Mr. Memory BILL CLENNAN R.I.P.
A number of years back while working for CBS Records a colleague visiting from Alberta asked me how far Crescent Beach was from where I lived in White Rock. I explained to him it was very close. He then went on at great length telling me about a good friend of his that lived in Crescent Beach who he had not seen for a couple of years. Would it be possible if he came out to visit me on the weekend that we could go and visit his friend. He really seemed intent on introducing me to this gentleman.
The weekend arrived and we headed out to Crescent Beach. As we pulled up the long winding driveway off of Crescent Road a smiling gregarious gentleman who had bounded out the front door suddenly greeted us.
My friend introduced me to BILL CLENNAN “Mr. Memory” as he was known professionally.
Over the following years I got to know BILL on a personal level. Somewhere in a box of memories I have a letter of inspiration CLENNAN used to give to his clients. I had it posted on my office wall for a number of years.
BILL CLENNAN was hired by fortune 500 companies all over North America to instruct their members on how they could fine tune and develop their memory skills basically through word association. IE: Perhaps he would remember my name Chesney by using the trigger word “chestnut.”
As we all can attest there is nothing more gratifying than to have someone who you just casually met, walk straight up to you and address you by your name. It is an art developed to great extent by many successful business people.
But back to my life-altering lesson from BILL that had nothing to do with memory development.
BILL’S work took him all over North America. One day he might be in Dallas speaking to 300 Century 21 realtors and the next day he would be in Boston speaking to a couple hundred doctors. His travel schedule was dizzying. So one day BILL has his wife drive him to Vancouver International to travel to some destination in America. His wife simply dropped him off at the departure gate. And left the airport to return to their home in Crescent Beach. Just as BILL crested the door inside the terminal Air Canada pilots confronted him with a wildcat strike. As this was prior to the cell phone era, BILL had no way of calling his wife to return to pick him up at the airport The strike had grounded all flights out of Vancouver for at least that day.
CLENNAN was livid. Not only was he now stranded at the airport, he was going to have to call his client in America and explain why he would not be attending the conference he has the Keynote Speaker at. Not a position any professional would like to find themselves in.
CLENNAN walked over to a payphone and dialed information for Ottawa 613. He asked the operator for the phone number for the office of the Prime Minister. At that time it was Pierre Trudeau. Within a matter of moments CLENNAN had dialed the phone number given to him by information and reached a pleasant sounding receptionist in the PMO. CLENNAN asked if he might please speak with Prime Minister Trudeau. The secretary asked him to hold for a moment the next voice BILL heard was that of Pierre Elliott Trudeau himself.
Trudeau asked Bill to what did he owe the pleasure of him calling Ottawa today. CLENNAN went on to explain his predicament as a self employed small business owner wildcat strikes were a great inconvenience to himself and many other travelers in Canada. Trudeua explained to Bill he fully understood how a wildcat strike prevented anyone from making alternative travel plans on such short notice. Trudeau then went on to explain the government was looking into the matter, as this was not the first incidence of wildcat strikes by Air Canada. Then the coin dropped. Trudeau THANKED Bill very much for calling him. In closing he said he “wished more people would call.”
That story has resonated with me now for nearly 30 years. I am going to share a little secret with you that has held me in good standing all these years. Simply put – start at the top. By that I mean if you have any kind of concern research the contact information of the organization you are seeking an answer from and start with the name at the top of the masthead.
A real life example happened when I was in the planning stage of this on line newspaper. I wanted to pay homage to the iconic newspapers in the Western World. The Chicago Tribune, the New York Times etc. Their log was something I wished to emulate. I logged on to the New York Times website and found the contact information for the President of the New York Times. If you visit the website of the New York Times you need to know enough to scroll all the way to the bottom of the contact list. Down past lost animal contacts etc. is where I found the President’s contact info.
I composed an email to the President and explained to him how I was starting an independent on line newspaper on the West Coast of Canada in a suburb of Vancouver. I explained I had searched the various font styles available and could not find anything that was really that close to the iconic newspaper logos I was looking for. I went on to explain I was sure there masthead was no doubt an original piece of artwork and I was aware I could not use their font, but did he have any advice for me?
Within a half hour I received a lengthy reply from The President on how the original artwork was commissioned in the 1930’s and later in 1950 another artist made slight changes to the style of print used. He went on to explain I was correct in assuming I could not use their original artwork but he had researched my inquiry and that he had provided in his email a link to a free font website that had examples very similar to the style utilized by The New York Times and many other heritage newspapers. I followed the link and discovered numerous print styles exactly like I was looking for. I sent back a thank you note and received a reply wishing me luck with my endeavour, and if he could be of any further assistance please feel free to contact him at his personal phone# which he supplied.
Does this secret system work all the time. No. But I have reaped the benefits of this little secret for years and more times than not I am successful in attaining the information or person I am looking for.
Sunday morning on a trip back from Vancouver Island I decided to purchase a copy of The Province newspaper to kill some of the mind numbing two hour ferry trip. I was stunned as I opened the paper to see BILL had passed away recently at his sports club in Tswassen. I had lost close contact with BILL over the years, but he was never far from my thoughts due to the little secret he passed along. As you will see by reading the story in The Province BILL CLENNAN was a larger than life gentleman. I will miss him, I will rue the day for not picking up the phone and calling him to say hello. But in the end most days I will celebrate his memory as I practise his life lesson.
Read Sunday's Province story on "Mr. Memory" BILL CLENNAN (Click Here)
Now you know BILL’S little secret. Celebrate his insight. And let’s keep this little secret between the two of us. I will always “remember” and thank "Mr. Memory - BILL CLENNAN"
Helen Wheels
Since her arrival an the sunny shores of Semiahmoo Bay HELEN FATHERS has worked in a number of capacities in the service industry. Two years ago she decided to aim for the ultimate service job, a councilor for White Rock. Since then there have been some ups and downs, trials and tribulations. Will she run again? It depends on what day you ask her.
Your bio states you have lived in White Rock for 18 years. You came here from England. Tell me a bit about how you ended up in White Rock?
Landed in 1990 with Mom & Step Dad, then flew back to England and returned for good in 1991. We had relatives living in Canada and when we first arrived in Canada we visited various relatives in Surrey /White Rock area. We fell in love with it right off the bat.
What are some of your favourite memories of those early days in White Rock.
The nicest thing that I remember was I always felt like I was on holiday. Even though I have a much busier life these days being a Mom, working and sitting on Council, I still feel like I am on vacation. We have a young daughter and a dog so a couple of times a week we go down to the beach to walk the dog, get an ice cream cone or fish n chips for supper. I have been going to Montgomery’s for fish n chips for years. It is a personal choice I always have to have their “mushy peas” and coleslaw. I call ahead to make sure they have mushy peas cooking on that day!!!
At one time you were the manager of the local band COZY BONES,. How did that all come about? Two of the members of the band JORDAN CARRIER and ED JOHNSON still are a big part of the musical fabric of White Rock. Do you have any special memories of the time you spent managing the band?
COZY BONES was my first love. I was dating the bass player for the band Eamon Kroetsch. I used to go to their practices in Ed Johnson’s basement. I was in my early 20’s. They were fantastic, just pure raw energy. I had always been interested in music and had a head for business so it all just kind of naturally fell into place. I said “I can help you guys.” I managed the band for 5 years and it was fantastic.
