It is a Thai proverb
that states “children are the future of a nation,” and it is rare that a
statement could be more apt. Around the world junior organizations exist to
help fan the flames of engagement within young people, who often grow up to
become the new leaders. We too have our own group of dedicated juniors who work
hard to promote their passion: Canadian Junior Angus.
Formed in 1999, CJA is an organization where
people under 21 years of age are given access to valuable resources to help
them build agricultural, livestock and interpersonal skills in order to become
leaders in the Angus breed. Since its inception, the CJA has gone on to offer
such opportunities as Showdown, GOAL and numerous scholarships, all of which
carry on the tradition of encouraging and teaching juniors across Canada. At
the first ever Youth Programme competition in 2013 at the New Zealand World
Angus Forum, our juniors nabbed World Champion and Reserve Champion esteem,
followed by an excellent showing again in 2017 at the World Angus Forum in
Scotland.
CJA Juniors in New Zealand
An essential part of Junior Angus is the President,
who – just as with the President of the Canadian Angus Association - serves as
an example to fellow members. One of the great things about the CJA is that the
president (like his or her peers) is also a youth. Leading by example is an
essential requisite of the position.
Chad Lorenz, President 2014-15
Since
1999 there have been 14 different Canadian Junior Angus Presidents, and we are
fortunate enough to have photographs of almost all of them. However, we are
missing images of Bryan Williams (2002), Alecia Karapita (2003), Dalynn Harris
(2004), Michele Sambrook (2005) and Heather Hargrave (2006). As Angus Central
begins wrapping up its Archive initiative, it is important that we have visual
documentation of these essential players in our history. If you have photos of any
of these Presidents, please contact Canadian Angus Foundation Summer Archivist
Kiani Evans at kevans@cdnangus.ca. Your help is greatly appreciated!
CJA President Raina Synryk (right)
By Kiani Evans
