Lydia Blaauw, in her classification talk this week, recounted the many endeavours with which she has been involved.  Lydia grew up in Kelowna with 2 siblings, each born 6 years apart.  She started work at the age of 15 and married at 21,  to her husband aged 20. Part of a group of 8, they bought a farm of 160 acres in the Eden Valley, near Salmon Arm. It proved to be interesting but not successful.  She then worked at O.K Lake, as a counsellor for children and youth who were wards of the State. There she would live in a house with 4 or 5 children for 5 days before switching with another counsellor.  Her next venture was driving in a VW Beetle, to Faro, a mining Town in the Yukon, between Xmas and New Year,  in -60C temperatures. Lydia lived in Faro for over 7 years, bore 2 children and worked in a Day Care Centre while her kids were small. There followed work in a bank, accounting at a mine, and as editor of the local paper. She started a food Coop, a women’s centre and wrote a brief on family law for new territorial legislation and also with architects on a new housing plan for the community.  Lydia noted that 'Yukon was a great place to gain experience and confidence, as everyone was young and if you said ‘Yes’ you could do almost anything'. Finally, she divorced and moved with her children to Kamloops.

During the Kamloops years she was hired as the Marketing and Development Director of the Western Canada Theatre Company and Civic Theatre Manager, under contract with the City, becoming the General Manager. She also hosted a weekly programme for the CBC and chaired BC Festival of the Arts in 1995. Her Community Service involved the Mayor’s task force on the Arts and Social Service and Economic Development. She enjoyed her involvement with BC Heritage in the restoration of the house of  The BC Sheep Builders Association,  and taking part in the planning of 2 theatres in Kamloops. During that time she raised her children, married once disastrously and then for 2½ years to Frank Blaauw, the best of times followed by the worst, as he died of cancer. On moving to Vancouver in 1998 she became the Executive Director of the 1,260 seat Massey Theatre in New Westminister.  Lydia particularly liked the multi cultural audiences of this theatre   In 2006 it had a facelift,  the first since 1949. In 2006 Lydia decided to become an independent Consultant.  From 2006-2008 she acted as Consultant on a multitude of ventures throughout BC, including Coordinator of the Province’s Community Presenters Assistance; a grant programme for an operating plan for a new Max Bell school theatre in Powell River, and in Vancouver for the Jazz Festival, the Children’s Fest and PuSh Festival.   In Chiliwack, she worked on planning and building the Community Cultural Centre, which proved very successful. Her toughest jobs were a  North Vancouver Cultural Plan and a CBC Building Arts partnership, which proved more difficult and less successful projects.

In 2003 she married  Chris Hunt. He has 2 girls. All their children are now adults and are doing well. Lydia has an 8 year old grandson and a 3 month old granddaughter,

 

We are indeed fortunate to have Lydia join our Rotary Club, as well as continuing her services to the Arts of BC.