We have assumed the position (as a couple) of co-managers of a retirement apartment complex.

Both are still involved in coaching and in delivering PeopleMap training.

We long to journey to Finland to join in one of these events but this year we are readying our house for sale and preparing for a move to another city.

Bret & Lynne Maukonen

The Maukonen Family Society reunion in going to take place on August 8 & 9, 2009 at Törmälä (http://www.tormala.fi) in Rautalampi (http://www.rautalampi.fi). It has been three years since the Society had its last reunion which was held in Jyväskylä.

An important bit of news is that the Society is going to launch its own website http://www.maukoset.fi). The launch date is planned for just before the meeting in August.

At the reunion, people can have a nice time together and also can visit Hanhiniemi, the farm yard that still belongs to Jouko Maukonen (www.hanhiniemi.com).

From information provided by Annariikka Ahlnäs,
Secretary – Maukosen sukuseura

I’m happy that you have found the trilogy. It’s one of the best Finnish books that I have ever read! The role of Janne Kivivuori is very much based to my grandfather (Motjer’s side). My Grandpa was born in Urjala and ended to be a member of the Finnish Parliament for many years. He was a member of the first parliament but lost his civil rights because of being a Red, even without taking a gun to his hands. When he got the civil rights back, he was elected back into parliament and retired from there in the 1950s.

My mother told me that Mr. Linna interviewed him a lot when writing his trilogy. So, in a way it’s part of my family history. I hope that Mr. Linna’s other remarkable book, “The Unknown Soldier” has been translated to English. I can recommend it.

Our Governor General (representative of the Queen), agreed to the request of Prime Minister Harper to prorogue Parliament (place it in political stasis) until the Conservatives introduced the new budget on January 27, 2009.

Since then, the head of one of the opposing coalition parties has been replaced (he was to become the new Prime Minister . . . shows how stable that coalition government would have been!) and there appears some hope that there will be a return to a normal level of bickering between political opponents.

With all the political manoeuvrings, public opinion weighed in on the side of retaining the current government and “get on with the work that we elected you to do.” We will have some peace through the Christmas and New Years holiday season.

During this difficult time of world economic turmoil, Canada is not doing so badly. None of our banks have required bailouts. Our housing market is a little flat but we are not experiencing large-scale mortgage failures. Jobs are being lost but mostly due to problems in the automotive industry and other sectors (e.g., forestry). Nonetheless, we are well off here in Canada.

Chris

Feb. 27, 1931 – Aug. 23, 2008

Jorma Salo, husband of Elaine (née Maukonen) of London, Ontario, passed away peacefully at Victoria Hospital, London after a short, courageous struggle with cancer.

On October 4, there was a graveside memorial service conducted by Rev. Tuula Van Gaasbeek of Agricola Lutheran Church followed by a reception at Suomi Koti, a Finnish-Canadian retirement home in Toronto.

The concert was wonderful. Excerpts of their video can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com (search term > Rajaton).

[for Elaine & Jorma Salo]