Dear Dr. David Suzuki,
I was reading awhile back that you are 88-years-old this year, I cannot believe this much time has passed so quickly since first meeting you way back in the 70s in Toronto.
For some time I have wanted to write to you to thank you for the little helps, advice, and suggestions over the years of my former activism and general interference with the status quo. It has been an educational ride, and a couple of things got done.
I initiated the opening of a needle exchange here in Campbell River that opened three years into doing exchanges on my own privately. I was a user for many years, and when I finally got straightened out, as a citizen I saw that we would go bankrupt over future health care the way the numbers of cases of HIV was growing. The Exchange has been open since 1994 under the management of others, but no-one can take that initiation away from me. I own it, and under that good direction of others it is still operating, and has grown into a real educational and support system, I am so proud of them for their compassion and performance, though I am not involved for issues of personal safety myself. My reward for my part is to look into the eyes of someone whose life I have helped save every day,
Then there was Agent Orange…it started as a WCB issue for a friend who was dying of lung cancer, (To be honest, I was promised a cut of the settlement, eventually reached, but never collected upon myself, a great life lesson, get it in writing if you are going to be an agent.)
The issues of contamination of 2/4/D and 2/4/5/T in the soils and estuary turned up nil after all those years, David, a real surprise for all involved. Both local newspapers locally covered the issue extensively at the time (1992/3). As you suggested, we helicoptered out to the BC Hydro sites and downslopes that had heavy spraying back in the 1970s, along the hydro transmission lines and sites where creosote was used as a wood preservative.
Absolutely nothing remained, and that was the switch-around surprise for the scientists doing the testing, and myself, and the lady scientist (can’t recall her name, but you suggested her to me).
It was a total switch from the expectations, exactly opposite. The company scientists and myself, and WCB expected the agents to still be in the ground in healthy levels, But no, not a trace. Nature did its job.
Lastly, the subject that brought us together so many years ago…UFOs…I know, stop laughing, there are more important things to pursue, but it’s my favorite pastime, and light recreation in a serious world. Nothing to report and ponder there, except those plasma balls of light that were covered by the local paper here in 1991, that I sent you faxes about and got me started with the media. That was the only good reportable story in that area, though I am still a strong believer, having never seen one myself…or Bigfoot either…LOL, as they say.
There was one time when you were seriously wrong about something though, David…to do with when I first met you…
Julies Mansion, Toronto, circa 1975…separately, we were each with our wives out to dinner, five-star dining, remember that place? I want a house like that sometime..(corner of Church and College, that area). That’s when I met you, and we got to yakking on the couch in the second floor bar about my UFO obsessions, and you gave me good advice about it. I won’t get into here, but we got well into double screwdrivers with you telling me our wife/girlfriend wouldn’t mind us going on for a while…and much longer as it turned out…but boy, were you wrong about that one, David, so very, very wrong…
Thanks again, David, and I hope I have made you smile, too, with these memories. We can be proud that we did our bit, and had some fun along the way,too.
Yours Sincerely and Respectfully,
Guy Walter Banks
