Welcome to the GNS web page! It is under construction. Please email corrections, suggestions, and new material (photos as jpeg attachments; under 200K, please; please date event and identify people if you can) to Tim. (For the moment, though, aesthetics take second place to content.)
Bienvenu au site SNG! Il est en construction. SVP envoyer par courriel des corrections, suggestions et du nouveau matériel (les photos comme attachements jpeg, toujours moins de 200KO svp, et svp identifier le gens et les dates d'événements si vous le pouvez) au Tim. (Pour l'instant, cependant, l'esthétique prend la deuxième place au contenu.)

President's Report 2006 / Rapport du président 2006

With trail clearing well under way, GNS is beginning to think "skiing!" We took advantage of the welcome lovely weather the weekend after hunting was safely over to tackle the woods with ribbons, clippers and chain saws.

Our trails will all be open this winter, with the exception of the northeast stretch of yellow from the golf course bell to the alder swamp via Taylor Brook. Some of the further parts of the yellow, at Magoon point, are still being kindly cleared for us by owners, who have remarked on how little these lovely parts of the loop have recently been used: please think about starting one or two of your ski outings this winter at the Elephant Barn Road or Kay's corner or all the way down at the bottom of the woodland road to Magoon Point.

We have not forgotten the summer. Some twenty people joined one or more of our five nature walks to Magoon Point, the Stanger woods, Marlington Bog, the McTavish-McGowan-Hopps wetlands, and our joint walk with the Georgeville Historical Society to Macpherson Bay and the Boynton Cottages. This report is too short to contain the wealth of natural and historical insights we enjoyed.

We record with regret some departures. Diane and Peter Kohl, who have been stalwarts of GNS for the years of their return to Georgeville, sold the home that warmly hosted so many GNS executive meetings and have now moved to Montreal. Peter organized the fall trail clearing for the past several years (his formal executive title was Trail Boss). He also made all the signs that have appeared in the General Store announcing Ski Day, fun skis and nature walks. Peter stood in for me in hosting last year's Barbara Clift Ski Day dinner and the GNS annual meeting, in ways which, I am told, I'll have to work hard to emulate. Thank you, Di and Peter, and best wishes!

Mary and John Cowans will also be leaving the community that they have served in so many ways. They, too, have hosted GNS meetings, and contributed immensely to executive work and deliberations. As treasurer, Mary looked after all the memberships and all the reservations for Ski Day dinner. Her work was not made easier by Canada Post's mis-delivery one year of a significant number of the reservations. It was Mary who took your tickets at that major annual Georgeville event, and John who was the genial organisateur when you lined up for your meal. They are not gone yet, we are pleased to note, and we hope that they will liven yet one more Ski Day, but having made their decision they are anxious to get to Nova Scotia, and so this is our opportunity to thank them and wish them well.

David Stanger is not leaving, but he has asked to be relieved of the duties of GNS secretary, which he has carried out admirably for longer than I have been in GNS. He has offered to continue editing the Newsletter, so we are doubly grateful: for past services and for continuing in some very important ones.

So there have been some replacements, and I would like to acknowledge with appreciation the willingness of Ed Markwell to take over as Trail Boss, of Francine Markwell to shoulder and march with the Secretary's tasks, and of Penny McTavish to be GNS's new Treasurer.

I look around at executive meetings, which I merely chair, and am bowled over by the ability and enthusiasm of everyone there. This has not changed. We are in good shape and looking forward to the ski season. I hope you are, too.

Tim Merrett