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Rockin' Rhonda & The Uptown Blues Band: Here comes Peter. Here comes Dave. Oh listen. Bringing stories, making waves. No missing. Spinning tales in the podcast cave. So much laughs and insights everywhere. Peter and Dave, they're on the mics. Alright, join the ride. It's gonna feel just right.

Dave Graham: Welcome back to the Pulse Community Podcast. I am, uh, I, uh, oh. Where am I? Here? Uh, hang on. I, I'm Dave Graham. You know, I'm just gonna blame the time change on me losing my focus, my edge. I've lost my edgy focus, Peter.

Peter McCully: And I'm Peter McCully. Yes, we turn the clocks back for daylight saving time. It affects some people more than others.

Dave Graham: It means that it gets dark—what, at now? Four-thirty? It's nature's way of telling us to start eating dinner earlier, which I'm not opposed to. That leaves more time for dessert. But Peter, this is frivolous compared to the solemn occasion coming up, which is Remembrance Day. We have the special and rare opportunity to speak to a World War II veteran.

Peter McCully: That war ended 80 years ago. So to find a veteran able and willing to talk is quite remarkable. Our honoured guest agreed to share some thoughts for the younger generations as November 11th approaches, but he agreed, provided we not mention his name. This hero does not want to live in the past. His intention is to not see the past repeated.

WWII Veteran: I don't count it as a personal sacrifice in any way because it's all about me. You don't find it out in the newspapers. You don't find it out with young people these days. They've got great lives going and have a super time. It's up to them to keep it going.

Dave Graham: Also this week, Darin Brown, chair of the Oceanside Chapter of Ducks Unlimited Canada. The upcoming annual fundraising gala event is on November 8th at the Qualicum Civic Centre, and they are supporting the purchase and preservation of Hamilton Marsh.

Darin Brown: We, Ducks Unlimited, attempted twice to purchase the property, and it didn't come to fruition for various reasons. I think it's really critical that we save these special places for future generations. If we don't, it could really impact the area for sure, especially when you take a look at a lot of the population growth in the area here. They become really critical because you start taxing your water sources. If you let them go, you're not getting them back.

Dave Graham: More from Darin Brown and Ducks Unlimited in just a little while. Here, the clock is ticking loudly on resolving that Hamilton Marsh issue. I just want to focus briefly here on our expanded lineup at the Pulse Community. We have now included a football podcast with Aaron and Jonathan Frazier from the Courtenay-Comox region. They talked NFL on their most recent episode.

And Jonathan, who is a chef, included a bonus downloadable recipe for Kansas City-style smoked barbecue ribs.

Peter McCully: Dave tried to make those ribs. Let's just say the smoke alarm got more of a workout than his taste buds.

Dave Graham: I didn't know you could wear a smoke alarm out, but be forewarned, it's not a recipe to start just before company arrives.

While prep time is only about a half hour, the ribs will need to cook for—ooh—close to half a day.

Peter McCully: Parksville City councillors Joel Grenz and Sean Wood broke down one of the most talked about issues in local government housing. What's the difference between market and non-market housing? Why is non-market housing so hard to build?

Dave Graham: These are important questions affecting all of us. And then we have the youngsters among us. We make sure there's something for everyone here at the Pulse Community. Our S'cum Kid story this week features Peter and Gracie, the Eskimo dog, learning about Remembrance Day. Oh, and the kids can colour along with the stories.

Peter McCully: We now offer printable downloadable colouring pages to go along with each new episode. And Dave, I just want to say you're getting better at staying inside the lines.

Dave Graham: As a crayon artist, I feel lines can be very limiting sometimes, but they can also be useful. And who says skies have to be blue? On another note, our growing podcast family also includes our Radio Archaeology classic radio series.

This week we're featuring an original episode of Dragnet with Sergeant Joe Friday.

Peter McCully: You'll find these podcasts and more at thepulsecommunity.ca.

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Peter McCully: Remembrance Day is approaching. With it, we are encouraged to wear a poppy and attend a ceremony and think about the life we get to live thanks to the sacrifices that were made. But for those of us far removed from war, it can be challenging to fully grasp how freedom isn't free and how each generation has a responsibility to protect it.

And so we sat down with a hero from the Second World War and asked about the message that he would like to pass along to others about Remembrance Day. He doesn't want to live in the past, and so he asked that we not mention his name, allowing us instead to simply focus on his message.

Dave Graham: You mentioned when we were sitting down for this conversation that you lost sleep last night thinking about this morning's conversation. We don't ask you to recall necessarily. We're looking for your message.

WWII Veteran: You have to go back to get a message that is really serious. That means going to a veterans' graveyard. Mostly you are finding people who lost somebody there. As a result, it's not a general thing, but to us, there were a lot of people who died and a lot of families suffering.

And in the end, the big question was: for what? There's still monkeying around.

Dave Graham: Prior to our beginning this recording, we talked about the importance of maintaining the message and the memory because the kids these days have no concept of what it was like.

