A women’s conference held in Rimbey Feb. 13 was a great way to give the ladies in attendance a chance to color their world with a little fun and excitement and, in the process, gain some valuable and important knowledge.
Close to 350 ladies showed up for the conference which provided a day featuring great speakers, as well as a chance to shop, visit and enjoy a delicious dinner and snacks.
The theme of the conference, Color Your World fit in well with keynote speaker George Boelcke, who defines personalities into four general colors: gold, green, blue and orange. Each color has specific personality traits that make them unique.
Boelcke, who later sold books in the foyer, proved to be interesting and insightful and many ladies stopped to chat with him and buy his book.
Rimbey’s own Myrna Pearman gave an interesting talk on capturing wildlife on camera and brought slides of some of her own amazing photos of wildlife for the audience to view.
Her talk was interesting and informative, made even more so by her own breathtaking pictures.
During her talk, Pearman admitted she tries to never take the same road twice, leaving herself open to new and interesting photo opportunities.
Crawling out of bed before sunrise, waiting patiently and being aware of the beautiful opportunities that exist in your own backyard are ways to ensure beautiful photographs, she said.
Gayle Rondeel’s session on bugs and weeds and knowing what is good for you and what is not so good was also popular. Rondeel has been a gardener since she was a child and has taken courses on horticulture, food safety and marketing.
On a more serious note, Linda Bernicki spoke about the signs of elder abuse.
“Abuse can happen to anybody,” she said. “And 80 per cent of violence goes unreported.”
Anyone who is concerned they are being abused or that someone else is being abused can call 310-1818 or Rimbey FCSS at 403-843-2030.
Afternoon sessions included Dr. Pat Burrage and Robyn Anderson who spoke about equine first aid.
And laughter coach Chris Barnes explained how a person can change the world one laugh at a time.
Introduction to watercolour by Sandra Bingeman was also included in the afternoon sessions.
Bob Layton, a member of the international Ventriloquist’s Association, provided a delightful close to the afternoon.
The day concluded with Ponoka FCSS director and the event’s master of ceremonies, Shannon Boyce-Campbell.
Brenda Verheire, chairman of the organizing committee said she was pleased with the event.
“”Our numbers are up and I am just thrilled with that. It seems to be going very well.”
Veheire said the session of elder abuse was the one serious session held throughout the day, and provided thought provoking educational information.
“Other than that, we had sessions with quite a lot of laughter and I think that is good. It’s been a tough winter.”