|
BIRDS OF PARADISE NEWSLETTER #1 (2005)
April 2, 2005
BOP e-mail:
birds_ofparadise@hotmail.com
BOP phone#:
011-52-376-76-61308
My e-mail: jmain@onlink.net
The Annual General Meeting
was held February 17, 2005, and the
following is an overview of the points of interest. All owners should
receive the complete minutes of this meeting.
President’s Report/ Linda
Smith:
The President reviewed the
activities of the Board over the past year, and commented that the
Directors were not only committed to maintaining the many good things
already underway at Birds, but were also working to improve communications
with the owners, and attempting to reduce some of the workload of our
manager, Gigi.
The President introduced and
welcomed, new owners present at the meeting – Vic and Joan Ely, Colin and
Marianne Hodgson, Reba Racer, Judith Rednall,
Richard Marquis, Nelson and Virginia Wood, and David and Susan Morrow.
Treasurer’s
Report/ Arnold Austen:
The Treasurer reported on our
positive financial position, and the continued improvement of the reserve
fund. He stated that an amount of 182,500 pesos was being allocated for
the reserve fund for 2005, the same amount as last year.
Secretary/Director of
Communication’s Report/ Jim Main:
The Director reported that 4
newsletters had been produced over the past year, but there had still been
problems with some owners not receiving the news. He stated that, for the
upcoming year, he would post the
newsletter to the BOP website, then notify owners that the newsletter was
available on the website.
Work on the BOP website has
neared completion, so that owners interested in renting, or selling, their
units, will soon be able to advertise their units on the website. All
owners were encouraged to participate in the website by sending in photos
or interesting information to Dick McCaffrey, at
rwmccaff@telusplanet.net or Jim Main, at
jmain@onlink.net for posting on the site.
Director Facilities
Maintenance Report/ John Sproat:
The Director reported on the
ongoing maintenance issues that had been dealt with over the year, as well
as on the installation of a rinse shower for the pool users. He reported
that the solar dish had been performing well for the previous four months,
resulting in an estimated savings for propane of 3600 pesos per month. He
also commented on the reasons for the increased expenses for garbage
removal, following the closing of the local landfill site.
Director Building
Maintenance/ Peter Meyer:
The Director reported on the
work completed during the year, and on the status of the BOP complex
assessment, started last year to determine what reserve fund value should
be set up to cover potential liabilities requiring significant
expenditures in the future. He felt this work should be completed this
year, to allow valid input for next year’s budget.
Director Social Activities
Report/ Joan Shorey:
The Director reported that
the operation of the Bird’s Nest and Casa Club was once again under the
management of the Social Committee. She congratulated Fraser Thompson,
Chairman of the Social Committee, for his efforts in organizing 8
successful dinner parties, including Christmas, New Year’s,
Valentine’s Day, a planned Pool Party and Farewell Dinner, a Staff
Appreciation Day, and a trip to central Guadalajara and the zoo.
She also thanked the
volunteers that organized the ongoing activities at Birds – the weekday
Coffee Club, Monday afternoon poker, Tuesday bridge, Wednesday
Rummikub, water aerobics, Thursday morning Art
Group, and Sunday afternoon Bid Euchre.
Director Grounds,
Security, TV Report/ Bob Caithness:
The Director reported that
one new guard and a new gardener had been hired since last year. As well,
he mentioned that there were new security
measures in place to deal with non-residents requesting entrance into the
complex.
The Director also mentioned
that there has been an ongoing change-over to desert flowers/cacti in
appropriate areas, to minimize the use of water around the grounds. Three
new orange trees and a banana tree have been planted since last year.
The budget for 2005 was
approved as presented.
Candidates for the Board were
presented to the assembly. The slate was accepted as presented and there
was no vote required. New members for 2005 – 2006 are Vic Ely, Bob
Constantineau, and Peter Fleming.
Following the AGM, the new
board held its first meeting, and the following assignments were agreed to
by all Board members:
President - Linda Smith
Treasurer – Victor Ely
Secretary & Director of Communication – Jim
Main
Director of Facilities Maintenance – Peter Fleming
Director of Buildings Maintenance – Peter Meyer
Director of Social Activities – Joan Shorey
Director of Grounds, Security, TV – Bob Constantineau
PROFILE of NEW OWNERS:
Victor and Joan Ely:
Victor & Joan purchased Unit 521 in January 2004. They spend six to seven
months per year at Birds. The summer months are spent at their other home
in Woodbridge, Ontario.
Victor is President of
Professional Electronics in Mississauga, Ontario, a company which he
founded in 1969. The company is involved in the servicing of industrial
electronic products. As Victor spends long periods away, the company is
now mostly run by his son.
Victor is also web-master for
the Canadian Club of Lake Chapala.
