At the opening ceremony of the Learning Garden, Spencer Tracy of Selkirk College remarked to the gathered audience that he and his young family had moved here about six months ago and today, participating in this inclusive community project, he is affirmed that moving here was a great decision.
It was a remarkable event that brought the full range of our community together around the values of cooperation, collaboration, optimism, agriculture and sustainability.
To launch the event, our local Boundary Metis Community Association offered a profoundly appropriate blessing ceremony with drumming and singing.
The seniors mixed with excited children and parents, sharing their depth of agricultural knowledge while engaging in the popular “lasagna gardening” demonstration.
The city works crew was enthusiastic and responsive to providing any help they could contribute—asking if they could volunteer their skills and personal time to the Learning Garden project, on a weekend, to give back in a meaningful way to the community that employs them.
Our dedicated community volunteers arrived: videographer Les Johnson, photographer Peter Kalasz, Lorraine Dick, Wayne Hind, John Nagel …and our ubiquitous sound engineer Zak Eburne Stoodley: first to arrive at events to set up and the last to leave, often unnoticed due to his skill and commitment. Unfortunately for Zak, our attention is usually attracted to mistakes.
Thanks go out to our local businesses that so graciously donate to this project: Jerseyland for their organic manure, Gaia Green for their organic fertilizer, Kettle Valley Waste for mulch deliveries in their roll-off bins and the amazing talent volunteered for this event by our local musicians, Nathan Vogel, Jamphian and Crow’s Nest.
To Mayor Konrad, city councilors, city staff, CAO Doug Allin, Area C Director Grace McGregor, Area D Director Roly Russell and our many wonderful sponsor representatives who all took time from their busy lives to attend and to personally support the launch of this exciting project—THANK YOU!
Peter Matheson, for The Learning Garden Team