WWII Veteran: In a way, it may be a good thing. It's hard to put behind death and the people who suffered through it, but the whole thing is we have to keep our eyes open, not stray into the situation that it was.

It depends on people nowadays and consciousness that it existed at one time, quite a while back, and a lot of people suffered, but so far, so good.

Dave Graham: Have you any ideas as to what a young person can do? Say it were tomorrow—they'd say, "I'd like to do something to keep this message alive, to connect with the people that were there and the sacrifices they made."

What can they do to keep that memory going?

WWII Veteran: I think that Memorial Day should be perhaps exaggerated a little more, where we get a little more feel for what's been and what's here now after all these years. And really, the only way to bring it to the fore is, I guess, talk to people who've been there.

Dave Graham: Any other message or thoughts that come to mind that you would like to get out?

WWII Veteran: I'd like to get the seriousness of what all went on. I guess not brought out clearly as to what it meant for not only the people who left us behind, but people who were back home that suffered. I don't count it as a personal sacrifice in any way because it's all about me. You don't find it out in the newspapers. You don't find it out with young people these days. They've got great lives going and have a super time. It's up to them to keep it going.

Dave Graham: And how do they keep that memory alive?

WWII Veteran: That's a $64,000 question you're asking.

Dave Graham: Well, we don't have $64,000.

WWII Veteran: We have to keep an eye on the political scene. Different countries have different ideals, but if one ideal gets on top of things, we can really run into a bad time.

Dave Graham: One last question: How do you feel when you hear people say "Happy Remembrance Day"?

WWII Veteran: What a joke!

Dave Graham: Remembrance Day is to be solemn, to honour. It's not a celebration.

WWII Veteran: It's honour, and a thanks on the part of most people. But we've had so much time gone by that they really have no idea about it.

Dave Graham: And that's one of the reasons we're having this conversation—to be able to continue to share that story—because it seems to me that freedom is so important, yet there's so many people who simply presume that freedom has always been there and always will be there.

WWII Veteran: Correct, and it is not guaranteed. But what you're doing now is great. We have to keep it alive. Maybe not so they know what happened, but so they'll be diligent not to let it happen again.

Dave Graham: Thank you so much.

WWII Veteran: You're quite welcome. Nice speaking with you.

Peter McCully: Thanks to our special guest for being so generous with his time and wisdom and to the world's veterans who gave everything so we could live free. Remember to attend a ceremony somewhere on November 11th. Now let's hear from Darin Brown with Ducks Unlimited Canada.

Dave Graham: Well, November 8th at the Qualicum Beach Civic Centre—that's your big event. But Ducks Unlimited has a huge interest in the Hamilton Marsh as well. So we're here to help you spread the word. Let's talk a little bit about both those things. First of all, a little bit about what Ducks Unlimited Canada does for us.

Darin Brown: Ducks Unlimited is a not-for-profit conservation organization. We've been around for about 86 years now. The Oceanside chapter has been around for about 44 years here in Qualicum Beach and Parksville area. We work to conserve wetlands and associated uplands throughout Canada and ultimately in British Columbia and here in the Qualicum Beach/Parksville area. So we work to conserve, restore, and manage wetlands and all the important benefits that they have.

Dave Graham: Why wetlands? What's the big deal?

Darin Brown: Over 70% of wetlands have been lost or degraded in Southern Canada—that's where about 90% of the Canadian population lives—so it makes it really important. It's worth protecting, absolutely.

Dave Graham: I heard a couple of references in terms of the services wetlands provide. I remember, I think it was some years back, in fact somebody even tried to put a number as to were we to try to replicate what wetlands do for us—X number of millions of dollars. And I'm not asking for an answer to that by any stretch, but any other aspects about wetlands that are good for us to know?

Darin Brown: Wetlands are key in reducing flooding. They're great at minimizing erosion and drought. So as the water comes down out of the mountains, we rely on that snowpack in order to fill the streams and the water supply for the community. But as the water comes down and goes into a wetland, it's a big catchment area, so it stores the water.

As the weather changes when you go into the summer, it starts releasing some of the water. It releases at a slow rate, so it's not eroding the banks or anything like that. So it really minimizes any sort of erosion and drought. The other thing is they're also great wildlife habitat, so the animals that use those particular sites—they're using it for food, shelter, water, and security at that particular site. But ultimately, it's creating clean water for the community.

Dave Graham: So talk, if you will, about why Oceanside Ducks Unlimited has an interest in this wonderful place we call the Hamilton Marsh.

Darin Brown: The Hamilton Marsh is one of the largest and most ecologically significant wetlands on Vancouver Island. The Hamilton Marsh provides essential habitat for countless species of birds and wildlife, helps maintain water quality, and offers opportunities for education and recreation in the area.

Our Ducks Unlimited committee is committed to raising awareness and funds to help safeguard this unique ecosystem for future generations. That's really important for us as a committee. We've also got some invested time into this project. We, Ducks Unlimited, attempted twice to purchase the property, and it didn't come to fruition for various reasons, but we want to see that it's protected.