These days in addition to people knowing you as a White Rock Councilor, many in our community see you every week performing your duties as the White Rock Farmers’ Market Manager. How did you come to be the manager of the popular market?
Fathers at the grand opening of the White Rock Market
I used to go the farmers’ market like so many residents of the Semiahmoo Peninsula. I always thought someday I would love to be involved with the market. One day I read an ad in the local newspaper and I said to myself, I couldn’t have written an ad more perfect for myself. I answered the ad for the assistant manager position. Two years later I was promoted to the Manager of the market. I love the farmers’ market, it’s in my blood. The new site overall is a pretty good location. There are some challenges but we work around them. Some of the residents in the towers complain about the noise level from the live music and a couple of other little wrinkles, but we work them out and find solutions.
Does being out in the public on a regular basis offer the opportunity to stay in touch with the community? Do people engage you in conversation and let you know about how they feel Council is doing?
Absolutely. People feel I am approachable. As a Council member I work and live in this community in a position whereby people do not hesitate to come right up to me and tell me how they think we are doing at City Hall. I have worked in the community for years, whether it was as a server at The Boathouse or Earls or when I worked for Choices Market. People see me out and about in the community all the time. I encourage an open and approachable relationship with the public. If I happen to be busy doing some market work and I can’t stop to talk right then and there I give people my business card and ask them to call me so I can find the time to discuss their concerns.
CPR The Citizens For Positive Renewal the slate you were elected under has now been in place for 2 years. You have just over one year left in your mandate. How do you think you are doing?
As an individual I am sticking by what I said I would do. As a group I think for the most part, we have succeeded in working fairly well as a team. It is really hard sometimes to work as a group and yet be an individual. It can be challenging. I am happy with what I have learned so far and hope to continue being open minded.
This is the first time we have ever had a slate in White Rock. Do you envision you will run again as a part of a slate? Will CPR return as a slate.
CPR set out to reflect what we felt were the feelings of the community and the development of the Official Community Plan. I think we accomplished that. Whether or not we will run as a group, I am not sure at this point. To be honest with you if you asked me today, which you have, I would have to say if I run again I doubt it will be part of a slate, I might run as an independent.
What is your vision of White Rock. It goes beyond “branding”, how do you see White Rock in the big picture. Can we continue on independent or is it possible we may have to examine rejoining Surrey sometime in the future?
I don’t think we can exist by comparing ourselves to Surrey. We can’t compete with Surrey. We should try to bridge the gap. For me White Rock is all about the arts, culture and heritage. It always has been. I know so many artists that live locally. It really is an artist’s community. I think we should be accenting and growing that aspect of White Rock. It really does make us unique in my mind.
Do you have any specific ideas on how we can grow as an artistic community?
Yes. The city applied for a 2010 legacy grant and we got it. The first step is a cultural mapping process. Like any vision you need a strategy on how to get to where you want to go. We will work towards that vision. Strategically work towards that vision. I think the city as a whole needs to do more work and put more effort towards embracing the arts. To start we could re-work the city web site to promote more of our artists. Tell the community what is going on artistically. I think it would be great for us to have a Bard On The Beach for instance. More things for visitors to White Rock to do. I wonder why the city does not take a more pro-active part in the staging of the events like our Sea Festival for instance,. We have work to do in a number of areas when it comes to mapping the future of White Rock.
This summer you were offered a very unique opportunity to be part of a special ceremony held by the Semiahmoo First Nations band. Tell me a bit about your experience.
Helen/Ellie Rose & Tswassen Canoe Host
We were invited to be part of the “Pulling Together” journey of dozens of canoes that traveled through the Lower Mainland to a number of first nations reserves. This was the first time in the 51 year history that Semiahmoo First Nations Band hosted the event. My six year old daughter Ellie Rose and I were honoured to be part of the ceremony. It was spiritually moving. There was a whole process we had to go through for protocol, certain people had to get into the canoes in a certain order. Each paddler greeted first me and then Ellie Rose and then we were welcomed aboard the Tsawassen canoe. We paddled from near the pier down to the Little Campbell River and up the river to the bridge to the reserve where we were greeted by Chief Willard Cook. It was very spiritual.
How would you describe White Rock to someone?
A seaside community with a rich arts history. Beautiful beaches, great fish n’ chips and a small town that is in transition.
Whatever happened to the Town Hall Meetings we were promised?
I am not sure why they have never happened. We have talked about them and nothing seems to happen. Maybe it is just a matter that someone needs to take the bull by the horns and get it done. I think they would be a great idea for the community to go one on one with us in a very relaxed casual environment. I will see what I can do about making them happen. Things move painfully slow at City Hall. Actually slow would mean things would speed up. It frustrating at times. As a self starter and a go getter I have had to learn a great deal of patience.
SHORE 2 SHORE
Scott Booth (far right), Local 2407 Union President, stands with team riders
(from left to right) Evan Bird, Patrick Ryan, Mike Passas, Eric Kameka, James Davison, and Bira Bindra.
White Rock Firemen Prepare For Cycling Assault On Canada
Over the past number of months the White Rock firemen have been everywhere. In addition to fighting fires and a very public fight to save their jobs in White Rock, the firefighters have been organizing a fundraiser called “Shore 2 Shore.”
 Team member AL McNABB
Sunday morning while fighting a southwester up at the Farmer’s Market we stopped in to talk with AL McNABB who was manning the booth and pedaling to stay warm
McNABB will leave here later this month to pick up one of the motor homes in Calgary the team will use. “I will fly to Calgary and drive the motor home clear across the country to our starting point which is Halifax. The rest of the team will meet up with me there, and then after a day or so of preparation we will start our journey on September 8. “
All the proceeds raised during the ride will benefit Variety Club. McNABB explains how Variety Club was chosen. “Well when we started talking about doing a ride like this, a couple of the members of our fire hall talked about the good work they had witnessed personally that Variety Club did. Plus we wanted to have a national charity given we would be riding across the entire country.”
The 8 member team will stage the assault on Canada in a relay form riding 24/7 with their support team traveling in tandem with them. One of the escort vehicles will leapfrog ahead to towns along the route to aid in creating public awareness for the ride. “A number of fire halls and their crews have already contacted us and invited us to put up at the fire hall or their homes. A number of the halls will also be staging local fundraiser's like barbeques’s at the fire halls.
Our firefighters are making personal sacrifices to ensure the success of the SHORE 2 SHORE ride. All the firemen will do the ride on their holiday time and even with Peninsula Cycle throwing in as much aid as possible, there is still a hefty cost attached for each rider, which they will pay personally. The money will not come out of the donations. Each rider will make up any shortfall personally or through money raised through other events like community barbques. All money donated to Variety through the fireman's website goes directly to Variety.
In addition to the firemen that are staging the actual ride, the other members of the firehall will be putting forth a tremendous effort to cover off the necessary shifts. In some cases firemen will be doing 12-14 shifts straight. A huge sacrifice.
Now the $64,000.00 question. How long do you think it will take to ride from Halifax to Vancouver?
Well if everything goes right the ride will begin in Halifax on September 8 and end here in White Rock 14 days later on September 21.
