1994 to Now. A Fragile Existence?
It's a colder Tuesday, late January 2022 and I find myself sitting and deleting old files off my computer.
The minutes of the AGM held in 1995 catch my eye. They are recorded by my predessor an astute recorder of everything posssible by the name of Ken Rapley.
I try to compare what was happening at that time to the present date 27 years later. Of primary interest to me were some of the following details. Read on for some fun information.
In 1995 dues were $425 with an initiation fee of $150. Today they are $525 and a $200 initiation. The road to the ZEC was impassable by regular vehicule and most members did not have a 4 x 4, so we were transported by our guardian. The same guardian ate 12,000 a year in salary plus extra for special work. Along with his salary, he reecived a fixed $35 to transport a member up and down the road to the lake. One could go alone, but they were expected to pay a minimum $100. This also was the charge if he was asked to do an errand as was the case when a member was charged 140 for a bottle of Vodka....anyone remmebr that? A mandatory $10 tip was expected from all travellers. Guest fees were $150 for the three day weekend, compared to $200 now. A member who booked a cabin and cancelled within 3 weeks of opening was docked $100.
Cabins were rented out (to members)at a fixed rate. Based on the cabin you took, this ranged between $100 and $325 for the weekend. It could be divided between all occupants of the cabin, guests were not excluded from paying extra./>
We had 27 members in 1994 and have 27 members today. The Quebec government biologist closed Lac Curiere to fishng after quotas caught that year reached 3500. That was in June. The last two years (2020 and 2021) were simialar to 1994 as we were told to stop fishing after three weekends, this time early June with a quota of 1700 fish taken./>
The guardian did most work around the club and one year rebuilt the entire 140 feet of crib dock in front of the old log cabin. It took him two weeks. It was 1995 and his name was Laurier Lanthier. His successor Real Lanthier (no relation) built Cabin 4, (the first cabin when you come in) for our centennial project (2005-2006).
Wooden Verchere boat kits were $1200 when I first arrived, and the last one that was built for member Jon Kleivstul was $5000 assembled and painted.
The individual fishing quota is the same now (seven in possession)., club dues are lower in todays dollars by half. There is only a cabin fee if a member books an extra cabin for his/her guests.
We continue to improve on accomodations and access. We have 10 boats on the premises and two at Little Green lake (locked to a tree at the second camp site called Camping Sejours).
The club runs on a tight budget with a little leftover in the bank each year. Our treasurer Alec Moore states he has never seen a budget where we might actually have a decent 10k surplus. Don't get excited, this amount is to be considered a nest egg, set aside to self insure the unknown. This was also planned into the budget way back when and as previously mentioned will be the first time we fullfill it. When I started coming up here in 93, the treasurer and some members ususally fronted start up money each year.
We have withstood the onslaught of a fire in 2013, and built a replacement cabin (No 3) in 2015. We have added new docks, solar lighting and a hot shower. Last autumn saw new propane installations at three cabins. No more hauling tanks up and down the road.
We have improved on parking facilities and purchased seven fiberglass boats and one aluminum. We have a fire pump, a generator, and have replaced all fridges and stoves except one. The decks have been renewed, rebuilt and covered with roofing steel. We have installed new steel roofs on every cabin, and on every outhouse. Our membership is solid and full at 27.
We have replaced the full time guardian since 2010 and contract out or manage work with our members. 27 members paying $525 a year doesn't leave much to spend on improvements. Taxes, lease, insurance and banking (at $50) has increased by 4X, and now accounts for almost 50% of our budget. Propane and surveillance is another 20%. It's tight, and we do it.
This year we enter our 117th year since incorporation, so looking over all this and listing the above comparisons, I feel that much has been accomplished. An enormous amount of work has and continues to be done by volunteers. The Moores, the Armstrongs, the Brunet's and many, many others individually and in teams. This benefits both member and budget. Keeping fees low keeps membership full.
If you have been on a weekend at any Quebec or Ontario outfitter, well you know what it costs, generally double or triple what you pay for annual membership in the AFGC.
Use and enjoyment of the club needs management, administrative know how, and physical labor. As it works now, the whole setup works. We make it look easy, but it needs everyone pitching in to work better.
Replacing a boat (if you can find one nowadays) is $1500-2000. Having something repaired (fridge/stove/pump) can set us back a few hundred. I found out last year, even leaving the fridge on can have dire consequences. Propane ran out, no one was there to switch tanks resulting in the fridge burner sooting up and needing replacement.It also caused the next user to abort using that cabin, plus a $220 repair, and transport and man power - $500.
Leaving a boat in the water causes potential damage, or unwanted useage by tresspasers. Since 1994 we have lost two Vercheres that were tied loosely to the dock. Whether they blew away or were untied and let go we don't know, but they were costly to replace.
More and more people are using public parks and the ZEC is no exception. Last summer thieves broke down the main gate and made off with 3 full tanks of propane worth over $1000. First major theft ever, but no reason to celebrate. Subsequently trail cameras we installed recorded over 15 incidents of tresspassers freely walking on the property over a 30 day time frame. Privé/Private signs don't seem to deter many.
With the falls being such an attraction and the end of the road being the beginning of our lease we can expect more 'unwanted' visitors. I encourage membership and guests to lock up properly, and to remove boats from the lake and store them on land at the end of your trip. (And not with the bum end in the water either). Return equipment taken from the boathouse to it's rightful place. Look around to see if things need repair and/or take the initiative to do a repair if possible or report the incident/project to the administration.
I'll put another log on my fire now. Enjoy the winter, the trout silently slip through the deep cold waters, awaiting our return.
Oh, I've added a link to an album from the nineties that I found and scanned. Copy paste the link below or simply clikking on it might work. It may give some of you flashbacks, others a glimpse of what the club looked like at that time. There are spring fishing and summer fun images. Bring your family with you and visit in the summer. We did and also brought friends who tell us to this day it was the best holiday they ever experienced. Simple, summer fun. Stay warm everyone.
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