INTRODUCING YOUR 2012 PROVINCIAL COUNCIL
Who's Who for 2012 Provincial Council? For those unable to attend the AGM Nov.5th, we are pleased to offer profiles for each of the nominated members. What a wide range of skills, experience and backgrounds coming to our Provincial Council next year! It does seem "busy people like to keep busy".
President: Jan Hemming, Victoria
Jan has capably steered the Provincial Council this past year, ensuring a good transfer of the Council and its functions that previously had resided mainly in Vancouver. Under her guidance, the much desired MGABC Website was launched, which is the basis for healthy communication throughout B.C. amongst Master Gardeners, as well as the public wanting gardening information. We welcome her back for the second year of her term as President and wish her continuing success.
- Master Gardener Grad (HCP) 2005
- VP Victoria Master Gardener Association 2006
- President Victoria Master Gardener Association 2007&2008
- Victoria Chapter Rep Provincial Association 2009&2010
- VMGA Co-Chair Public Education Event 2011
- Memberships: HCP, Peninsula Garden Club, BCIRIS Society, MGABC
- BC IRIS Convention Secretary 2011
- HCP Fundraising Campaign 2011
- MGABC President Elect 2010
- MGABC President 2011
President Elect: Susan Wright
During this past year, Sue has held the position of Secretary of the Provincial Council, introducing new formatting and efficiencies. As well, she has championed the Website implementation process and spent countless hours ensuring its success. Always up to new challenges, Sue has agreed to stand as President-Elect as well as continue to be responsible for the MGABC Website as the Website Administrator.
- Master Gardener Program Fall 2005
- Victoria Master Gardener 2006
- Victoria Chapter Membership Chair 2007, 2008
- VMGA Chairperson 2009, 2010
- VMGA Past Chair 2011
- MGABC VMGA Chapter Rep 2010, 2011
- MGABC Secretary 2011
- MGABC Website Administrator 2011
Living in North Saanich, Sue manages ½ acre on the ocean with lots of blackberries, wild roses and horsetails – and an excessive amount of plants that grow too big!
VP Finance/ Treasurer: David Toole
David's numerous accomplishments as a senior executive in the corporate world has given him a world view on managing finances both in business and in volunteer groups. As a retired mechanical engineer with an MBA, he has volunteered with the World Cup (Timing Official), the Alpine Club of Canada (Treasurer, Director of Planning and Development),Citizen representative (bylaws) of MPC Town of Canmore, Alberta, as well as other organizations – some he is still involved with. He became a Master Gardener in Georgia, USA in 2001 and transferred to the Vancouver Chapter of MGABC in 2010. B.C. Master Gardeners are looking forward to getting to know this talented individual who has stepped forward to participate on Council as VP Finance/Treasurer.
VP Governance and Planning: Linda Derkach
Linda has been a member of VIMGA for seven years, serving on the Executive Committee for the past six years. She has served as Master Planner for four years, and continues as a Director developing policy and serving on various committees. Linda completed the Advanced Master Gardener Program in 2008. She served two years on the MGABC Council and oversaw the development of the Guide to Basic Training Program as the VP of Education. She is a member and Newsletter Editor for the Mt Arrowsmith Rhododendron Society, and has recently joined the Alpine Plant Group of the Qualicum Beach Garden Club.
VIMGA Chapter Rep and Director, Education - Pam Harrison
Pam Harrison has been a Master Gardener, trained at VanDusen, since 1990 and a very active VIMGA member since its inception when a small band of Vancouver Island MGs needed to find a home for their volunteering. Pam has also been a major voice in the transitioning of the MGABC Provincial Council making many return trips in all kinds of weather from Courtenay to Vancouver for meetings.
Her careers have combined primary French Immersion teaching and maintenance gardening. She is a strong believer in the value of MGABC, as a way of bringing MGs from around the province together, as a voice for high standards in our education and our volunteering, and as a vehicle for sharing our strengths and challenges. She lives with her husband and cats in Courtenay, where she is always editing her suburban garden.
Okanagan Chapter Rep, Director – Ginny Dournovo
Ginny is returning for her second year on the MGABC Council. In 1986 Ginny completed the Master Gardener Program at VanDusen Botanical Garden. When she moved to Enderby in 199 , she opened a garden centre in 1998, wrote a weekly garden column for the local paper, helped start a garden club and joined committees. In 2004, Ginny completed the Master Gardener Program at Summerland Ornamental Gardens. Although she officially retired to West Kelowna in 2008, she has been busy mentoring for the Basic Training Program as well as doing clinics and teaching gardening courses.
