Here we go again! Another silly season is upon us. Where between contacts we are writing Santa Ham for that special toy to find under the tree. Hmmm, someone needs to write a Holiday special we can see every year.
Of course, I use this time of year to assess how we have been doing so far as a section. I can honestly say we moved the needle a little. There has been a growing emphasis on new hams and mentoring. I have been pushing mentoring more and it is starting to catch on. I have also been getting VE’s to be more proactive when that person has passed the test. I have been encouraging clubs that, in order to grow their clubs, they need to have an active part in this. Not just have an old-geezers social circle and talk about the ham that has become SK.
Another thing that has gathered renewed interest is our ARES program. Chuck WS1L recently had the WMA SET and was met with some good activity reports and a number of people who have joined ARES and have taken the ARRL EMCOMM courses and the ICS ones as well. Chuck has done a yeoman’s job of setting up the baseline standard for it and set up the email service so everyone gets notified. There is good stuff to build and expand on the program. Keep it up!
The Mt. Tom club has been experiencing a very nice growth spurt due to an increased presence in Facelessbook and some good outreach. This is what somebody’s efforts have produced. Other clubs can learn from this. Well done people!
The election for director is now over and Tom K1KI has been elected back into that role. This did come as a bit of a shock for me. My hopes are that whoever is on the board take this role and chart the direction for the league to best benefit Amateur Radio, the organization, and its members. It can be a daunting task, but if they put aside their differences, and egos and work together, good things can be accomplished. No one person cannot be the cause, cure and blame for what’s been happening lately. This also includes the membership not just in WMA but NATIONWIDE! We ALL need to work together!
I am looking at 2025 with optimism based on what we have done this year. We all need to play that part however small in a hobby that has brought joy to a lot of people to bring more people, teach more people, let them know that ham radio is a happy, healthy hobby to be in. And with that, it is my hopes ALL of you have a very Happy Healthy, Safe season.
73 to all,
Ray AA1SE