201_Byron-Mike-Bev_Community-Service-Award.mp3

otter.ai

11.03.2023

no

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Everyone keeps an hour late for work two

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weeks into my job. He loves the game he says make my right

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other things, my wife was in grade 12 and guidance and she had nightmares, a physical education teacher and she said these are the kind of cowboy boots, those jeans, cowboy shirt. And the kids were everglade and this is a girl speed class that they were ever changing getting into the gymnasium for roll call the requirements ready to just go start going into the drills change and get the heck out of there. And so my mindset there's never ever one girl that was ever made

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like really good environment my dad somebody

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that was only the very last activation I think for their hands now in the old horses in the old cattle call so many good times with my dad is well worth getting the blood in my station late at night.

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Here's a story that I heard teachers teaching and I was

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like, never have a

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discipline problem. Because quite a lot of people come into class right after programs and processes. And covered with less you didn't have time to clean on a piece of opposite half that was a strategy. So we have you ever, ever made up

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stories about the Byron's abandonment course and as the bleep gigantic is to say to someone that maybe

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I was only getting an opportunity

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dealing with supposed to be eliminating dealing with rabbits. And I know that they'll be able to discuss the different types of rabbits and stuff like that. But there's been a solution that's always been a path. And I understand that sometimes in the 70s there was a lady reaching home into non accepted school. And she purposely argued that she would take some of the boys who are a little bit tougher, and she would give them cooking classes. And there was also an intrepid farmer who was the teacher of that nine program slaughterhouse. And his job was he had the responsibility of drinking the cup chicken meal, they have meals for once a month or something like that happened. Several meals and some of the staff realize that that weren't the right number of visitors and somebody stood up. There was a residue with a lot less than a rabbit's foot. I can attest to that story button I decided to do myself and I went up to see my foot long ago. And while there are lots of rabbits, I believe a point I said, Never had a problem with rabbits. And he said no, no, they're not very famous as a cheaper source of treasure to store that you went to Scotland, it's it's only lead to trip on. It's not safe to get a special kind of dog used to train your dogs and when all sorts of awards have to follow up later. But his legacy of teaching your dog to drive his truck he had this one dog track and I guess might have done that sort of dipped down nicely into the lake. And I guess might have done a good deal with another matter investors excited dog in the truck which is dancing around I guess kick your ship out from the truck. It's off towards the lake. And it certainly picked up a bit of a stir I guess it's simple walnuts. There were some new hippies swimming in the lake with their dogs and the dog did a really good course with him and he says to them, I don't find the dog swimming in the research that you're going to want to do is I'm going to pick this

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somebody recently and you know we have some success on the island and stuff like that. And so one thing I like to do the day it's on behalf of the Board of the current directors apartments is to bring your senior both of you sincere and profound Congratulations upon that there is a novice for number one event on site 20 10,000 people and the most amazing community aspect of it is 1000 People volunteer out on the forum and quickly for departments is another maybe 500 new volunteer effort samples with the parties. And that's a tremendous to me the event. Success wasn't always that way. And we traced back to the people who began the new fairs and 76 and 59. And around their favorite culture virtually died on Saltspring. Because premium was just the Dow design. In the year from 75 to 76, some of the people had this idea that maybe we could rejuvenate agriculture and start the better once again. And that was my conveyor. So in 76, they introduced the new Nichols an outstanding success. And when we look at the players nowadays, we have to trace back to where that came from. It's always the people with the initial idea of initial energy. And we often sit around the base of one of the few farms in our own building, lab. And we realize that all of that has come from that the success of that first pair so in addition to Congratulations, Mike, remember like to say thank you for that contribution. I wouldn't be wrong this close to half a century.

Unknown Speaker 6:54
I'm really pleased to be able to participate in thanking them for their community contribution. And I want to remind people that we've done Saltspring island because I actually had the pleasure of working with Mike for four years, regionally Coast Island region parameters to district agencies to where he was the president for 15 years. And we go off the island once a month on ferry over the crop and we actually ran to each other off the boat but there were days when we did the discussions and have a little difference here. And then Mike really inspired me to be very involved with all that sort of thing that can be difficult to work with. We got to get a lot I think one of the things we can see we can also think now when she was a trustee because we had these problems was split classic of barns stood up for us, Derek should actually be cheap. David went with me to the assessment commissioner's office to try and write the situation and I think now we realize this January meeting the government in Detroit is caught up with us and they're stopping the farms. The other thing that's happening which I think will make it make some of us glad is that there's no villain at first reading and very nice does and has done to allow us to sell local meat to each other on the island to getting licensed such at first reading. These things would never happen in unpredictable like non combat. I think we need to remind people that Michael was honored provincially by the authorities for BC after he finished his work with district eight farmers Institute. He was being very aggressive this year for us. Thanks so much for stopping.

