It is with enthusiasm that I accepted the position of President of the Association again after a four year absence.  I am one of those retired persons who has had to go back on the job market.  This should keep me in Montreal at last during the next winter and allow me to run the affairs of the Association.  We owe a debt of gratitude to Céline & Gabrielle St-Georges for their hard work at the head of the Association during the past four years.  This allowed allowed a rotation between Laporte & St-Georges leadership.

The Board of the Association has become somewhat a family affair as my spouse Linda Tatlock and my sister Madeleine Laporte had joined the new Board where we will be assisted by our faithful Treasurer, Michel Laporte.  Tom Laporte from Winnipeg who recently became our Webmaster also accepted a position on the Board.  We'll communicate by Internet.  Tom has done a lot of research on the Western migration and he will continue to send us interesting articles on this subject.  Jean Laporte will continue to supervise our finances as external auditor and update our data bank.  Gabrielle, who has a gift for research and writing, has offered to help us by continuing to publish the Association's newsletters, which is excellent news.

It is this "family" spirit which will permeate next year's reunion where we will celebrate our 10th anniversary of reunions.  At the suggestion of Gilles St-Georges, who is always full of great ideas for us, we went to investigate the town of St-Michel-des-Saints as a potential site for the 2004 Annual Reunion.  I admit candidly that we were a little wary at the beginning to go to this city a little further away and which we were not familiar with.  But the very warm welcome extended to us by Madeleine St-Georges who lives there and the visit of several interesting sites convinced us that it would be a great place to hold the reunion.  The dynamic Madeleine has already formed a local organizing committee with her sister Lucie and a different Gilles St-Georges whom you can meet at the local hardware store.  Decidedly the St-Georges are very dynamic in the Association.  Laportes, you need to wake up !!!!!!!!

We plan to hold the reunion on Saturday, August 14, 2004 at a new lakefront inn with a French chef and with only 15 rooms in the main pavilion and 2 cottages with 4 rooms each.  We would like to be able to reserve the entire inn for the event by attracting people, not only from Quebec, but from Manitoba and the U.S.A.  We want to attract the younger Laportes/St-Georges who have left St-Michel-des-Saints, St-Zénon and the surrounding area.  We would like to see members bring their entire family so that the whole event becomes a "family reunion" with games, corn roast, etc., more than a "genealogy" reunion, even though we would not neglect the latter.

As you can see, we are starting the year with a bang so that you know way in advance when, where and how we hold the next reunion and to obtain all your suggestions and comments. 

I look forward to meeting you again or for the first time.
 
Baxter D. Laporte, President for 2003-2004