Van Buchanan

President of Unit 431

by Linda Patton

 LP:   I know you are a ‘prairie girl’, Van.  Where did you grow up?

 VB:   I was born in the town of Gull Lake, Saskatchewan, approximately 50 kms southwest of Swift Current Our family lived in many other small Saskatchewan towns as a result of my dad’s work as a wheat pool agent.  I had an older sister who passed away a few years ago, and an older sister who died of a ruptured appendix before I was born.   

LP:   What is your educational background?   

VB:   I attended secondary school in Saskatchewan, and at the age of fifteen we moved to Lethbridge, Alberta, where I graduated and then went on to secretarial school.  I also became interested in the labour movement and became a union activist, while taking courses on parliamentary procedure and public speaking, among others.  It was through my association with the NDP in Alberta that I met Margaret Hinton.  My father had been a personal friend of Tommy Douglas’s, and he wanted my father to run for parliament, but in those days, one had to quit their job in order to run for parliament and Dad could not afford to do this.

 LP:   How were you introduced to bridge?

 VB:   After secretarial school, I worked at Trans-Canada Airlines for a while.  I also worked for Famous Players Theatre while attending school—this was one of the most enjoyable jobs I ever had.  At the age of 18, while working for TCA, I met my husband, who was a bridge player.  We played a lot of social bridge with his friends, as no one could afford to do much else in those days.   

 LP:   What was your vocation while living in Lethbridge?

 VB:   I have three daughters, and when my youngest was eight, I decided to become a swimming instructor, which meant taking Red Cross lessons, royal life-saving society, and national lifeguard courses.  This led to a job with the City of Lethbridge, where I taught swimming and worked as a lifeguard for ten years.   This was quite a change from working in an office!

 LP:   When did you move to British Columbia?

 VB:   I moved to Burnaby in 1978 and took a job as a union representative with the BC Government Employees’ Union, after answering an ad in the Vancouver newspaper.  I was posted to Victoria and worked in this capacity for 4½ years.  I loved this job, but it was hard, hard work.  One could work 12 to 14 hours a day if you had the strength.  I next worked on Gretchen Brewin’s campaign for mayor of Victoria.  When MLA Robin Blencoe was looking for a constituency assistant—I applied and was the successful candidate.  While still employed by Robin, I was given time off to work on the 1988 federal election campaign for Lynn Hunter.  Lynn was elected and I became her federal constituency assistant, managing her Saanich constituency office—another great job that lasted four years!

 LP:   How did you return to the bridge community?

 VB:  Several years ago I met Audrey McFarlane at a dinner party.  She belonged to the same social bridge club as Ruth Cain and Monica Pinch, and this is how I first became a spare.  From this reintroduction through the women’s bridge club, Audrey and I decided to try duplicate bridge.  We played at Margaret Hinton’s club sporadically at first, but soon turned it into to a regular Friday night outing.

 LP:   Do you remember your first Regional tournament?

 VB:   Yes, it was in Penticton in 1996 with Monica as my partner, the summer following my reintroduction to bridge.  This was a special tournament in many ways, but mostly because this is where I met Bob Bosley, my ‘significant other’, from Bellingham.  Significant in more than one respect—he became not only my regular partner, but my bridge teacher.  Bob was an accomplished bridge player, but had also taken a 20 year hiatus from bridge.  He taught me basic conventions and put up with my many novice mistakes.  We enjoyed playing together and started attending tournaments in the US and Canada where we won many ‘C’ level events.   

 LP:   Do you have a favourite tournament?

 VB:   Yes, I would say Penticton, because that is where I met Bob.  But that aside, I enjoy the Seattle tournament, which has a lot to do with the friends that I now know from that area.  While attending a tournament in Seattle we met two wonderful people from Trail through the partnership desk, and we have since become good friends.  We played in a knockout event and I won my first gold points.   

 LP:   How did you become involved with the Unit board and the regional tournament?

 VB:   I attended an AGM six years ago and offered to sit on the board as secretary, which I did for two years.  In the third year I was re-elected to the board and became President.  Currently, this is my second term in this capacity.  Three years ago, District 19 representatives asked if I would chair the Victoria Regional Tournament and I agreed.  The tournament was a resounding success, due to the hard work and expertise of the regional committee members, and the generosity of donors and volunteers alike.  I have no doubt that the 2003 regional tournament will also prove successful. 

LP:   What are your goals bridge-wise, personally and for the unit?

VB:   Personally, to become a better player and stop making stupid mistakes.  For the Unit, to see it grow with new players so that a good balance is maintained between long-time and novice players.  I want everyone to enjoy what they are doing, as much as is possible; that goes for the board and the players.  I would like to see a membership of 500 (membership stands at 432 currently).  Ideally, players should support all three bridge clubs to ensure that they stay healthy.   Bridge has been good to me and I try to give something back by volunteering as a board member.  I have made many friends through bridge, and that is the most important aspect of this wonderful game.