WO President

Dear Jim,

The purpose of this letter is to offer my observations from this summer that has lead to a change of attitude on W.O. operations at the Minden Wild Water Preserve.

Ask me one year ago what the Minden Wild Water Preserve would look like in 2010, I would have said a few visitors and quiet except for a couple of special events. Like everyone I had my thoughts what was needed: more energized volunteers and more existing paddlers to camp at the facility.

When I first heard of a potential commercial operation based from MWWP, even I as past president was hesitant, and considered a commercial partnership as not viable and possibly sell-out.

Since early July, I have visited the Gull and rented the centre numerous times while teaching rescue courses to government clients. In the four months my opinion has turned 180 degrees. The Parson Training Centre has undergone a renaissance.

Here are some examples of what I witnessed:

• Watched a father and daughter paddling down the Otterslide in an Inflatable Kayak, followed by Mother and son. Both carefully watched and guided by an AO Boatwerks Instructor. (Never would have seen that family experience in a WO L2K course).

• Then there was the husband and family inquiring at the Main Floor Boatwerks office about when their three young children could start whitewater kayaking. Who would figure recent immigrants from Somalia would see WW kayaking in their future, or that they could find the Canadian experience at the Gull in the midweek.

• While changing clothes, getting rescue gear ready, I witnessed multiple walk-ins to inquire about day instruction, weekend courses, and what organization runs the trails and site.

• Camps who used to run their own instruction were seen arriving by bus in the RL Parking Lot next to the Parson's Centre, for instruction with Boatwerks staff. Think about it – teenagers getting to see BOTH sides of the river. MWWP just became part of their summer memory. With more to come.

• On a Tuesday evening I watched 15 local young people (15-22 years old) gathering @ Roger Parsons Centre. Not to party, but to go for evening fun race. Many of the young people had a connection to AO Boatwerks.

In 1979 Roger and Heinz, and dozens of passionate paddlers had a vision to make MWWP a centre where people of all ages would come to learn, have fun, and refine excellent paddling skills. Decades later this vision is being carried on by fresh faces. It may not be the same race plan, may not be the same boats, but still the same whitewater and vision.

We have to be big enough to say .... It is not the way I'd do it bit it's getting done. And from what I saw it is getting done very well.

Jeff Strano, Brodee Harte, Neil Ross-Ross, and the AO Boatwerks crew deserve kudos for the creative idea, their initiative and professional customer interaction at the centre. They do a terrific job representing the commercial operation and the paddling community.

Credit must go to those WO Executive and MWWP Committee leaders who were prepared to take a risk with a new paradigm of operations. These people should be congratulated for seeing beyond how it was done in the past, and willing to pilot a new method of recruitment and partnership.

Further to that I echo Dave Taylor’s (GBKC) comments, I am impressed with the website, layout, it’s currency, as well as utilizing Donna Boadway as the primary contact for all administrative work.

Monica and I are looking forward to bringing our two sons into Whitewater Ontario. Hope this new paradigm of operations can be continued, and the vision evolves.

Yours in Service,

David Gillespie

Past President – Whitewater Ontario

Past Chief Instructor – Whitewater Ontario

Gull River Restoration Committee 2000-2001

Past VP Domestic Affairs – Canoe Kayak Canada