Watch for the firemen around town, throw a few bucks or whatever you can afford in the “boot” and lets all make sure we get out on September 21 to welcome the SHORE 2 SHORE riders home.
Janice Savage - Sea Fest Saviour
The White Rock Sea Festival has a very long and rich tradition. For 61 years now the annual celebration of all things sand and sea has attracted tens of thousands of visitors to the shores of Semiahmoo Bay.
Over the years the Festival has ebbed and flowed in popularity. Things at one time were so despondent on the waterfront the sea festival parade was held UPTOWN. The festival has had its bank accounts emptied by less than honourable directors and harboured individuals with alternative motives.
This past year the former director of the sea festival, one time city councillor MATT TODD came under harsh criticism from White Rock City Halland in particular the Mayor and Council. TODD told them if they weren't happy with the job he had done the the last couple of years, they knew where they could pound sand. When no one stepped up to replace him, the Sea Fest looked to be doomed to failure. In the final months leading up to the dates for this years festival TODD rode in like a knight in shining white armour and said he would accept the criticism but for the good of all he would once again take over the Sea Festival. Then the bombshell! Two months before the festival TODD pulled out again.
In the darkest hour a local music promoter and event planner JANICE SAVAGE stepped in to save the day. Had the sea festival not been held this year it would have been incredibly difficult for it to return in the coming years.
This years festival was not without its glitches. An event this size run on the back of volounteers can be challenging at the best of times. But SAVAGE soldiered on. Over the weekend SAVAGE seemed to be everywhere, fine tuning the events and ensuring things went off without a hitch.
I am sure JANICE would attest she could not have done it without the army of volounteers.
So today I tip my beach sombrero to JANICE SAVAGE and thank her whole heartedly for saving a part of our rich tradition. If you concur, next year slap on the sunscreen, make a picnic basket up and come on down to the beach for the day. Next year let's all pull together and make it the huge success it deserves to be.
Lynne Sinclair Civil Servant @ Your Service
In May Councillors Lynne Sinclair and Alan Campbell attended a conference hosted by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities in Toronto. Sinclair recently took time out of her schedule to sit down and re-cap the topics of discussion. The conference saw representatives from 1800 municipalities and cities from across Canada come together to discuss the future of their communities; The FCM works mainly with the Federal level of government, whereas at the Provincial level, the UBCM (Union of British Columbia Municipalities) works more closely with the Provincial Government..
According to Sinclair one of the main topics discussed at this year's conference in Toronto was an agreement the Federal Government is working on with the EU Economic Union. In the discussions that were taking place there was going to be a clause that will prevent civic governments from having any laws that would impact trade policies.
Sinclair explains how that would affect us here at the local level "If we had a ban on pesticides that could be overruled by the deal the Feds make with the EU. We are sending a clear message if the Federal Government is making any kind of agreements that affect us at the local level we should have a seat at the table of the negotiations. If we did not have an organization like FCM we would not have even known the fine points of the Federal Government's negotiations, not only in this matter but other matters as well that will impact us at the local level."
Last year the annual gathering of the FCM was held in Whistler and the entire White Rock Council attended that meeting. Sinclair was our sole rep at the Provincial equal of the FCM the UBCM last year in Vancouver.
"I am learning a lot about the issues, there are excellent workshops and forums at these conferences and it is a golden opportunity to meet other elected officials from not only around the Province but from right across the country. I enjoy politics and I like meetings, I enjoy listening to debate. I find it a great way for me to become informed. At the recent UBCM meeting I had the opportunity to speak on two subjects I feel passionate about. The minimum wage and the pesticide ban. I pushed for a Provincial ban on all pesticide use. I am in favour of a livable wage, I think the term minimum wage is outmoded. New Westminster is the first and so far the only district to push for a minimum wage and it is pegged at $16.74. That is what a livable wage is pegged at in the Lower Mainland. Currently our minimum wage is $8.00 provincially. The training wage is $6.00. It is the lowest in Canada while other Provinces are looking at raising their minimum wage we have held steady since 2001. It is a disgrace. In New Westminister's case the first stage of implementation is to pay that rate of $16.00 for anyone working for or with the city."
The title of the recent conference in Toronto was STRONG COMMUNITIES - STRONG CITIES - STRONG CANADA. Building from the ground up and keeping our country strong.
The two main themes this year at the meetings in Toronto were the environment and affordable housing. The Federal Government's commitment to infrastructure was also was a top subject. Not just roads and bridges. But how communities and cities would be spending the money from the Federal transfers.
Social Housing in White Rock?. "White Rock does not have any social housing. We do have special needs housing. That is something we need to look at because no one is immune from poverty or at risk of being homeless. No one is immune to that. We want our city to be inclusive. There are a growing number of single parent low income families living in White Rock. We are also hearing the seniors in our community are under constant financial pressure. You have some issues that need to be addressed before they become more serious. There is a real shortage of affordable housing in White Rock and it is impacting middle income bracket. We need to pay attention to those numbers. We can't wait until we have visible homeless on our streets. Presently we have a number of invisible homeless people and one person who has become the face of homelessness in White Rock" says Sinclair..
Any recommendations from the conference?
'Emergency resolutions, telling the Federal Government they must institute a Federal Public Pension Plan. We put forth that recommendation to ensure EVERYONE has a decent and livable pension when they are near the end of their lives. There area number of pension plans that are failing. The FCM wanted to defer it for further study. The whole room just erupted. The mayor of Toronto stood up and said no let's vote on it now. It is right across the country we are unified on that issue."
The conference hosted three guest speakers, Mayors from Mexico City, Melbourne Australia and the Mayor from Jakarta Indonesia. Sinclair found the insight they brought to be very informative. "They were fascinating and they were all dealing with the environment. Mexico city for instance has cut their air pollution by 50% in the past three years. I found that really inspiring., The different things being done Internationally I find that very interesting."
The other resolution we put forth was the Federal Government needs to step up on housing. "I feel very strongly about that. I don't people can thrive without a decent home. Whether they own it or rent it. In White Rock the split between renters and those that own their property is 65 rent to 35 own. We have a shortage of affordable rentals in White Rock. I believe we have less than 1% affordable housing stock in White Rock. I think the national average is 3%. We have 800 identifiable basement or secondary suites that we have logged in the city, there may be more. Without that stock we would be in big trouble for affordable housing. A lot of what used to be affordable suites are now being priced through the roof, so the times have changed in White Rock. We need to find a better word than affordable. At the conference the term affordable housing was being referred to as less than the market rate."
Inclusionary zoning was also a hot topic." There was much discussion against designating one particular area for social housing and we will all live in another area. We can't and shouldn't do it that way. My biggest objections to the Bosa Project is they did not include any affordable housing units and the city gave away public land. Those were the big issues for me even more so than the height debate. If you are going to allow a developer to make that much money there should have been something coming back to the city.'
Sinclair believeS the new development by EPTA across Johnston road from the Bosa towers is a new template for development in our area." The project actually is designatiing funds that the city will put directly into an account reserved for future social housing. We are going to do it. I am determined we are going to do it. While in Toronto we went to see an old tenement housing that had been redeveloped and renovated. They have instituted a number of programs custom made for the community's need. The development is in an area that has recently gone through a transition. There was a lot of backlash from the residents that recently moved into the area as it was quickly becoming a hip part of downtown Toronto where once it was sort of on the skids. So to alleviate the problem a group went from door to door in the community and engaged the residents to make them part of the community. They invited the whole neighbourhood to come to the big opening party. People came and they all had a gift, they brought blankets, food, blankets and books or whatever. A community caring through open dialogue."
