The Westerner for June 3, 2013

Posted by Brian F. Thompson 
on Jun 4, 2013
 
 

Meeting:   Chair - Rob; Music - Jerome; Grace - Jennifer

Attendance / Guests - 33, including Nadine Fulmer, Edmonton Northeast, Debbie Jonas & Ken Saunders II

Announcements:

  •  Bob Lamoureux has made arrangements with Victoria Golf Course for our annual fun golf tournament on Tuesday, September 10th.  A sign-up sheet is circulating.
  • Jerome was very pleased with the Grandview Concert on May 28th.  He keeps thinking that they just can't get any better, but they do.
  • President-Elect Duane is off to Belize again to be the Keynote speaker at the Independence High School Graduation Ceremony on Saturday, June 8th.  Congratulations Duane.
  • Ingrid circulated a list to recruit volunteers to supervise the front desk for the next few months and was very pleased with the response.
  • 50/50 Draw - Ed & Duane failed to match cards so $52.00 carries forward to next week.
  • Finemaster Jerome collected $53 from those in attendance by asking us questions about books and authors.  Apparently, we are not very well read.
 

Classification Talk - David Gibbens

David was born and raised in Balcarres, Saskatchewan.  Balcarres is northeast of Regina and has held steady at just under 400 population.  After high school, David joined PFRA (Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration) in Regina.  He started as a Draftsperson, embraced computers and learned CADD (Computer Aided Drafting & Design), Graphic Arts and GIS (Geographic Information Systems).  While working, he continued his studies and obtained a BSc in Geography from Simon Fraser University and an MSc in GIS from Manchester Metropolitan University.  In 1994, he transferred from Regina to Edmonton with PFRA to work with Fred Kraft.  David illustrated his talk with some very interesting slides and photos.

David's family consists of wife Karen (who worked with Fred Kraft in Regina), daughter Nicole who has just graduated with her Education degree and is now looking for a teaching position, and son Nolan, who is getting started in the Baking trade.

David is a very good curler - skipped the League Championship team for 5 years in a row (supported by Ed, Fred & Brian) in the Agriculture Forestry Curling League, played in the Superleague in Regina and made it to the Provincial playdowns in Saskatchewan.  He also played lots of Field Lacrosse, but switched to refereeing Lacrosse many years ago.  This too was at a high level and David refereed the World Lacrosse Championships at Perth, Australia, Long Island, New York, and Manchester, England.  He was a member of the Canadian Lacrosse Association Board of Directors.

His GIS work has had him involved in such things as:

  • The Avian Flu outbreak in BC
  • The BSE (Mad Cow Disease) outbreak in Alberta
  • The Red River Flood (97) in Manitoba
  • Mapping Community Pastures in the Prairie Provinces
  • Climate Change monitoring & mapping
  • Using sattellite imagery to show changes over time
  • Travelling to Ethiopia with Fred to train people in using computers for mapping

For the past 19 years, David has been on the Executive of his Community League and has become very involved with the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues.  Dave served on the EFCL Board from 2007 to 2013, and was President from 2008 to 2011.  At that level, he has had many dealings with City Council on issues such as LRT Alignment, Bicycle Lanes, and Urban Food production.

Last Saturday, David Gibbens received the Lt. Governor's Leadership for Active Communities Award at a ceremony.  He is now ready to start a new chapter in his life, and looks forward to contributing to the local and international community through Rotary.  David was thanked for his excellent presentation by Ingrid.