Community building is a tough job. Too hard for me. And community building in an area populated by individualists is an even tougher task than usual. The Discovery Sound area attracts the independent, individualist like rock concerts attracts Bic lighters. It is an area united by the principle of ‘let’s not get united!’

Lately, our neighbouring island, Quadra, has been up in arms over the moving of the old library into a new building. Fur has flown over that.

We on Read are not exempt from tempests in our teapots. We have our own community issues. But, because we are a smaller group and meetings are mercifully rare, things usually work out. The key is to let issues ‘flare out’.

The thing about these issues is that you never know which one is going to go ‘super nova’ on you. I am always surprised.

We had an issue some years back that still amuses me. “You in favour of free-range grazing or not?”

Turns out there were only two ‘domesticated’ and free ranging animals on the island (a horse and a cow) and one of them had already died by the time I was asked to state my opinion. I tried to demure but the question was still hanging in the air; “in favour or not?”

I admit to casting my vote for the remaining cow to have the freedom to mosey and moo. Fortunately, that was the majority opinion.

Politics, eh?