1941 - 2009

Miecia Burden was a very special person. If you were one of the fortunate people to have had the honour of meeting her, you would never forget her warm smile or the feeling of confidence and caring that she projected. She was an integral part of the Kitchener Waterloo Aquarium Society KWAS and also CAOAC. Her passing left a large void in our hobby but she will never be forgotten. Her list of awards and achievements is substantial. Miecia held various positions multiple times (President, Editor and Corresponding Secretary, Recording Secretary and Membership chair). Miecia was active in CAOAC since 1977 and held the positions of (President, Editor, Corresponding Secretary, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Membership and Information Binder).

Miecia received numerous awards over her many years in the hobby. Junior & Intermediate Breeder Awards (KWAS), Breeder of the Year (KWAS) 1979, Service Award (KWAS) 1980, Bob & Dorothy Daniells Service Award (KWAS) 1981, CAOAC Service Award 1985 and 2003, Junior Merit Award CAOAC 1981 (BAP), CAOAC Past Presidents Award 1989, Hobbyist of the Year (KWAS) 2001, Honorary Member (KWAS) 2001, President's Award (KWAS) 2003, CAOAC 25 Year Service Award 2002 and CAOAC Newsletter Award 2003.

A devoted group of Miecia's close personal friends from KWAS wanted to ensure that her legacy will live on within our hobby. As a result the Miecia Burden 'Ambassador Award' was created. Geoff Money the current KWAS president introduced this very special award at the CAOAC convention in May of 2009. Because Miecia was so involved with both organizations the awards committee at KWAS very quickly determined that it was only logical the 'Ambassador Award' be tied into CAOAC and the member clubs within the organization. The KWAS awards committee has established the criteria for the distribution of this award. Now is the time to honour that very special person who has done just about everything in your club. The hobby doesn't always recognize our most faithful Ambassadors. Your candidate should meet most of the criteria listed below.

“For Outstanding Promotion of the Aquarium Hobby”

1.15+ year’s membership in a CAOAC member club.
2.Has held executive positions.
3.Held various Board of Director positions.
4.Promotes friendliness in the club’s atmosphere.
5.Promotes their affiliated club.

This award is for anybody affiliated with CAOAC. The award will be part of the CAOAC information binder under “Awards”. DEADLINE for applications is December 31, 2009. Applications should be in a sealed envelope and passed on to the CAOAC representative for KWAS, Phil Maznyk or e-mailed to Phil. Applications will be forwarded to KWAS in January, when the sub-committee will make the final choice. This award is not necessarily awarded every year.