There's No Place Like Home Take 2 With Video

Description

How many of you agree with these words.. “there’s no place like home” , as said by Dorothy Gale, played by Judy Garland in the film The Wizard of Oz? In 1982, when I was six years old, my family immigrated to Canada. We moved from, “our old home”, Clydebank, Scotland to “our new home”, Delta, B.C. The warm welcome I received from my classmates when starting Grade 3 at Sacred Heart School was amazing. Can you imagine the look on my face when invited to three birthday party sleepovers in the first month of school? As a child, baseball, soccer, and track and field were my sports of choice, so grateful to the dedicated coaches, team mates and parents who were always there no matter rain or shine. I remember heading off to attend high school in Vancouver and greatly missing the Delta teen social life. Transferring to South Delta Senior Secondary in Grade 11 and graduating from there in 1992 allowed me to develop life lasting friendships with my local peer group. My parents’ house was the gathering place, the hang out, the home where all the shoes were piled up at the front door, the no place like home that always had doors open no matter who you were. My husband Jamie and I met while working at Whitespot Restuarant in Tsawwassen. We married in 2005, and bought a home in Ladner, Yes that’s ours the one with the rainbow over the top of it, we say, “it’s our diamond in the rough with our pot of gold at the end of our rainbow.” When I read about this competition, “My Great Neighbourhood”, I became instantaneously energized and excited about getting involved. As a fan of The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy was my chosen mascot to show case South Delta to other Canadians. Our community of South Delta, this area we call home is made up of two towns Ladner and Tsawwassen (Tsawwassen is a First Nations word meaning facing the sea.) Many tourists already come to our town while travelling to the Gulf Islands and Victoria, the Capital City of B.C. via the B.C Ferries. So click your little red ruby slippers and join me in discovering,…My no place like home…… South Delta has so much to offer to children, adults and seniors alike. We are a community abundant with rich fertile soil allowing our hard working farmers to grow a great variety of fresh produce. We are so exceptionally fortunate to have our own Delta Hospital, which the community fought to keep open. The devoted medical specialists and emergency team are available close to home to assist those in need. The dedicated team of Delta Police and Delta Fire Fighters keep our town a safe one to live in and raise our families here. Did you know that the Boundary Bay Airport, which was built during WWII as a flight training centre for Canadian Air Force Pilots, is the 5th busiest airport in all of Canada? Today, this airport continues to be a major flight training hub for local and international pilots. Did you also know that Delta Port is Port Metro Vancouver's largest container terminal? This terminal, designed to handle the biggest container ships afloat has provided many job opportunities for community members. The seniors in our community delight in various activities, such as, Scrabble Club, Bridge, Pool in addition to enjoying delicious lunches at the Kee Cafe at McKee House. Augustine House residents take pleasure in knitting, reading and the weekly live entertainment. They particularly enjoy the regular bus trips, taking them shopping around South Delta. During my travels with Dorothy I was extremely fortunate to visit with long time residents of Ladner who are in there 90’s and even one lovely lady who is 104 years old. Our children take immense pleasure in the abundant parks, beaches, water parks and sports facilities to play at. Adults stay fit and healthy, having the benefit of the numerous walking trails while taking in the breathtaking views of Mt. Baker in Washington State and our local North Shore mountains. Recently my family hosted an exhilarating party in celebration and support of women with breast cancer in La Penita, Mexico. Lovingly and generously the citizens of South Delta donated 172 bras. What an uplifting gift from one great neighbourhood to another. South Delta is the place I have called my home for almost 30 years. On my way home from work in Burnaby while driving South on Hwy 99, I approach the George Massey Tunnel with anticipation, I am excited to see the light at the end of that tunnel, knowing that I am entering a place full of abundant love. Everyone who lives in South Delta knows that it’s always sunnier here than anywhere else in the Lower Mainland. Hence the beautiful pictures of our great town. Thank you to Janet Watson for allowing me to use her sunset pictures at Wellington Point and Canoe Pass. Thank you to Joey Aleksich, a long time family friend for her technical support. A huge thank you to everyone in our great neighbourhood who I met, shared stories with and agreed with me that, “there really is no place like home.” Credit to Israel Kamakawiwo’ole for Somewhere Over the Rainbow and Alan Silvestri for The Forrest Gump Theme music used in my slideshow featuring South Delta. “I extend to you my wishes and hopefulness that somewhere over your rainbow skies are blue and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.” Love Diane Chubb