Honouring the outsiders

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This article was published 20/03/2021 (1941 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Three Winnipeggers who are dedicated to promoting the outdoors are among the people honoured as part of Manitoba’s 150th anniversary celebrations.

Ian Hughes, Doug Belcher and Bob Williams were recently named as part of Honour 150, which recognizes 150 volunteers from across the province who have made significant contributions to the community.

Nominated by their peers, each honouree received a commemorative medal, and Canada Life made a $500 donation to the charity of each honouree’s choice.

The Free Press spoke with Hughes, Belcher and Williams about their passion for nature and what it’s like being recognized for their efforts.

Ian Hughes

“It’s all Farley Mowat’s fault,” Ian Hughes says when asked about his love for the outdoors.

When he was young, Hughes read Mowat’s novels Lost in the Barrens and The Curse of the Viking Grave. Both are stories of adventure and survival that take place in the Canadian North.

“The descriptions of the land, and travelling on the land, got into me and as soon as I was old enough to explore it on my own, I did,” the 64-year-old Wolseley resident recalls. “My parents also had something to do with my interest in the outdoors. My dad would take me hunting and fishing when I was little.”

Hughes began his volunteer work more than 30 years ago when he became a cross-country ski instructor and joined the board of the Canadian Association of Nordic Ski Instructors.

That led to an invitation in 2011 to join the board of Trails Manitoba, which promotes the construction and use of recreational trails across the province.

One of his standout experiences with Trails Manitoba was when the organization developed a portion of the Trans Canada Trail that stretches from the Ontario-Manitoba border to Lester Beach.

Hughes recalls joining a group of volunteers to ride the trail from Pinawa to Falcon Lake.

“To see what the group had pulled together — this amazing trail that could take you 100 miles through parts of the country that you wouldn’t otherwise have that kind of access to — was just beautiful.”

Since retiring as CEO of Marymound six years ago, Hughes has kept busy with his Trails Manitoba involvement. He also sits on the advisory board for Habitat for Humanity’s Cycle of Hope and sings with the Bison Men’s Chorus.

Hughes was surprised when he was chosen as an Honour 150 recipient.

“I keep telling people I’m not sure I deserve that kind of honour,” he says. “I didn’t wake up one morning and say I’m going to do all this stuff. I kind of fell into it and found myself responding to people’s invitations.”

Doug Belcher

Like Hughes, Doug Belcher has fond childhood memories of being in nature with his father. When they lived in Bertwell, a community in east-central Saskatchewan, Belcher accompanied his father when he checked his trapline.

“We moved all over the place, and it was always close to the outdoors,” Belcher recalls.

That proximity to the bush led to a lifelong love for the environment that the retired Canadian Pacific Railway conductor has shared during more than 25 years of volunteering at FortWhyte Alive.

The 660-acre urban green space aims to bring people together to share experiences and build sustainable relationships with nature and each other.

Belcher served as a tour guide at FortWhyte for two decades, leading youth on hikes through forests, wetlands and prairies while educating them about the local habitat.

A few years ago, he started driving the 15-passenger van at FortWhyte, transporting youth who are not yet old enough to drive and otherwise might not get the chance to visit the centre.

“We have to pass on our appreciation for what’s out there in the way of nature to younger generations,” he says. “A lot of children don’t get the chance to get out and explore what it’s like outside the city, so I think FortWhyte has a good, useful purpose to do that.”

At 77, Belcher is still an avid outdoorsman who enjoys cross-country skiing in the winter and cycling in the summer. He also likes to garden at his cottage north of Winnipeg Beach.

In addition to his service at FortWhyte, Belcher has volunteered with the Prairie Dog Central Railway, Meals on Wheels, Harvest Manitoba and the Christmas Cheer Board.

“Working is OK, but as long as you have enough income to get by, there are other things you should do in life,” he says. “You’ve got to give back.”

Bob Williams

Bob Williams is a successful property developer and philanthropist who has donated more than $1.5 million to various initiatives at Assiniboine Park.

He is a founding member of the Assiniboine Park Conservancy, served as chair of the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s Manitoba regional board of directors and was a member of the conservancy’s national board.

Growing up across the street from Assiniboine Park led to Williams’ lifelong love for the area.

“As a young child I wasn’t allowed to cross Portage Avenue, so my backyard became Assiniboine Park and the monkey trails that came with it. Not a bad backyard,” says Williams, who, when asked for his age, uses a golf metaphor instead of providing a number: “I’ve finished the 18th hole and I’m walking toward the clubhouse.”

Williams still lives near the park and walks through it every day. He enjoys seeing other people enjoy it, as well.

“It really is a park for everybody,” he says.

Williams has also worked with Polar Bear International to promote tourism in Churchill. He’s visited the town 10 times to see the polar bears and got “close enough you can smell their breath.”

Williams appreciates the Honour 150 recognition and is thankful to call Manitoba home.

“I’ve travelled the world, and every time I come home, I feel like I should get down on my hands and knees and kiss the ground,” he says.

“We are so fortunate to live so close to Mother Nature. In an hour’s time, you can be in Winnipeg Beach. In an hour’s time, you can be in the delta. In two hours’ time, you can be in the Precambrian Shield. It’s a pretty nice place to live.”

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