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By we came to be honest about 35 years ago, and

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you just come to grips with that point. It was like arrangement anybody could leave their own wherever they constitute

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as precise

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as you and also our kids with some of the big smiles on our economy earnings are driving along and suddenly the whole term environment forces will come galloping after with this threat of the car. That's like oh my god, what is that? Let me see that was a big thrill. When you haven't been here for very long. I hit the deer on the road again yesterday because it was a big chore to do the second day in a ditch. If you remember this and had a broken leg. You cycle

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he came down just

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about two months later came along

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while we read the following viewpoints and let's get his travels on our property for a while, I used to watch the in the lazy days of wrestling the stairs when the ball was horrible to the truck bed as well as your second half of the things I can do my best friend's home festival

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I went to Portland with my nice friends that contract in town stuff such as like friends visiting their mouths open basement that haven't seen anything like this and also the privilege of being taught by the better that's not to say too extremely strong characters to the into the opposition with each other

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always been a wonderful day

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just a follow up story. There's

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a fabulous editor

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20 years ago that said, last Brown Cow beater blink area. It's not like when I was just turned down class plans here and here. Stand up slowly. The trip was usually under 50 pound kicking wet smell dirty cheap.

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First of all, I like to send my kids back to school. And my son who what's your eat chocolate bar which is education. And it's probably in the Justice Department. There's lots of cute stories

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to train, like to read the success,

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which is likely

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their place

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and encouragement. So

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thanks very much.

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I'd like to say a few words. I've worked with length for many years that's on you. You never could find him. We had a couple of stories about Mike at the high school. He used to teach social status. But unfortunately, it's always done on the farm. And his kids are always left back at the school. So we started taking the kids to the corner. And that started the agricultural program in the high school. And it's interesting to note, you don't know how many people how many boys or girls can get into a Mac and a half ton truck and then see my viral load when you can take four sheep and 15 hits and five fences and get them all there safely. And we always just get phone calls from all over the island. Where's Mike Meyer, he didn't have one farm we have four or five farms and he was always on the other one. But before the program is started is renowned and virtually every student who went through that program has a great love and desire for agriculture. That is because of this man and his wife. The farming community benefited from this dedicated desire To the agriculture

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so my comeback

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revelations today and we really do appreciate

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all your work. Thank you very much

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farm that we have now because for me it was cooler frosty

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a lemma that I can

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watch. So we're gonna flush it out. And then I remember my kids on building the truck with spinophilin here in Sydney down the road

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anyone else?

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Well, I'm gonna turn. Yes, yes.

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I remember, when I first came in, I was the former teacher, and I ended up loving it. But I still think you saw that to students. And I was impressed that Mike was not only the agriculture teacher, but he also thought, well, and I was most impressed by this person who also looked like he was on the farm. And, you know, I felt it should be kind of briefcase. He always looked at the the kids that were having a little problem of one kind. And another would always be asking me, who likes to work out some some things. And then, of course, I've worked with data for like two years of both in school. And they're the agricultural world. And the teaching will always mix with the conversation sometimes. That's what we only come spare in the winter, once a week until later this year. And she said, Oh, this happened to snow till February or something like this. And then one day, somebody goes to ask, how do we figure out, you know, how do we know what? And she says, Oh, I didn't even know always a little hints you could get from there. I'd say well, you know, we see parsnips, and we never get them. We never get them. It's too long. It takes three weeks for them to start up and says, Oh, you've got cancer. We now because everybody to transfer class, let's say you get fasteners. And then there's one thing at school, we could never work out that that word say she never practiced before she came, and she couldn't be drinking coffee at recess, and she breaks for lunch tea. And all of us were hungry by recess, and we'd already have breakfast. And then we figured out of course it was her lifestyle. Mike and Beth were working on the farm. So nine o'clock at night. And then Beth cooked up this huge dinner, big steaks and everything. So by 10 o'clock, you know, she's just eaten and of course, within the breakfast, always. And thank you for my association

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and a relative

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newcomer to salt Creek appear to pretty much everybody else in this room. But we moved here in 2001. And my father in law, Alex Mitchell had been on the line for a long time, and we were gonna get married. And Alex said, Well, you're going to get married because the only way to have a wedding on Saltspring is you might have to do well on the spirit for the wedding. So that was all arranged prior to our arrival out here. And we came at the end of August and drove down to the farm and then Debbie Mike. And Bev is responsible for me knowing her steward Rodin's she showed us how to get back to our place don't just like walk through steward rope, and also gave me my first introduction. And I know she served as trustee. And we can thank her for that commitment to the community because we need people to be involved and step up to that role. And so thank you for everything. You've always been very warm and friendly every time we've met the past three years. And yeah, it's just been an openness Thank you so much for everything you've done

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Farmington, Boston.

