Before the AOG, I wrote a poem to celebrate the club’s fiftieth anniversary, intending to read it out at the AGM. Instead, I read a tribute to GOC from JOGLE hero David Stockwell, expressing all that the club has meant to him over the years. I also told members that the poem I had written would be published in the next issue of the magazine, so here it is:

Through meadows and mountains, the Club forged a trail

A community blooming, like a vibrant wild dale

In the heart of the open, where acceptance prevails

Fifty years strong, it has left a legacy of indelible trails

Under the canopy of skies, both vast and blue

 

The Club found its roots, its purpose so true

A celebration of love, under the sun's golden shine

Fifty years of unity, together in the outdoors combine

Through valleys of challenge, across rivers of pride

GOC journeyed with dedication and passion as its guide

 

In the whispering pines and the rustle of leaves

Stories of friendship and love, the Club conceives

Climbing the peaks of acceptance, ever so high

Reaching the summits, where prejudice can't lie

Through decades of laughter, through trials faced

A celebration echoes, now the 50th is embraced

 

So here's to GOC , still resilient and true

50th years of adventures, both bold and new

In the great outdoors, where our spirits soar

Happily celebrate our Club forevermore

Jim Cornwell, GOC Chair