Vancouver Sun columnist Daphne Bramham BA'75 reflects on the life of her mother, Lydia Bramham BEd'74, the first president of the University of Regina Alumni Association who passed away in February 2022.

The letter is dated Nov. 14, 1951 and advises Miss Lydia Winkler that her leave of absence from Dec. 8 until Dec. 22 was not granted by the Regina School Board because she had not followed the secretary-treasurer’s advice and resigned.

She’d asked for the leave in order to get married and, once married, it was necessary that she resign “to conform to the regulations of the Board.” Only two years earlier, trustees had praised Miss Winkler for her “excellent work” and appointed her to the permanent staff.

Whether Miss Winkler had merely neglected to write the resignation letter or whether it was a small act of defiance, I’ll never know.

What I do know is that she complied. On a wickedly cold December day, she became the beautiful bride of a handsome chiropractor, Donald Bramham. Lydia would later become an extraordinary mother, an elementary school principal, a member of the University of Regina’s first graduating class, founding president of the University of Regina’s alumni association and a member of the University of Saskatchewan Senate.

Lydia Bramham on the U of R campus in the 1970s. Photo by Bruce Pendlebury
Lydia Bramham on the U of R campus in the 1970s. Photo by Bruce Pendlebury

This year -- more than 70 years and only a few days after Mom died at age 93 – I found that 1951 letter signed by secretary-treasurer Z.H. Hamilton and three copies of it tucked in books and jumbled amid photos and other papers.

Although Lydia gave every indication of being a feminist, she never described herself that way. For her, it belied how much she had loved being a stay-at-home mother when my older brother, Jack, and I were little. Throughout her life, she argued that a child’s earliest experiences are crucial to their development.

The daughter of homesteaders, Lydia grew up on a hardscrabble, mixed farm during the Depression. Rosenfeld school – either two miles away or three depended on the telling -- had only one room with teachers barely older than some of the students.

“Children are a joy that never ends. Upon them and how they are taught rests the fate or fortune of tomorrow’s world,” she said at her retirement in 1993.

As for profession, “True teachers give not only of their wisdom, but also of their faith and lovingness.”

The daughter of homesteaders, Lydia grew up on a hardscrabble, mixed farm during the Depression. Rosenfeld school – either two miles away or three depended on the telling -- had only one room with teachers barely older than some of the students.

According to her daughter, Daphne Bramham, Lydia was a lioness – literally born under the sign of Leo.
According to her daughter, Daphne Bramham, Lydia was a lioness – literally born under the sign of Leo.

She was described on her final Grade 7 report grade in 1941 as a “clever student” who was “sometimes selfish. . . but cooperative.” Frequently ill with pneumonia, Lydia had missed most of that school year and the year before.

My parents were each other’s best friend. They worked hard together with few gendered divisions about his job or hers. They supported each other in their careers, complemented each other.

High school was a combination of in-room teaching and correspondence classes, followed by “Normal School” in Moose Jaw.

Every lesson and every experience that she’d missed as a farm kid was something she wanted for all children. For us, childhood was flurry of lessons – a mix of sports and culture that included swimming, skating, tap dancing, ballet, French and music.

We learned to swing hammers and not fall off the roof at ages that now might be considered inappropriate, as we ‘helped’ Mom and Dad build the cottage at Katepwa.

My parents were each other’s best friend. They worked hard together with few gendered divisions about his job or hers. They supported each other in their careers, complemented each other. They revelled in the time they spent in Palm Springs after retirement. When Dad had a catastrophic stroke that left him paralyzed and unable to speak, Mom refused to leave his side. Although had never wanted to be a nurse, Lydia cared for him  at home until the final days of his life in 2007.

Lydia surveys an Alaskan glacier during a June 2010 cruise to the northern state. It was her first helicopter ride.
Lydia surveys an Alaskan glacier during a June 2010 cruise to the northern state. It was her first helicopter ride.

