Words from the Editor by Dorothy Joan Riley, DSO-PB

Words from the Editor

Dorothy Joan Riley, DSO-PB 7

I hope you read our arƟ cle on page 21, “Pan Pan! Pan Pan! Pan Pan!” If you have not, go back and read it now.

While District 7 Auxiliary PublicaƟ ons Offi cers are the intended audience, it applies equally to Public Aff airs Offi cers and all members of District 7. We must stay engaged with the Auxiliary and with each other at this criƟ cal Ɵ me. At the fl oƟ lla level, let your fellow members know what you are doing to fi ll your Ɵ me. Are you taking Auxiliary courses? Have you learned something new? It maƩ ers not that it is Auxiliary related. Sharing with our fellow members keeps us connected to each other.

Have you read a great book? You need not write a full book review. Simply off er your impression of the book and say why you liked it or did not like it. Not all new skills are Auxiliary qualifi caƟ ons or courses. Maybe you taught yourself how to crochet or embroider. You may not be aware of this, but after both World Wars I and II, veterans recuperaƟ ng in veteran hospitals were taught how to crochet, so do not let your gender stand in the way of “fessing up.” (I happen to have some beauƟ ful pieces made by a World War I veteran.) Maybe you are brushing up on your photographic skills while on your morning walks or learning how to paint. Some of you may be learning how to cook for the fi rst Ɵ me while others are becoming a gourmet chef. How you keep yourself busy is not as crucial as maintaining our connecƟ ons with each other and commitment to the Auxiliary. Ω

Reminder to all Auxiliary users of social media:

Members of the public are more likely to see our social media posts than see our newsleƩ ers. NewsleƩ ers are typically internal documents while social media are public. For this reason, it is criƟ cal to never post photographs of members of the Auxiliary not wearing the uniform correctly. Before taking that photograph, do a visual check of every member. Are they wearing refl ecƟ ve sunglasses? Do they have pens in their pockets, keys hanging from their belts or things hanging from their necks? Is everyone wearing the same uniform?

Take correcƟ ve measures. Ask the members to remove the discrepant item. If the discrepancy cannot be readily remedied, ask that member to step out of the frame. While we want to give everyone credit for their eff orts, when someone should not be included in the photograph, you can add the text, “also parƟ cipaƟ ng but not shown was -.”