David Sinclair: Hooked On Helping

When it comes to volunteering, David Sinclair can’t say no. Since retiring in 1994, he has raised money for numerous causes, secured housing for seniors, helped fellow veterans transition to civilian life, and he sits on several boards. If that’s not enough, over the past 32 years, he has voluntarily coached baseball, ranging from five-year-old mini-minors to 17-year-old Babe Ruth players.

“I can’t say no, I just say yes to everything,” says Dave, laughing.

His tireless work has not gone unnoticed. In 2007, Dave was named “Citizen of the Year” for Greater Victoria in recognition of his outstanding citizenship and public service contributions.

“I knew I had been nominated for something when my wife, Anne, and I were invited to the ceremony at the Empress and a professional photographer came to the house and took my picture,” says Dave.

“We sat at a table with the Mayor of Victoria, and I still didn’t figure it out. Then my name was called, and I was flabbergasted.”

Of course, Dave didn’t have a speech prepared, so when the emcee from CFAX radio called him to the stage, Dave says he rambled on for a few minutes about his work with the Legion and “Spinoza Bear,” who was a therapy bear for sick children, and how the legion gave Spinoza to needy children throughout BC. He also had the opportunity to talk about how the Legion is involved with seniors’ housing.

“Most people don’t know that the Legion has the most affordable housing in the province with over 7,500 suites all run by Legion members. Then I remembered to thank everyone for nominating me,” quips Dave.

“When Dave won the award, I was so proud, it was the high point of my life,” says Anne, Dave’s wife since 1957. “With Mayor Art Lowe, we went into the Bengal lounge in the hotel and celebrated with a few drinks…”

AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Dave is most proud of his work with affordable housing, and rightly so.
In 1984, he joined the Royal Canadian Legion and, 12 years later, became President of the BC/Yukon Command.

“During my term as President, I became very interested in seniors’ affordable housing and I’m still on their development committee,” says Dave.

At the same time, he was President of the BC Seniors Living Association for three years and he spent eight years on board of the Greater Victoria Eldercare Foundation.
“I am very committed to ensuring our seniors have safe, quality housing to enjoy in their twilight years.”

There’s more! For the past 18 years, Dave was President of the South Vancouver Island Housing Society (SVIHS)— a non-profit society operated by members from the seven branches of the Royal Canadian Legion in Greater Victoria, which in turn owns and operates the Legion Manor Victoria.

The Legion Manor offers independent, supported and assisted living suites for seniors on five acres of beautifully landscaped grounds on the Saanich Peninsula.

“One of my duties as a board member of SVIHS was to see if and how we can help,” Dave reminisces. And he certainly helped: With the Legion behind him, Dave was instrumental in raising over $14 million to build a 68-suite assisted living building that was added to its 78 existing cottages for independent living.

The SVIHS five-year plan in Victoria is to create additional buildings so that any senior (civilian or veteran) will have a “clean, secure place so they can enjoy a good quality of life in their ‘golden years,’” says Dave.

When Dave first got involved with the Housing Society, he mainly listened and learned. He soon became passionate about providing affordable housing for seniors and veterans. Two years later, he was president.

“I noticed that we had an awful lot of wasted space – five acres to be precise — so I started a campaign to build assisted living, borrowed $14 million and got a contractor,” Dave says, nonchalantly.

It’s not that easy for a non-profit to get a loan for any amount, and particularly difficult for a “seniors only” development.

“If not for Dave going the commercial route and obtaining a loan from Coast Capital, the assisted living for seniors project would likely not have happened,” says Rod Hughes, the current SVIHS president. “He is the driving force behind everything. With this financing, we were able to build three storeys of assisted living for seniors, and it’s been full ever since.”

“I met Dave when I was in the Navy,” adds Rod. “As President of the Legion, he came to the base to talk to the Admiral. I soon learned that the smaller the community, the bigger the impact of the Legion. And I also learned that not much gets by Dave. He is a force of nature and I’m honoured to follow in his footsteps, particularly when it comes to building.”

Affordable housing has long wait lists and Dave’s goal is to eliminate the need for wait lists. He was on a team for a recent build in Vancouver.

Dave joined the Royal Canadian Navy in 1953 and for 25 years he served on numerous ships, mainly in the Pacific and a short stint in Pearl Harbour at a naval communication facility, which led to a post with Communications Canada as a Radio Inspector. He also became the senior radio inspector for deep sea shipping on Vancouver Island, which included all foreign freighters, passenger ships and drill ships.

During the last six years of his career, Dave was promoted to Operations Manager for Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. He also became District Manager of Yukon and Northern BC for Communications Canada for a period of two years before returning to Victoria permanently.

RETIREMENT
Dave retired in 1994, just in time to be the supervisor of all 675 vehicles at the Commonwealth Games.

“I volunteered to be a driver, figuring I could relax for a few weeks but, in four days, I was promoted to run the operation,” says Dave. “I never worked so hard in my life, and my payment was a sandwich per day. I never even got to see the Games.”

And so, his volunteer career began.

