Whew! We’ve all made it through December’s madness and a New Year is upon us. With the New Year comes new opportunities and responsibilities. In my case, as your new club president, this means stepping up my game and learning how to fill the big shoes left by my predecessor. I hope that you will bear with me and the other new officers and board members as we do our best to help BRARA to thrive and grow over the next three years.
We all owe a huge thank you to two people who have been instrumental to our success: Gerry KG4FUR and Art WA8VSJ. Both of these gentlemen stepped up and stepped in when their predecessors were unable to complete their respective terms. This speaks volumes to their character and their dedication to service. Under their leadership we have grown both in size and in our stature in the Amateur community. Your new board is dedicated to continuing along the successful trail that they have blazed.
As a group, we have much to be proud and thankful for. Not only has our membership grown, but the level of member participation in our club’s events and activities far exceeds what is typical for most organizations. Nowhere was this more evident than in the acquisition and construction of our new station facility in West Delray Park. Literally dozens of our members pitched in with their knowledge, skills, funds and lots of sweat to create a station that is the envy of our Amateur community.
As an ARRL Special Service Club, we should take pride in the fact that four of our members have been appointed to positions in the Southern Florida Section. Thanks to the dedication of these and many other active club members, we continue to serve our community by providing license training and testing, participating as communicators in local events, and engaging with our local schools and youth organizations to stimulate young people’s interest in Amateur Radio.
I think the recurring theme in all of this is the fantastic collection of wisdom and abilities represented by you – our members, along with your enthusiasm and dedication to working together to accomplish our goals. To me, this is the most important legacy of our past, and something that Jeff W4AEQ, John N1QFH, Patrick KE4OBV, George WA2VNV, Jerry W4BFL, Jeff K4BH and I all hope to support and sustain as we move forward into the future.
I wish all of you the happiest and healthiest of New Years, and look forward to working with all of you in the coming months.
73,
Bruce KO4XL