Bob Hunter Park Officially Opened
Posted August 21, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It was easy being green.
And though the former CityNews Ecology Specialist succumbed to prostate cancer last year, the lessons he taught us about keeping close to nature live on.
And now, so will Bob’s name in a park titled in his honour.
Bob Hunter Memorial Park is a 500-acre section of wilderness located on the western edge of the Rouge Valley. It’s the kind of place he’d love to simply visit, let alone have as his namesake.
“It means everything,” his wife Bobbi admits as she surveys the scene. “It means that Bob’s life was worthwhile, that the little guys can win, that, you know, we all need to keep trying and that maybe, collectively we can save the planet.”
The park was part of a tribute made possible by one of his best friends – Premier Dalton McGuinty.
“I thought probably the best way to leave a legacy to Bob was a living legacy,” he points out. “I think that Bob Hunter is smiling down upon us at this time. He’s saying great. Chalk another one up for him and for humanity. But I also know what he’d say next. He’d say ‘so what are you doing next? This is done. What next for the environment?'”
Bob helped to co-found GreenPeace in 1971. His daring style of protest earned him the title of the first Eco Warrior and he became a respected and award winning author, newspaper columnist and finally, a reporter for Citytv for 16 incredible years.
His wife, who fought so many of those battles by his side, is overwhelmed by the gesture. “Power to the park, power to the planet,” she concludes. “And peace to you, Bob.”
She’s hoping that one day an education centre will be built on the land to continue her late husband’s tradition of teaching. Until then, she’s green with happiness that her mate’s life mission will continue to enrich so many others in a place he could truly call his own.