“Anne told me I needed to find something to do so I wouldn’t be ‘underfoot’ when I retired,” says Dave. “So, when she asks me why I am doing all this, I say ‘You told me to.’”

Little did Anne know that Dave’s tireless volunteer work would comprise 40-50 hours a week (these days it’s only 15 hours). He made Anne tired just telling her what he was doing.

“He’s never home, and that’s a good thing, even when we plan on doing something together and something more important with the Legion comes up,” says Anne.

She also joined the Legion and helps Dave, serving lunches and helping seniors with their grocery shopping.

And once a year there’s the big Legion’s Poppy Fund.

“I do piddly stuff compared to Dave; I don’t know how he does it, how he makes time for everyone. But I do know that life with Dave is never dull.”

Dave was a Board Member of the Premier’s Council on Aging and Seniors for a three-year term. This was a non-partisan council formed by Premier Campbell to advise the government on future policy regarding seniors.

“During the time I was on the BC/Yukon command of the Legion, we travelled around the province to see what was needed,” says Dave.

But he didn’t stop there.

In his role with the Legion, Dave went to a trade show for affordable housing in Vancouver and was asked to join the board of the BC Senior’s Living Association (BCSLA). BCSLA has 153 members of senior housing communities providing independent living, assisted living and complex care.

It involved his passion – senior assisted living — so he signed up. Two years later, in 2012, he was elected President for a two-year term. He is still a member of the association.

There’s even more!

Dave sat on the Duke of Edinburgh Board of Directors for eight years, until 2013. During that time, he started a program that involved an award for youth who excel in their community.

WORKING WITH VETERANS
Dave is proud of the contributions he and the Legion have made to help veterans.

He was instrumental in launching “The Canadian Military & Veterans Transition Program” that established clinics to help serving and retired military members, as well as their families with stress.

“When a member was diagnosed with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) they were discharged from the service more often than not,” Dave explains.

They had families to support and mortgages and often a lot of stress. Fortunately, some veterans knew about the Legion’s programs to help them cope. They found Dave mainly by attending one of the Legion’s programs called Second Career Assistance Network Seminars.

“I talk about how I transitioned from military to civilian life and advise what to do before getting out of the military — it kind of sounds like jail,” says Dave with a chuckle.

While Dave wants everyone to know that the Legion is not just for veterans, veterans are definitely looked after under Dave’s watchful eye. The Legion has donated millions of dollars from their poppy fund to hundreds of veterans over 15 years – and they are still being supported.

For instance, they sent some vets, some of whom were in their 30s with families and mortgages, to a ranch in Kamloops to spend a week with their peers. They were taught how to cope and how to control their issues.

“Luckily, the military has recently understood the wisdom in helping people and they now understand that PTSD sometimes comes with other issues like booze and drugs,” says Dave.

Despite an enormous workload, Dave regularly visits residents at Broadmead Lodge (a long-term care home for veterans).

And if that isn’t enough, he initiated “Wellness Seminars” for aging veterans, which has expanded province-wide. The program started in the late 1990s and included a few vets from WWII and Korea. In the last few years, vets from Afghanistan and peacekeepers have attended.

“In BC alone, we helped 350 veterans suffering from PTSD. I, too, had some issues. You can’t spend 25 years in the military without it affecting you,” he says.

“It’s little things, like not sitting down in a public place unless your back is to the wall. And a car backfiring will set you off. Think about it: These people were in a war zone one day and walking the streets of Vancouver or Victoria the next day.”

Thankfully, the military has stepped up over the years, and Dave says they are doing a good job supporting those with PTSD.

Dave’s military career involved moving from Victoria or Aldergrove (because he was an experienced west coast sailor) to Halifax every two years, which was hard on the kids. Family life was one upheaval after another.

Today, Dave does take some time off to be with family.

“After the kids grew up and moved out, we took a few big trips, like a month in China. A 22-day cruise from Miami to Victoria was our last big hurrah,” says Anne. “But Dave can’t completely relax, worrying about what he should be doing. He can’t even go to Vegas or Reno for a few days to play poker without people calling.”

These days Dave and Anne are happy to stay home – they love Victoria.
And so many people in Victoria love Dave.

SIDEBAR:

If you were to meet your 20-year-old self, what advice would you give him?

“The same advice I gave my son and daughter and my grandsons. When you find what interests you, take the time to learn all you can that will help you in whatever endeavour you wish to follow. My most rewarding moments are when something I’m working on comes together and it helps make the community a better place.”

Who or what has influenced you the most? And why?

“I think my wife, Anne, has had the most influence on me. She taught me responsibility and hard work just by watching her. Something I have carried all my life.”

What are you most grateful for?
“I have been blessed by having a loving family and surrounding myself with like-minded, hard-working people who all want the same goal – to make this a better place.”

What do you do to stay grounded?
“It always goes back to family. I enjoy our get-togethers, especially now with my great grandchildren. I hope it doesn’t sound corny, but I really believe it.”

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Want to listen to an interview with Dave Sinclair on our new INSPIRED podcast hosted by Michael Forbes and Lisa Marshall? CLICK HERE

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