Community dedicates library to Elder

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At an impressive ceremony recently, the 200 residents of Halfway River First Nation in British Columbia dedicated their newly-renovated library to Billy Fox, an Elder who died suddenly on Christmas Day.

Although he was only 62, Fox had an enormous influence on the tiny community, as he believed in education being the key to a prosperous future for his band. He attended the local satellite campus of Northern Lights College regularly himself.

Evelyn Hunter and Debbie Metecheah are students in the learning centre, upgrading their high school courses prior to taking vocational courses. They, along with fellow student Elvis Metecheah, had known Billy Fox their whole lives and were inspired by his return to school as an adult.

"Billy never missed class, even though he frequently raced out to check on his elderly mother whenever he had a break. It was hard to lose him as worked hard to improve his knowledge, and he was an inspiration to us all," said Debbie, who is completing her Grade 11 and 12 courses in preparation for a possible occupation as a hair stylist.

Fox made a huge contribution to the creation of the library and he, along with the three other adult basic education program students, were the driving force that made it all possible. A classroom that had been used for storage was transformed into a beautiful, bright room, with the students organizing the renovations, cleaning the room, finding bookshelves and stocking hundreds of books. They also created a special reading corner called the Little Beaver Reading Lodge under a tipi for community children.

Debbie said the library welcomes donations of books, videos and music CDs to add to their collection and interested potential donors can call (250) 772-5165 for more information.

She also said the plan was to have Fox cut the ribbon at the official opening, but his untimely death prevented that.

"We were honored to have his mother, who was also very proud of him, present at the ceremony."

A traditional lunch of soup, bannock and two huge cakes, a ribbon cutting by Elders Marianne Field and Charlie Butler and speeches by Chief Roslyn Pokiak and many guests made the occasion special and one long to be remembered.

It is expected that the Billy Fox Memorial Library will provide a welcome addition to community events, said Debbie.

"We will be holding weekly Elders' gatherings in the library beginning this spring and will be working on local handicrafts, as well as recording our history, traditions and culture," she said.

As other Elders have expressed an interest in returning to the classroom, Debbie said she and her fellow students would be pleased to assist them in their educational endeavors.

"We watched Billy as he learned new words, repeating them to learn correct pronunciation, and studying hard," she remembered.

"The young students are inspired by his example too, because by returning to the classroom in his senior years he was showing them that education is the ticket to a better future," Debbie Metecheah.

Evelyn Hunter is almost finished her upgrading. "I have been taking courses for the past three years and hope to get into band management some day so business courses at the college level are next," she said. She, like the entire community, had a great deal of respect for Billy Fox.

"He never missed school and was always on time. He was very proud of himself and enjoyed his studies, even though they were often hard." The students hope to carry on Billy's message of the importance of education.

"We strongly feel he would want us to continue his work. He often said that if he could go back to school and be successful at his studies, anyone could," she added.

The ambitious adult students hope to complete a project that they envisioned some time ago which will see a store open on reserve, supplying staple grocery items to residents, as many don't have transportation to the larger centres.

"It will also be an otlet for local handicraft sales as we have several ladies in the area who do wonderful bead work." It's in memory of Fox that the group is carrying on projects that he had been a part of planning, she said tearfully. "We will miss him, and I'm sure he is missing us too."

Jess Hunt is instructor at the satellite campus, located 100 kilometres northwest of Fort St. John in some of British Columbia's most beautiful country.

"We have a flexible system of individualized learning here with our basic adult education program. The students can study in the classroom when possible but can also take their books with them and study at home or on the job if need be," she explained. "It's great to get their upgrading in their home communities in preparation for attending the campuses in larger centres when looking at pursuing employment opportunities. And we're also looking at on-line options, such as Applied Business Technology, which can be taken right here at Halfway River too."

Hunt, who has been on staff since September, enjoyed the time she spent with Fox every day. "It was inspiring to be around him, and he was indeed a role model for the whole community in many ways, and especially in his dedication to his education," she said.

"Our students have numerous projects in the planning, and even without Billy, who was the source of inspiration for many of them, I know most are going to happen," concluded Hunt. "I hope others are observing them and are encouraged and inspired by the energy and commitment of these students."