Photo: AEHS former president Bob Kingsep addressing the Summer Social
by Helgi Leesment
The Alberta Estonian Heritage Society (AEHS) held a Summer Social on Saturday July 26 to honour Bob Kingsep, long term president, who is leaving the province. As his grandfather, the first known Estonian immigrant to Alberta, was restricted to a maximum of 20-minute speeches after too many that went on for 2 hours, so we jokingly restricted Bob at this event. Within his allocated time span, Bob outlined his experiences leading a group of people of Estonian heritage. It was a bit like “trying to herd cats” he mused of the general tendency of Estonians towards individualism when it comes to organizations. Nevertheless, during his six years at the helm of the AEHS, Bob not only kept the Board focused but very productive. The Society began work on its half-hour video Alberta’s Estonians during Bob Tipman’s presidency. Then under Bob Kingsep, continued on to complete the video, produce a historical website, a book, a panel display and space in the provincial archives for things Estonian. Bob Kingsep also placed a huge amount of effort into developing a website for the Society members, a task he promises to continue even when living in British Columbia. His childhood friend Garry Raabis had everyone laughing as he described some of their early teenage adventures and misadventures in and around what were Estonian farms at that time in the Eckville area. (Pikemale Eesti Elu 29.aug. paberlehes)