The B.E.A.R.S. held their semi-annual sale at the Bonsor Recreation Complex in December 2019, with great success.  As you can see, we have a new member! Bob, our longtime B.S.E. who is dearly beloved by all our members, has now retired and become a member of this group.  A second sale will be held today but with the COVID-19 virus, we are not expecting much in the way of sales.

It is interesting to note that every year the B.E.A.R.S. give approximately $1,000 to the Society with instructions to distribute among various groups, such as Children's Hospital, C.K.N.W. Orphans fund etc.  This is a bright cheerful friendly group who are always on the lookout for more members.  As you can see by the pictures, the quality of their work is excellent.  They are a valued part of the Society, and they meet to socialize and learn new skills from each other every Friday.

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Our annual gala event was held on Friday, February 28, 2020 at Fraser Court Seafood Restaurant.

Due to concerns of the Coronavirus, many members opted not to attend the dinner this year.  Thus we only had 13 tables, instead of the usual 19 tables.

We had karaoke from 3:30pm to 6:30pm.  Our members sang and danced all afternoon until 6:30pm.   Then the dinner began with blessings from our president Peter McConville, followed by a short speech from our guests of honor, Mary Horton and Francis Sykora.

This year, we were able to negotiate an upgraded menu without extra charge. Instead of 2 crabs, we negotiated to have 2 large lobsters per table, which was the highlight of the meal.  Another delicious upgrade was the sautéed prawn and chicken in bird’s nest.  The baked tapioca pudding and Chinese pastry rounded out the meal perfectly.

In between the dishes, we also played a fun game challenging our members’ badminton skills.  There were also a lot of door prizes, like a  pair of Canucks tickets and a unique handmade wood watch, etc., all donated by our members.  After dinner, many members opted for more dancing until 10pm.

Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the party, with bursts of laughter and cheers throughout the evening.  I’d like to thank all the volunteers who help make this event so successful.

Submitted by Caroline Young

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The Karaoke group had their 2019 year-end party early (on November 17, 2019) due to Christmas travel plans of its party organizers. 45 of its 70 members participated. It was done during program time in the MP1/2 room. We only stop the Karaoke singing for about 90 minutes for people to enjoy their food and resume sing when most members finished with their meals.

The party was a huge success, thanks to our volunteers and sponsors. There were lots of food for everyone to eat there and to take home too. The menu included (BBQ pork + BBQ Duck or BBQ Chicken) combo lunch boxes, deserts, fruits plus many other goodies. Each participant was subsidized $5 by the club and we had 3 additional sponsoring members who contributed funds for the party.

Here are some photos of the event. Unfortunately, they did not capture all the food before starting the party but they certainly captured the mood of the moment.

On December 17, the Computer Group Drop-in held its Christmas Party.  Everyone was in high Christmas spirit and had a great time eating and drinking to the sound of Christmas music videos playing over the giant TV screen in the room.