THE ORIGINS OF SAURG
A group of recreation alumni, calling themselves the Society of Acadia University Recreation Graduates (SAURG) was established March 20th, 2011, in order to put on the 2012 reunion and conference. At the conclusion of reunion in 2012, the first Annual General Meeting was called of the membership, which consisted of all those Acadia Recreation Graduates who registered for the conference and/or the reunion. During the meeting, a number of items were discussed including ratification of the SAURG objectives, future initiatives, the changes occurring the Recreation degree program, and the election of the Board of Directors. Members of the new Board and their profiles at that time are listed below (click on the name to view the profile).
SAURG BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President: Carroll randall, BRIDGEWATER, N.S. 1976
Carroll was the first Recreation Coordinator for the Municipality of Lunenburg (1977) and retired in January 2010. Over those 33 years he helped the municipality become a leader in Nova Scotia in trail and open space development. Carroll spent 15 years as a RANS board member, chaired the National Rails to Greenways committee for five years, and spent five years on the board of Recreation Society Atlantic Canada. Carroll is now retired and spends a great deal of time fishing and is a licensed fishing and hunting guide in Nova Scotia. Family has always been the most important part of his life.
President Elect: Laurie Wanamaker (Dickson), Kentville, N.S. 1986, 1990
Laurie is the Court Administrator for the Kentville Justice Centre. Prior to that, she served as the Western Regional Coordinator with the Maintenance Enforcement Program, NS Dept. of Justice; and Coordinator of the Valley Youth Alternatives Program. She claims that favorite memories of her time in the Acadia Recreation Program are too many to count but Spring Camp, the Texas Tour, and being the honoured as the first recipient of the James Bayer Award are certainly among them.
Corporate Secretary: Chad Haughn, Chester, N.S. 2000
Currently Chad is Recreation & Parks Director, Municipality of Chester and prior to which he served as their Community School Coordinator. A favorite memory for Chad was orientation his first year at Acadia when they participated in crazy team building games and then progressed to trying dare devilish climbs and stunts on the high ropes course with fellow reckies. It was a great introduction to the Recreation Management program, to the field, and to many of people who are now his colleagues.
Treasurer: Ivy Warren, Windsor, N.S. 1983
Ivy presently serves as Area Coordinator Halifax Regional Municipality responsible for Bedford, Sackville, Fall River & Musquodoboit Valley Community & Recreation Services. Prior to that she was the Recreation Director for the Town of Louisbourg. Of her many memories of Acadia, an incident stands out from first year was attending a Rec house party and being entertained by the guy sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor strumming on his guitar. He was George Taylor, Recreation Director for the Town of Wolfville and an Acadia Recreation grad. Later she was to become colleagues with George when she joined the City of Halifax Recreation Department and they have worked together for over 25 years.
Director at Large: Kate Friars, Victoria, B.C. 1980
Kate is currently the Director of Parks, Recreation and Culture for the City of Victoria. Her career path has been in municipal parks and recreation working in cities across Canada. Prior to Victoria she was the Recreation Director of the City of Burnaby. The most memorable time for her while at Acadia was serving as President of the Acadia Recreation Club and being invited to attend faculty meetings and provide input from the student perspective.
Director at Large: Brenda Robertson, gaspereau, N.S. 1975, 1983
Brenda retired in June of 2012 having been a Recreation Professor at Acadia for 29 years. During that time she also served for a number of years as Director of the Recreation Resource Centre of Nova Scotia. Prior to entering academe, she served as the Development Coordinator with NS Ladies Curling Association, Conservation Corps Supervisor with Parks Canada, Recreation Assistant with the Wolfville Recreation Department, Program Director of Rainbow Haven Camp, and with the special events staff at the Banff Springs Hotel. A favorite memory of her 36 years of experience with Acadia Recreation as a student and professor, was the conference and reunion which took place in 2012.
1970s Representative: Jude Hirsch (de Guerre), Milledgeville, Georgia 1977
Jude is Professor and Chair, Department of Outdoor Education at Georgia College & State University. Previously, for 18 years she was an Associate Professor and Coordinator of Outdoor Recreation at Acadia. Her favorite memories of her time in Recreation at Acadia were as a professor responsible for the Spring Camp. In particular she mentions specific programs she designed and executed with the assistance of students and alumni including Welcome to the Planet Sher, Adventure in Middle Earth, and Star Peace Force.
