Resident Spotlight - Jim Murphy

I met Jim and his wife Carmel when we lived in Gold River the first time in 2003 – our kids are around the same age, and back then I believe the three girls were in figure skating together.  This time around, we’re all involved together in hockey hockey and more hockey!  Jim gives a lot of his time working with minor hockey, and will be doing so again for the 2010/11 season as Referee In Chief.  He’s a great person with a fun sense of humour – and I’ve even heard rumours that his karaoke voice is not too shabby as well?  Enjoy his spotlight!

How long have you lived in Gold River? What brought you here?

Since June 2003, so almost 7 years.  Work brought me to Gold River.  After the company I was working for ceased operations, I left my native Nova Scotia in the summer of 2001 to work for a fisherman coop in SE Alaska.  We ended up on an uninhabited island in SE Alaska where I managed a salmon hatchery.  There were us 4 and 2 other people on the whole island, which was accessible only by boat or float plane.  After a few years of playing Gilligan Isle, the women folk said “get us off this island”.  So they headed off to Nova Scotia for the summer, leaving me alone in Alaska to find a way off the island.  I headed to the internet and found a hatchery managers job for a company I had never heard of (Grieg) in a place I had never heard of (Gold River).  Sent my resume, got the job and the rest as they say is history.

What do you do for (paid) work?

I am the manager of the Gold River Hatchery for Grieg Seafoods BC Ltd.

Please tell us about any volunteer work you do.

As for volunteering, I am currently the referee in chief for GR minor Hockey, and coach the bantam division.  I was the president for a few years and have been involved with minor hockey since I came to Gold River.  I am also a volunteer fireman with the GR fire Dept.  In addition I am usually volunteered by my wife for various activities, school functions, BBQ’s at Supervalu, etc…

Please tell us a bit about your family.

Family consist of my lovely wife of 18 years Carmel.  We just had our 18^th anniversary last Sunday.   We have 2 kids, Matt whose 15, and Christina who is 13.  We are originally from a small town in Northern Nova Scotia called Pictou.  (That is pronounced Pick toe, not Pick Too.)  If you have ever taken the ferry to PEI from Nova Scotia, then you were in Pictou.  If you have ever been to the largest and longest running Lobster fisherman’s carnival, then you were in Pictou.  If you went to Citadel Hill, then you would not be in Pictou, you would be in Halifax.

Do you have any pets?

I personally do not have any pets, but my wife and kids have a hound named Jasmine.  She is a beagle Bassett cross, commonly referred to as a bagel.  She was rescued from death row in Los Angeles by the Powell River SPCA.  My kids found her on the internet, contacted the SPCA and found she was available.  I said no way under no circumstances am I going to drive to Powell River to get some dog.  So as I am driving to Powell River…..

What do you like to do for fun?

I like to fish, hunt, play hockey,  camping,  and getting firewood (yep I like to go out and get firewood, also the splitting, but not the stacking, that’s a pink job) (No I won’t come do yours, I don’t like it that much.)

What do you wish Gold River had that it doesn’t? Is there anything missing for you?

A good donair shop, Brothers pepperoni, and Humpty Dumpty Cheesies.  A donair is a Greek dish which was modified by a restaurant in Halifax in the 60’s.  It consists of spicy beef on a flat pita and piled high with onions, and tomatoes and a special sauce which has a sweet/ sour garlicky flavour.  It is not Tzatziki, and there is no lettuce or sprouts.  The whole thing is eaten like a wrap.  There are Donair shops all over the Maritimes.  I am told that there is a shop in Courtenay which does do an authentic east coast donair, with the sweet sauce and everything, but I have not verified this claim. The pepperoni comes from Chris Brothers Deli in Halifax, and really makes a pizza.  The Cheesies are simply addictive.  Seriously though. Since I am from a small town back east, I am used to what a small town offers, and in many ways Gold River offers much more than your typical small town.  I like the fact that people tend to look out for one another here.  When we first came here from Alaska, people would ask if we would mind the isolation, being in such a small town.  My response was if I can drive here, and there are more than 6 people, and I can pick up a take out pizza, then this isn’t isolated.

And just for fun – if you were invisible, where would you go / what would you do?

Invisible eh?  It has been suggested by others that I am not very spontaneous; I’m not going to say by whom.  I of course think I am very spontaneous, as long as it is carefully planned.  This is actually a very tough question, especially given the family nature of the Buzz.  Of course I immediately over think it, trying to look at it logically, and in a planned way.  OCD can be quite a drain on creativity.  To illustrate, my thought process would go something like this:  I would figure that Invisible would mean that you wanted to be somewhere to observe or participate in an event without being observed or detected yourself.  Now what event would I want to be part of without being detected?  If I wanted to be undetected, could I simply not hide?  But hiding would not be participating would it?  See the problem coming up with something?  I mean you could do something like go onto a golf course and mess with people’s putting, or you could go to some private exclusive Hollywood high mucky muck party to see if they really are worth going to.  Another thought would be to stow away on the space shuttle, or to follow Oprah around to see if she really does do what she tells everyone else to do on her show.  So you see I can’t come up with a single thing, totally blank here.  I guess I really did over think it.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

I think the person or persons responsible for the GR Buzz is/are doing a fine job, whoever he/she/they may be.

Thanks for taking the time to put together such a great Resident Spotlight Jim!  I enjoyed it a lot, and I know others will too!