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News From CALL November 2024
Watercolour by Anne Lefebvre, a member of the Sketch Club Interest Group
October Events
CALL Café
Examining the Stereotype: What is an Albertan?
Monday, October 21, 1:00pm–3:00pm
Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church, 4612 Varsity Drive NW
Speaker: Jackie Flanagan
Jackie Flanagan, CALL member and publisher of Alberta Views magazine will address stereotypes about Albertans. “Not only those in the rest of the country, but Albertans themselves have a stereotype of what an Albertan is—a conservative white male—a farmer, cowboy or oil worker. What are the consequences of this stereotype? Whose interests does it serve? And how accurate is it anyway?”
This presentation is open to members, guests and the public. You must be a member to register for this event, but when you do, you can add 1 to 4 guests to your registration. Please register at CALL Café registration page.
Health and Wellness
Foot Problems
Monday, October 28, 1:30pm–3:00pm
Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church, 4612 Varsity Drive NW
Speaker: Dr. Christina Bakir MD FRCSC
After growing up in Calgary, Dr. Bakir continued her education at the University of Calgary, achieving a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering with honours. She then continued to medical school and residency training in Orthopaedic Surgery, also from the University of Calgary. Dr. Bakir is a practising orthopaedic surgeon whose dual fellowship training was in Foot and Ankle Surgery and Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgery.
She will speak to us about the problems that may develop in one's feet as aging occurs, such as diabetes and neuropathy.
Members of the public are welcome to attend at a cost of $5, collected at the door.
Registration is not required.
Speaker Event
Crossing the River – An Unsettling Memoir
Tuesday, October 29, 1:00pm–3:00pm
Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church, 4612 Varsity Drive NW
Speakers: Sandra Hayes-Gardiner and Cheryle Chagnon-Greyeyes
Sandra Hayes-Gardiner has practised as a psychotherapist, trainer and consultant in Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. She worked in northern First Nations communities, and provided mental health consultation in Manitoba First Nations Addictions and Treatment Centres. Sandra then spent twenty years working in the Cariboo-Chilcotin, near Williams Lake, B.C.
Cheryle Chagnon-Greyeyes is a proud Nehiyaw Esquao (Cree Woman), a member of Muskeg Lake Cree Nation, Saskatchewan, Treaty Six, and Métis. She earned a BA in Communications and a BA in Canadian “Native” Studies from the University of Calgary. She has been an Indigenous activist within Calgary and recently retired as Administrative Coordinator at the Native Centre at the University of Calgary.
Please join Calgary author and CALL member Sandra Hayes-Gardiner, and Traditional Knowledge Keeper, Cree Elder and Pipe Carrier Cheryle Chagnon-Greyeyes on a journey every Canadian can take. Growing up in the 1950s and ‘60s, Sandra absorbed the notions of continuing racism and prejudice against Indigenous people. As a social worker with the federal government, she was responsible for removing ‘at risk’ Indigenous children from their families, often sending them to residential school. Over time she was led to advocacy work with Indigenous communities and developed a passionate dedication to unlearning and relearning Canada’s real history. Sandra faced the task of 'crossing the river’ between two communities, the mostly white town where she lived, and the Cree Nation of the other side. You will be shocked, saddened, encouraged and ultimately challenged to ask yourself the questions she asks herself even now—what kind of Canada do you want and how will you be part of that unfolding history?
To help us estimate seating, we ask that CALL members register. Members of the public are welcome to attend at a cost of $5, collected at the door.
Arts and Culture
CALL to the Opera
Welcome to the Opera!
The Calgary Opera is again welcoming CALL members to their Thursday evening dress rehearsals. This season, there are three magnificent performances! These performances will appeal to both opera lovers, as well as members new to this musical genre. All performances are at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, 1415 14 Ave NW. Performances last approximately two hours.
Dress Rehearsal Performance Schedule
Don Giovanni, music composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Thursday October 31, 7:00pm
Don Pasquale, music composed by Gaetano Donizetti
Thursday January 30, 7:00pm
Bluebeard’s Castle/Gianni Schicchi, music composed by Béla Bartók and Giacomo Puccini
Thursday April 3, 7:00pm
For additional details on ticket purchase and ticket pick up, please go to the CALL to the Opera page where you can find the links to buy your ticket. There is no need to register for this program. It is up to the individual CALL member to purchase a ticket and reserve a seat.
November Events
Science and Environment
Is an Electric Vehicle Right for You? An Albertan Family's Perspective
Tuesday, November 5, 7:30pm via Zoom
Speaker: Russ Edworthy
What's it like to own an electric vehicle in Alberta? Not as anxiety-provoking as you might think. A family with three households and three EVs shares their experiences of EV road trips, winter driving, thoughts on Alberta's charging infrastructure, battery replacements, and what it's like to live with this new technology in our cold, large province.