My mother’s generation is the one that Betty Friedan wrote about in The Feminine Mystique, post-war women who set aside dreams to raise families only to wonder as they fed the laundry through the wringer washer whether this was all their lives would be.

I don’t know whether my Mom read Friedan, but by the time I was in school full days she needed more in her life that sewing sequins on costumes, modelling in local fashion shows, having tea parties, making ceramic figurines and learning to swim. (Her Red Cross Intermediate badge and certificate from 1964 were also among her papers when she died.)

In September 1974 – more than 25 years after she became the first among six siblings to go to post-secondary school -- the long-delayed letter arrived. Having completed her final requirements in August for a Bachelor of Education, Lydia Bramham was invited to receive her degree at the October convocation.

So, it was back to school first as a student taking correspondence classes through the University of Saskatchewan and later through what was then the Regina campus. We all did homework together at the dining room table.

Lydia also went back to work. By the 1960s, the Regina School Board was desperate for  teachers to meet the demands of the Baby Boom generation.

In September 1974 – more than 25 years after she became the first among six siblings to go to post-secondary school -- the long-delayed letter arrived. Having completed her final requirements in August for a Bachelor of Education, Lydia Bramham was invited to receive her degree at the October convocation.

Lydia relaxing at home.
Lydia relaxing at home.

Her relief, excitement and pride in the accomplishment is unforgettable. So too is my own naivete and youthful conceit that day. She curtly rejected my suggestion that she wait until the spring convocation so that we could graduate together.

It is easy to sum up a person’s life by listing their accomplishments and affiliations. For our parents, it’s tempting to filter their lives mainly through that prism of our own relationship to them.

Lydia at Regina on Christmas Day 2019.
Lydia at Regina on Christmas Day 2019.

But lives are so much more than that as I’ve learned sifting through my mother’s boxes. She’d saved cards, letters and documents dating back more than 50 years. There were photos of her family that I’d never seen. And there were mementoes from hundreds of thousands of hours that I’m so grateful to have shared with her.

She was a lioness – literally born under the sign of Leo. She was fiercely protective and could also be fierce. She fought for me when my father didn’t want me to go to Germany to work for the summer under a university-sponsored program. It wasn’t the working time, he objected to, he feared for me travelling for six weeks alone on a continent he’d never visited and never really had much interest in seeing.

For the first time, Mom was often forced her to rely on me.

But Dad had no comeback when Mom said, “Fine, then I will go and travel with her.”

Despite her German ancestry, Mom had never travelled abroad before even though she’d longed to. Travelling through Europe, we became and remained best friends.

For the first time, Mom was often forced her to rely on me. It was partly because I could speak German and my French was better than hers. But after two months working as a chambermaid at a resort on the island of Foehr, I knew more about the differences between Europeans and us and how strange Canadians often seemed to them.

Lydia at Tofino, B.C. on Christmas Day 2012.
Lydia at Tofino, B.C. on Christmas Day 2012.

As a daughter, I knew little about her life in the classroom and as the voice of authority in the principal’s office. But I came to know more about it once she moved from home to independent living and, later, to long-term care.

With each more, her life was distilled even further to those boxes of saved cards, documents, photos, scrapbooks and photo albums. They were snippets of a life lived with joy from green-face in a witch costume while she was a school principal to doubled-over with laughter when Mom, Dad and I celebrated one New Year’s in Singapore to shrieking in terror at the monkeys in a Malaysian forest to walking on an Alaskan glacier after her first-ever helicopter ride.

There’s a drawing of her – almost a caricature of my Mom who was renowned for her beautiful clothes, her earrings and her long hair swept up in a bun. They remembered the Mexican lunches, but most of the kids described her as kind, fair and funny.

Every time, I visited we’d go through some of them and, inevitably, there were mementoes from the various schools she’d been at and notes from students. She had an incredible memory and it was only in her final few years that she couldn’t point to class photos from 30 or 40 years earlier and remember almost every child’s name.

