Remembering Bernie, Walley and Ian
HodgePodge By Charlie Hodge
I have had such a wonderful, enjoyable week I almost feel guilty. Not quite, but close.
When not hanging out in my garden with Tez (during my health recovery and work holiday) I’ve been spending as much time as possible playing tourist in my own town. The weather, for the most, has been perfect and the various company – marvelous. I am so very blessed.
Tez has been non-stop prepping the yard for several weeks by turning garden boxes, weeding, boosting the soils with compost and fertilizers, as well as planting seeds and bulbs. Our small but effective greenhouse is bristling with potential flowers and vegetables.
I am sure some of our plants will simply do nothing until the soil heats up properly, however nothing ventured – nothing gained.
I already have an early potato crop in, with a different kind of spud going in next week.
Sadly, either the nasty black squirrels (that my evil neighbour continues to feed peanuts) or Bambi and family have already devoured half of my new strawberry plants. I have to create a cage of some sort to protect them. Any ideas?
Naturally I discovered the strawberry annihilation AFTER returning home from a great night attending the Kelowna Garden Club Tuesday. I’m sure I could have heard several good solutions there to my dilemma. Regardless it was a great night with a packed house at the event, many I’m sure to hear garden guru Don Burnett talk about the joys and benefits of building a greenhouse.
I am anticipating maybe scoring a few healthy strawberry plants available at the Garden Club’s annual spring plant sale Saturday, May 3. However, the event, set for Guisachan Heritage Park, is mainly geared towards flowers. Hundreds of perennials, annuals, succulents, herbs and grasses will be up for grabs as well as garden décor, pots and other treasures. The event runs from 9 a.m. to noon and is cash only. For more information go to www.kelownagardenclub.ca
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The garden is a sanctuary for many – especially in times of needing some quiet solitude. I needed that earlier this week on learning of the passing of friend and Kelowna musician Bernie Addington. A very gifted artist Bernie was best known for his skills on the stand-up bass and willingness and ability to play almost any genre of music. His first love was jazz.
Many music fans would know him as the always smiling, warm, large man with the large instrument often accommodating jazz singers Kinga Heming for the past 12 years and Anna Jacyszyn at endless gigs around the Valley. Bernie was never shy of donating his time or energy to a good cause and was one of the gentler kinder people I have had the pleasure of knowing.
A service has yet to be announced.
The loss of Addington in our community is yet another death hard to shake. I have been out of circuit for several weeks from an injury and complications of that and while I am healthy and ready for work next week there are some I will sadly not be seeing or visiting with again. I have not had an opportunity to write about or acknowledge some Kelowna icons and or just wonderful people who have departed.
Walley Lightbody was truly a community spirit who loved Kelowna and loved life. For many years Walley and his wonderful partner, Marietta, hosted numerous celebrations and social gatherings on their lovely Abbott Street property, often in a worthy fund raising cause.
His love for Kelowna nearly matched his passion for tennis, ping pong and jazz. He was adamant that the City be run with common sense and caring and was not afraid, when asked, to make suggestions on what those issues were and how they should be dealt with.
Walley was born in 1934 in Vancouver. He recalled singing Irish ballads at the age of six, with his sister Marlene and his neighbourhood friend, Rawley, as the Teddy Lyons Sight-seeing Streetcar passed by, and the passengers would toss them coins.
He took up saxophone while attending Lord Byng High School developing a lifelong love for jazz.
Wally was a good friend to me, always accommodating and quick to share his knowledge and give advice. A memorial celebration will be held June 23 at his home on Abbott.
Another heartbreaking loss was the recent passing of former KSS teacher Ian Middler. Without question Middler was one of Kelowna Secondary’s most popular educators, specializing in English and Drama. A man with incredible wit and wry sense of humor Middler was also a stickler for detail and accuracy, in both his English lessons and Drama.
Middler was never afraid to push a student to succeed. He would relentlessly encourage them to excel to the point where some would quit and walk away. I remember the day I stormed out of a drama class because Middler was “being a total jerk”. He let me go for two days then sought me out in the library.
“The play is going well but you could help make it better. All you need to do is get over yourself and be the ‘character’ not ‘Charlie’. I don’t care, though, about the play’s success but I do about yours. If you quit on this and walk away – everyone loses but especially you. Quitting is easy, yet it quickly becomes habit.
“I suggest you stay and say, ‘screw Middler’, come back and kick some butt. Don’t let me get the better of you.”
Sly dog. I still thank him for that lesson.
Middler’s warm smile and kind heart earned him the love of many students.
A service will held for Ian on May 10 at Springfield Memorial Home.