Ginny enjoys all types of gardening and enjoys sharing her passion with others.
Vancouver Chapter Rep, Director – Lynne Chrismas
Lynne is returning to Provincial Council in 2012 as the Vancouver Chapter Representative. She has played many roles in the MGABC both at the Chapter and Provincial levels since 1995 when she began the Master Gardeners Basic Training Course which helped her in a parttime job in a friend's plant store; and also led to a second volunteer position as the Chair of the Garden Crew looking after the Canuck Place Children's Hospice garden. Canuck Place volunteering developed into positions on leadership and event committees and many opportunities to work with staff and board members, families, donors and other volunteers.
Since 1995 Lynne has been an integral part of MGABC, sitting on many committees, including Bylaws, Spring Seminar and Education; and taking on responsibilities of North Shore Area Coordinator, Overall Clinic Coordinator for MetroVancouver and Spring Seminar Coordinator for three years. While President of MGABC/Vancouver prior to the transition period, both Prince George and Victoria Chapters signed affiliation agreements which became integral to the formation of the ProvincialOrganization. Currently, in Vancouver Chapter, she is the Coordinator of Seedy Saturday as well as the Harvest Festival and is playing a major role in the upcoming Spring Seminar 2012.
As well as being very active in Vancouver Master Gardener activities, Lynne is also on the VanDusen Botanical Garden Board of Governors, and participates in many of the Board committees - currently as Chair of the Education Committee, Chair of the Cedar Lecture Committee, and core member of the Bloom Gala Committee.
In her other lif,e Lynne spends time working as an insurance broker, and also has a small landscape company with her husband. Her family knows that you just call to leave a message because "Grandma" is in the garden. She is looking forward to being back at the table working with both the Vancouver Chapter and Provincial Councils in 2012.
Victoria Chapter Rep, Director – Jenny English
Jenny completed the Master Gardener course at VanDusen in 1993. In 1994, she moved to Victoria, but continued as a VanDusen member, going to Vancouver for clinics until mid 2000’s when she transferred to Vancouver Island MGA and was on their Executive as Director at Large from 2005-07. Jenny joined the Victoria MGA in January 2009 and is a member of the Hospitality and Membership Services Committees. She is also nominated for the position of VMGA Secretary in 2012.
Jenny comes from a family of gardeners: her grandmother homesteaded out of the bush in the Cowichan Valley in 1917, her mother gardened an acre on Galiano Island and from her uncle in England, (whom she lived with while nursing), learned the intricacies of an English herbaceous gardenand the “proper way” to design and look after the soil, the plants and the compost, in Devon.
After 40 years in Health Care, Jenny retired and started a small garden business of her own. She presently has a very mixed garden and many pots…one day to be planted!
Thompson/Shuswap Chapter Rep, Director – Fearon Blair
Fearon has lived in Kamloops since the early 1970's, with a two year stint in Vancouver in the 1990's. Those two years widened her gardening knowledge, specifically in relation to what slugs can do to newly planted annuals! She has had an interest in gardening for years, but did not start with much knowledge - in her first garden she very carefully cultivated a nice fast growing ground cover with little white flowers which proved to be chickweed! She was part of the first Master Gardener Basic Training Program in Kamloops, which she found stimulating and thoroughly enjoyable ; as well as very useful in her vegetable garden. Her current passion is spreading the word about the importance of our native bees in BC, and how to plant and garden to support and encourage them.
Fearon's professional background is Public Health Nursing, although she has been retired for a number of years. Her other volunteer interest is Habitat for Humanity. She lives with her husband Richard and their mutt Murphy.
Prince George Chapter Rep, Director – Trine Helsoe
Trine's forte as a gardener has been as a vegetable gardener; and her hope as a Master Gardener is to continue her involvement in Community Gardens and the promotion of Urban farming and gardening.. As a certified MG, she is currently involved with her local MG Chapter, the David Douglas Botanical Garden Societies Educational Display Garden at UNBC under the Education Committee, as well as the local spring plant sales and the Queensway and Prince George Community gardens.
In her other life she is married with two teenage boys, and most unusually, both she and her husband were born and raised in Prince George. Her work life has been in Silvaculture both in the field as a planter and then as office manager. In 2003 she started her own accounting and bookkeeping company which she continues with today.
Remember, every member in BC belongs to a Chapter and has a rep who liaises between their chapter and the MGABC. If you have an issue you'd like brought to Provincial Council, please contact your Chapter Rep.