There’s a scrapbook I’ve kept that was made by the teachers and students at McLeod School in 1981 when Mom was leaving her first posting as principal to go to a larger school. There’s a drawing of her – almost a caricature of my Mom who was renowned for her beautiful clothes, her earrings and her long hair swept up in a bun. They remembered the Mexican lunches, but most of the kids described her as kind, fair and funny.

In our family, Mom was never really thought of as funny – that was one of Dad’s strengths.

But I finally recognized that years later. Coincidentally, it was when the two of us were honoured to, together, be the masters (mistresses?) of ceremonies at the Alumni Crowning Achievement Awards.

For those of us blessed with wonderful parents, it is devastating when they die no matter what age we are.

Annoyingly, my mother had insisted us spending almost the entire day-of going over and over the script. And maybe it was that glass of wine that was talking, but once we got to the microphone, my Mom tossed it aside and was wonderfully funny as her unscripted self.

For those of us blessed with wonderful parents, it is devastating when they die no matter what age we are. My friend, Anne Giardini, was also deeply connected to her mother. She didn’t know my mother but when I told her, she recounted the day after her own had died.

Anne and her sister went to buy extra copies of the newspaper to send to friends and relatives. Ahead of them in line, another woman was also buying the newspaper. With tears in her eyese, she turned to Anne and her sister, ‘Did you know that Carol Shields has died.’

Lydia was a great Riders fan and she and her husband, Donald, had season tickets for close 60 years. Fandom is a family trait. This photo was taken July 25, 2009 – a day before her birthday – and the day of a Riders game that she went to with me, her grandson, Duncan (left) and son Jack. Both of whom are also UofR alumni.
Lydia was a great Riders fan and she and her husband, Donald, had season tickets for close 60 years. Fandom is a family trait. This photo was taken July 25, 2009 – a day before her birthday – and the day of a Riders game that she went to with me, her grandson, Duncan (left) and son Jack. Both of whom are also UofR alumni.

Unlike Anne’s mother, mine wasn’t a Nobel Prize winner whose death was reported on the front page. And that was the point of Anne’s story.

She said the death of every mother should be front page news because one of the greatest comfort a child can have is knowing that they don’t grieve alone.

Daphne Bramham graduated from the University of Regina in 1975 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and German. She holds a Bachelor of Applied Arts in journalism from the now renamed Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson), a Master of Arts degree in Liberal Studies from Simon Fraser University and an honorary doctor of letters from Capilano University. She is a past recipient of the Alumni Crowning Achievement Award for her work as a journalist.

In addition to Lydia’s longstanding association with the University of Regina, her husband Donald Bramham was a member of the University’s Senate and both their son, Jack, and grandson, Duncan, are alumni.

About the Author

Daphne Bramham has been a columnist at the Vancouver Sun since 2000 and has won numerous awards for her writing, including a National Newspaper Award. She was named Commentator of the Year by the Jack Webster Foundation in 2005 and was honoured by the non-profit group Beyond Borders for a series of columns on the polygamous community of Bountiful, B.C.

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 5820 [post_author] => 12 [post_date] => 2022-05-26 15:49:51 [post_date_gmt] => 2022-05-26 21:49:51 [post_content] =>

Connecting via video chat with the owners of the highly successful Sansara Surf and Yoga Resort in Cambutal, Panama is like taking a mini retreat from the stressors of everyday life. One can't help but slow down and breathe.

Vibrant, lush-green foliage from the tropical rainforest provides a perfect canopy backdrop for the interview, while a symphony of tanagers and toucans chirp happily in the background.

Yoga master and entrepreneur Janel Phillips, 37, radiates warmth and a sense of purpose - one that comes from years of living a mind-body-spirit connection while building a world-class yoga shala in South America, ranked one of the top five in the world. The University of Regina alum and special education teacher yearned to travel after graduation and make a difference beyond Saskatchewan's borders.

She found her life's purpose with her husband and soulmate, Mike Phillips, 43, blessed with the same sense of idealism and altruism to match. The salt-and-pepper-bearded stone mason from Regina is the Ying to Janel's Yang. As a surf fanatic and fellow yoga devotee, he travelled the world in search of the perfect wave but wound up building a life and community with Janel as founders and owners of Sansara, located at the end of the road in a small village where the jungle meets the sea in Los Santos, Panama.

