Working together and overcoming adversity were the themes of Mike Harcourt's keynote address at the Richmond Chamber of Commerce's 10th Annual 911 Awards held at the River Rock Show Theatre Thursday.
The self-described "recovering politician" knows something of both - politically and personally. Harcourt described how witnessing a deadly fire in the downtown eastside spurred him to work with firefighters, politicians and others to introduce a new fire code.
He talked about Streetohome, an organization that unites business, government and community leaders in a fight against homelessness.
But if ever there was a day when the importance of working together and over coming diversity hit home, it was the day he "took a swan dive over (his) balcony at low tide."
Harcourt laughs about it now, and assured the audience he has since "Harcourtized the balcony" (meaning, put a railing around it.) But at the time, (November 2002) many thought he may not recover from that nearfatal fall at his cottage on Pender Island, which resulted in a severe spinal-cord injury.
He not only fell off his 10-foot high balcony, but then proceeded to tumble over a 20-foot high cliff.
While the fall was nothing but a calamity, he describes what happened after as "a series of miracles," in which a host of first responders - fire fighters, coast guards, ambulance workers - snapped into action and eventually landed him in a helicopter on the roof of Vancouver General Hospital, where there just happened to be one of the leading experts in spinal cord injuries on call.
The hospital's "tender love" was followed by GF Strong's "tough love." A doctor there told him he'd be in for six months and leave in a wheelchair.
He corrected the MD and explained, in fact, he would be in for three months and leave with no wheelchair - he had a golf tournament to attend, after all.
So began Harcourt's life chapter on overcoming diversity, which he describes in his book Plan B.
Harcourt's address was in keeping with evening's theme of cooperation and courage.
The Richmond Chamber of Commerce's Annual 911 Awards is a one-of-a-kind event in that it honours all first responders, Harcourt told the audience. It recognizes and celebrates the notion that no one goes it alone. It's together that we make a safe community.
Mayor Malcolm Brodie also drove that point home by opening the evening with a tribute to more than two dozen citizens who "sprang into action to rush to the aid of others in distress."
Brodie was referring to the plane that crash landed near Russ Baker shortly after take off last October.
The pilot and co-pilot died, but all seven passengers got out alive, thanks in large part to people in the area who ran to the scene and began pulling passengers from the fiery wreckage before emergency personnel arrived. While acknowledging the importance of professional first responders, Brodie also noted, "each of us has a responsibility to keep the community safe."
However, the main intent of the evening, with the River Rock's Howard Blank as MC, was to pay tribute to the men and women in uniform who go beyond the call of duty in their commitment to keep Richmond safe.
