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 News from Around Banderas Bay | December 2007 
After The Dance is Over
 Peter Gray - PVNN
| For anyone who suspects the Navy League is just a group of oldsters re-living past glories... think again! The morning after the Toys for Tots Golf Scramble and Gala Dinner they were out serving our community.
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What do Navy Leaguers do the morning after their Golf Scramble and splendid night out at the Gala Dinner Dance held at the Casa Magna Marriott Hotel and Spa?
Well, by ten o’clock, some of them were scraping the walls of the Asociación Femenil Vallartense complex, preparing for a party of sailors from the frigate FFG 37 “Crommelin” to arrive for work there the next day.
On Tuesday, 29 crew members from the ship turned out to start work, putting sealer on some walls, painting part of the interior and cleaning up the surrounding areas. The work that a previous group of sailors had accomplished some months ago had unfortunately been largely obliterated by a severe flood that swept through the buildings during the rainy season.
As a result, Bill Clark, who heads up these Comrel projects for the Navy League, had to prioritize what could best be accomplished on this day. Whatever was not done today would be taken on by the next ship to visit Puerto Vallarta.
I noticed there was one woman among the ship’s party. But I also established that she represented 25 per cent of the women on the Crommelin. So the women out-performed the men on a percentage basis!
ETC Calvin Williams took time out to talk about ComRels in general. It was impressive to hear such a young man talk in a heartfelt way about how much these young sailors enjoy taking part in these community projects, wherever their ship takes them.
Another sailor told me “It is a way of giving something back.” It seemed to me that these young people are already giving so much, they have a credit balance with the rest of society already. Isn’t that a lesson for all of us?
Further down the line of workers I found Navy League members Jim and Lynn Brophy toiling away. Lynn was down on her knees scraping with the best of them. So, for anyone who suspects the Navy League is just a group of oldsters re-living past glories... think again! And think about joining in next year. We need a lot more scrapers and painters!
 Not to make it all work and no play, the sailors were taken by bus to the La Noria restaurant for a good lunch before being bussed back to their ship.
We should thank them and the captain of the Crommelin, Commander Patrick Huele. We know that the leadership ships’ captains give is manifest in the turn-out we get for these important acts on behalf of our community.
La Asociación Femenil was founded in 1976 to support women and children of old Vallarta. The work done at the Asociación Femenil Vallartense includes classes and workshops supporting women and adolescents. |
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