Janel Phillips went from a special education teacher in Saskatchewan to building and operating Sansara Yoga and Surf Resort in Los Santos Panama. Janel Phillips went from a special education teacher in Saskatchewan to building and operating Sansara Yoga and Surf Resort in Los Santos Panama.

"We both had this burning desire to travel the world in our 20s, so when we met, it was an instant connection," Janel enthuses. "There was this incredible alignment of where we wanted our lives to go. Our path was driven by faith in the possible - not debilitated by fear." Janel looks lovingly at Mike, and the couple, parents to son, Asher, 5, and daughter, Ocean, 3, easily finish each other's sentences.

Running a multi-million-dollar, world class yoga retreat takes courage, commitment, drive and determination. But it also takes capital. Mike and Janel found that support back home in Saskatchewan.

"We took a trip to Panama and loved it and decided to spend six months getting to know the people and the land before making any moves. We didn't want to be a bunch of gringos who came in and took over," Mike says, before Janel continues: "We took a very holistic approach, filled with light and intention. We got to know the community first and hand-picked these incredible people to join our team and help make our dream a reality. Everything just fell into place."

The beginning

Running a multi-million-dollar, world class yoga retreat takes courage, commitment, drive and determination. But it also takes capital. Mike and Janel found that support back home in Saskatchewan.

It's been said that Regina is a small community with only six degrees of separation between people. Love may have brought Janel and Mike together, but it was serendipity and fate that connected them with their mentor, friend, and Sansara business partner, Tim Young, the quiet, understated CEO of Young's Equipment, one of Saskatchewan's preeminent farm implement dealerships.

The Phillips and their two children Asher (right) and Ocean on a Panamanian beach. The Phillips and their two children Asher (right) and Ocean on a Panamanian beach.

"I first met Mike when he was 15. I lost touch with him until he met Janel, and then he came back into my life," Tim begins. "I first met Janel when she ran a mobile Yoga studio called Awaken Your Yoga. Back in 2010, I made a bucket list goal with my sons to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, but I had a lot of work to do to get in shape. My hip flexors and hamstrings were weak, and I knew I'd have to work on them. I was working with a personal trainer (Leslie Genoway, a friend of Janel's and fellow U of R grad), and she recommended that yoga might help. So, she put me in touch with Janel and the rest is history."

There are bodies of all shapes and sizes at Sansara, with a multi-generational mix of Boomers to Millennials sharing laughs over exquisitely prepared local cuisine at a long, well-appointed wooden table.

Tim says he was immediately drawn to Janel's warmth and willingness to help. "It wasn't long before I noticed real changes to my physical abilities. She'd come over to our house three times a week to do private sessions with me and my wife Judy. Sometimes it was a family affair, and the boys would join in. Thanks in part to her training, I was able to reach the summit of Kilimanjaro with my sons on May 9, 2011."

Tim says when Janel and Mike first got together, he knew they had dreams beyond Regina. "Mike worked in construction for his father, an experienced bricklayer. Mike would spend the warmer months working hard, and then travel the world and surf for three months during the winters. When he and Janel got engaged and began traveling together, we were a little sad we couldn't see them all the time, but also excited they were living their dreams."

When serendipity meets hard work

Taking a video-guided tour of the lush and spacious surroundings of Sansara is a chance to experience paradise. The holistic beachfront resort features a small collection of private, oceanfront suites and garden cabanas, and a spacious, open-air yoga shala nestled in greenery. One can almost smell the rich, wet earth, salt-filled air, and boost of pure oxygen generated from all the trees and shrubs in this tropical oasis. A saltwater pool and onsite spa complete the perfect surroundings.

