Oh, what a beautiful mornin’
Oh, what a beautiful day.
I got a beautiful feelin’
Ev’rything’s goin’ my
way.
These lyrics from Roger and
Hammerstein’s musical “Oklahoma” certainly described this
year’s fishing adventure with the kids from the Calgary Boys
and Girls Club held August 18, 2007.
Cool
in the morning, turning warmer as the day progressed. A slight breeze. Truly
a beautiful day as Walleye Unlimited entertained the kids from
the Calgary Boys and Girls Club with a day’s fishing out at
Crawling Valley.
It is always a special day to be able to
share our pastime with these terrific kids, and this year’s
kids didn’t let us down. They arrived by bus at 9:30 a.m. and, save for a few
minutes of instruction, soon found themselves in a boat,
equipped with a bag lunch for themselves, bait for the fish,
heading out for a day’s fishing.
It’s a very special time for a child to
catch his or her first fish. That is why it is such a great feeling that we as members
of Walleye Unlimited are able to share in this “first fish” with some of these kids.
Everyone caught fish – some big, some small. Winners of this year’s largest fish for boys was Kais
Mussa, whose fish measured 61 cm, and largest fish for girls was
Jennifer Powers, whose fish measured 58 ½ cm. Each of these
winners was presented with a tackle bag.
After a day’s fishing, the kids were treated to a BBQ of hamburgers
and hot dogs as well as plenty of watermelon.
A special guest even dropped by. Michael Gelinas from the fishing show “Fishing With the
Dodger” dropped in and presented a DVD to each boy and girl.
At the end of the day each kid received a rod and reel presented to
them by Pam Ziwani representing the Canadian National Sportsmen’s Shows, an avid promoter of this event.
This event cannot be held without the support of sponsors and our
members. Just saying “thank you” does not seem to be enough; however, the
tired smiles these kids wore at the end of the day more than
covers it.
This year’s chairman of the event was Garry O’Carroll who did a
terrific job of organizing and running this event. Well done Garry and thank you on behalf of all the kids
from the Calgary Boys Club and your fellow members at Walleye
Unlimited. Also thanks to Garry’s committee made up of members Ed Frank, Craig
Johns, Daryal and Caroline McCauley, Brian Strawford, Cody Earl,
Ben Steele and Al Gillespie. Also thank you to those members who helped load and
unload boats, helped with the food preparation, helped clean up
at the end of the day, and just plain helped where necessary.
A very special thanks also goes to two members, Bob MacMillan of B & L Marine and Kirk Tucker of
Commercial Mechanical Service who each donated $500.00 towards
the cost of holding this event. Thank you gentlemen; we are very proud to know you.
In addition to the above, our sincere thanks and appreciation goes
out to the following:
-
To the Canadian National Sportsmen’s Shows for supplying the rods
and reels given to the kids at the end of the day.
-
To
Auld’s Fishing Adventures for supplying the tackle bags for
the biggest fish caught.
-
To the Real Canadian Superstore at Deerfoot Meadows for supplying
the pop and water.
-
To The Fishin’ Hole for supplying and installing line on the rod
and reels given out at the end of the day.
-
To Larry McLean at Sons Bakery for supplying all the hamburger and
hot dog buns.
-
To Wholesale Sports for supplying the jigs that were given out to
the kids.
-
To Costco at Calgary North for donating $100 towards the cost of
the food.
-
To Peter Hoeppner at Halliburton for supplying the BBQ and Marvin
Vester for cooking the burgers and hot dogs.
-
To the Crawling Valley Recreational Society and the Eastern
Irrigation District for allowing us to hold this event at their wonderful reservoir and campground.
And
finally, to those people who generously donated their boats, their tackle, and what is most important, their time, in making
this a day these kids will remember for the rest of their lives. Hats off to this fine group of men and women!! See you next August.
Gord Oberhamer |