Becoming volunteers at a facility that caters to veterans was a natural step for a pair of retired vice-admirals.
Robert George and Gary Garnett have been helping at Veterans Memorial Lodge for about 20 years.
George’s naval career began as a cadet in 1961, and saw him advance into high-level positions in Ottawa, Tokyo and Brussels.
His career path included command of Maritime Forces Pacific in Esquimalt in 1987, followed by a stint as commander of Maritime Command in Halifax from 1989 to 1991. George, 84, said that the veterans at the lodge are not necessarily as old as people might think. For some, it’s a question of health and the care the lodge can provide, he said.
“When people talk about veterans, they think of an older group,” he said. “But I’m visiting veterans here that used to work for me and are younger than me.”
George said he was drawn to the welcoming atmosphere of the lodge when he was volunteering as a driver for a pastor who visited people in their homes and at other locations.
Their rounds happened to include a stop at the Royal Oak site, where the first person he encountered was a captain he knew in the service. “Here he was in extended care as a naval veteran,” he said. “That sort of got me hooked on seeing more of what was going on here.”
Both he and Garnett, who is 79, have come across other former naval colleagues living at the lodge over the years. Of the 225 lodge residents, about 100 are veterans.
The Times Colonist is running stories about the veterans as facility operator Broadmead Care highlights their efforts in a year when both the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force are being celebrated. The stories will be included in a June 8 compilation in the newspaper called “Heroes Among Us.”
Telling the veterans’ stories is a way to raise awareness of the ongoing Rooted in Care Campaign, which aims to raise $600,000 over three years for upgrades to the courtyards and gardens at the lodge.
Three of the nine courtyards have been refurbished to date.
George said his volunteer activities have ranged from listening to veterans share their military experiences to joining them in listening to performances by guest musicians.
He encouraged others to get involved as volunteers, saying there are always opportunities to help make residents’ lives better.
For Garnett, his introduction to the lodge was through his father-in-law, who was a resident in the final years of his life.
The people there, both staff and fellow residents, “became like family to him,” Garnett said.
So when he and his wife eventually retired to Victoria, he was inspired to help with the lodge’s golf tournament — a key fundraiser for the past 20 years. The 2024 event, which is sold out, takes place June 6 at Royal Colwood Golf Club.
George is also involved in the tournament, which has gone from raising a few thousand dollars a year to more than $100,000.
The two men have been able to channel their military and business connections into helping the tournament grow, to the point that organizing it has become virtually a year-round exercise. “All of the money that we’ve raised has gone into capital improvements,” said Garnett, whose career took him to the rank of vice-chief of the defence staff before his retirement in 2001. Things like installing overhead lifts to move patients and refurbishing rooms and hallways have been funded by the tournament, he said.
Garnett said the interior of the building has essentially been redone thanks to the support the tournament receives. “It doesn’t look like a hospital or a care facility, it looks like a home.”
Resident Malcolm Bull, an 89-year-old air force veteran who joined George and Garnett for an afternoon chat this week, said the homey touches make a big difference. He said the staff also does an incredible job in making the lodge a special place.
One of his favourite things is the daily visits from dogs that people bring in to mingle with residents. The dogs clearly lift residents’ spirits, Bull said. “I think it’s really good for people, especially if they had to give up their dogs when they moved in.”
He also likes to pay a daily visit to the courtyards and gardens, getting up at 4 or 5 a.m. to water the tomatoes. Rising early and heading outside are a big part of his routine, Bull said.
• Online: broadmeadcare.com/people-and-stories