Los Santos makes up the southeastern chunk of a huge peninsula in the central Pacific part of Panama. Its eastern coastline is fairly sheltered most of the year, facing into the Gulf of Panama, while its southern shores face the Pacific winds-hence the surfing. Los Santos makes up the southeastern chunk of a huge peninsula in the central Pacific part of Panama. Its eastern coastline is fairly sheltered most of the year, facing into the Gulf of Panama, while its southern shores face the Pacific winds-hence the surfing.

While some guests are tentatively standing on their boards in the morning surf at dawn, lit by an amber glow as they experience the sheer exhilaration of catching their first wave, others are in contemplative poses, finding a meditative calm with their sun salutations and downward facing dogs. The atmosphere is supportive and relaxed.

There are bodies of all shapes and sizes at Sansara, with a multi-generational mix of Boomers to Millennials sharing laughs over exquisitely prepared local cuisine at a long, well-appointed wooden table. The Buddha Bar offers guests daily breakfast, lunch, and dinner, utilizing local fish, farm-raised poultry, seasonal fruits and vegetables, and even home baked bread.

Before Mike and Janel arrived to build their dream resort, the land was thick with shrubs and nearly inaccessible.

"Right from the get-go, Janel brought this beautiful intention to Sansara, which guided everything we did and every relationship we built. I get teary just thinking about it…"

"When we booked a ticket to Panama in July of 2012, we wanted to see if it was for us, without any rose-coloured glasses that you often have when you first arrive in a hot location. We said if nothing was available, we'd go back to Regina in January - but who wants to that?" Mike laughs, before continuing. "At the end of our six-month stay in December, we literally knocked on doors, when one day, a friend down the street overheard someone talking that they had beachfront property they needed to sell. Two hours later, we had a handshake deal, and a week after that, we closed on the property."

"We had to stretch and grow on so many fronts, including expanding our vocabulary," adds Janel. "We didn't speak Spanish, but we kept being open and were guided to continue moving forward. The universe provided for us with this land, the partnerships with the local people, and all the community support we received."

Before Mike and Janel left on their life-changing journey, Tim Young offered them some help devising a business plan. "I told them, when you're ready, I'll give you a week of my time to help write up your plan. I got there in February of 2013, and realized they needed more capital. Suddenly, I put my hand up, and I think Mike and Janel were surprised," he chuckles.

Janel recalls being somewhat flabbergasted at Tim's generous offer. "I mean, who does that? I kept asking Tim why?"

Sansara investor Tim Young (right) and his son, Sean. Photo by Shane Luhning
Sansara investor Tim Young (right) and his son, Sean. Photo by Shane Luhning

Tim remembers that moment quite clearly. "I told Janel: 'Remember that first day we met, and you asked me what my goals were? And I told you I wanted to climb Mount Kilimanjaro? Well, I did it, thanks to you. This is the same kind of thing.'"

Janel says she'll never forget Tim's response, and his openness and kindness in that moment. "It literally changed our lives forever."

Armed with much needed capital, a professional business plan, and a partner with a proven track record in running a multi-million-dollar business, Mike and Janell got to work.

"I grew up in construction, and knew how to build in tropical countries," Mike begins. "When I was 19, I took over an old Italian stone mason business in Fernie, B.C. when the owner retired. When I was skiing, I wound up breaking my back and went to the Grand Caymans to recuperate and ended up working for an eco-adventure company. There was this huge hurricane that literally devastated the island - the same system that became Hurricane Katrina. My boss knew my background in construction, and we just got to work rebuilding."

"We felt this need to build trust and build relationships, because with trust, you help build longevity. We were creating a forever with no expiry date - literally creating the life we wanted to live."

Mike says that experience helped him plan and devise a stormproof resort using locally made materials. "You can't use pine because the termites will get it," he explains. "Galvanized nails also don't work because they'll rust, and your roof will fly off in a storm. It was my experience rebuilding in the Caymans that really helped me with Sansara. We arrived and the place was an overgrown jungle, but we didn't mind the hard work - we looked at it like a clean slate. We hired the best crew in Cambutal. At first, I communicated through sign language, and I think my first phrase in Spanish was 'I need a tool.'"

