Caoac convention May 1 to may 3 has been canceled

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From their site

The CAOAC 2020 Convention scheduled for May 1 thru 3, 2020 has been postponed due to global coronavirus concerns.
DRAS is working to try and reschedule the convention later this year. We will let everyone know when we have made our decision.

I have cancelled my hotel and train tickets.

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I just got the official letter

Derek Tustin <>
11:25 PM (1 minute ago)
to Derek

Hello all,


It is with profound regret that I am writing to inform that the Durham Region Aquarium Society (DRAS) has definitively cancelled the 2020 Canadian Association of Aquarium Clubs (CAOAC) Annual Convention.



DRAS cancelled the original dates of May 1-3, 2020 when it became clear that those dates were untenable given the social and physical distancing required in response to the Coronavirus and the resultant COVID-19 disease.  While we considered rescheduling the event until the fall, the reality is that we cannot anticipate that events such as ours will be able to be held even in the later part of this year, or that such events will be attractive to attendees giving lingering effects and fears.



For myself, I was greatly anticipating this event, and have dedicated countless hours to helping organize what is now likely the Greatest Rainbowfish Event That Never Was.



But by no means was I the only person involved, and I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge and thank those who were involved in the planning and organization.  (Heck, consider this the speech I would have given at the convention!)



First, I would like to publicly acknowledge the individuals who had agreed to come and speak at our event.  Gary Lange, Hans-Georg Evers, Leo O'Reilly, John Seyjagat, Wim Heemskerk, and Tim McCaskie are exemplars of the skilled and passionate individuals in this hobby who are dedicated to not only understanding the creatures we keep and their associated environments, but who are also eager and willing to share that knowledge.  We are grateful that they were willing to come from all corners of the globe to attend and speak.  Thank you to each.



I would also like to specifically mention and thank Joy and Angeline who were to accompany their respective spouses and grace us with their presence.



Personally, I also wish to single out Gary Lange.  His suggestions, guidance, facilitation, encouragement, and his willingness to assist in the import and export of fish are demonstrations of his commitment to the hobby and the exchange of species and knowledge.



DRAS consists of passionate individuals who are dedicated to this hobby.  The members of the society were key in our organizational and promotional efforts.  Doug Chessell – President of DRAS, and Tom Mason – the Co-Chair of the convention – were as dedicated as I, if not more so.  Extreme thanks and gratitude are also extended to the other members of both the DRAS Executive Committee and the general membership – notably Rick Glencross, Steve Burrows, Joanne Harder, Eric Bryant, Myron Iwanochko, Tariq Kieran, Kiefer Krule, Roger Maltby, Marissa McCrae, Paul McIntosh, Barry McKee, Victoria Shaw, Mary Hyland, Bailey Bedard, Richard Clifford, Heather Thomas, Vicky Haines and Chris Blake.  The successful foundations that were put in place were due to their effort, contributions, suggestions and work.  Thank you to each and every one.



CAOAC is a group of aquarium societies that support and encourage one another.  Nancy Egelton and the CAOAC Executive were extremely supportive of the event and are accordingly thanked.  DRAS also approached other CAOAC member clubs and societies and were overwhelmed by their support – both financial and logistical.  We would specifically like to thank;



·         Barrie Regional Aquarium Society of Simcoe (BRASS),

·         Kitchener Waterloo Aquarium Society (KWAS),

·         Ottawa Valley Aquarium Society (OVAS),

·         St. Cathrines and Area Aquarium Society (SCAAS), and

·         Windsor Aquarium Society (WAS)



All these organizations had confirmed – and in many cases provided – their direct support prior to the cancellation.  Their support of a fellow society is greatly appreciated and will be remembered.



As is standard – and almost required – with a convention of the proposed size, we approached various companies for donations and sponsorships, and were again overwhelmed by their generous support.  We would specifically like to thank;



·         Amazonas Magazine,

·         Central Garden and Pet,

·         Cobalt Aquatics,

·         Danner Manufacturing,

·         Florida Aquatic Nurseries,

·         Hikari,

·         Hydor

·         Lifegard Aquatics,

·         Northfin,

·         Python,

·         San Francisco Bay Brand,

·         Tilley Endurables,

·         Tropical Fish Hobbyist Magazine,

·         Tropica North America, and

·         Swiss Tropicals,



We will be contacting the sponsors and donors to discuss the ultimate disposition of donations already received and to thank them for their willingness to support the event.



We would also like to specifically thank several individuals and organizations whose support was irregular from convention norms and truly appreciated;



·         Bob Wright for his willingness to serve as auctioneer,

·         Dale Ernst of Fantastic Fins in Livonia, Michigan for cooperation in the potential staging of a shipping facility,

·         Dave Wilson of Aquagreen in Australia for his offer to donate fish,

·         Greg Wallis for his design of the convention logo,

·         Ken and Lisa Boorman for both their willingness to host the convention hospitality suite and willingness to act as a post-convention billet,

·         Jerry Draper of The Tropical Fishroom in Brantford for both his offer to provide items for the convention registration packages and his willingness to serve as auctioneer,

·         Marcel Wuethrich for his agreeing to assist Gary Lange in the proposed of shipping of fish to convention attendees,

·         Peter Unmack and the Australia New Guinea Fish Association (ANGFA) for their donation of memberships and hard-copy publications,

·         Udo Rohmann for his willingness to serve as auctioneer,

·         The Rainbowfish Study Group for their sponsorship of Wim Heemskerk, and

·         The Greater Seattle Aquarium Society (GSAS) for their offer to co-sponsor Leo O'Reilly's attendance.



Finally, we would like to thank all those that had both registered and those who were considering coming.  We will be issuing refunds for tickets in the coming days.



The Canadian aquarium hobby community is a vibrant one.  We were looking forward to hosting our speakers from around the globe, welcoming registered attendees from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Sweden, and demonstrating Canadian hospitality.  Hopefully you will consider and be able to attend a CAOAC or Canadian aquarium club or society event in the future.



We were also looking forward to gathering with our long-term friends and colleagues in the Canadian aquarium hobby.  Our annual gathering will be sorely missed.



Hopefully, we will see you all soon when we are able to resume events, once again thank you all for your support, and I apologize for any inconvenience.



(Please forward this to any individual you believe should be notified.  If you respond, please be sure to respond only to me.)



Sincerely,



Derek P.S. Tustin

2020 CAOAC Convention Co-Chair