AFVOA Newletters of Year 2007

Page 43 of 68 2. In our telephone directory there is a fine document entitled ‘About Ourselves’ written by the founding fathers. It first appeared in the First Edition of our telephone directory and has been reproduced in the present edition. This ‘ Charter ’, barely 850 words in length, supercedes our article of association and all our bye-laws by about half a decade; and in its sweeping vision, from the origins to eternity, encompasses our quintessence while at the same time pointing an unshaking finger to the many futures yet to arrive. “To us, an individual who once wore our uniform and was a colleague for a while is a life long friend and associate. The aspect about which we are proud of is that, ‘Once a member always a member’. The wives of our ‘Departed’ members automatically become lady members and are under our protective and friendly wings” says this magnificent tract. 3. True to the above dictum the Association and its members have rushed to offer succor to those of us who have been in distress. Our members have gone to great lengths to shoulder the burdens of those who have been struck by unwarned, calamitous loss of near and dear ones. A very important point must be noted here. One finds that just a few dedicated Veterans, many of them the original founding fathers, are the ones who have always turned up at emergencies. They have not complained; far from it. But the geographical spread of Veterans in our huge city, the distances involved, the terrible traffic conditions and above all their own advancing age is bound to make it progressively difficult for them. 4. Thus we have to hark back on the idea of geography based CORE GROUPS; since, always the best help is local help. For years we have followed the procedure of finding out about those in distress through newspapers and phone calls and turning up with consoling words, a wreath if required and of spending the day and if necessary even the next, with the bereaved. Till some years back it was possible for men to race across town to heed a call. In the present circumstances those from afar may or may not be able to fetch up. Hence a large responsibility falls on the leaders of geographical CORE GROUPS. 5. In this respect we have been lucky. Our predecessors mooted the idea of CORE GROUPS and championed its cause during their tenures. They gave it wide publicity and made the system acceptable and viable. They had also done considerable ground work. Building on their efforts an exercise is on currently to divide our vast city into Core Group Areas amalgamating contiguous areas. Thus the Areas for each CORE GROUP will be designated within a boundary. Veterans falling within an area will be deemed to be part of that CORE GROUP. 6. In each Core Group Area a volunteer Veteran will be designated as the leader. A great amount of responsibility will be shouldered by such designated leaders. For, it will be they and their team who will be the first to be contacted by a Veteran in distress. It has been our experience that Veterans in distress are usually in shock when they find themselves in a calamity. It will be the leaders of the respective Core Group Areas who would at such times be doing their best to rush and offer succor to the needy Veteran. 7. Let us then organize ourselves as best as we can. At this nascent stage ideas are welcome about how the CORE GROUP system can be crystallized and put into place, about how we can with cooperation and selfless service to others make life a little more easier and our brief stay on this earth pleasanter to ourselves and to others. Anger makes dull men witty, but it keeps them poor.