Janel quickly adds: "It was special because most investors fly in their own workers and their own experts, and here we were, building alongside the Panamanian people. We felt this need to build trust and build relationships, because with trust, you help build longevity. We were creating a forever with no expiry date - literally creating the life we wanted to live."

Practice yoga every day, learn to surf, enjoy fresh, delicious cuisine and build rewarding connections with other like-minded people as you immerse yourself in the Sansara Experience.
Practice yoga every day, learn to surf, enjoy fresh, delicious cuisine and build rewarding connections with other like-minded people as you immerse yourself in the Sansara Experience.

Adds Mike: "Right from the get-go, Janel brought this beautiful intention to Sansara, which guided everything we did and every relationship we built. I get teary just thinking about it…" At that moment, Mike's voice cracks and he takes a second before continuing. "We were surrounded by family and friends, and we'd just accomplished something we'd worked so hard to achieve.

On April 15 of 2015, we hosted our first retreat. I remember we had paint under our fingernails, but we were ready, and 18 guests showed up. It was magical."

I kept thinking, 'Holy sh--! We're a hotel now! What do we do? We've never done this before!" Janel quickly adds: "We just knew we'd conduct our business using the golden rule, treating people the way we wanted to be treated. So we created the kind of get-away experience we'd want for ourselves."

Janel recalls selling retreat spaces even before the resort was finished. "I remember in January of 2015, people kept asking us to send photos of the cabanas and the pool, and I had to say, 'Well…we don't have photos just yet - no artist renderings. You're going to have to trust us.' We worked like crazy over the next four months building two new cabanas and the restaurant and the pool. On April 15 of 2015, we hosted our first retreat. I remember we had paint under our fingernails, but we were ready, and 18 guests showed up. It was magical."

The arrival of COVID

Then, in March of 2020, COVID made an unwelcome appearance, and the world went into lockdown. "Mike's such a glass-half-full kind of guy. This was our high season, but we packed up the resort, emptied the fridge and donated the food to the community, and emptied the pool. And we took this very long pause."

"We couldn't charge much, but people wound up giving us thousands of dollars in cash donations that we were able to use to pay our staff and keep them afloat during the pandemic. It was never about being a money-maker - it always about keeping the community we'd built going."

But rather than get depressed or upset over the situation, the couple decided to use their creativity and ingenuity to make Sansara that much better. "Janel decided to offer virtual, weekend retreats, where people could log onto Zoom and take a Friday night yoga class, experience an online cocktail making class, then a Saturday morning yoga class, followed by a cooking demonstration with our executive chef."

Janel adds: "We set up lights and made things happen over Zoom where I would play host, almost like a Top Chef cooking show," she beams. "Mike offered surfing lessons for people from all over the world in their own living rooms. It was so much fun! Then on Sunday, we'd offer a virtual meditation class. We couldn't charge much, but people wound up giving us thousands of dollars in cash donations that we were able to use to pay our staff and keep them afloat during the pandemic. It was never about being a money-maker - it always about keeping the community we'd built going."

Sansara is a special and sacred place created for the wellness-inspired traveler. Sansara is a special and sacred place created for the wellness-inspired traveler.

Janel adds that they also used the downtime as an opportunity to clean, repair, and enhance the resort from top to bottom. "It was almost like a place of worship. We had 38 employees and we wanted to give space and energy for their needs. Everyone came together in this spirit of collaboration. We wanted to make sure Sansara was pristine for the return of guests when the world re-opened."

Janel says they also used the downtime to build their local clientele. "We had visitors from all over the world, but not from Panama City just five hours away. With travel limited, we thought it was a great opportunity to do something for Panamanians. We used the catchphrase 'Escape the City' and it worked. A lot of people in Panama now know we exist."

"They arrive with this metaphorical parka, wound tightly, wanting to know the Wi-Fi password. We let them know that nature will take care of them, and that by being open, they'll receive exactly what they need."

