Growing up on Gabriola

I grew up on the Island and am extremely thankful I did. It is a special place where everyone seems to fit in and the sense of community has always been very strong. Like the Deer at the end of Harrison Way that are often seen basking in the sun with the rabbits and the peacocks, the people of this island are just as odd of a mix. Attend any local pub or potluck and you will find characters of all sorts. Old timer's, hippies, redneck's, crazies, yuppies, parents, teenagers, children, grandparent's, travellers, foreigners and many more and for the most part we all get along! It is so nice to feel excepted and encouraged by your community.

It is a great place to grow up because of the colourful people and equally because of the beautiful natural surroundings, to feel at home in the forest and at peace near the ocean is truly magical. I am sad that so many trees have disappeared since I was little and that the petroglyphs and galleries are rapidly eroding. Things have changed tremendously in the past decade but if we reflect on all that we cherish about Gabriola maybe not all will be lost.

These are some of the good things: kayaking the flat top islands, Sunday soccer games, lunch at Harvest Thyme, Farmer's markets, SUMMER TIME, swimming at Sandwell, jumping off the galleries, beach fires, swimming in phosphorescence, great potlucks, surf sunsets, mudgefest, blackberry picking, art shows, the cliffs of Valdez...

Childhood memories include: Community Potluck's at twin beaches, meteor shower sleepovers at Ike's orchard, finding arrowheads on the beaches and peering in old Indian burial caves, walking out to the sandbar at Twin at low tide to dig for treasure, playing in the forest that used to exist behind the school, trails, tug boat island, Mr. Moo the milkman, Gabriola days Dances, First night at the Community Hall, jellyfish fights, playing at the fire hall, sand castle competitions, Birthday parties at Pizza, swimming lessons at camp Miriam, The pool at Silva Bay. When they first made the mall I was in Grade 5 and for some reason our class went down there to pick up all the nails left behind.
That's all for now,
From Hayden

Remember who we are

Hi Everyone!

A few weeks ago I wrote a letter in response to an individual who was trashing the good people of our community. I wrote that particular piece with the hope that he and others would reconsider their negative attitudes about people and our community and decide, rather, to become part of the healthy solution instead of being part of a bitter problem. I did not expect them to start spreading suspicion and dissention via the media into our community.

Our island is wonderful collection of individuals, groups and organizations who came to live here with a sincere hope and wish to grow in a peaceful, healthy community. This is the reason that I moved to Gabriola. Some dark energies have come here at different times to invoke confusing and difficult experiences for Gabriolans.

But always have the people of our community stood up and held fast to the goodness and richness of our home. I salute our community’s courage for its sense of moral conviction and common decency.

I beseech the writers of such negative letters in our local papers to please put down your pens of abysmal blackness and instead pick up your illuminating pens of encouragement and support. In this way, your spirits can come back to our community’s positive way of life. Gabriola has a wonderful healing energy that one exalts in. Let us all enjoy this and each other. Thank you for being.

Sincerely,
Tony Gibson

Making a Difference

Overwhelmed today with issues such as depletion of our natural resources, global warming, a failing economy, and the sense of hopelessness that can follow, it’s so easy to succumb to negativity and the feeling that there is little one can do to make any kind of difference. I recently came across a little folk tale that had a huge impact on me, and decided to do my part by celebratrating the spirit of the people and place that I call home.

In the forest there lived a hummingbird, a rabbit, a deer and a bear. The forest was their home until the day the fire broke out. No one knew how it started but it swallowed up their nests and their homes. Quickly the creatures scurried away; the bear ran, the deer leapt, and the rabbit hopped. And the hummingbird flew out of danger’s way. The animals stopped to rest at the edge of the woods by a pond. Without hesitation the little hummingbird filled its beak with water and raced right back towards the fire. Back and forth, and back and forth it went, that little hummingbird, until it was so exhausted it fell to the ground. “What are you doing?” asked the bear. “What are you doing?” asked the deer and rabbit. The little hummingbird looked up at them and said:

“I’m doing what I can
With what I have
Where I am.”