Profile Gerry Brissenden may well have been the most enthusiastic member of the CSA Board of Directors since the Association’s inception in 1992. A fact that can’t be denied is that he served on the Association’s board longer than any other member in the Association’s history; 18 years. He was appointed to the board in the year 2000, representing the districts of Ontario and Florida and, throughout his tenure, performed the executive functions of treasurer, president and immediate past-president. During his time at the helm of the Canadian Snowbird Association, Gerry was successful at increasing the amount paid for medical services outside the Province of Prince Edward Island from $400.00 to $1,250.00 per day. He convinced theManitoba government to allow residents to travel an extra 30 days each year. He oversaw the co-ordination of absentee ballot voting for Canadian snowbirds in the United States in the 2006 federal election and had the laws changed so that Ontario residents could vote from abroad in provincial elections. He was a tenacious advocate and took his position and his mandate seriously. He never missed an opportunity to meet with a politician or attend a fundraiser in order to further the profile of the CSA. He was relentless in his pursuit of appointments, knocking on doors and telephoning until he got his meeting scheduled. He was always first in line to send a congratulatory memo when someone was elected or appointed to cabinet. And, if he liked you, you would always get a card fromhim on your birthday; a true gentleman. Gerry was a man of the people and loved to be in front of an audience, whether it was to answer questions at a Winter Meeting, to conduct a presentation at a Canada Club event or simply to perform a song, play or a skit for everyone’s amusement; he was as much at home on stage as he was anywhere else. Inhis working life, hewas a professional soccer player (playing for the TottenhamHotspurs), served his community as a member of the police constabulary in London, England and later in Montreal, Quebec and was proud of the work that he did for Playtex Industries and Allied Van Lines as vice-president of sales and marketing. Over the years during which Gerry represented the CSA, we all had the opportunity to work or play with him at one point or another and, as a result, we each have a funny story or a fond memory to share about him. He will be missed. Gerry Brissenden August 29, 1931 to March 6, 2017 Joan and Gerry Brissenden at Snowbird Extravaganza CSANews | SPRING 2017 | 11
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