Each year, at our Annual General Meeting, the members nominate fellow members who they believe are deserving of recognition as the Member of the Year. Votes are then cast and the winner is awarded the Richard J. Card Memorial Trophy to keep for a year.
The Member of the Year for 2008 is Klaus Gebhardt who was recognized for his outstanding contributions to the club during the year. During the year, the club brought in six speakers. Klaus hosted five of those speakers at his home. Some members may only see a visiting speaker at the monthly meeting and may be unaware of the commitment that is made by other members to ensure that the speakers have an enjoyable stay. Our speakers usually stay in Bermuda for three nights. Someone has to collect them from the airport and drop them off on their way home. The speakers need to be fed and entertained which often means that the host prepares food for them at home, takes them out to restaurants, acts as a tour guide and generally takes care of their needs. This often entails giving up an entire weekend whilst the speaker is in town. Klaus did this for five out of six speakers during the year, which is a significant contribution to the club.
Klaus is also one of a core group of members who can be relied upon to turn up regularly for meetings and other events, and to contribute meaningfully whenever the occasion arises. Klaus has also been instrumental in securing sponsorship for our Annual Fish Show. So, for everything that Klaus does for the club, he is a very worthy Member of the Year for 2008.
