Statement to Mack Laing Nature House Advisory Committee, Friday June 10, 2016
by Angela Burns, representative for the Mack Laing Heritage Society
(Note: Chair Terry Chester disallowed this comment)
I declined to be present at this meeting because I saw no benefit to the MLHS in attending yet another session where I and the group I represent would be exposed to more verbal abuse, and have to witness – again – the dishonour of the expressed wishes of Hamilton Mack Laing.
The MLHS was appointed to this committee, and I attended it in good faith through 8 sessions, despite the fact that it soon became obvious that the majority of people appointed had no interest in saving Shakesides.
In fact, this committee seemed intent on blaming Laing for not leaving enough money. As has been proven by a report we received from a chartered accountant, he left more than enough – had it been properly managed and used as directed by the Town of Comox.
Furthermore, it was disappointing to see the advisory committee refuse to deal with two of the three Terms of Reference in a responsible manner. It was more convenient to attempt to blame the MLHS for lack of understanding, than admit the built-in prejudices expressed by the majority of the committee.
The process failed to evaluate the potential of a nature house as a public interpretive centre, despite the name of this committee, in a structure deeded for that purpose, in a nature park also deeded to the Town by this generous old man.
The decision reached by this committee is therefore considered invalid by the MLHS. There will be yet another well-deserved public outcry at yet another short-sighted decision – which follows the same path as that expressed by Council in February 2015. We don’t believe this is a coincidence.
Considerations of heritage, history – and most of all honour to a respected Canadian naturalist, writer and educator – have been ignored again, as they have for 34 years. The difference now is that, for the first time, there’s a group which is willing to work with the Town and others to restore Shakesides and honour Mack Laing. It’s unfortunate that this opportunity was rejected by this committee.
As stated previously, the MLHS remains nationally-recognized as the cultural custodian of Hamilton Mack Laing’s interests – by Heritage BC and the National Trust of Canada. It has a mandate to educate about Mack Laing and will continue to encourage respect for him, his intellectual successors, and the natural world. There is a great deal of work for us to do.
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