By Donna M. Recktenwalt
Recently Dave Price loaned me several archive notebooks filled with documents from the early years of the G.C.K.A. It has been an interesting and educational experience, reading that old material meeting notes, newsletters and show reports. What came through most clearly was the dedication and active participation of our members, both locally and nationally, and the constancy of topics that were of interest and concern to the membership, topics that continue to be important today.
Then, as now, G.C.K.A. was a fairly small, active group with a reputation as a leader among killie fanciers.
Then, as now, monthly meetings were fairly small.
Then, as now, membership was limited, and constantly evolving.
Then, as now, G.C.K.A. was well represented at the national level, members serving on the AKA Board of Trustees and in other committee and volunteer positions.
Then, as now, our shows were well run and well attended, with good speakers, good programs, and a good selection of fish.
Then, as now, auction prices ranged from lows of a dollar or two to highs of $50 or more, with some exceptional fish selling for even higher prices.
Then, as now, it took the efforts of a number of people working together to bring a show to successful completion.
Meeting topics from 10-20 years ago sound surprisingly familiar: spirited discussions on whether to have a show, planning for the show, purchases of fish for the club, sales of club items, the results of local club auctions, pleas for ideas to bring in new members, concern about welcoming and encouraging new members, worries about ennui and burnout, complaints about a handful of people doing the majority of the work, concerns regarding the AKA and its various problems. The topics were timely then; they are equally relevant today.
What do we need to learn from such historical lessons?
That organizations are constantly evolving organisms, with members and goals in a constant (if slow) state of change. And that some things the fish, their propagation and their well-being do not change. We are here because we love the fish; because we wish to share that passion with others; and because we want to continue to learn and to grow as aquarists. A local club provides a venue for all of that, and more.
Perhaps an observation taken from an article in the September 23, 1989 issue of G.C.K.A. Killi News , reporting on the success of “Killie Revue ’89”, best sums up the role of the club in the hobby.
The editor congratulates the show chairman (Dave Koran) and his team for “A huge success,” then goes on to say: “The real success of the show was in reinforcing our commitment to the hobby. Once more we have drawn many visiting killi hobbyists to the area. We have renewed old friendships and generated new ones. We have found new members in the area. We have rekindled the flame in at least one old-timer that this writer knows extremely well (me). And we have brought many new and exciting fish to the hobby.
“We are now faced with the task of continuing the job we have started. The fish we purchased must be propagated and distributed … We must nurture our new members, for the next generation of G.C.K.A.’s leaders will come from them. We must continue to seek out new people… We must work together to maintain our own interest in the hobby and to hopefully spark some interest in those who have ‘lost the faith.’
“In short … our job has just begun.”
— G.C.K.A. Newsletter, May 1998