Russ Edworthy has a degree in Mechanical Engineering and was a Power Engineering instructor at SAIT Polytechnic for a decade, teaching the ins and outs of how boilers and turbines power Alberta's electrical grid and serve its industries, including oil and gas. As a lifelong learner and technology enthusiast, he has an abiding interest in alternative energy, energy storage, and picking away at the puzzle of how to use technology wisely to reduce our impact on the planet. He bought his first electric vehicle in 2020, had rooftop solar panels installed in 2024, and is now enjoying the satisfaction of fueling his car with home-grown electrons. In his spare time, he enjoys following green-tech news, creating digital illustrations and animations, and producing music in his home studio.
You must be a CALL member to register.
CALL Café
Citizen Sailor Virtual Cenotaph (CSVC) Project
Monday, November 18, 1:00pm–2:30pm (Refreshments served first half hour)
Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church, 4612 Varsity Drive NW
Speakers: Greg McKenzie and David Mitchell
During the Second World War, 2,170 members of the Canadian Navy died. Four hundred of these casualties were from the regular Navy. The remaining 1,769 were Naval reservists or citizen sailors. The goal of the CSVC project is to write a short biography for each of the 1,769 reserve sailors who were lost.
Greg McKenzie and David Mitchell are both former Naval Reservists, local history buffs and members of the volunteer research team for the CSVC Project. They will give a presentation on the project, its process and results.
This presentation is open to members, guests and the public. You must be a member to register for this event, but when you do, you can add 1 to 4 guests to your registration. Please register at CALL Café registration page.
Treks and Travels
A Different View: Traversing the Netherlands by the Standing Mast Route
Wednesday, November 20, 7:30pm
Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church, 4612 Varsity Drive NW
Speaker: David Phillips
This is a view of the Netherlands that few tourists see. In 2006, as part of their passage from the Bay of Biscay to the Baltic,June and David Phillips took their yacht through the Netherlands from the South to the North by way of the inland waterways. Because they did not want to take the mast down to pass under bridges, they took a route where there were opening bridges all the way. The route took them to corners of the Netherlands that few outsiders see.
Entering the inland waterway system at Vlissingen in the southern province of Zeeland, the route passed close to the site of the WWII Battle of the Walcheren Causeway, through the locks and waterways of the mighty Delta Works, into the waterways of South and North Holland and across the northern provinces of Friesland and Groningen to exit into the Ems River that forms the border with Germany.
This presentation covers the history of places, the social mosaic they passed through and an intimate connection to the natural world. So come to explore the side of the Netherlands that is not tulips and windmills. You will find it fascinating.
No registration required. Members of the public are welcome to attend at a cost of $5, collected at the door.
Interest Groups
Coed Cribbage
Friday, November 8, 10:00am - 12:00pm (NOTE: Change from November 1)
The Girl Guides Centre, 2188 Brownsea Drive NW (just off Memorial Drive near the Crowchild Bridge)
Come and play cribbage! This is a fun and easy-to-learn game. All are welcome, regardless of whether you are brand new to cribbage or a seasoned player. We will go every Friday morning until the end of June. Our location is very convenient and has ample free parking.
Questions or to register contact Eric, our facilitator.
October Blog Post
Resilience in Older Adults
- Maureen Osis, CALL Communications Team
I asked a colleague, Cathy Hume, about the stereotypes of aging that she has encountered in her work. We had both heard, too often, that “old people are set in their ways and don’t change.” We agreed to share our stories about older adults who demonstrated resilience and adaptation.
Hope you enjoy reading this, and previous Blog posts. The links are on the website.
The CALL Blog is public so please share the link with your family and friends. It is easy to do. Just copy the URL https://calgarylifelonglearners.ca/Blog and paste into an email or text message.
If you are on Facebook, please share the web page and help us to spread the word about CALL.
Any questions or feedback, please contact me: blog@calgarylifelonglearners.ca
If you have a topic that you would like to write with me, I would welcome your interest!
Announcement
Changed Publication Dates for the CALL Newsletter!
For the sake of clarity and timeliness, we have changed future publication dates for this newsletter to the fourth Friday of the month, with the exception of December. This shift should result in giving contributors more time to get articles to us, and it will benefit readers by giving information closer to the scheduled times.
New publication dates are as follows:
- November 22
- December 20 *
- January 24
- February 28
- March 28
- April 25
- May 23
- June 27 (No July issue)
- August 22
*same date as originally posted
The CALL Newsletter
- Newsletter Team
Did you know that we appreciate receiving articles from our members? We are happy to publish articles that celebrate CALL. Your personal experience about how you have benefited would be a valuable contribution to this newsletter. Please send your ideas and suggestions for future issues to communications@calgarylifelonglearners.ca. We reserve the right to edit submissions and to determine when submissions will be published.
CALL Newsletter postings 2024-25
- November 22
- December 20
- January 24
- February 28
- March 28
- April 25
- May 23
- June 27
- August 22
Meanwhile, be well, stay well in every sense of the word.