Excerpted from CCARE Newsletter, October, 2022

Val Mieras: Thirty-five Years of

Change, Challenge and
Camaraderie
After 35 years at Camosun, I retired in 2015.
Looking back, I see there were three things that
encouraged me to stay for all those years:
1.the people (as many other retirees have also
noted);
2.the belief that post-secondary education is an
important cause to support; and
3.the opportunity for constant change.

That third point might be a surprise to some, but

Camosun and I were both young when I started
Val Mieras, 2013 and we grew up together. With constant changes
in technology and job requirements, I can
honestly say I was never bored.

When it comes to people, I was very lucky to always work in a centralized service
department, giving me the opportunity to meet people throughout the college. I
was also lucky to experience Camosun in the 80s, when it was a socially
happening place. The Employee Recreation Club organized slowpitch, volleyball,
ski trips and dances, all before social media (so you’re not likely to find too many
incriminating photos☺).

My appreciation for the power of post-secondary education started with my own

experience as a student. I first came to Camosun in 1978 for the Applied
Communication Program (ACP). I was only 19 when I started this two-year
media generalist program. I learned a lot about myself, what I’m good at and
enjoy and, just as important, what I struggle with and prefer to avoid. This was
back in the day when Kerm Carlson was in charge and I appreciated and learned
from his “get ‘er done” attitude. It was Kerm who first introduced me to the still-
true concept that effective communication is a two-way process, and that it’s
sometimes easier to receive forgiveness than permission.

I was a student when the new Fisher Building caught fire. A few of us rushed up
to the roof of the Young building and recorded the fire using black and white
video cameras.
 Excerpted from CCARE Newsletter, October, 2022

When I graduated in April

1980, Barb Latham hired me
as a summer student to
produce In Her Own Right, a
book about the history of
women in BC. As other
women researched and
wrote the essays, my job
was to physically create it.
Using ACP’s typesetter and
the College Printshop’s
darkroom, printing press and
collator I produced 500
copies of the book. A second
printing extended my
employment as a Term
The team who produced In Her Own Right in 1980 employee and member of
CUPE 2081. I remember
Back Row: Kerm Carlson; Dale Mosher; Nora Lupton going from $4/hr as a
Dryburgh; Tamera Adilman summer student to $8/hr as a
Middle Row:Robin Drader; Rob Pazdro; Diane Crossley;
Front Row: Cathy Kess; Barb Latham; Val Mieras CUPE employee. Same
work, just different status.

That term contract led to a permanent position as Press Operator in the

Printshop, and another pay increase. I still remember my job interview, when I
was asked if I thought I’d stay for a while. I asked what that meant and was told
they were hoping I’d stay for at least a year or two. I said I thought I could
manage that.

I worked in the Printshop for eleven years, moving up from Operator to

Technician to Desktop Publisher/Graphic Designer as well as two years as
Supervisor when Robin Drader went on maternity leave. We were always a tight
team, and enjoyed a very special camaraderie. We often socialized together on
weekends, and I remain friends with some of them to this day.

I have always been actively involved with my union, CUPE 2081. At the first AGM
I attended, I was asked to be Chief Shop Steward. I was told it wouldn’t take too
much time - just once in a while, I’d need to meet with someone over lunch. Keep
in mind that, in the early 80s, there were only 150 CUPE members, almost all of
them working at Lansdowne campus.

During bargaining table sessions, in which I participated, we were able to achieve

some important changes: the College would no longer hire student employees to
 Excerpted from CCARE Newsletter, October, 2022

do union work at half the price;

Term employees would no
longer get Step A at the bottom
pay grade; and the Staff
Development Fund could cover
3rd and 4th year university
courses. I recall one Director
commenting that the last change
didn’t matter, because very few
of the CUPE members needed
more than a 2-year diploma
anyway.

One benefit that is still

While at 1995 CUPE National Convention in Montreal,
Max Sternberg, Keith Todd and Val marched with
Quebec’s Sovereignty Referendum’s “Non” rally.
winter semester by one week.
appreciated was achieved
during the Vander Zalm years
when his government mandated
a 0% wage increase. Our union
argued that we were entitled to
something. We suggested we
get the Christmas week holiday.
We got only one day to start but,
in the next round of bargaining,
we added the other two days.
The stumbling block was how
busy it was for Student Services
in that week, with the winter
semester starting right after New
Year’s Day. The College solved
the problem by delaying the

Again, it’s the people who come to mind when I think back. I met a lot of
fascinating and inspirational people throughout BC, learned a lot, and made
some life-long friends. I stayed very involved with the Union for about 15 years,
and then stepped aside for others to do the heavy lifting. But I stayed on as a
Union Steward until I retired.

When President Dan Cornish created a new department of Communications, and

hired Joan Yates as the new manager, I was excited to apply for the new position
of High School Liaison Officer. I got the job in 1991 and stayed with that
department until I retired in 2015. The college grew, technology advanced and
 Excerpted from CCARE Newsletter, October, 2022

Joan’s farewell party in 2000

L to R: Wendy Loly, Paul Mantell, Val Mieras, Joan Yates with her daughter
Adrienne, Greer Service, Chris Thackray, Michelle Tinis, Quinn Daly
Missing: Paul McNair

the department changed. The job I left was nothing like the job I stepped into. But
what a ride!

