The Most Active Member Award

The Most Active member award honours the member - well actually … honours the MEMBERS - who have been most active in OJOA-related activities.

This was a tough one.  There was actually a tie - if you looked just at the number of events attended.

What tipped the balance in favour of this couple - over the other couple who were in very serious contention for this award - was the level of volunteer contributions to the club, the facilitation of others' enjoyment … of volunteer effort toward the common good.

This is the second year running that this marvelous couple have earned the Most Active Member Award - unfortunately, last year they couldn't make it to our Just Desserts Night because their car - ahem, a Japanese Jaguar - gave them trouble on the way to the 2006 version of this awards night.

Well, I'm sure I've given enough information away so that just about everyone already knows that that … the 2007 recipients of the 2007 OJOA Most Active Member Award goes …. YET AGAIN … to Dr. Murray and Linda Smith..

Murray and Linda, will you please come forward and accept your latest award?

This award recognizes the OJOA member -- and his or her Jaguar which shows the largest improvement in Concours scores, comparing this year's Concours result against last year's Concours result for the same car.

Now, this award can be earned by making significant improvements to a Jaguar or, as I expect may have happened in this case, by just taking appropriate care of a classic - cleaning up this part, paying attention to that part, some tender-loving care applied here and there …. Regularly.

What kind of classic?  Well, it competes in JCNA Driven Class D5 - which is Early Large Saloons, 1950-1970.

And if memory serves me well, I think this particular Mark I earned this very same honour in the recent past.

Don't know who it is yet?

Well, it's Upper Grimsby's own Paul Turcotte. 

Congratulations Paul, come up and get your lovely silver tray……

This award recognizes the member who's skill BEHIND the wheel is worthy of this high-level of honour.

Now, this award sat dormant for several years until it was recently resurrected - and OJOA's Slalom has helped significantly in this.

In fact, with our Slalom, it's relatively easy to determine who the short-list candidates are.

You may recall, that last year, we had two Slalom competitors - both holders of higher posts in OJOA - announce that for 2006, the year of our inaugural slalom,  that they would - in the spirit of sportsmanship -- withdraw from consideration for this award. They were both serious candidates for this award.

This year, now that club members have some more experience in this type of Jaguar competition, it's an open field.

And this year, it's a slam-dunk for one of our members.  It's a SLAM DUNK!  This year, it's a slam-dunk for the driver who consistently lands in 1st Place WHENEVER he enters a Slalom race.

This member is also the driving force who unseated the reigning North American champion in the 6-Cylinder E-Type Class, a few months ago, while racing at a Slalom track set up in the infield of the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

He also landed 1st Place in our own Slalom, held in Brampton, in September.

He also is one of the two members who withdrew his name from consideration last year. And by the way, last year he also stated clearly that he would be in contention this year.

And a good thing, too, because Ross Hamilton has - without any shade of doubt - earned the 2007 OJOA Driving Skills Award for.

Ross, you've got yet another award for that marvelous trophy room of yours…..      Come on up…..

All of OJOA's club awards are special, some more special … more deeply significant that others. The Carrick-Barrett Memorial Trophy is one of these latter awards.

This award carries with it, from-the-heart sentiment, from two OJOA families.

This is our Carrick-Barrett Memorial Trophy.  It honours the memories of Cy Carrick and Sandra Barrett.

And to tell us how this special award came about, is Bob Barrett.

  … thank you, Bob.


Ladies and gentlemen, this year’s recipient of the Carrick-Barrett Memorial Trophy is a member who has a too-long-to-recount list of contributions to this club, but highlights include working behind the scenes and at events.

One particular - altruistic - contribution took place this past summer. You remember the sad tale of Rob Hutchison's E-Type electrical failure - more than 200 miles from home ... give or take a yard or two...

I would remind you that that failure took place about 8 or nine hours into a rather gruelling drive home to the GTA, from Indianapolis. Now, Rob wasn't alone when he had that fatal failure. Several other OJOA members were there, too, travelling in a small convoy.

One of those members was Nelson Burkhart, who was driving the diesel pick-up truck he uses in his landscaping business. Also in that truck, by the way, was Ross Hamilton, who had used Nelson's Concours-winning E-Type to - not only beat Nelson himself but earn North American Slalom honours.  And BEHIND Nelson's truck was his trailer, upon which was his Series I E-Type.

Well, to make a long story longer, Nelson -- who had been motoring ahead of Rob -- realized that Rob and his son Mike were nowhere to be seen and eventually turned around to find Rob's car dead at the side of the highway.  Within minutes, Nelson had rolled his own E-Type off his trailer and - with the help of others in the OJOA convoy - had pushed Rob's sick Cat up onto his trailer.

What this also meant was that Nelson's E-Type was driven an extra 200 miles plus  ... while Rob's car got executive treatment on the way home.

It should not be lost on anyone here that this was - normally about a 12 hour trip. Now, let me ask you, how tired were YOU, the last time you did a 12 hour trip. Well, because Nelson came to the rescue of Rob, his son Mike and the sick E-Type, Nelson added another two hours to his trip home.

I don't know about you, but turning a 12-hour trip into a 14-hour trip is no fun. In fact, it can be absolutely gruelling. And Nelson did all these things.  Why?  Because he chose to help a fellow Jaguar enthusiast who was in trouble.

I strongly suspect that if it was an extra 10 hours to Nelson's trip, it wouldn't have made any difference.

So, Nelson Burkhart, for your long-standing - and selfless contributions to this club and to its members - and for your example-setting levels of true sportsmanship - it is my honour to present you with OJOA's Carrick-Barrett Memorial Trophy.

This … very generous … very large award … is OJOA's second-highest award.

It recognizes a member of member who has shown equal generosity …. And an equally large way … to the interests of the club, to the interests of its members - to our common hobby ...

This year The Freeman Cup is presented happily to a member who has - REGULARLY -- put himself second to the interests of others in OJOA. With great regularity, put himself second to the interests of others.

Among other efforts, this man has helped other members campaign Jaguars, has helped behind-the-scenes at events - often anonymously .. always quietly ... always humbly.

He has played a significant and demanding role in both JONAT tours of North American, including one which this club - due to Concours conflict - could not be involved in. 

And this past June, this member came up with the altruistic idea to offer a BBQ at our Concours -- and then did everything, got everything,and made it happen

This effort was very well received and more than 100 people, including many children, took advantage of this effort, which was brought together - entirely - by the efforts of … the member who also made sure all of our luscious desserts are here tonight.

This contributing member, this BBQ King, is none other than …. Victor Krissel.

Ladies and gentlemen, this brings us to the highest award - the highest award -- presented by the Ontario Jaguar Owners Association.

It is our Award of Nine.

The Award of Nine is so-called because it recognizes and honours our nine founding members from 1959, one of whom - happily is still with us and who is still  --   very   --   active in motoring.

The Award of Nine, like some other awards, recognizes contributions to our club and to the interest and enjoyment of others.

This year, it is my privilege … my honour … to present the Award of Nine to a long-standing member … a long-standing member who has a long-standing record of contribution to OJOA goals and to helping other members enjoy our shared hobby.

Among the many, many contributions to this club - let me phrase that last part slightly differently - among his many contributions to YOU!, this year's recipient has worked at at least three of this year's more involved events, has turned his home into a storage depot for OJOA property, has created sound systems for this club, has on an ongoing basis helped out other members - without reservation and without consideration for himself - and, he has - above all others - helped build our Corps of Judges, without whom your Concours absolutely could not happen.

John Taglione … you are the 2007 recipient of OJOA's coveted Award of Nine.  Thank you for everything …. Please come forward ...