Moralea Milne and the Call for Councillors
Upon returning to Oak Bay after a family camping trip last week, I was shocked to learn of the death of Moralea Milne, Councillor from Metchosin. Her passing was very impactful for me, as I had the pleasure of working closely with Moralea in our shared time on the Greater Victoria Public Library Board, particularly when I was Chair of the Board and Moralea was Chair of the Finance Committee. She was an amazing woman who I benefited from knowing and who I will miss greatly.
Metchosin Councillor Moralea Milne with View Royal Mayor David Screech @ Greater Victoria Public Library meeting
The memorial service on Sunday was wonderfully organized and attended – thank you everyone who was involved. Looking back on the time I had with Moralea, the ceremony, and her passing, three things keep resonating: Friends, Family, and Council.
On Friends and Family: Moralea was a genuinely good person, who I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with. She was also very knowledgeable in all things related to local naturehood. It’s worth finding and spending time with people like her (and learning from them) as you never know when you might lose them.
On Sunday night, after the service, my son and I took the longest shared bike ride we’ve ever done, and had time to talk about everything under the sun. The sudden loss of Moralea made that time together, and all the moments with the family, so much more meaningful. I’ll try to keep that appreciation every day.
On Council: Moralea was, in my opinion, a near-ideal Councillor. She was thoughtful, reasonable, responsible with public money, and thoroughly professional in her approach to every issue she considered. She was also passionate about her passions, and argued effectively for positive change. We need more residents like Moralea, who love their community, to step forward and run for local office.
I hope that a positive impact of her loss may be that residents around the region who are motivated by community service recognize the fulfilling work she did and step forward. We need lots of candidates in local government to give voters strong choices.
If you have qualities like Moralea: an open mind, a great work ethic, strong integrity, and sense of responsibility for our community, I would encourage you to run for local office. It is both rewarding and incredibly valuable… and a worth tribute to one who contributed so much to her community and the region.
If you want to read a little more about Moralea, Charla Huber wrote a nice article in the Times Colonist at https://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/columnists/charla-huber-honouring-the-memory-and-legacy-of-moralea-milne-1.23390454