Instead of social housing being an afterthought what Sinclair saw first hand in Toronto is social housing can actually be the fire starter for the revitalization for an area of the city. "What they showed is where they built the affordable housing it causes the area to start to boom and as a result the area starts to grow up around it because there are already people moving in and developing the area, stores start to open and you soon have a community where once it was just junk. That is exactly what is going on."
"We have land in White Rock, we have developers, we have some money in our coffers. The trick is how much development and what kind of development we proceed with in White Rock. There needs to be a more open and inclusive discussion any new developers that come to White Rock. The city needs to reestablish the trust between the community and the developers." That is not there right now according to Councillor Sinclair.
"I think we need to develop public participation programs. Instead of going into an area in the city and saying This is what we are going to do, what do you think about it?" I am a teacher and that is just inflammatory to take that tact. We should first go to the community and say we are discussing and thinking about a number of options for this area, what are your thoughts on the matter? I really want the city to develop a policy and we would get much more positive input coming back from the community.. If we could have an artist's rendering for future development, I think that would be advantageous. This way people in the affected area can see what say a shared driveway looks like."
The conversation with Councillor Sinclair ended on an entirely different topic. The much discussed proposal to change the civic elections from every 3 years to every 4 years. Sinclair explains her thoughts and her fellow Councillors. "We voted against changing the elections from 3-4 years as a Council. I personally don't buy the learning curve argument being put forth. I did and I think any candidate for public office should do their homework before running. I personally attended council meeting and went t a number of other meetings in the city before deciding to run for office. I also think the public having a say every 3 years in the direction of their city is far superior. That extra year makes a big difference."
It is citizens like LYNNE SINCLAIR that make a big difference. They have put themselves forward with an honest desire to best represent the people of White Rock and to ensure our concerns are met. It's called democracy and it is a good thing.
A White Rock Tradition - Moby Dick's Peter & Greg Mueller
l-r Father and Son Peter and Greg Mueller
WAS THERE A DEFINING MOMENT WHEN YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD TURN YOUR LOVE FOR PLAYING CARDS INTO A LIVING?
No not really. I always loved the competition aspect of playing cards. When I retired from playing hockey professionally in Europe I got into acting a little bit and I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do. When the popularity of poker tournaments started to increase I dabbled in them a bit and similar to hockey, it is so competitive I was drawn to it.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE WHEN YOU WON YOUR FIRST BIG TOURNAMENT?
My first big win was $300,000. All my friends and family were routing me on. I called my Dad and told him about my big win. My Dad asked me if I went out and partied and he seemed a little surprised when I told him I just went back to my hotel room after the big win. To use the metaphor of a hockey again, when you see the Stanley Cup Final and the team that came in second seems sort of defeated and down and out. Similar to that just making the final was a big thing for me, but because I am so competitive there was a bit of a let down. My roommate when I travel who is also a professional poker player had won a tournament the night before. We both just went out for a bite to eat talked about our respective games and then turned in early and called it a night.
YOU STILL MAKE YOUR HOME N THE WHITE ROCK AREA. HOW MUCH DO YOU TRAVEL ANNUALLY?
My traveling goes in spurts. I will go out for a week or so then I am back home. In the summertime due to the schedule of the tournaments I travel a little bit more. I play in a couple of rec hockey leagues in the area, so I don’t like to miss too many or our games. That is why I can travel a little bit more in the summer months.
FOR THE UNITIATED THAT WATCH POKER ON TELEVISION COULD YOU EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT THE BREAKDOWN IS ON LUCK AND SKILL IN PLAYING AT THE LEVEL YOU PLAY AT?
That is the unique thing about poker. There is an extreme amount of luck involved, which means on any given day, anyone, no matter their race, size, sex or age it doesn’t matter, there is always the chance of winning. I think that is one of the things that makes poker playing so interesting. It is not always the same winner. For instance in every sport you will always see the same group of competitors that will end up in the top bracket. That is what I think creates the competitiveness in poker playing. There is always the illusion that on any given day, anyone just might win. I mean if you and sat down and played poker and we played a little one on one poker you would win some games. Now if we played for a week straight I would win. But in the short term match anything can happen.
YOU PLAY POKER AT A LEVEL THAT 99% OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE READING THIS ARTICLE WILL NEVER ACHIEVE OR REALLY UNDERSTAND. IT IS WELL DOCUMENTED THAT LEGAL GAMBLING HAS CAUSED A GREAT DEAL OF HEARTBREAK TO INDIVIDUALS AND THEIR FAMILIES THROUGH EXCESSIVE GAMBLING. DO YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ON THISSOCIAL PROBLEM?
You don’t usually find that much of a problem with poker. Slot machines, blackjack tables and roulette tables in my opinion seem to be where you encounter the majority of what society calls “problem gamblers.” Poker is more of a competition. From my personal experience the majority of the people that enjoy playing poker for the most part do not gamble more than they can afford to lose. Usually the poker players I encounter are extremely successful in another area of their life and it is the thrill of the competition mainly that draws them to high stakes poker. They can afford to lose a little bit. They hope to get better to compete at a higher level, as opposed to taking the rent money and yanking on a slot machine handle trying to get ahead. Poker is a lot different it doesn’t work that way. It used to have a bad rap. Now it has attained a new level of popularity due to the television broadcasts that quite often will feature “celebrity gamblers.” It has changed a lot.
YOU ARE NOW AT A STAGE WHERE YOU ARE RECOGNIZED PUBLICLY. DO YOU EVER GET PEOPLE COMING UP TO YOU IN AN AIRPORT AND ASKING YOU FOR ADVICE?
People normally just want a photograph or an autograph. Sometimes they will ask me things like “Who Is Your Favourite Hockey Player” because I have become somewhat synonymous with hockey. Sometimes they will ask “What Is Your Favourite Hand” which I will always reply “Aces.” They will ask all kinds of poker questions but it is very difficult to answer some of their questions. There just isn’t s snap answer to something like “What should I do if I am holding 2 queens?”
A GREAT NUMBER OF THE PICTURES TAKEN OF YOU WHILE YOU ARE PLAYING POKER, SHOW YOU WEARING HEADPHONES. TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT YOU LISTEN TO.
It really depends on my mood what I will listen to. If I can’t focus or concentrate I will put the headphones and try to dial in a little bit more. What I listen to will depend on my chip stack. If I have a lot of chips and I want to dominate the game I might listen to AC/DC Thunderstruck and just machine gun through my stack of ships. If I am really low on chips, (Tournament strategies are based on the number of chips you have in front of you). I will listen to something a little more mellow. The tournaments that I play in sometimes can stretch out for 10-12 hours sitting at the poker table. I will get a massage right at the table just to keep me loose and allow me to concentrate on the game. You don’t want to lose your concentration, in any sport that is a problem but in poker it can be deadly. Music sets the mood for me.
ARE THERE ANY TOURNAMENT PLAYERS THAT BRING OUT THE BEST IN YOU?
