Dianne Monnier

If, like most of us, you’re not independently wealthy, you won’t be able to find out everything about far-off and exotic places, or to go wherever you’d like to experience them yourself. Travel agents get a bit of a head start: they have to be able top find out about destinations and how to get there and back.

Diane Monnier has always been a travel agent! Her aunt, Yvette Joyce (who owned Hermes Travel), was one of the very early WCBA members; Diane worked for her and when Yvette dropped out Diane took over the membership. This was in 1983; she kept it up until 2005.

In that time she missed very few meetings, never scheduled an appointment in conflict with them, served on the Executive for many years and as President for a couple, and was always there when there was something that had to be done. In recognition she was awarded the Bob Gaul Meritorious Award in two consecutive years, 1991 & 1992 the only time that this has ever happened.

Although Diane feels that her time in the WCBA has been well spent, she has come to a bit of a burnout time in her life. She left as the continuous demands on her time and energy were no longer quite worth it. That being said, she has made some very good friends in the WCBA and taken much satisfaction in social accomplishments with her. She kept close track of her balance sheet vis-a-vis the Association and has come out ahead.

Her favourite times with the Association have been at the anniversaries and the Christmas do’s. There are those who join the club without fully understanding that one has to give as well as take; membership is what you make of it, and if you’ve joined up you’d be foolish not to make the most of it, and that means dealing in the spirit of the club as well as the letter of its rules. The most important condition for success is trust: the ultimate test is if you’ve recommended a club member to someone else! Her favourite times with the Association have been at the anniversaries and the Christmas do’s.

Diane has some concerns about the place of women in organizations and business generally; while it’s become far more common than it used to be for women to do very well, she feels there is still some way to go for them to arrive at the peak of management; she expresses it in one way ‑ that the ratio of women to men in executives and boards is not yet representative.

Apart from the WCBA, Diane lives other lives. She ran a fund‑raiser for SAM in 2001 and raised $1800. She has made use of her professional knowledge to visit places all over the world. She enjoys movies, beaching and relaxing, cooking with friends, walking and golf.

Diane is one of those people that a successful club always has: someone who gets things done when they must be done.

Served as WCBA President 1994-1995.