Page 16 - SOMOS FOA #7

Our
Friends
Dear friends,
I hope this message finds you all in good
health. We are living in a strange period,
time and struggle. First the COVID pandemic
keeps us, more than we want, very busy. We
have to fight a disease and such a strong one
that we had to cancel almost all shows in our
homelands also in the Northern hemisphere
for two years.
Of course it is disappointing that the events
we liked to attend, had to be cancelled, but
there will be better times. I’m convinced of
that. Now the COVID period is almost behind
us, a new problem started! The people in
Ukraine are under attack of Russia and many
people had to leave there homes. There were
we can breed with our birds, the hobby in
Ukraine stopped because of a dirty war star-
ted by an aggressor. What is more precious
than our health, our safety and protection
and that of all our beloved ones? A very di-
fficult time and even not so far from the Ne-
therlands. It’s in Europe. Our thoughts are
going to all the people of Ukraine and we do
what we can the help them with food, a tem-
porary home in our countries and also with
military equipment to fight the enemy.
The other side is that it is fantastic to expe-
rience how intensely our hobby lives in the
world. New ideas and experiences coming up,
for example digital shows. How many people
enjoy this intensely and I think the hobby is
a good distraction during the COVID period
and now it sometimes become regular. There
is nothing better then physical shows, with
real birds and talking to each other face to
face.
Beside people are fighting each other be-
cause of land and property, in Europe and
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16 Federación Ornitológica Argentina
perhaps also in the other parts of the world
people get up who find fault with our hobby,
who want to limit the execution and expe-
rience of our hobby. That’s also a dangerous
situation for the future of our hobby.
I can look back to the recent period of three
years during my participation as Vice Presi-
dent of the CD COM. During this period we
had a wonderful time in Argentina, In Turkey,
but no Mondials in the Southern hemisphere,
they were al cancelled due to COVID.
At the other hand it was in more than one
case a very hard job. What really was a was-
te of time was fighting rumours, fake news,
demands from unaffiliated organizations and
individuals, fights between national organi-
zations, and information coming and going
with the aim of poisoning the COM environ-
ment. Sometimes aimed at a person, someti-
mes at the organization.
In my opinion National issues must remain
national and if it concerns international is-
sues, it may be sent to the Secretariat and
the President-General. We have a good team
in the CD COM, we are talking about every
incoming letter and we are deciding on ever
subject together. I’m really convinced that
we have strong and honest board in COM.
When rules are agreed by our member na-
tions, they have to be followed. When an or-
ganisation is skipping or wants to change the
rules we have to interfere. This happened in
2021 when we have to take the organization
from Spain and gave it to Italy. That was a
really difficult decision, but a necessary one.
The CD COM warned already for a long time
when rules were not followed, but they were
ignored. So only solution stayed…!! We are
handling fair and with transparency which is
needed for a good trust. Sometimes it seems