Anytime I am playing PHIL IVEY, PHIL HELMUTH or DOYLE BRUNSON those are the elite poker players at the level I play. So you always get up when you are playing them. You want to play good. You want to bluff them and you want to beat them. For me that is a thrill. You turn up at a tournament and there may be a thousand players entered and when you sit down at your assigned table there are 8 players and it just comes down to the draw. You may not know anyone at the table, but that certainly does not mean that someone at that table is a very good poker player. If you do end up at the table with one of the top ranked players, I want to watch them very closely, I want to learn from them while I am all the while of course planning and hoping to win the match. I like to bluff them, sort of here take that. It feels good.
DO YOU EVER PLAY ON LINE POKER?
I have a sponsorship deal with Full Tilt Poker and that contract calls for me to play a certain amount of on line poker. I am not really an on line guy, I am more of a live guy. When I am playing on line because I am a sponsored rep for Full Tilt poker, there will be an avatar of me and the reason for that is the rec players will log on and scroll down and see my name highlighted in red print. So they will sit down and want to play against me. It gives people who do not travel a lot, a chance to play against a higher level of players. That attracts them to the Full Tilt site. I can’t win every game so it is a thrill for them to tell their friends “Hey I beat Greg Mueller on line.” On line is so different because you can’t see who you are playing against, can’t watch their mannerisms, can’t see their expressions, it is just sort of clicking buttons. To be perfectly honest it is not my strength playing on line poker.
YOUR NICKNAME IS "FBT" WHAT DO THE INITIALS STAND FOR AND HOW DID YOU GET THE NAME?
Full Blown Tilt. My mentor back when I retired from hockey was a gentleman named Hubert who lives in Winfield in the Interior. He took me under his wing and taught me a lot about playing poker. He taught me not to tilt. Tilt means like when you are playing a pinball machine and you shake it too hard the machine will tilt and the game is over. In poker if you lose a hand the good players don’t tilt which means you continue to play the same way. When you tilt you start to play bad and trying to chase the money you just lost. You want to avoid that. So tilt is a very common term in poker. Full Blown Tilt came about from Hubert because I am always in a hurry and I don’t like waiting in lines, I get anxious at a red light. So that name just kind of stuck with me a number of years ago. Some people don’t even know me as Gregg, I am just FBT to them.
DO YOU HAVE ANY SUPERSTITIONS?
Not really. I don’t like to lock up a win until it is over, I don’t think that is superstition. I was recently in a tournament and I was an 80% favourite. I was all in and someone came by and the cameras were on me and someone said “Great game FBT.” I said hey its not over yet. Its not over until its over. I never like to lock anything up, other than that I am not superstitious.
DO YOU EVER JUST TURN UP AT SAY SOMEWHERE LIKE THE RIVER ROCK LOCALLY AND JUST WANDER IN UNANNOUNCED AND SIT DOWN AT A TABLE?
Not so much anymore. Because I play a lot of poker anyway. It kind of bores me. But if I am at a casino for some reason I may sit down at the table. In poker people like to play against good players. In poker I find people like to play against me. They want to be able to say they beat me. And they can beat me because there is so much luck involved in any game as I mentioned before. Generally if I am in the game, some people might want t leave the game. And generally people don’t play high stakes against at me. If I am at the table I might be joking around and talking, depends on the game and the people in the game.
YOU HAVE WON TWO WORLD SERIES OF POKER BRACELETS. THIS IS LIKE WINNING THE STANLEY CUP TWICE. I NOTICE YOU ARE NOT WEARING ONE TODAY. ARE YOU SELECTIVE ABOUT WHEN AND WHERE YOU WEAR THE COVETED BRACELETS?
I don’t wear them when I am playing with friends or something like that. If I am going to a function where people know GREG MUELLER will be there I will usually wear on of them because people like to look at it, just like people will ask a hockey player if they can see their Stanley Cup ring. I am really proud of them there are nice pieces of jewelry. But I don’t wear one everyday.
DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR BUDDING ASPIRING POKER PLAYERS?
Play within the means you are comfortable in. By that I mean if Dad goes to work and makes $500.00 a week and it costs $350.00 to live. The key to poker is being comfortable so operating on that line of thinking you would have $150.00 over that you may or may not be able to lose. Don’t get in over your head you will make mistakes and you won’t play as good as you need to if you are not comfortable. It sounds cliche you have to be comfortable financially in any game you are playing in.
WHAT IS MEANT BY THE TERM “dead money” IN A POKER GAME
If you came and played with me and my friends, you would be what is called “dead money” you would be expected to lose. You are supposed to lose, that makes you “dead money.”
WHAT ARE YOUR LONG RANGE PLANS
I always like the competition, I can’t see myself quitting anytime soon. I can’t see myself being on the road in the future as much as I am now. I want to settle down one day and have a family. I am branching out into other areas, I am a part owner of the Players Chop House restaurant in Vancouver as well as the one up in Whistler. I hope to always be playing in the World Series of poker, but it is difficult living out of a suitcase and one day I can see myself slowing it down.
IS POKER A SPORT?
It is a mind sport. I just can’t call it a sport in the traditional terms. To me a sport is athletic and you have to be physically fit and in poker as I think anyone can attest that has watched poker on TV, there are lots and lots of unfit poker players dong very well.
IS IT IMPORTANT FOR YOU PERSONALLY TO BE PHYSICALLY FIT TO COMPETE AT POKER.
It is very important for me. I don’t always live the most healthy lifestyle. I don’t have any vices but the thing I wrestle with the most is my diet which is hard to maintain when I am traveling so much and living in resort hotels. I don’t drink coffee, I will have a social drink, I don’t do drugs other than I really enjoy food. When you are sitting at the table for 12 hours they bring you food over and the next thing you look across the table and see someone eating something else and it looks so good and this will go on for a couple of days and you don’t end up getting any exercise and it catches up to me. Before you know it you are on the road for 10 days and you come home and you have found you have gained 10 pounds in a week. I try stay fit, I have a personal trainer, I play rec hockey and I like to get a run in as much as I can. I can’t afford to feel lethargic when I am concentrating during the game.
DO YOU TRAVEL FOR THE MOST PART WITH ANY OTHER PLAYES. YOU MENTIONED YOUR ROOMATE AND YOU BOTH HAVING A BIG WINNING WEEKEND. IS THERE PLAYER THAT YOU TRAVEL WITH THE MOST?
SEAN BUCHANAN who is from Abbotsford. We came up the ranks together and we have been friends for a number of years. We get along very well when we travel together. He is very respectful of me, we talk strategy. Sometimes we go our own way on the road but quite often we hang out together.
HAVE YOU EVER PLAYED AGAINST BUCHANAN?
Generally speaking no. We don’t like to hurt each other. When you enter tournaments with a thousand entrants it is a random draw. So in the hundreds of tournaments we have gone in together we have only ended up at the same table twice in a tournament. We play straight forward against each other. We are in a competition and if it ever ended up that we were the last two standing, we would play as hard against each other as anyone else. So far that hasn’t happened. If we are playing a social game for small stakes we will try to punish each other, but never for big money where someone can get hurt.
