2011 Board of Directors- Pender Island Community Farm Project

2011 Board of Directors

The Farmland Project held its first Annual General Meeting on Oct 27th 2010, celebrating and reporting on the past year. Beside an amazing Local Food Potluck and the AGM reports, we also formed the Board of Directors for 2011.

We are very pleased to present our 2011 Board of Directors:

Anna Lundeen was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. She moved to Golden BC, got married and started a family, and then moved to Pender in the Fall of 2009. Anna is a Community Nurse with a passion for environmental health, social justice and local and global food security. Anna has a background in community health and development, teaching and co-ordination. Within months on moving to Pender, Anna was sharing her skills of facilitation, group process and leadership with the Farmland Project.

Elizabeth Montague is a retired professor (PhD, Social Foundations of Educational Policy), a Canadian who spent many years residing in the US. Aside from teaching, her experience includes education and outreach, development and grant-writing for two non-profits working to conserve and protect forest ecosystems in Northern California. Now a resident of Pender Island for 2 years, Elizabeth finds her work with the Farmland Project brings together her interests in gardening, sustainable living, community development and secure, healthy food Elizabeth contributes to the Farmland Project as a Director and a member of the Fund-raising Committee.

Nori Pope was born in Victoria and raised in rural Saanich. Mad keen as a child about plants and gardens, Nori apprenticed to a local master nurseryman at the age of 12. A degree in Botany, followed by a scholarship in Fine Arts provided a sound preparation for his professional life of nurseryman/plant breeder/garden designer. In 1986 he and his wife Sandra had the opportunity to restore the derelict garden and nursery of Hadspen House in Somerset England. For 20 years they developed a style of designing with colour harmonies and patterns. Their book “Colour by Design’ was published in 1998 which led to a further career of lectures, teaching and plant hunting travels throughout Europe, North America and Australia. Nori returned to Canada in 2006 to settle on Pender. His life long concern for farmland preservation and self sufficiency has been influential in his current development of an organically managed fruit and vegetable garden on his property and his work with the Farmland Project.

Jodi Schamberger was born in New Zealand and has spent the last 20 years in Canada. Passionate about raising, training and caring for animals, Jodi has worked in livestock farming over the years, on farms large and small. Jodi has lived on Pender for the past 10+ years, working on local farms, building a home, getting married and raising a daughter… then selling up and moving back to New Zealand for a few years only to return to Pender. Jodi brings her interest in raising healthy, organic stock and vegetables for herself, her family and the community to the Farmland Project.

Matilda te Hennepe was born and raised in the Lower Mainland of BC, and moved to Pender in 2004. Matilda has a background in communications, design and writing, and spent most of this career in Vancouver helping organizations create business reports, media kits, websites, newspapers, newsletters and other documents. She became passionate about local food and farming after a year of working on farms in Southern Spain. Matilda brings her interest in growing food, and her beliefs of preserving farmland and saving farming knowledge to the Farmland Project.

Colin Watson was born in Ottawa and has lived in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and the USA , where his father’s military career took his family. A geology degree from McGill brought him to the oil industry in Calgary, a career interspersed with science teaching junior high and 3 yrs travel in SE Asia. These travels in rural, agricultural societies where all lived and toiled in cooperation, sustainably in many ways, influenced him very deeply. Inspired, he embarked on further self exploration under the loving guidance of Rajneesh, moving to Vancouver, meeting partner Wendy and spearheading the creation of a large, loose knit, conscious urban community. For 13 years Colin and Wendy facilitated personal growth workshops on conscious relating, meditation and sexuality, in the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island and Washington State. This background as well as his appreciation of Pender farmers, music, fresh local food, dance and celebration, and semi-retirement work at Poets Cove keeps him engaged and brings him to the board of the Farmland Acquisition Project after a year as an active member.

Renee Watson moved to Pender with her mom in 1981 at age 11 where she attended Pender school for grade six, seven and eight. Renee attended Parkland Secondary School for grades nine through twelve. The first part of grade nine she took the new hover craft service that was operating from Port Washington to the Sidney Fisherman’s dock. When that service was discontinued she took the ferry; catching rides from the generous Pender commuters who would often make a point of driving by the school on their way back to the ferry to see if any of the students needed rides. After high school Renee travelled to Europe for a view months and then moved to Vancouver, White Rock, Pemberton, Sidney and then finally home to Pender to get married, build a house (or two) and start a family. Renee has worked in accounting in a brokerage firm, a hotel and as treasurer for various Pender Societies. She has also worked at Garden Nursery’s and as an office assistant. Her most significant job and learning experience is as a homeschooling mom of two boys; which keeps Renee very busy. Renee joined the Farmland Project because the idea struck a chord with her: Creating a sustainable resource for growing our own local food is a positive step towards caring for the earth and the children.