As the year draws to a close we send our condolences out to longtime JCCA President Ron Nishimura. This month Ron, who stepped down from the Board several months back for health reasons, lost first his mother and then his aunt a day later. Ron exhibited a rare dedication in his role as President and he displayed that same devotion to his mother, caring for her for many years as she struggled with various health issues. In this difficult time we send our thoughts and best wishes to Ron and his family.
It has been a year of change at the JCCA and The Bulletin, with Ron stepping down after many years guiding the JCCA and Gary Matson taking over as President. Several months back we were approached by the Toronto Chapter of the NAJC with a proposal for The Bulletin to publish news from not only Toronto, but across the country. We have been talking for a number of years about increasing the scope of our coverage, and accepted the proposal gladly.
As someone who has long wondered what the heck is going on in the Nikkei community on the other side of the Rockies the new stories have proven to be illuminating and entertaining and I believe have made our little publication more three-dimensional. I hope our readers agree.
With this, the last issue of 2012, I’d like to extend a warm thank you to our contributors, our advertisers, our small but mighty staff, our Board of Directors, our dedicated volunteers and most of all our community of readers, including our new ones in the east. Thank you for keeping your memberships up to date and for your generous donations. As always, we operate with a bare-bones budget and we thank you for your support.
If you are reading this issue, having picked it up at one the free locations scattered throughout the Metro Vancouver area, please consider joining the JCCA. Your modest membership fee goes towards keeping The Bulletin going and you get a copy delivered to your door every month. If are already a member and your membership has lapsed (look at the label on the back cover – if the date is highlighted your membership has expired), please send in your payment. The membership form can be found on page 30 of this issue.
Finally, with the holiday season fast approaching (where does the time go?!) I’d like to wish you all the very best for the holiday season and beyond to the coming year. Cherish your loved ones, look after your health and your body (it’s the only one you have), keep learning (never, ever stop) and take time for yourself amidst the pressures of day-to-day living.
And I’ll see you in 2013!
