Greetings esteemed colleagues,
I am writing to you as the new president of this fine organization at the beginning of 2022 where we are hopeful to renew and fulfil an important part of our mandate: the gathering of our profession in a relaxed collegial environment to celebrate and promote civility amongst our members (hopefully in person).
The past few years have been challenging as we have been unable to follow through with many of our traditional events such as the Q.C. Dinner, the Judge’s Dinner and the Stampede Whoop-Up as a result of the constantly changing mandates and restrictions. Despite these setbacks, we adapted in 2021 to offer some new events and creative ways to gather. We aim to continue and expand these new offerings in 2022 along with our traditional calendar of events.
While we are keeping our custom of this annual mailout to kick off the year, we are being dragged into the 21st century and otherwise use electronic methods to spread the word of our wondrous organization. We would ask that you visit our website often to check on any current updates. We also notify our membership by email with exciting news on planned events. Remember, you need to be a current member to get emails from us. (And please be sure to check your junk mail folder.) Please see see our Membership page for details on how to purchase your 2022 membership.
We have had a few changes within our executive in addition to the expected retirement of Jay Headrick into the past-president role. Junior Member, Deven Singhal took on a new job opportunity in Vancouver and will be missed. In his stead, Zailin Lakhoo has eagerly stepped in without missing a beat. She will be our middle member this year. Laura Gill has graciously accepted the role of Junior Member. Our new executive for 2021/22 is as follows:
Gord Sterchi, President
Jody Sutherland, Vice President
Aaron Bickman, Treasurer
Adriano Iovinelli QC, Secretary
Melanie Gaston, Senior Member
Zailin Lakhoo, Middle Member
Laura Gill, Junior Member
This year more than ever, we really, really look forward to seeing you at our events. We are pleased to share the latest news about our upcoming events for 2022:
Q.C. DINNER - We have worked diligently with our friends as the Westin and have booked May 26th, 2022 as our date for the Q.C. Dinner. This event is always a sell out and we expect tickets to sell quickly as a result of our hiatus over the past few years. Remember, you have to be a Calgary Bar Association member to attend.
CLAY SHOOT - In 2021 we managed to host the first annual Calgary Bar Association Clay Shoot which was an instant success. We will be hosting this event again on June 24th, 2022 at the beautiful Silver Willow Sporting Club. We were able to hold this event in the midst of a lockdown last year, so we anticipate no pandemic related issues this year. We will be opening registration for this event in early spring. No gun or clay shooting experience needed. Details to follow online.
STAMPEDE WHOOP-UP - After a 2 year furlough, the Stampede Whoop-Up is back on. We have secured exclusive use of the entire venue at National on 10th Ave including the bowling alley and the patio. Mark your calendars for July 12th, 2022 from 3-7pm. Dust off your boots and hats and make our return to the Whoop-Up an event to remember.
CHARITY GOLF TOURNEY - The 2021 Annual Charity Golf Tournament was our best attended tourney ever and we managed to raise $11,355 for the Alberta Lawyers Assistance Society. Once again, we attended the beautiful Banff Springs Golf Course and were greeted with beautiful weather. We are booked for September 9th, 2022 and expect to sell out early again. Registration for this event is expected to open online in the late spring.
CHIEF JUSTICE FRASER RETIREMENT DINNER - As you may have heard, Chief Justice Fraser will be retiring. In order to honour her on this momentous occasion, we are hosting a retirement dinner on September 27th, 2022. Please continue to watch our website for more details as they become available.
We are excited about the year ahead and the prospect of celebrating with our members once again in person. Thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Gord Sterchi
President, 2021/22
Calgary Bar Association