|
|
|
| We offer a Koi Rescue Service. |
As Memory Serves.......The Beginning, Early 1980's In the early days of the Koi club a true pioneer spirit was required to build a pond. Liners were futuristic and filters demanded ingenuity. There was little information available. The first meeting of the club was held in the Scout Hut, a Quonset building on the Florida Junior College Campus (now FCCJ) known as Kent Campus. Present at that meeting was young Jon Lockerman, Earl and Linda Braddock and very much younger Joe & Jennie Enriquez. Simon Smith (a well-known anti-pornography fighter) was present and being affiliated with the Boy Scouts had arranged the meeting. The attendance roll has been filed or piled and forgotten somewhere. Koi fever ran high but the club organization was slow in starting. `It has been said that my husband, Joe, was the first president of the club. Although Joe was instrumental in getting things going through phone calls and personal contacts, the person most responsible for the initial push for a club has passed on. Al Spiller had real zeal for Koi. He contacted the media and was interviewed on TV showing his pond and the Koi beauties he had purchased from Japan. He was very pleased when the club became a reality. His failing health forced him to remain inactive except as a booster. Early meetings were held in various homes, parks or wherever we could gather to share information. The meetings were very informal and sometimes spontaneous. Meeting every other month worked well for quite a few years. Phone lines were the main line of communication for passing Koi information. The desire to know and grow brought the need for financial support called dues, formality and the club was organized. More Later...Joyfully, Jennie |
|