1980’s Representative: Robin Norrie, Truro, N.S. 1986
Robin’s current position is the Manager of Recreation, NS Department of Health & Wellness (Physical Activity, Sport and Recreation Division). Previous work experience includes Director of Aquatics & Fitness, Wabush Labrador; Director of Wolfville Recreation & Parks Department; Coordinator of Policy & Research, National Liberal Caucus Research Bureau; and Fundy Region Physical Activity Coordinator, NS Dept. Health and Wellness. She identifies one of her favourite experiences at Acadia being the 1985 trip to Texas to attend the NRPA conference and tour recreation facilities around the State.
1990’s Representative: Oonagh Proudfoot, Wolfville, N.S. 1993, 2006
Oonagh is the Senior Alumni Officer at Acadia. Prior to that, she served as Manager of Student Support and Acadia, as well as lecturing part time in the School of Recreation Management and Kinesiology. Previous positions at Acadia include First Year Advisor, and Coordinator of Alumni Reunions/Special Events; as well as Community Program Coordinator for the YMCA. A favorite memory for her was volunteering to work in the kitchen at Spring Camp and eating an entire cookie sheet of Nanaimo bars with only two other people.
2000’s Representative: Eric MacKenzie, Greenwood, N.S. 2006
Eric is the Base Community Recreation Coordinator, at 14 Wing Greenwood and previous to that served as Recreation Director for the Municipality of the District of Barrington, N.S. His favorite memories of Acadia revolve around the people he met, many of whom remain close friends today. As an athlete, he proudly represented the university at the CIS National Curling Championships. Another favorite memory was having the lead singer from the Sam Roberts band pick out the Grad photo for the yearbook when Eric ran into to him downtown the day of a sold out concert at the SUB.
2010’s Representative: Andrew Waters, Kentville, N.S. 2010
Andrew currently serves as the Enrolment Advisor for Acadia. His most vivid memory was the first time he stepped onto the Acadia campus. He was making the transition from the concrete jungle (Ontario) to a beautiful pristine campus in rural Nova Scotia. Now he considers it to be a privilege going to schools and talking to students about the Acadia experience.
Prior to the 2012 AGM, the association existed primarily to organize the conference and reunion. Now that there was a membership (conference/reunion participants), a duly elected Board of Directors, and some funds (proceeds of the conference/reunion), the Board set to work developing a structure within which to operate. Tasks included setting up a bank account with signing officers, refining the bylaws, identifying the potential membership, and developing means of communication. This, along with wrapping up the conference and reunion business, was the focus of the workplan for the initial years.
Some of the tasks were rather straight forward but others, such as creating a database of the 40 years of graduates of the program, finding out how to contact as many as possible, and creating means of communicating (newsletters, facebook, website) were much more time consuming.
The objectives of the Society were established to be:
After a couple of years of painstaking work, a database of around 1400 names of graduates was developed with contact information for approximately 40% of the group. A number of membership models were discussed but it was decided that anyone who graduated for the Acadia Recreation Program would be considered a SAURG member.
Some of the tasks were rather straight forward but others, such as creating a database of the 40 years of graduates of the program, finding out how to contact as many as possible, and creating means of communicating (newsletters, facebook, website) were much more time consuming.
The objectives of the Society were established to be:
- To provide an avenue for program graduates to connect with one another through the implementation of a program of reunions and events as well as through print and electronic communications;
- To create vehicles for networking and ongoing personal and professional development;
- To foster a sense of connection to Acadia university and encourage participation in university activities;
- To provide a means of recognizing and celebrating the history of the recreation program;
- To recognize distinctive contributions to the betterment of society by members.
After a couple of years of painstaking work, a database of around 1400 names of graduates was developed with contact information for approximately 40% of the group. A number of membership models were discussed but it was decided that anyone who graduated for the Acadia Recreation Program would be considered a SAURG member.