HAS POKER HIT ITS PEAK OF POPULARITY
There are so many battles about on line gambling in the States. It will be interesting to see where it goes from here. Right now you can get into an on line poker tournament for maybe a couple of bucks and keep winning your way into the next round and all of a sudden you are in a game with a $10,000.00 pot and it only cost you a couple of bucks to get in. Those kind of games make it very popular for people to get into the sport. I think the game will change and evolve. There is talk right now about a tag team poker game, where you will have a partner and at a certain point in the game you will have to hand off your cards to your partner and they will finish the hand and or game. Canada vs the U.S., or the U.S. vs Europe kind of games are already in existence so they are constantly trying new ways to keep the public interested. I just played in an NBC heads up tournament which is a one on one tourney. You get invited because of your achievements. It was an invite only tourney so they try to get the best player and the most interesting characters so the match is enjoyable for the public to watch.
WHAT IS THE NEXT BIG MATCH FOR GREG MUELLER?
There is a Tournament of Champions coming up. Each player has to be voted in. To qualify you have to have a World Series of Poker bracelet under your belt to qualify, which I do. There are a fair number of good players who simply will not qualify for this tournament because they have never won a bracelet. How it works is people can log on to a web site and vote in the Top 20 players from a long list of players who have a bracelet. So I am asking everyone that I know to help me get voted in, that is the only way you can get in is to get the most votes. I would greatly appreciate all my friends and neighbours and anyone who ever enjoyed Moby Dick fish n ‘ chips to take a moment and cast their vote for me.
You can vote for up to 20 people. Obviously I hope everyone votes for me. Outside of Daniel Negreanu who is at this point in time “Mr. Canada Poker” I am the only other Canadian in the running to make the Top 20. There are 7 exemptions on top of the Top 20 and those are seats at the table that will be awarded if for some reason some of the greatest do not get voted in, and I think Negreanu will probably qualify for one of those seats if by chance he is not voted in. I think he will get voted in on the first round. That leaves me as the only Canadian that has a shot.
HOW BIG WILL THE PURSE BE IN THIS MATCH
The World Series of Poker is putting up a million dollars in prize money. You can’t buy your way in, you can only get in by being voted in. It costs the players nothing in the way of cash to get into the tournament. So I am asking all the local White Rockers and South Surrey residents to take a couple of minutes to cast their vote. It would mean a lot to me. Everyone with a separate email address in the home can vote. They just want to see who do the fans want to see in the Tournament of Champions. To me this would be a great honour. It will also be kind of cool and I think interesting for the people that vote for me to be able to follow me if I am fortunate enough to get into the tournament.
*In the coming weeks watch for a profile on Greg and his father and their memories of the early days of the famed MOBY DICK restaurant on Marine Drive.
HOCKEY DADS LOOK TO MAKE IT BIG BY BATTLING SMELLY GEAR
A long wait for a ferry on the way to a minor league hockey game prompted two
Canadian hockey-loving dads to seek out an economical and environmental way
to find a way to fight the stench every player and parent knows – smelly
hockey gear.
Budding entrepreneur Keith Howlett says it was about two years ago when he and
fellow hockey-dad-turned-business-partner Bill McDougall were en route to a
game with six young players and six bags of gear – all inside of one SUV.
About an hour into the two-hour wait for the Albion ferry, the smell could no
longer be ignored.
With many young hockey players between them (Howlett has four kids and McDougall
has two), the pair began looking for a smell-battling solution. The business
partners started experimenting by washing hockey gear in different household
detergents, but found the detergents were too harsh and quickly broke down the
glue holding the gear together.
Thus began the search for the perfect combination to inexpensively and gently
clean, disinfect and deodorize hockey equipment. Through research, trial and
error, Howlett and McDougall settled on a soap-based formula with anti-bacterial
properties. It's fragrance-free, does not leave a film on the gear and is gentle
enough for repeated washings.
Howlett says with the advent of residential front-load washing machines, more
people are able to wash their hockey gear at home. The formula, which they named
Hockey Sudz, can also be used in a laundromat or for washing equipment by hand.
The familiar and distinctive smell associated with used hockey gear is caused
by microbe waste that's produced when bacteria feed on the salts, ammonia and
urea secreted by the body's sweat glands. The bacteria survive and multiply
in moist, warm conditions, including the body, which can then transfer them
to hockey equipment. If the gear isn't dried or cleaned properly it becomes
a breeding ground for bacteria and offensive smells.
And the smell isn't the only nasty side effect. In some cases, players can get
infections from dirty equipment. Hockey Sudz is an economical alternative to
costly drycleaner-style cleaning systems, and sells for less than $10 per jar,
each of which washes eight to 10 loads.
Word of mouth buzz on the product, which started within minor league hockey
circles, has reached the Western Hockey League’s Vancouver Giants, who
have also started using Hockey Sudz to clean the teams’ equipment.
The product is currently available at Cyclone Taylor Sports in Vancouver, Richmond,
Surrey, Coquitlam and Edmonton; Ice Level Source for Sports in Richmond; The
Hockey Shop Source for Sports in Surrey; Ultimate Edge Ice Sports in North Vancouver;
United Cycle Source for Sports in Edmonton; and Dunbar Lumber in Vancouver.
For more information about Hockey Sudz visit www.hockeysudz.com.
In Dreams
My Princess Bride
by Dave Chesney
On Monday afternoon October (12) @ 2 p.m. Laurie my loving wife
of 17 years and soul mate for an additional 12 years wrapped up her 18-month
battle with cancer. I can’t express the love and admiration I have for
the angels of mercy in the palliative care unit of the Peace Arch Hospital.
It all began oh so many years ago. At the time I was working for CBS Records
promoting their artists in Western Canada. On a low level pass through CKLG
radio Casey White one of the announcers of the day on the Boss Jock outlet,
asked me what I was doing on the weekend. I told her I had no plans. She asked
me if I could use a free white water rafting certificate? I thought, hell yeah.
Then I had to try to decide who to take on this big adventure.
I had recently met Laurie McGregor through the baseball league a bunch of media
types had in Vancouver. Laurie at the time was playing for the dreaded Savoy
Dancers, but I still thought she was just the type of girl that might like to
risk life and limb crashing through the rapids of the David Thompson River.
I was right. It was the best call I ever made. That was our first date.
If you did the arithmetic in the first paragraph you will have figured out we
went out for 12 years before I popped the big question. That came on New Years
Eve at the Banff Springs Hotel as Barney Bentall & The Legendary Hearts
rocked the house. At the stroke of 12 midnight I kneeled down and asked her
for her hand in marriage. Again she said yes - as the band played on. “Something
To Live For”
We were married the following August. The wedding was a two day event. The Friday
night we chartered a boat and cruised up Howe Sound and exchanged our vows in
front of family and friends. It was a magical evening. The next night we had
our “reception” at the Russian Community Hall. Far less formal.
The Blue Shadows performed for our dancing enjoyment.
So that’s the basic set up. Many years of bliss ensued. I don’t
know whether or not you have ever encountered two people that are so close they
are sometimes mistaken for sister and brother. Well that happened to Laurie
and I a number of times. I nicknamed her “The Luckiest Girl In The World”
half jokingly, and it seemed to stick.
