So, as you may have heard on the air, I had a chance to speak to the St. Boniface Wildlife Association on Tuesday night. They had very graciously asked me to be their “guest speaker” at a general meeting. Initially, I was humbled and thrilled to be asked and almost instantly said “Yes!” However, after giving it a little thought, I suddenly realized….what in the heck was I going to speak about? I’m used to talking to school kids or journalism students about radio…..but….would I dare to speak to a crowd about fishing, when these ladies and gentlemen were true veterans of the sport? People, who I was sure had many, many more years experience “out in the wild,” compared to me !
That fear was somewhat escalated after my partner, Tom McGouran suggested that, they probably didn’t want to hear my fishing tales. To paraphrase Tommy….why would I talk to people about fishing who probably had better stories and bigger catches than I ever had?
I also made the mistake of sharing with Tom in particular, a copy of my “well crafted” speech. Perfectly typed, double spaced…with breaks on the page left for “crowd laughter.” That had Tommy almost barelled over with laughter. He was sure I was going to bomb….
Well…..personally, (and I guess you’d really have to track down and talk to a wildlife member to confirm) I think I did pretty okay. Got some laughs and, more importantly, met some incredible people ! And yes…I did speak about fishing….not so much about techniques, but rather how I got involved in the sport/hobby and what it has done for me.
Let me just say this folks….if you, or perhaps your kids, are looking for a wonderful organization to become a part of…..check out the St. Boniface Wildlife Association. They’ve got incredible programs for the entire family…Mom’s, Dad’s and kids ! In fact, I was so moved by what I saw and read that night, that I, along with my Pops and the Dude decided to join the club and become members !
If you would like more info about the organization and how to get involved……you can contact Sharon Wiggett at 256-3068…or Tom Brereton at 801-1788.
Oh and by the way……Bob Healey, a member of the St. B club, even sent one Mr. McGouran some fine deer sausage with a bottle of mustard ! Tommy looovvveeeddd it !
