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Dear Mrs. Hackmann WCF
President
Dear Colleagues of the
Board
Dear Members of
Commissions
My Dear Friends,
Presidents of Club Members.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Exactly twenty years ago
in Rio de Janeiro, Anneliese Hackmann and I took the first steps towards a
new way of approaching the cat fancy. We had been dreaming for a long time
of a worldwide organization, which would lead us to help to create cat
organizations in a more effective and realistic form, i.e., less
expensive, dealing friendly with clubs and its members, and besides of
all, treating all with the same respect and dedication every one of us
deserves; an organization that really cared about each country in
particular and necessary way, not just been concerned about getting
money from the clubs.
In 1998 then, Anneliese
and I signed in Brasil the protocol to found a new federation called WCF –
World Cat Federation. Not many breeders believed us. In Brasil and Europe,
we had people who thought we were dreaming too high. They didn’t know
Anneliese Hackmann, her strength, her seriousness and her desire to have a
new organization, where we could change all matters we believed could be
better. And they didn’t know me either. I was a new comer, who had just
founded the first cat club in Rio and the first cat federation in Brazil.
I had a dream, and I met Anneliese who also had the same dream, and
together we made our dream come true. Together, we launched this well
succeed enterprise you all can enjoy now.
I am happy to have
invited Anneliese, who I call a friend, to go to Brasil and together found
the WCF; but we cannot forget all well intentioned breeders and cat lovers
who have followed us. As an organization, we have been very well received
in many parts of the world, including South America, Europe, Asia and
Oceania. We also have the respect of our peers in North America. All these
happened due to the courage and perseverance of the people we have had the
pleasure to work with. A STAR WAS BORN: The WCF.
Our daughter today is
TWENTY years old. It is old enough to walk with its own legs, to think
with its own mind and to act with its own desire. WCF is the only
worldwide organization present in the five continents and the only one in
the Middle East, for which, we counted with the support of Mrs. Petra
Muller.
WCF is also giving
consultation to the European Parliament about Feline issues. I am certain
that we are very happy, not just me and Anneliese, but all of you who
believed in our good faith and dedicated work and remained with us through
this journey.
WCF is expanding quickly;
in South America we have open several clubs in the last two years.
I welcome Uruguay, President Anabela Farkas from
FEDERACION DE FELINOS DE URUGUAI. I also want to
welcome Yahulee Pineda, the president of our new member in Medellin,
Colombia, who recently opened the COLOMBIAN CATS CORPORATION.
In addition, several
other clubs were open in Brazil; now seven active clubs exists thanks to
Mrs. Sylvia Roriz President of CFB- Confederacao de felinos do Brasil and
its directors and members.
I can’t forget to welcome
our new acquisition in South Africa. Thanks to Johan Lamprecht and his
group of friends, including Mrs. Phalempin, we have now a great club with
several judges. It is my pleasure to patronage them into WCF.
In 2006, WCF opened a
club in Cuba. Unfortunately, due to Cuban government decisions, the club
had to cancel its membership with us.
Soon two more clubs will
join us in South America and plus 2 in North America.
Since 2001, I have been
licensing shows for WCF with the help of Mrs. Anna Rudakova in Russia, and
once more we had an increasing number of show licenses.
In the year 2001, we
started issuing Licenses for shows in WCF.
In that we issued - 107
licenses
2002 - 111 licenses
2003 – 195 licenses
2004 – 238 licenses
2005 – 277 - licenses
2006 – 319 - licenses
2007 – 383 - licenses
2008 till now - 382
licenses.
It is Expected 500
Licenses to be granted until the end of this year.
As you can see, every
year we have increased the number of licenses and during the first six
months of 2008, we have licensed close to the total number of 2007 full
year, i.e., 382 in the last six months against 383 in the twelve months
of 2007
Part of my time, I have
also dedicated to the Disciplinary Commission helping Mrs. Oliver in the
difficult task of disciplinary affairs, helping those who don’t understand
our serious philosophy and reliability, helping them to be reached in
their consciousness and common sense. In fact, as member of the
commission, I have been helping our members to have a healthier umbrella
organization, where we can have help and protection against predators.
We need to be serious; we
need to be responsible; we need to be friendly with our pairs.
That is our job in the
DC, where I am a proud member.
We have also been working
for the members in South America as they deserve our special attention,
helping clubs with no money to get judges in the far south. Not an easy
task.
However, I believe if we
work earnestly and with loyalty to WCF, we will always overcome our
difficulties, and that is what is happening within the majority of our
members in that continent. They are very united against everything that
is not good for WCF.
I can’t miss the
opportunity to thank all Italian members who gave me their support in a
deal to make life easier for all Italian clubs, with our agreement to
choose show dates in a cordial way among the clubs.
Thanks to Cesare Ghisi, Walter Baraldi, Laura Ghrimoldi,
Vittoria Duchi, Francesco Piccinali and Alfredo Collucci.
The new agreement is working very well. Thanks so much
for your hard work.
To finalize, I want to
say that WCF today leaves her puberty. It reaches twenty years of age.
It is now like a grown up
girl who became a strong and very reputable lady, very responsible,
already very well known by its character and care about cat fancy. WCF is
booming all over, thanks to all of you who have helped WCF in reaching
such a place in the spotlight.
We are large!
We are well known!
We are the Best!!!
God Bless you all
God Bless WCF
PAULO RUSCHI – W.C.F.
1.Vice President |
