Saturday, May 21, 2005
My Friend Martin
I first met my friend Martin when he was hauling around a science trailer to middle and elementary schools throughout the province of British Columbia--sometimes by rail or moose team--to whatever outpost on Vancouver Island or the mainland signed up for his show.
The show consisted of Martin (a Shakespearean actor) and his science sidekicks who wrangled school kids into frog and heron and butterfly costumes before traipsing off into the bog or swamp or woods to collect bugs or plants to look at under the microscopes set up in their portable lab. Teachers couldn't wait to get them to their school, and sometimes had to schedule a year in advance, during which time Martin and his merry crew also published an educational newsletter and frequently gave testimony at provincial government environmental hearings. Which is also where I assume Martin got to know people like The Nature of Things' host David Suzuki.
Being a transplant to Canada from England via a stint as a reporter in Kenya, as well as a rock-n-roll photographer (he knows one of my favorites-Joe Cocker), Martin has a down to earth fun-loving panache that served him well, especially as an environmental advocate in Western Canada.
Once, when the British Columbia provincial government refused to hold public hearings on an industrial dump proposed for a pristine bog Martin used for environmental education, Martin and his actor friends conducted their own "public hearing," complete with public notices, press releases, and media coverage. Martin and his friends played the roles of public officials sitting on the platform with microphones, taking public comment from bog neighbors and protectors. The publicity killed the proposal before anyone realized what’d taken place.
Recently, Martin got his teaching credential in the Cayman Islands. Those Caribbean kids are a lucky bunch.
The show consisted of Martin (a Shakespearean actor) and his science sidekicks who wrangled school kids into frog and heron and butterfly costumes before traipsing off into the bog or swamp or woods to collect bugs or plants to look at under the microscopes set up in their portable lab. Teachers couldn't wait to get them to their school, and sometimes had to schedule a year in advance, during which time Martin and his merry crew also published an educational newsletter and frequently gave testimony at provincial government environmental hearings. Which is also where I assume Martin got to know people like The Nature of Things' host David Suzuki.
Being a transplant to Canada from England via a stint as a reporter in Kenya, as well as a rock-n-roll photographer (he knows one of my favorites-Joe Cocker), Martin has a down to earth fun-loving panache that served him well, especially as an environmental advocate in Western Canada.
Once, when the British Columbia provincial government refused to hold public hearings on an industrial dump proposed for a pristine bog Martin used for environmental education, Martin and his actor friends conducted their own "public hearing," complete with public notices, press releases, and media coverage. Martin and his friends played the roles of public officials sitting on the platform with microphones, taking public comment from bog neighbors and protectors. The publicity killed the proposal before anyone realized what’d taken place.
Recently, Martin got his teaching credential in the Cayman Islands. Those Caribbean kids are a lucky bunch.