It doesn't matter who protects it, whether it's the RDN or some of our partners in that, but I think it's really critical that we save these special places for future generations. If we don't, it could really impact the area for sure, especially when you take a look at a lot of the population growth in the area here. They become really critical because you start taxing your water sources.

If you let them go, you're not getting them back. That's really critical. That's one of the reasons why we really focus on the Hamilton Marsh and trying to get that protected with all our partners as well. It's really important to all of us.

Dave Graham: Here has arisen this third opportunity. And what kind of a role do you see in making this deal happen?

Darin Brown: I would say that with the initial purchase price of $30 million, the RDN is kicking in quite a bit of money as well. That's leaving the rest of the partners with about $7.5 million to try to get the funding in place for the deal as well. That's our goal. We're working with all the partners to try to hit that.

The one thing that Ducks Unlimited Oceanside is excited about: the opportunity to donate our net proceeds from our November 8th gala event to the Hamilton Marsh purchase.

Dave Graham: There's a time limit involved here, and we don't need to get into the weeds on that one, but a fair bit of money is needed fairly quickly.

The listeners who are interested in supporting—what's their best move to get the most value for their donation?

Darin Brown: I would say if you're interested in making a contribution to the Hamilton Marsh purchase, the best thing to do is get in touch with myself, Darin Brown, with Oceanside Ducks Unlimited. We have pledge forms, and we can line those up for you.

You can complete them, and at this point, we're just looking for pledges. If you've decided to make a contribution a little bit later on, we'll be contacting you to direct the funds for the purchase. The other option you would have is getting in touch with Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere. You can donate through them as well.

Yeah, if you have any questions, please feel free to give a shout at 250-951-1417. That's my contact information. And if you want to get in touch with Mount Arrowsmith, just go to their website at www.mab.ca and hit the donate button, and you can make a difference in protecting the Hamilton Marsh.

Dave Graham: There is a fairly short timeline on here, so people should not dawdle, correct?

Darin Brown: Correct. November 24th—we have to have everything committed, like people that want to pledge. All you have to say is, "I'm going to pledge X number of dollars in January." That's when we'll be contacting and getting some of the funds.

Unless you want to make the donation now—you're more than welcome to.

Dave Graham: Darin, thank you so much, and best of luck on behalf of us all in your quest.

Darin Brown: Oh, thank you very much. Thanks for having me.

Peter McCully: Thanks to Darin Brown on behalf of Ducks Unlimited. We're pleased to be able to share this story because people can't support things they don't know about.

Again, the Ducks Unlimited gala is November 8th at the Qualicum Beach Civic Centre. Last time we checked, there were just a few tickets remaining.

Dave Graham: The words of Joni Mitchell come to mind in regards to us not knowing what we've got until it's gone. Let's hope it doesn't get that far, but hope won't be enough to buy this land.

I can't attend the gala, but I will publicly claim that I will go to the Hamilton Marsh website and pledge my support. To paraphrase further from Joni, we need to stop paving paradise to put up parking lots.

Peter McCully: So it's time to wrap this up. Dave, you look about ready for a nap right now.

Dave Graham: Well, we all react differently to this whole time change thing.

I, for one, am feeling a hankering for chocolate, but that may be just my normal state of being. Oh, before we go, Peter, let's mention some future guests.

Peter McCully: Actor, writer, soon-to-be producer Chelah Horsdal joins us to talk about her various TV and movie roles, including that of the Federation president in Star Trek Discovery.

Dave Graham: A Federation president—that's like being the boss of space or something.

Oh, maybe she could get us jobs on a starship.

Peter McCully: The time change has really gotten to you, hasn't it? Also coming up on the Pulse Community: Nanaimo bass musician Vince Warry is celebrating the release of a new EP, and we'll see if he'll bring along a new Christmas song as well.

Dave Graham: This is the same Vince Warry who's been in tribute acts featuring Led Zeppelin and the Doors and The Cult, the same Vince Warry who uses phrases such as "unrelenting intensity" and "thunderous guitar work" to describe his music.

And he's coming out with a Christmas song? This I have to hear. Something else to look forward to is a new season of the popular podcast Island Crime, and host Laura Palmer will be here to talk about it.

Peter McCully: Yes, true crime stories from our own backyard. Sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction.

Right, Dave? Dave?

Dave Graham: Sorry. Yes. Present. I'm sorry. What? Oh, did I miss chocolate? Ah, I might have nodded off there.

Peter McCully: It's too early for napping. Let's go get you a coffee.

Dave Graham: Well, you know, make it a mocha. Maybe I'll cooperate.

Peter McCully: You can get what you like. It's your turn to buy. Dave? Dave? Oh, never mind.

Rockin' Rhonda & The Uptown Blues Band: Here comes Peter, here comes Dave, oh listen. Bringing stories, making waves. No missing. Spinning tales in the podcast cave. So to speak. Laughs and insights everywhere. What a treat. Peter and Dave. They're on the mics alright. Join the ride. It's gonna feel just right.