JIM WALCHUK can best be described as a 21st century Renaissance man. A 2013 inductee into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame for his (and sister Judy Ginn Walchuk’s) musical contributions, Jim is still writing and producing music while he has veered off into other professional directions.
“Timing is everything,” says The Other Side of the Bed former 24 Hours columnist, who now focuses on supporting the 20-80-year olds who work with him and his partner in their Right Fit @Work business that finds that “right fit” for career building, returning to work or volunteering gigs, for every age.
With a diverse and accomplished background in music and sports, and a career-counselling diploma, Jim also works with UBC’s Sauder School of Business to support graduating university students entering the work force with resumé and interview skills.
At the same time, he and his two sisters are revising a musical (Pass Me That Hat) that they started writing 25 years ago. “It’s retro now, and time to bring it back,” he says, ironically.
LOUISE HOWARD has been a passionate teacher and learner most of her life. “We are now living an absolutely different way of growing old,” says the former IB English teacher, who, post-retirement, completed a degree in painting at Emily Carr University. And that was after she learned how to build wooden kayaks and then travelled in one to the Great Bear Rainforest.
“I needed to open my mind and learn new skills that weren’t academic,” she says. “I needed to feel more alive. You have to make you happy – it’s not the role of someone else to do that.” Still painting in her home studio (“There’s no reason to ever stop”), Louise is now also studying Italian and volunteering as a garden guide at Van Dusen. “I grew up in a house surrounded by botanical gardens,” says the former Montrealer, “and I like spending time looking at birds and nature. But I don’t let go of having control over my time.”
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