He transformed an unsightly space in the community into a beautiful garden in order to honour his late son, and now, his community has chosen to honour him in return.
In 2007, Gerry MacPherson and his wife Molly mourned the loss of their son Jeff, who died at 47 following a battle with cancer.
Instead of turning inwards following such a traumatic loss, MacPherson ventured outdoors and took his grief out on the weeds and debris in the very community he and his wife had lived in since 1967.
For more than 10 years, MacPherson has busied himself turning what was once a roughly half-acre derelict space adjacent to Brooksbank Elementary and Loutet Park into a beautiful green garden.
On Monday, the City of North Vancouver honoured MacPherson – and what has tenderly been deemed Gerry’s Garden – during a special meeting of council where he was bestowed with the Freedom of the City Award.
“Today is a special day, a very special day in fact, a day that does not happen very often here in the city,” said Mayor Linda Buchanan, during opening remarks before presenting MacPherson with the award along with a ceremonial brass key to the city.
The Freedom of the City Award is the highest honour the city can bestow upon an individual. MacPherson is the 19th person in the municipality to receive the award since its inception in 1966, according to Buchanan.
“It is reserved for individuals who have brought recognition to North Vancouver through their achievements,” she said. “Your contributions extend into community building, placemaking, mentoring our youth, and so much more. You exemplify what it means to be a true community member.”
Decades prior to its beautification, the area that is now known as Loutet Park was a ravine that was even used as a municipal dump. It was closed in 1950 and turned into a park, though the south edge of the area was never developed into a park – that part of the property, in between Loutet Park and Brooksbank Elementary, was used by the city to store building materials.
“It really had quite a neglected appearance,” said Buchanan.
After a Brooksbank custodian first began work on enhancing the area in the mid-2000s, MacPherson took the task of greening the area up a notch starting in 2007.
“Gerry poured himself into improving the condition of this area. This led to even more people banding together to improve the neglected area,” including neighbours, students from nearby Brooksbank, the city and other local businesses and organizations, said Buchanan.
In addition to receiving the award this week, MacPherson also celebrated his 100th birthday – though it looks like it was likely from a hospital bed. After breaking three ribs and fracturing his pelvis in a fall last week, MacPherson has been holed up in Lions Gate Hospital recovering. A day pass from the hospital granted him exception to come to council chambers Monday for the ceremony.
A centennial birthday celebration was planned by students and staff at Brooksbank Elementary for Wednesday, the day of his actual birthday, but he was too unwell to attend. The event has been postponed to a later date.
“With the opening of Loutet Farm in 2011, the area has come together as one of the special locations in our city,” said Buchanan, referring to the grouping of the farm, the park, the school and, of course, Gerry’s Garden.
At one point during the ceremony, two students got up to speak about MacPherson's legacy. The students stood at the podium, flanked by MacPherson who looked on from his wheelchair, his wife Molly close by.
“He created a beautiful garden that has become a symbol of great community spirit,” said Leora Thornton, a Grade 6 Brooksbank student. “It’s always nice to see him in his garden.”
