By Sarah Pugh

Although he retired many years ago, he still gets up in the morning and goes to work. Fortunately, he loves his job, and that job brings joy to tens of thousands of Victoria residents. Twice a year, Ron Butlin organizes - almost single-handedly - the Island Farms Victoria Day Parade and the Island Farms Santa Light Parade.

A long-time resident of James Bay, Butlin's volunteer position with the Victoria Festival Society suits him perfectly. The office is within walking distance, and the yearly schedule dictates hard work with the parade organizing in the spring and fall, golf during the summer.

Butlin radiates contentment as he speaks about his life. He has been organizing the parades for 16 years now, although that wasn't the original plan. "I thought I'd do it for a year or two," he recalls, but as it turned out, he preferred the seasonal and very rewarding work of parade organizing to what he envisioned was the boredom of a more typical retirement. "It's nice to get up in the morning and have a purpose."

In many ways, Butlin's volunteer work is many people's dream job. Flexible schedule, summers off, and a big, visible payoff twice a year. This year's Island Farms Victoria Day Parade promises to be extra special, Butlin says, because there are so many organizations within Victoria who are celebrating their sesquicentennial (150 years) - the Times Colonist, Chinese Canadians in Victoria, the police departments, fire departments, and more. "It's going to be a very colourful parade this year," promises Butlin. Add to that all the American and Canadian marching bands that will come - nearly 40 bands in total - and you've got the recipe for a bright, loud, joyful parade experience.

While managing a couple of parades a year may seem like a Herculean task, especially on a volunteer basis in one's retirement, Butlin is uniquely qualified to handle the job. During his lengthy career he ran a successful management consulting firm, then turned to the world of sports, working his way up through a Calgary senior hockey club to become Director of Team Canada for the 1972 Canada/Russia hockey series. Provincial governments then snapped up his talents, first Alberta for the Summer and Winter Games in that province, then BC. Eventually, Butlin organized and ran a total of 18 Summer and Winter Games in BC. His last paid position was with the Washington State Centennial Games, after which he started his "retirement" with the Victoria Festivals Society.

Despite all his professional success and his continued importance in Victoria's celebratory pursuits, Butlin remains modest and reluctant to talk about his personal life, although he will speak about life in James Bay. He has lived at Laurel Point since 1977 and has seen a lot of changes in James Bay. He lives in a condo himself, so is reluctant to decry the appearance of more condos, but he says he hopes the area never loses the flavour of "old and beautiful". James Bay is part of the "magic of Victoria," he smiles. It's an ideal place to live, he thinks - in the city, but out of the bustle.

Butlin seems bemused by the path his life has taken. He enjoyed watching the Stampede parades as a child in Calgary, "But I never thought I'd be organizing and putting a parade together." He believes strongly that it's a worthwhile pursuit, "There is a quality about the parades, wherein a family can go - be they rich or poor - and enjoy it and not have to put their hand in their pocket." Given the shortage of public events like that today, it's easy to see why Butlin remains so enthusiastic and willing to devote his time and energy to the cause.

Photo by Sarah Pugh