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After lunch various members brought out their jumble to tempt us, as well as DennisD and his wife offering a selection of sailing/canoeing second hand books for sale. As Dennis has written various reviews and articles for GOSSIP, I was pleased to finally meet them.
The AGM passed off in an efficient manner followed by preparations for the annual dinner. Thirty-one members sat down at the table; the room was soon filled with the buzz of conversation and good humour. In due course the commodore, JohnB, rose to give his speech and present awards. He began by announcing that he intended to stand down next year and went on to insist, as he has always done, that the OCSG must grow if it is to survive. I quote:
"We need to increase our public image and become more of an established part of the canoeing mainstream. Someone needs to take on the task that was done so well for the Dragon Boats in the Canoeist magazine. The OCSG has to increase its public presence, both nationally and internationally. We have already established contacts with Holland, Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg, Finland and Sweden; we need to go on developing these contacts into something more meaningful. [However] we have traditions that are worth keeping. The sailing/paddling race for one, a tradition which goes back to the beginning of the sport in the 19th century. There is no doubt that we are the most highly developed group of canoe sailors in Europe. We could be the seed corn for a European-wide movement in sailing canoes, if we are brave enough and have the vision to take it on. The world goes on turning, the future begins now."
John then presented the following trophies:
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