Somewhere Mike Hannah was smiling. After all, Tuesday was a picture-perfect day for the golf tournament named in his honour – the popular long-time Canadian travel executive having died in May. But beyond the usual fun and hijinks on the links at the Royal Ontario Golf Club in Milton, Ont., nearly a hundred Skal members from the association’s Toronto and Toronto North chapters turned out for the first “Mike Hannah Memorial Golf Tournament,” in memory of the former Skal member, himself an avid golfer.

Hannah’s family was on hand for the occasion, which was marked by an emotional Paul Foster (Tripcentral.ca), who recalled his best friend – “our Mike’s” – long tenure in the travel industry as photos scrolled across a screen in the room.

Canada’s queen of Skal, Sue Webb, admitted that the Toronto chapter was just getting back on its feet filling the considerable hands-on void created by Hannah’s loss.

Webb eventually moved on to the day’s other business, recognizing the day’s golf luminaries (Ladies longest drive – Audrey Tanguay Beaudette, Air Canada; and, Men’s drive, Royal Irish Tours’ Connor Duffy); drawing copious raffles prizes; and congratulating members Kimberly Hartley and Scott Barker for recent nuptials (conducted on a beach in Jamaica, no less) – and the latter making a welcome appearance, though not golfing, only six weeks after double-bypass surgery.

“Today feels like it was a really special golf tournament,” Webb enthused of the re-gathering of the Skal “family.” Not only did it honour the inestimable Hannah, but, she observed, “It feels like the industry is back!”