By GAIL SJUBERG
Whenever I chatted with Helga and Michael Bagnell over the years about the Christmas Day Fulford Hall Free-be-do, they always gently suggested I attend. Helga repeated the invitation when I saw her at the hall a few weeks ago.
But having spent almost every Christmas Day with family at my childhood home in Courtenay until my mom and my husband died in 2019, and then taking some measure of responsibility for creating a special meal in my own home in subsequent years, it just didn’t fit into my holiday plans. And of course at some level I felt a free Christmas dinner wasn’t intended for someone like me who could afford to buy a turkey and all the trimmings if I wanted to.
But this year my daughter Chloe couldn’t come to Salt Spring over Christmas, so that left my boyfriend Bryn and I at loose ends for Christmas dinner, with other friend and family events on the 24th and 26th. “Why not go to Fulford Hall?” we asked ourselves, and did.
It turned out to be a great idea. Not only did I get royally hugged by Helga when I came into the hall (and some other lovely people later), but the food, company, music and community spirit combined to make it a super enjoyable event. Food is such an equalizer and connector. We all need to eat, so why not do it together? Families, neighbours, couples and single people of all ages and experiences came together, sharing a hot meal and conversation in a welcoming spot where good spirits and appreciation prevailed.
I feel so much gratitude to all the volunteers, including those setting up, cleaning up, peeling vegetables the day before, cooking and serving the food, and the supreme skill of chef Brody and Elsie Paine. (“What would we do without them?” was the consensus.) Helga and Michael, longtime kitchen stalwart Mary Ann McColl and the contributing businesses and individuals also deserve the warmest community hug possible.
That brings me to the topic of volunteers. One conversation I had at the event centred on the need for some volunteers to replace those who are getting on in years and would like to gracefully step aside. But we agreed it’s not just a matter of willing bodies being corralled and thrown into the kitchen, as some measure of training and coordination is required for helpers to be safe and used effectively.
For some time I’ve wanted to use the Driftwood to help with volunteer recruitment efforts in some way, and feel short features about or a Q&A with a volunteer from organizations seeking more help would be a good way to go. It could give potential volunteers an idea of what’s involved with a specific role, including the potential perks, and perhaps remove a bit of the trepidation someone might feel about raising their hand to help out.
If your community group is needing volunteers, please connect with me at news@gulfislandsdriftwood.com or 250-537-9933 to be included in the feature series. Let’s help keep our beloved traditions, organizations and events rolling and resilient in the years to come.
The writer is editor of the Gulf Islands Driftwood newspaper.