the BCRTA AGM in Richmond in September. It is wonderful to meet everyone and to be a part of all that is going on!
Thank-you to everyone, locally and provincially, for all your hard work on our behalf!

Respectfully submitted,
Marg Irvine, President

 

 

Kitimat Branch Archives