42 » OpenRoad Driver
You’ve been married for 46 years.
What’s the secret to such a long,
happy marriage?
Forgiveness and flexibility. She forgives
me, and she’s totally flexible! I believe
it’s important to remember that love is a
journey; not a destination. Hopefully you’re
always on the journey.
Tell us about your passion for cars.
What do you miss about being
Mayor of Langley?
What’s the best teachable moment
you’ve ever had?
There are two things I miss most. The first
is the involvement with members of staff
in the City of Langley. We’ve got such a
great team and it was such an honour to be
a part of that for the 13 years I was there.
The second thing I miss is seeing the vision
we’ve had for the City of Langley come to
life, but not being directly involved every
day. That’s a bit of a change for me, but I
know we’ve laid a good foundation and I’m
confident it will be realized by the people
stepping in and taking over.
At Queen Elizabeth High School in
Surrey, I had an English teacher called Mr.
Thomas, who doubled as the drama teacher
and was an amateur actor in his free time.
He not only taught us English but brought
it to life. The way he presented Shakespeare
to my class, for example, gave me an
appreciation for literature that I otherwise
might not have had.
Is a long-term, 10-year deal with BC
Teachers really possible?
I believe anything is possible if people are
willing to sit down, look at the possibilities
and find ways to achieve them. I believe
in the possible; never in the impossible.
I’m going to work hard to see if we can
find a long-term agreement that’s in the
best interests of teachers, kids, parents and
communities.
Who was your favourite teacher and
why?
At the age of nine, I fell in love with
Miss McDonald, my Grade 3 teacher at
Tecumseh Elementary in Vancouver, who
was just out of teachers’ college, beautiful
and engaging. I wrote her a love letter in
Grade 3 and when I met her 20-25 years
later, she remembered me and still had
that little letter. She invited my wife and
me over for coffee and showed the letter to
me, and it was amazing for me to see, as an
adult, my thoughts and writing from when
I was nine years old.
If you could take a course
anywhere, what would it be?
It would be in space aeronautics at NASA,
just before I boarded a shuttle. I have an
adventuresome streak and if I had a chance
to go on a shuttle or rocket of some sort, I’d
go tomorrow.
Why is Winston Churchill your
hero?
He was a down-to-earth, pragmatic,
unpretentious, wise man. He was in power
and had responsibilities at a very critical
time in history of the UK and the world.
Who is your heroine?
Mother Teresa, because of her compassion
for those that are the most needy in the
world; how she lived her life and gave
selflessly to others.
Your 50th wedding anniversary is
just a few years away. How will you
celebrate it?
I think Charlene and I will have a
gathering at our home and invite friends
and family. We’ve done lots of trips in the
past and for our 50th, it would be nice to
just be around those who are closest to us.
I’ve loved cars all my life, ever since I was a
teenager. My first car was a 1952 two-door
Chev that I bought for $100 and worked
on. I love all makes and models of cars, but
I really love BMWs. I’ve had four of them
over the years.
How did the Langley Auto
Collection fit into your passion?
I was absolutely thrilled when I met
Christian Chia. I shared my vision for
the city with him and learned that he
wanted to open a high-end collection and
auto dealership group. Our two visions
came together. The high-end collection
absolutely fits the vision we have for the
City of Langley, and creates a strong and
exciting entrance. Audi, BMW, MINI and
Infiniti are in there; Porsche and Jaguar
Land Rover are coming and MercedesBenz is across the road. The Langley Auto
Collection has become a strong focal point
in the city.
Let’s talk about your “MINIster.”
What do you love about your MINI
Roadster Cooper?
It’s so cool. I have a permanent grin on
my face when I’m driving it! When I put
the top down, I love driving past young
people, seeing them check out the car
and watching their expressions when they
see this old duck driving it. The MINI
Cooper’s technology is fabulous. Its
handling is first-class and it’s just fun. Both
my wife and I love it.
Where do you like to go in your
MINI Cooper?
Wherever I can and whenever I can. We
love to drive up to Harrison Hot Springs,
as well as the drive up to Victoria from
Swartz Bay. I haven’t driven it up to
Whistler yet but it’s on my list of things to
do.