Over the years, our department was tasked with coordinating many fundraisers
and grand openings for new buildings. I was in charge of coordinating the annual
Open House that grew into an event that brought more than 2000 middle and
high school students onto campus for a day of hands-on activities.

An unfortunate set of experiences also caused our department to become quite

proficient in crisis management. It was our first crisis that was the biggest. A fire
in the Dawson Building which happened at the worst possible time - right before
the Labour Day weekend. Most of Student Services staff were housed in that
building and were expecting a LOT of students to descend upon them as the fall
semester began. Joan called me at 5am and said: “hurry, we have to get to
work!” As the communications department, we had to get word out to a lot of
 Excerpted from CCARE Newsletter, October, 2022

confused and upset students and employees, as well as all local media. This was
a time when only a few people had somewhat primitive cell phones and there
was no college website or any social media. We did have access to a fax
machine.
After the first, very long day, a few of us debriefed in the Snug and came up with
a new college slogan: All Fired Up! Burning for Life. (Learning for Life was the
official slogan at the time.) Within a couple days, we had tee-shirts made up for
all front-line workers. Meanwhile, we held daily meetings in the cafeteria to keep
people updated.

I was so fortunate to have Joan Yates as my mentor, as well as the chance to

work with fabulous co-workers. When Joan left and Susan Haddon took over, we
continued to be a highly functioning and fun team.

At a Conference in Whistler, 2000

Paul Mantell, Wendy Loly, Val Mieras, Susan Haddon

When Susan retired, marketing and communications were separated into two
departments. Trying to separate marketing from communications is like trying to
separate your teeth from your gums…really, one doesn’t work well without the
 Excerpted from CCARE Newsletter, October, 2022

With the team at Paul’s goodbye dinner, 2001

Chris Thackray. Susan Haddon, Kelly Potter, Michelle Tinis, Paul McNair, Val Mieras

other. It was a difficult two or three years, until Joan came back to oversee both
departments. My final years with the College were very happy and meaningful.

Besides working directly with wonderful co-workers, I also had the privilege to
work closely with many colleagues from other departments. Redoing the website,
hosting the annual Open House,
promoting programs, supporting the
South Island Partnership…all these
required the collective efforts of
people from all across the college.
I’m especially thankful for everything
I learned from Janice Simcoe and
others within Indigenous Education
& Community Connections. I’m a
better person because of all these
relationships.

I retired before the pandemic hit, so I

was able to do a bit of travelling. The
first thing I crossed off my bucket list
was a quick trip with my husband,
John, to Las Vegas to see Santana
at the House of Blues. In 2016 we did Val at Cape of Good Hope, South Africa
 Excerpted from CCARE Newsletter, October, 2022

Val at the Colosseum in Rome, 2018 a US road trip that included two more bucket
list items: the Oregon Coast and the Grand
Canyon.

In 2017 I went with a group of friends to

South Africa. What an amazing experience
that was! We started in Johannesburg,
finished in Capetown, and saw so many
interesting sites in between. We saw
penguins, golfed with baboons, went up in a
hot air balloon and visited a lot of wineries.
The highlight was four days with a glamping
safari at Kapama Game Reserve.

In 2018 my husband and I joined friends for

a holiday in Europe. We started in
Barcelona, did a 12-day Mediterranean
cruise, a couple days in Venice, a week in a
villa in northern Italy, and finished up in
Amsterdam. Two more road trips followed in
2019. And then the pandemic hit, and all travel stopped.

We are lucky to be golfers, because for a long time that was one of the few “safe”
things a person could do. We also became
part of a small social bubble and perfected
the art of backyard happy hours. On Canada
Day 2020 we adopted our pandemic pets:
two tuxedo kittens. These two sisters have
brought us a lot of joy and a lot of laughs
since coming into our home.

Right: Val’s tuxedo kittens,

Bootsie and Bonnie

Golf continues to be a big part of my life and

I play about three times a week. After 20+
years as a member of the Cedar Hill Golf
Club (13 serving on the Board of Directors,
including four as President), the Club
honoured me with Life Membership in
November 2021. This year, I joined Gorge
Vale Golf Club, where my husband has been
 Excerpted from CCARE Newsletter, October, 2022

a member for more than 30 years. It’s nice just to play and not have to do any of
the organizing. Gorge is a very hilly course, so I get my exercise walking it.

In September 2022 Victoria hosted the 55+ BC Games, and I qualified to

compete in Golf. We played at Arbutus Ridge and Cedar Hill and I managed to
win a silver medal (Flight C Net). I’m quite proud of this accomplishment,
because my hip has been giving me grief for several months and I very nearly
withdrew from the competition. I’ve been going to the Athletic and Exercise
Therapy clinic at Interurban, which
I highly recommend – did you
know that as retirees, we get the
Camosun employee discount?
Anyway, my diligence in doing my
assigned stretches and exercises
is starting to pay off, although
ibruprofen is still my friend.

Left: Val and her husband, John, having won a

Best Net Mixed tournament at Gorge Vale Golf
club, 2022

Above: Val with her silver medal in golf from

the 55+ BC Games, September 2022

Finally, as Joe Walsh says: I can’t complain, but sometimes I still do; life’s been
good to me so far.