Joan was born in Chicago,
moved to Mexico City when she was seven, where her mother opened the
Mexican branch of Sears. She brought up her family in Texas, and moved
back to Mexico when she retired. Joan has a Mexican heart and is fluent in
Spanish.
Victor & Joan have been
married for three years. They enjoy traveling and golf.
Colin and Marianne Hodgson:
Colin & Marianne, new owners of unit 114, have been coming to
Lago de Chapala for 7 years, and have rented
in Birds for the last 5 years. Their summer home is a cottage on Lake of
the Woods, near Kenora,
Ontario. Yearly, they spend 5 months at Birds, 5 months at their summer
home, and 2 months traveling.
Colin retired in 1997, after
spending 32 years in the Royal Canadian Air Force and then 13 years as a
manager with companies owned by IBM. He obtained a
BSc degree from the University of Manitoba and an MBA degree from
the University of Ottawa.
Marianne retired in 1997 from
a 42-year career in nursing, culminating as the Executive Director of the
Saskatchewan Registered Nurses Association. She graduated from Winnipeg
General Hospital School of Nursing, obtained BSN degree from the
University of Manitoba and MHA degree from the University of Ottawa.
Colin and Marianne have 3
children, and 6 grandchildren, currently scattered across the globe. Tim,
the oldest son, a Managing Director with Goldman-Sachs Investment Bankers,
is currently living and working in New York. He and his wife, Linda, have
2 daughters. Mark, their second son, is a senior policeman with the
Winnipeg Police Service and lives in Winnipeg. He and his wife, Connie,
have 2 daughters. Colin and Marianne’s daughter,
Sharon, a Partner with IBM Global Services, is currently living in
Lausanne, Switzerland, and commutes to work in London,
England.
She and her husband, Jim, have 2 sons.
Colin and Marianne look
forward to a long relationship with the
people at Birds of Paradise.
Virginia and Nelson Wood:
Virginia and Nelson first came to Birds of
Paradise in March of 2004. Even though they were only here a short time,
they fell in love with the area. They returned in January of 2005 and
rented for a three month period. They knew that Birds
of Paradise was the place for them after having looked around at
what else was available. In a short period of time, they were able to buy
a unit at Birds and take possession before returning home in the spring.
Home is Barrie, Ontario. They
have two adult children back in Ontario. One is married and the other will
be getting married this summer. Nelson also has a married daughter in
Calgary, who just gave birth to her first child in December 2004.
When at
home, Virginia and Nelson spend a lot of time at their Gibson Lake cottage
about an hour north of Barrie. They miss
their cottage friends, but now feel they have a whole new set of friends
from Mexico, specifically at Birds.
Virginia is a retired
Kindergarten teacher, while Nelson is a retired elementary school
principal.
Richard Marquis:
Richard, the new owner of unit 219, was born in
Berlin, New Hampshire, near the Canadian border. He attended St. Anselm’s
College in Manchester, New Hampshire, majoring in Biology, and
minoring in Chemistry. His first job involved
detailing physicians for a major drug company. Following this, he had a
long career in Sales and Marketing, specializing in
Cosmetic and Plastic Additives. He moved around the States,
spending time in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and
Texas.
Richard now spends his
summers in northern New Hampshire, where he enjoys fly fishing. He also
enjoys golf, traveling, and reading.
Susan and David Morrow:
Susan and David recently took the opportunity to purchase unit #512. Susan
was a resident of Canada and David, a resident of Ireland. They recently
married, and were looking for a different country in which to reside, so
chose Mexico.
Susan retired from the Board
of Education in Barrie, where she was Administrative Manager of WSIB, and
David is a retired Air Canada pilot. They both have two children, a male
and a female each.
Susan and David are looking
forward to meeting some interesting and fun people.
“Please introduce yourselves
when you see us at the Birds’ Nest or at Coffee Club.”
Judith
Rednall: I
was born in Chelsea, London, England.
When I was an infant, my parents moved to a small suburban town called
Wimbledon, where I received all my education. I attended a local private
college and was trained as a legal secretary.
I married a school friend and
we lived for ten years in Venezuela, working for the Royal Bank of Canada.
This was followed by three years in Peru. During these years, I had two
daughters, and worked for several large American corporations. I then
spent three years in Vancouver, B.C., before moving to Hong Kong for 14
years, where my daughters received all their education before attending
two American universities respectively. I worked there for a Judge in
chambers, and also in his Apt. home. I also worked as a court reporter on
two major cases. I subsequently worked for an American toy manufacturer as
his personal assistant. I had the opportunity at this time to travel
throughout the Pacific Rim.
As a Canadian citizen of 35
years, I have spent the last several years in Vancouver, before coming
down to Lake Chapala to live.
Have a great summer!
Jim Main,
Secretary/Director of
Communications
|
