Dudley Thompson

What is something you enjoy about the St. John’s/Scotia Heights/Luxton/North End/Point Douglas neighbourhood?

My partner Eleanor and I have lived in the St John’s neighbourhood for 32 years and have come to know many people in our various activities as well as our many walks around the area. I love the eclectic character of the neighbourhood and the many people we have come to now over the years. My favourite place is walking around the St John’s church precinct with the park, river, graveyard and stone building – all so peaceful and full of history of the early settlement….recent attraction is Modern Coffee!

Why are you a member of Bannerman Green?

We had been talking with neighbours for many years about looking for a place to live as we aged. We wanted to stay in the community with friends and neighbours and wanted a place where this could happen. When the Bannerman land became available, it seemed the right place and the right time for a housing co-op!

If you plan/want to live at Bannerman Green, what are you most looking forward to?

I am most looking forward to living in community with others to share the daily operations of the co-op, meals, gardening and celebrations. In addition, I look forward to living a highly sustainable and resilient life in the midst of our community with much of our energy, water and food being produced on site.

What is your favourite band or musician?

I love a wide variety of music: world music for the romantic in me – The Gypsy Kings, Bocelli, Jesse Cook, Josh Groban ; Classical music – my Grandmother was a performing pianist and I have inherited her passion for Rakmaninov, Chopin, Vaughan Williams, Elgar, Beethoven; and folk Ballads – Harry Chapin, Stan Rogers, Connie Kaldor and Cat Stevens!

Have you started any new hobbies during COVID19?

Yes, once I could find yeast, I started to make bread, as so many others did during the pandemic. Making bread is such a simple act and so primal…. and the bread is to die for! My new hobby will continue long after the pandemic has passed.

What is your favourite season?

Autumn is my favourite season…I think it has always signified new beginnings of the school year and a gradual cooling towards winter. Also, when I had graduated from University, I went to Europe for a grand tour and spent four months in autumn as I hitchhiked further south in an eternal fall season.

What is a TV show that you loved to watch as a kid or teenager?

My favourite shows as a kid were Superman (‘Look, up in the sky – its a bird, its plane – no its Super-Man’) I always used to watch Hockey Night in Canada with my sports-mad dad and some of his comedy specials Wayne and Shuster.

Would you rather wear only one colour each day, or have to wear 7 colours each day?

Clothes are not a big part of my world and I seemed to have gravitated to many variations on blue shirts and tops to go with jeans…and during COVID that has become my uniform, now with fashionable holes in knees.

Would you rather host a large gathering, or attend a large gathering at someone else’s house?

Yes, we have had many large gatherings at our home and love to entertain. We didn’t have a lot of time to do this as we worked in busy careers and raised our sons but managed to squeeze in several large birthday dinners and fundraising events.

Is there anything else you want to share about yourself/selves to the other members of Bannerman Green? Work? Family? Pets?

I am an architect and started Prairie Architects Inc. in 1981 and then worked there for 35 years and sold it to four partners. It was a wonderful experience and I had many opportunities to work with many talented people and gracious clients. We decided early to focus on urban and sustainable buildings with creative tools that enabled user participation in design. During this time, we had moved to North Point Douglas and lived on Hallet Street for 13 years. Then we designed and built many parts of our home on Scotia Street and raised two boys Andrew and Matthew, and several faithful dogs.