GUEST SPEAKERS 2018-2019

Our first year!

September – Susan Murray from BC Emergency Health Services told us about the Community Paramedics Program.  These services are all free of charge.

October – Jean-Luc Desgroseilliers shared some of his military experiences with us.  We were able to randomly request topics:  most challenging; the good, the bad & the ugly; most heart-breaking; most exciting; most shocking; most entertaining; VIPs; they remember; most unexpected; sign language; and courtesy. 

November – Di Robinson from Eagle Bay (originally from Ontario) calls her story “The Life of Di.”  She has worked with dolphins and whales, including Keiko, the killer whale who played Free Willy.  She shared stories of the events and animals that shaped her life and formed her career.

January – Richard Reeves from Search & Rescue spoke to us about surviving outside. The program AdventureSmart has the message “Get informed and go outdoors.”  The presentation emphasized the 3 T’s:  Trip Planning, Training, Taking the Essentials.

February – Presentation by Doug Hubscher and Sandi Reutlinger from Shuswap First Responders.  They are volunteers who are called to help out until the ambulance can get there. One reminder was to use reflective house number signs.  Another suggestion was to have emergency information in a baggie in your fridge freezer.  Check out their website: www.ssfra.ca

March – Kim Kaiser from Columbia Shuswap Invasive Species Society.  Invasive means anything not from BC that has a negative impact.  She helped us understand what makes something invasive, the impact of invasive species and what we can do to help.  Her presentation had great photos of many common invasive species.

Joint Meeting – Many of our members attended the March 14th meeting with Copper Island and Salmon Arm clubs to hear Dr. Warren Bell speaking about M.A.I.D. (medical assistance in death).

April – Sergeant Scott Lachappelle from the Salmon Arm RCMP detachment talked about senior safety, specifically about fraud and identity theft, which is the fastest growing problem today.  We were given many tips to protect ourselves, such as shredding mail.

May – Harry Eisenberger did a presentation about the GT Dragon Boat Society in Blind Bay.

Don Bourne and Colleen Kohlman spoke to us about Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Evacuation.  People say they were not prepared and that they hadn’t checked their insurance in the event of evacuation.  Blind Bay is considered a rural area, so we would be down the list for disaster relief, so we should be prepared for much longer than the minimum 72 hours. We did a quiz to check our level of preparedness!  Important to have “GO Kits” ready to grab.

June – “Feedback Forum” in lieu of a guest speaker.  Lots of ideas for our club!