Now the natural thing would be to say we had our ups and downs, but in our case
that really wasn’t the case. Oh don’t get me wrong we had a few
dust ups, but they were dealt with immediately so we could get back to the matter
at hand, being in love.
When Laurie and I moved back to White Rock 7 years ago she felt she would like
to find a doctor locally. She put out the word to friends we had here to see
if their doctor was taking on any new patients she was looking. In March of
2008 she got a call from a local doctor that she could come in for an appointment.
At that first meeting the doctor explained to Laurie she always liked to start
fresh with new patients so she asked Laurie if she would mind having a physical
etc. Laurie was happy to, as she was always very diligent about her health,
in that osteoporosis ran in her family.
A week after that visit and physical - the day before we were leaving for Mexico
we got THE CALL. The doctor explained to Laurie she got the results of the chest
x-ray and there was a little shadow on the x-ray that the doctor did not like
the looks of. Laurie explained to the doctor we were about to leave for Mexico
for 2 weeks and could this wait until we returned. The doctor felt we would
be alright.
Upon our return Laurie was put through a battery of tests. Finally the diagnosis
came in, Laurie had stage four lung cancer. The cancer clinic at the Surrey
Memorial callously told us she had probably 6 months to live, might be a year,
but then again she could get a blood clot and die within the week. Have a nice
day.
Those words will ring in my ears for eternity. Laurie told me that day driving
home she would not die with cancer, she would live with cancer. As both of us
have always believed in alternative health care as our first choice to western
medicine, we began a long odyssey of treatments. I firmly believe in my heart
of hearts, as did Laurie, this is how she beat the odds and got 18 months longer
than the experts expected.
But sadly she went downhill very quickly over the past month. She was blessed
to be under the care of Doctor King in Crescent Beach. On Friday morning when
she was slipping fast and we both knew it was time for her to be hospitalized,
I thought what are the odds on the start of a long weekend we would be able
to get her into the hospital. One call to Dr. King and within 3 hours she was
being tucked peacefully into her bed on the sixth floor of the Peace Arch Hospital.
The look of relief on her face said it all.
As she was in a room with another woman the nurses explained to me they were
unable to let me sleep in Laurie’s room, but as soon as she got a private
room I would be welcome to stay with Laurie. Very late Friday night I left the
hospital and came home to try to sleep. That wasn’t going to happen. I
showered and went back to the hospital around 7 a.m. I sat by Laurie’s
bedside and we held hands. Periodically she would squeeze my hand. She had slipped
into a coma around dinnertime the previous day.
At 8 a.m. as we sat there in our silence I suddenly heard a loud roar like a
freight train coming through the side of the building. Knowing we were on the
sixth floor this made no sense. I turned and looked out the window and I could
see the tops of the trees bending. I thought well it is just the wind and some
kind of vortex around the hospital. Just then the wind gusted again, and Laurie
squeezed my hand tight and slightly arched in the bed, the wind quickly subsided
and she relaxed. The wind came back up and the process was repeated two more
times, then the wind died down and Laurie fell into a peaceful state. One she
remained in until she took her last breath on Monday.
The Final Chapter “In Dreams”
Now where were we? Oh yes it was 8 a.m. on Saturday morning when I believe I
was with my loving wife as her soul left her body.
Very shortly after this happened right on cue a nurse came into the room and
informed me there was a private room ready for Laurie and they were going to
move her across the hall. As I got settled into the room and my thoughts I looked
over and saw a little CD player on the shelf. I wandered out to ask the nurses
if it was possible to play music in the room. They said yes go right ahead.
So a little later on in the morning I went home to pick up a few CDS. Laurie’s
two all time favourite artists were ROY ORBISON and THE BLUE SHADOWS, a band
I used to manage – God Bless her good taste in music.
So armed with the CDS I returned to the hospital and settled into the muted
light for the final chapter of my long goodbye. As I previously mentioned Laurie
was not going to die with cancer, she was going to live with cancer. Doctor
Brian Davies and Dr. Parmar both naturopaths aided her/our battle with her sickness.
A huge part of her longevity was also facilitated by “Magic Mario”
her acupuncturist in Cloverdale. Her weekly visits to the magic man always buoyed
her spirits. In the final stages when the pain became so extreme we met another
angel, Doctor King in Crescent Beach. Though traditional medicine was never
our first choice of health care, believe me the pain relief and soulful nourishment
provided by Doctor King was beautiful.
In hindsight having 18 months with that cancer guillotine hanging over our head
never really altered our lives. Since her passing I have had a number of people
express their grief and sorrow and explain to me they never even knew Laurie
was sick. That was the choice we made. We informed close friends and family
of the health situation, but then we just sucked it up and got on with living.
As I slipped the ROY ORBISON CD into the little player I returned to my sentry
of sitting by her bedside and holding her hand. Since suppertime on Friday Laurie
had been in what I assume they call a coma, Orally she was no longer communicative.
As “Angel Roy” as she called him, filled the room with music, the
lyrics of his songs took on a new meaning. One of the first songs on the CD
I had was “In Dreams” if you know the song, you will know Angel
Roy climbs the musical scale somewhere into the stratosphere. When ORBISON hit
that high note I was somewhat stunned when Laurie squeezed my hand a little
tighter, and then let it relax. Some part of her was still with me. That continued
all weekend long as I alternated THE BLUE SHADOWS and ROY ORBISON. Constantly
throughout the final three days at certain points when OBRISON and BILLY COWSILL
climbed into the high octave range, she would gently squeeze my hand.
Monday at 2 p.m. her shallow breathing stopped. I sat there by her side and
waited for it to start again. Sadly it was not to be.
On the front page of THE SUN I have put up a photograph of an eagle that has
very special meaning. We live on the hillside here in White Rock and the connection
Laurie had with eagles was beautiful. Her office is in the front of the house
and shortly after we moved back to White Rock almost daily she would tell me
about how many eagles she had seen. Not that unusual really if you are a bird
watcher. But then she explained to me they would fly by the house and look into
the window right at her. It wasn’t long before I witnessed almost the
exact same shot as is on the front page. They would fly by the house very close,
so close you could see their eye colour and they would turn their head and look
right in.
I thank you for walking down the healing road with me over the past two days
but this is where we part ways.
I have to go on alone from here. I have an eagle to find.
*As a side note for all that have asked, there will be a CELEBRATION
OF LIFE held in honour of Laurie on May 16 (her birthday) 2010. It seemed natural
to me to honour her leaving - on the day she entered this world. Further details
to follow.
IN DREAMS - Roy Orbison
A candy-colored clown they call the sandman
Tiptoes to my room every night
Just to sprinkle stardust and to whisper:
"Go to sleep, everything is alright"
I close my eyes
Then I drift away
Into the magic night
I softly sway
Oh smile and pray
Like dreamers do
Then I fall asleep
To dream my dreams of you
In dreams...I walk with you
In dreams...I talk to you
In dreams...Your mine
All of the time
We're together
In dreams...In dreams
But just before the dawn
I awake and find you gone
I can't help it...I can't help it
If I cry
I remember
That you said goodbye
To end all these things
And I'll be happy in my dreams
Only in dreams
In beautiful dreams
NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR APPOINTED TO TOURISM WHITE ROCK
Betina Albornoz has been appointed Executive Director for Tourism White Rock,
the destination marketing organization responsible for promoting White Rock,
BC, as a year-round destination, effective October 5, 2009.
