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March, 2013
Grant Ullyot
Fraser Valley’s Agriculture Publication
Grassroots
WCF editor awarded Queen’s Medal
Publisher: Liz Lynch 604-702-5560
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Managing Editor: Greg Knill 604-702-5570 Editor: Grant Ullyot
It has been a pleasure to be part of the history of Chilliwack over the past 40 years and it was indeed an honour to receive recognition of my work
Advertising: Larry Krause 604-702-5579 Production: Gina Rokochy 604-702-5569 Classified Manager: Sharon Harmsen 604-702-5555
45860 Spadina Avenue Chilliwack, B.C. V 2 P 6 H 9 Published by
westcoastfarmer@theprogress.com
(604) 792-4936
INDEX 3 Queen’s Medal 3 Outstanding 5 IAF awards 7 John Urquhart 9 Master Breeders 10 Beyond the Barn
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would like to thank MP Mark Strahl for selecting me to be among 30 recipients from Chilliwack who were awarded one of Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee Commemorative Medals. My family and I came to Chilliwack in 1972 when the Chilliwack radio station hired me as News & Sports Director. However, I very quickly found myself doing play by play coverage of the first Chilliwack Bruins hockey club. Terry Bodman was my color commentator and for eight years we worked together in the old coliseum. I was also involved with the 3 Field hockey team from CFB Chilliwack which played in a senior league. Then there was the popular Peewee Hockey Jamboree in the days when all the kids slept in Evergreen Hall and all the food was prepared by the cooks at CFB Chilliwack. In 1974 I was elected President of the Chilliwack Senior Men’s softball league, a position I held for six years, at a time when Church League softball teams abounded, and was instrumental in getting a second ball diamond built for softball. I also became involved with Rec Men’s hockey and was President for two years. Meanwhile, I also served as a director-at-large with the Fraser Valley Cubs and Scouts Association covering all groups from Chilliwack to Boston Bar for close to 20 years Working at CHWK radio I covered numerous news events including fires and accidents, and countless other meetings. In 1976 my mandate
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not only covered news & sports but the Farm shows as well. Some say I virtually became “the voice” for just about anything and everything that happened in Chilliwack often reporting from my “Cherry Ford news cruiser”. Officially retired in 1997, I was re-hired to cover local news only for another two years bringing my tenure at CHWK to 27 years. In 2001 I accepted a job with The Chilliwack Progress) editing a farm publication called West Coast Farmer, which I still do today. During this time I have personally interviewed hundreds of farmers and others associated with agriculture, in addition to developing on-going stories about the industry. It has been a pleasure to be part of the history of Chilliwack over the past 40 years and it was indeed an honor to receive recognition of my work.
thought you might like to talk with me. Maybe you have some good questions to ask me.” Not knowing he was going to call I told him I did not have any prepared questions, to which he replied, “Aren’t you the Farm Director.” I said yes and he said, “Good, let’s just talk.” And we did. Gerry Ritz, our present day Federal Minister of Agriculture, called Whelan a “proud Southwestern Ontarian – and a strong voice for Canadian agriculture.” “Whelan was planted firmly on the side of farmers. His more than twelve years as Agriculture Minister serve as a clear testament to the passion and dedication he brought to the job every day. I am privileged to continue Mr. Whelan’s efforts in putting farmers first, because as Eugene would agree, a strong farm gate is the backbone of our economy.”
Whelan
Wise
Who can forget the big green Stetson hat that the late Eugene Whelan wore when he was the Federal Minister of Agriculture. He stood out wherever he went. He was probably best known for introducing Supply Management to the Dairy, Egg, and Poultry industries. My personal recollection of Mr. Whelan occurred in the late seventies after I had taken over responsibility for the farm show on CHWK radio. It was just before Christmas and the phone rang in the newsroom. I answered it, and heard the voice at the other end say, “Hello, This is Eugene Whelan calling. I
John Wise, a dairy farmer from Ontario and another former Federal Agriculture Minister also passed away recently. He served in municipal politics, farm organizations and as the member in Parliament for Elgin County for 16 years. During his tenure as Minister, Wise helped develop the North American Free Trade agreement. He also helped to lay the foundation for today’s world-class wine industry. Wise was recognized by his peers as a person who was a capable and realistic minister with knowledge of agriculture from the ground up. Blueberry Cannons
The efforts to reduce (or eliminate) the use of cannons by blueberry growers continues with efforts in both Abbotsford and Langley. The blueberry growers representation on the Abbotsford committee has withdrawn because they feel the committee is biased. It all comes down to which group should prevail, the growers or the residential land owners. The Farm Industry Review Board drafted new regulations aimed at reducing the effect of the cannons, but that hasn’t stopped efforts to ban them. It is a proven fact that cannons are the best bird scare device, but in the past they have proven to be a nuisance to many urban residents, people by the way who probably eat blueberries. Hopefully the issue can be resolved satisfactorily. Sandra Tretick
Sandra, a former senior communications officer with the Investment Agriculture Foundation in BC, and her husband Chris are now living aboard their boat (named Moken) in the Philippines. “It’s a trawler-style single diesel with sail assist 51 feet in overall length. It was manufactured by Seahorse Marine in mainland China but the design is called a Diesel Duck and the designer is from the San Juan Islands in Washington State. It doesn’t go fast but we do have very long range capability.” They plan to spend at least a year exploring some of the 7,107 islands that make up this south-east Asian archipelago before venturing further afield. You can read about their adventures at www.moken.ca.
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