Unknown Speaker 20:21
And I just wanted to have a thank you as speaking pining defining the fantastic volunteer. And that's a wonderful thing. But I also wanted to thank St. Clair for a turn on the trustee. And as trustee, you know, on the south end, we

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often there's

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a point where we have some people there, there's one that protested the roads. There's another group that protested the potholes have been fixed, and a lot of guys to go to class. But anyway, I was just wondering, though, that was received, because they actually

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wrote and they stopped, right, I think I was wondering,

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that was somebody that doesn't do

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very, very well.

Unknown Speaker 21:19
My role is not enough to make a presentation. Out there, as I said, just take a minute to thank our staffers and Claire Olivier for organizing this whole event for us and making sure everybody had coffee. And I don't know that we thought there'd be this many people per case. So thank you for everything.

Unknown Speaker 21:57
Thank you all so much for coming to these kinds of gatherings. In our community, I'm often asked these days as a trustee, not to call in this really demanding hours for very little pay, and a lot of controversy

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all the time.

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It seems to me stone Canyon, on the silence. But I'd also say that it's a wonderful community. And there are a lot of really good people in this community. And we're really fortunate to live where we live. One of the things that I want to say as a trustee is that there are people in this community that I'm relying on from time to time when I'm faced with difficult decisions and dilemmas. And Ben was one of them. And I really appreciate her advice and her perspective. And I feel people like that standing behind me and supporting me and making decisions for the community. So I particularly want to thank them today for them. We're really lucky not only to have the national treasures that we have, here on the islands, the dribbling Valley, Maxwell, and many, many other beautiful hours in an American Canyon ship with creatures like purple Martin, the Phantom Orphism, red legged frog, and I could go on and on. But we also have a lot of seeming treasures in our lives. And we go out of our way to set aside parks and protected areas and preserve the precious jewels of the natural world, that we too seldom recognize and thank the people who helped ensure that those tools are not tarnished, and that the fabric of our rural community remains healthy. And so in that spirit, I want to read a letter to my friend Beth. From lips, three trustees, local communities answers that Community Service Award. In celebration of a pretty good diversity of the elements Trust, the Saltspring Island local trust committee is pleased to present a Community Service Award to Mike in that Byron in recognition of their many years of generous contribution to the Saltspring community in so many ways. My confess I've taught our communities skills and knowledge and strengthened our agricultural roots. They've encouraged and supported us. They have turned offices in farmers, nourish our bodies with foods and our experience of music helps preserve our real environment. And then our friends and mentors. This community service workers have sensitive to Mike and Deb firing for their guidance, stewardship and friendship, for their dedication and vision. And for the cheerful determination, they grow up to it all.

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Class here that was created on the earth for another time. And it is the objects of the trust to preserve and protect the chest area, and its unique amenities and environment and I'd like to present it to bed and money.

Unknown Speaker 26:13
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, friends and neighbors. This is most wonderful, most unexpected. Thank you so much. And then that means a very special thanks to George and Christine, for considering making this award is most delightful. There are so many deserving people on Saltspring. We've put in so much of their time and effort for our island, that it is marvelous to be singled out as one of those who would consider. I must also thank Brian for his kind words, he always find something to say. Some of you may have read the article in the dressing room at about three weeks ago, in which our senior my eldest brother was thanking the organization. The people of Saltspring are their assistance to the family when they arrived in 1934. The farmer's Institute, the Women's Institute, were two of the groups he mentioned. That I can live in a wall with for many years, to see, limits governance, so much for this community, to gurus that have been working with, and for this community for 90 to 100 years. It is certainly not at all difficult to return the favor in different ways. But I must put in an extra plug for the Women's Institute. For the tiny Navy, as we are sometimes known. The work of the WR is much less well known than that of other organizations on the earth and we just do our thing. The four largest charitable recipients from our micelles, which you spend your money on, go forward the Queen Alexandra Hospital for Sick Children, of which the Women's Institute was the founding organization to the BC Children's Hospital, of which we were one of the founding members, the leading Mental Hospital and $1,000 bursary to a graduate of the local high school. We have such a wonderful Saltspring community such a well developed sense of community. And people support that togetherness in so many ways, coaching young people sports, fundraising for hospitals, working in the library, running the conservancy school program, driving an elderly neighbor, appointment. And of course, setting once make forward to become a Saltspring trustee to the earnings trust, knowing that you are taking on a job in which not everyone is going to be pleased with the decisions. That least decisions must be taken. I did enjoy my time as a trustee. I've met so many wonderful and interesting people. I learned so much about OCP knighted by laws and the people in this community and how passionate the items Revenues can become in the organization. It is certainly very enjoyable and rewarding to work for a community that responds so enthusiastically. And once again, the neighbors Mike and I thank you most sincerely, your wonderful, wonderful class. Thank you so much.