Ms. Albornoz has a solid track record of achievements in senior executive management
positions and an extensive background in Strategic Marketing and Business Development
in both the private and public sectors. Most recently she has been responsible
for her own consulting firm, Argenta Business Solutions.
“We are excited that Betina is joining Tourism White Rock at this point
in its evolution. I’m confident her skill set and experience will be an
excellent catalyst for taking our organization to the next level,” says
Glenda Bartosh, Chair, TWR.
A long-time resident of the Lower Mainland, including White Rock, Ms. Albornoz
holds an MBA in Marketing and Leadership from Royal Roads University. She is
looking forward to the new opportunities and challenges ahead.
“It inspires me to find a working environment that fosters the type of
values Tourism White Rock is committed to, especially using community stakeholder
engagement to achieve a common vision and strategic goals,” she says.
Tourism White Rock was founded in August 2008 to promote White Rock as a top
tourism destination, especially for day visitors from the Lower Mainland and
northwest Washington. TWR is funded jointly by the City of White Rock, White
Rock Business Improvement Association, and the White Rock & South Surrey
Chamber of Commerce, with support from the provincial government.
Roger Currie - Righting The Wrong
Roger Currie is a man on a mission. His mission is to correct local history.
As a child Roger, his sister and two brothers along with their mother moved
into the home of Fred Johnson, a true local pioneer.
Fred Johnson arrived on the shores of Semiahmoo Bay at the tender age of four
year old in 1882. His family had journeyed by boat from New Westminster to their
new home in White Rock. Johnson went on to become one of the first students
at Halls Prairie Road school in 1885. His list of accomplishments that would
follow include working as a customs officer when the first train arrived in
White Rock in March of 1909. In 1909 Johnson and his new bride Ruth moved to
a 44 acre plot of land on Bellevue Crescent which included what is now known
as Centennial Park off of 16th Avenue.
In 1913 at the urging of Johnson the federal government a pier was constructed
in White Rock, so local merchants could bring in supplies by water as opposed
to rail.
Johnson was also instrumental in forming White Rock Waterworks which later became
White Rock Utilities which is now owned by the Alberta based company EPCOR,
still one of the largest privately owned water systems in the province.
Johnson also was instrumental in building the first large water tower/tank in
White Rock located on Oxford. As well Johnson banded together with a group of
local residents and brought the first fire truck to White Rock in 1935. While
in his 80’s he pitched Surrey Council on the idea of a model town on Municipal
property in the Sunnyside area of Surrey.
To say Johnson had a profound effect on Roger Currie would be an understatement.
“He became like a grandfather to us kids. We used to call him Johnsy.
He taught us a lot about life. I can remember on time when I was probably about
13 years old, and Johnsy and I were driving back from Cloverdale in his big
old 60’s Chrysler. Johnsy pulled the car over to the side of the road
near 8th avenue and 176th street and told me I could drive home to White Rock.
Very quickly after I started driving along 8th avenue I looked over and Johnsy
and fallen asleep. He woke up a few minutes later to find me rocketing along
8th avenue doing 80 mph.”
It is the love and admiration Roger Currie still cherishes for Fred Johnson
that has him on his one man crusade to correct history.
 
“A couple of months back as I passed Centennial Park it dawned on me there
was no sign age stating Centennial Park was dedicated in 1957 as Ruth Johnson
Park. When Fred’s wife passed away in 1954 he sold 27 acres to the city
of Surrey for a nominal fee. Part of that deal was the land would be used for
a park, and it would carry and honour his wife’s name, Ruth Johnson Park.”
In 1957 when White Rock separated from Surrey, the municipality of Surrey gave
the land to White Rock as it was now across the boundary in White Rock and no
longer in Surrey. Very quietly in 1967 when White Rock built a new arena and
pavilion on the property, the name was changed to Centennial Park as 1967 was
a centennial year.
Currie has written to the Mayor and Council of White Rock requesting they revisit
history to see if there is some way the park could carry a designation, perhaps
something like Ruth Johnson Centennial Park or some other variation that would
honour Ruth’s memory.
Currie hopes to appear before Council in the coming months to present his case.
When Fred Johnson passed away in 1964 at the age of 85 the local newspaper stated
“Thought should be given to honouring the name of Fred Johnson and others
who contributed to the founding and building of the community.”
I couldn’t agree more. A good place to start might be the correct naming
of Ruth Johnson Park.
Una St. Clair-Moniz
When the phone rings here at The White Rock Sun, you just never
know who is going to be on the other end of the phone. Given internet newspapers
like THE SUN are in their infancy it is always surprising when someone right
out of the clear blue gets in touch with us. We love it.
A couple of weeks back UNA ST. CLAIR - MONIZ of Langley contacted
us and in very short order grabbed our attention as she methodically quoted
recent studies into the adverse effects on our health a lot of "new technology"
is causing.
One UNA'S top concerns is the health of her two school age children.
As more and more information came to light, UNA contacted the school her children
were attending in South Surrey to see if the school was aware of the health
dangers WI-FI can cause when the students are exposed to it on a continuing
basis. "We are specifically concerned by the lack of information that schools
and parents have been given about the potential for harm from the cumulative
effects of non-thermal biological risks of microwave electromagnetic radiation
(WI-FI). Schools have not been advised about the need to have policies in place
to protect pupils and staff who may suffer from adverse health effects from
daily and long term exposure" says ST.CLAIR MONIZ in the comfort of her
home office turned war room.
The amount of information that has been published yet avoided
by the mainstream media is startling. In short order UNA has made me aware of
dozens of web sites and a staggering amount of research papers to support her
concerns. UNA is quick to point out there is a way out of this toxic stew we
find ourselves in " We support the use of computers in learning environments,
but we don't believe it should be at the expense of the health of our children.
From my experience I have found schools, staff and parents for the most part
are woefully unaware of the enormous number of scientific studies that have
been published suggesting mobile and wireless technologies which emit microwave
radiation may pose health risk, especially to children."
The UK a country that seems to be on the cutting edge of creating
public awareness has seen over 2,000 research papers which illustrate the biological
damage one suffers from exposure to non-thermal microwave radiation.
ST.CLAIR-MONIZ has jumped into the battle with both feet. Within
the past year she has created CITIZENS FOR SAFE TECHNOLOGY and has a plan to
educate and inform as many schools, teachers, parents and citizens as possible
of the possible adverse side effects from the radiation we are exposed to on
a daily basis. Most times we are unaware of the danger we are exposing ourselves
to.
So where do we go from here and what can you personally do? CITIZENS
FOR SAFE TECHNOLOGY are presenting a lecture July 17 in Langley at Langley United
Church. The guest speaker is DR. MAGDA HAVAS PHD an Associate Professor of Environment
& Resource Studies at Trent University.
THE WHITE ROCK SUN is proud to welcome UNA who will contribute
on a regular basis information and developments on this very important health
matter. Watch for regular updates from CITIZENS FOR SAFE TECHNOLOGY.
CITIZENS FOR SAFE TECHNOLOGY (Click
Here)
DR. MAGDA HAVAS LANGLEY LECTURE INFORMATION (Click
Here)
UNA'S RECOMMENDED READING (Click
Here)
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