qd Simple matter of

by Pat Gallaher

My fondest memories, as a_ staff
member, "casual", part-time, and
regular, over the last nine years, range
from the ridiculous to the sublime...
but they all share the most important
element - the singularities and carings
among us as human beings.

Anecdotes ... the "ridiculous" .
Back in the "good ol’ days" at West Van
High, most classes were held in the
actual high school classrooms. "High
school" ended at 3:00 and "College"
began at 4:00 in the afternoon.
Understandably enough, in order to
prevent disturbance to the high school
students in class during the day-time,
College personnel (students, staff, and
everyone) were not allowed in the high
school before 3:30. However, this "rule"
did not take into account the fact that
various departments of the College were,
from time to time, actually operated in
the very bowels (in some cases, literally)
of the high school building. (The Print
Shop, Bookstore, and "Stores" were
among. the favoured few.) On one
oceasion (at least), a staff member of
the College who worked in one of these
areas was unable to talk her way out of a
"detention" (issued, but somehow never
"served") which was given out by a high
school teacher for "unauthorized" use of
the hallway during the day (she was on
the way back to her area from the
washroom).

18

Then there was the embarrassing case of
the "misecopied" memo. An administrator
directed an official College "memo" for
photocopying . . . 200 copies. It so
happened that one of those occasional
"job-oriented" pieces of humour was also
circulating in the office that day (it was,
I believe, the spoofing memo concerning
giving adequate notice to the employer
before being granted leave-without-pay
to attend one's own funeral). When the
employee concerned went to put up the
memo "spoof" on the notice-board and
found herself instead posting the "real"
one, she was barely in time to retrieve
the 200 copies of the Funeral Notice
from the administrator's desk and "re-
photocopy" 200 of the correct memo.

Caring ...the "sublime"...

For a special few, personal, long-lasting
relationships have blossommed from
meetings and acquaintances that were
first made at the College. But for many
more of us, the small, daily carings
between us at the College add up to a
collectively "special" relationship for us
all - each one and all together. Though
not often realized or recognized from
moment to moment, these relationships
are meaningful, both in the spontaneity
of daily life and in the silent need in
times of private troubles. For some of
us, the "College" is like a second
"family".

.. may the next ten years be as happy t=