Good deed
In reading [“Scouts Canada donates land to Tla’amin Nation,” April 13], I realized the good deeds of Tom Petty, a former resident of Wildwood and its scoutmaster, led a gift that has never been recognized.
Tom worked for BC Tel in the 1970s and was responsible for the telephone line from Wildwood to Lund. One day, he called Oscar Orpana, an elderly farmer living near Lund, to repair his telephone. Tom discovered Oscar was having difficulty obtaining groceries and supplies from Powell River. As Tom travelled the road almost daily, he offered to bring them.
After a few months, Oscar asked Tom if he had a favourite charity. Tom replied that he did not, but that he worked with the Boy Scouts. Oscar told Tom he would make a donation to the Boy Scouts in the near future.
In the mid 1970s, I received a call from a local lawyer who said Oscar had passed away and willed his farm to the Boy Scouts in Powell River. I asked the lawyer if he could explain why the farm had been left to us. He told me some of the story and, later, Tom confirmed it.
Making further enquiries, I discovered the local Boy Scouts were not legally allowed to hold title to property. I phoned the Boy Scouts national office and found that the usual procedure was to donate the land to them and they would hold it for our use.
I called the Boy Scout troop leaders for a meeting and we decided the farm would be a perfect place to set up a wilderness campsite for the Boy Scouts, but our efforts and financing were being used to finish the Cub camp at Kelly Creek.
We asked the lawyer if the property could be donated to Boy Scouts of Canada and they received the property title.
As time went on, those involved retired and the gift was forgotten. It is only fitting that Tom’s involvement should be noted and recognized. Good deeds often have long-living results, outliving the participants.
Bob Abbott
Past chair, Boy Scouts Council of Powell River
Kudos to volunteers
As one of the volunteer gardeners at Evergreen Care Unit, I was amazed when members of First Credit Union [“Growth helps organizations give back,” June 10] came by for a few hours of weeding the other day; part of a community-outreach program the credit union runs.
We were so impressed by these people with green t-shirts, big smiles and the energy to clip, prune, weed and generally help beautify the gardens just in time for all the summer activities the residents enjoy out of doors.
Thank you, thank you, and if any of you want to help out on a regular basis, Evergreen Garden Club is always welcoming new members.
Liane Arnstein
Klahanie Drive
