When Andrew Scott passed away this summer, the conservation community of the Sunshine Coast had to say goodbye to a dear friend.
Andrew’s love of nature was undeniable, as was his commitment to help protect it locally. So in 2001, he got himself elected to the Board of the Sunshine Coast Conservation Association (SCCA) and served there until 2007. According to Linda Williams, a multi-year SCCA board member, “Andrew fulfilled a blessed role on the board”. He was rock steady, bringing his intelligence and extensive knowledge of coastal conservation issues to board deliberations during a very busy time for environmental protection on the Coast. He had a knack for seeing the logical next step forward on issues and finding Board consensus.
While on the Board, Andrew volunteered his remarkable literary skills, editing the SCCA newsletter and producing several SCCA publications and documents. He also wrote newsletters for the joint SCCA/Pacific Salmon Foundation effort to support endangered sockeye salmon runs and for the Powell River Eco-Care Conservancy. Perhaps most notably, he and Dan Bouman, the long serving Executive Director of the SCCA, co-authored the influential “The People’s Water” book at a critical time for water conservation on the Sunshine Coast.
Dan emphasized Andrew’s unique impact on the Board as a grounded individual, generous with his time, bringing his common sense and caring voice to the table. As the Board’s editor, he helped people express their passions effectively, without injecting his own ego into the writing process. This talent, rare in the literary world, contributed to his success in the professional editorial community, in his voluntary work, and underlined the deep humanity of this gentle, wise man.
By George Smith on behalf of the SCCA