Mike says the forced pause allowed them to step back as owners and operators and build an even better resort than before. "We were always so hurried in getting things up and running at the start. When we slowed down, we could really analyze our business operations and make some slight changes in the right direction. Now, we're more profitable than ever." Adds Janel: "Everything happens for a reason, and this was our chance to regroup and move forward on an even better footing."

Looking ahead

Everything Janel and Mike do is grounded in love, intention and gratitude. That's reflected in the way they embrace each guest, meet them on their own terms, and provide them with exactly what they're looking for during their stay. "Almost 99 per cent of the guests who arrive are depleted of self-love and self-care," says Janel. "They arrive with this metaphorical parka, wound tightly, wanting to know the Wi-Fi password. We let them know that nature will take care of them, and that by being open, they'll receive exactly what they need. Everyone becomes aligned and a transformation takes place. Once they get rid of the security blanket and become vulnerable, trust and love become accessible."

Janel Phillips and some of her staff take time out for a photo. Janel Phillips and some of her staff take time out for a photo.

Janel says that gratitude is reflected during roundtable discussions in the evenings. "People sit together and tell their fellow guests things like 'I'm proud of you. You took a risk by going in the ocean even though you were afraid.' Acknowledging people in that way allows them to be seen and heard, and it really has a profound effect on their lives."

Tim Young couldn't agree more and says he feels blessed to be part of the Sansara experience, quietly supporting the couple and the business from 7,400 km away. Tim feels a sense of wonder and appreciation for all this couple has given to him and the hundreds of guests they've served over the years. "These are two of the most amazing people you'll ever meet!"

As the video chat with Mike and Janel ends, one is left with an incredible sense of calm and hope for the world, especially during this time of great unease and uncertainty. The picturesque images of Sansara won't soon be forgotten, nor will the sounds of chirping birds and crashing waves, or the goodwill and positive energy generated from Mike and Janel Philips. The ocean is calling…Namaste.

The peaceful Panamanian village of Cambutal is located in the province of Los Santos in the Azuero Peninsula. It is about a five-hour drive away from the capital Panama City, and is situated in the southernmost point of Panama. The peaceful Panamanian village of Cambutal is located in the province of Los Santos in the Azuero Peninsula. It is about a five-hour drive away from the capital Panama City, and is situated in the southernmost point of Panama.

 

For more information about Sansara Surf and Yoga Resort, click https://www.sansararesort.com/

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On the day Dave Plummer graduated from the University of Regina he packed his fiancé Nicole's belongings into a moving van, and then married her the following day. Two days later they flew from Regina to Seattle, where he would begin working full-time at his dream job at Microsoft.

The story of those eventful few days - one of many Plummer relates in his book Secrets of the Autistic Millionaire - takes on greater significance because at that time he had no inkling that he was a person with autism. People on the autism spectrum are uncomfortable with change, he explains, and those action-packed few days had "big change" written all over them.

The Autism diagnosis

When he was first diagnosed with Autism three years ago, he didn't want to be labeled or constrained, so in the past few years he has undertaken a number of things that were outside his comfort zone. Those included writing his book, hosting a catered party for 50 friends and launching a YouTube channel, Dave's Garage, where he talks about software coding and programming, and projects that he worked on at Microsoft.

Dave's garage where Dave hosts Dave's Garage, a YouTube channel about software coding, programming and the Microsoft projects he has worked on over the years. Dave's garage where Dave hosts Dave's Garage, a YouTube channel about software coding, programming and the Microsoft projects he has worked on over the years.

While he had dropped hints on the channel, in November 2021 Plummer revealed that he was a person with autism, describing his reaction and explaining that, for him, pushing into uncharted territory would lead to personal growth. He published the book with similar goals in mind, offering a more upbeat, optimistic approach than what he found online. Plummer says the subtitle - Everything I know about Autism, ASD and Asperger's that I wish I'd known back then - more accurately describes his purpose in writing it.

Dave and his wife Nicole at a Seattle Seahawks game. Dave and his wife Nicole at a Seattle Seahawks game.

"I find the online support groups to be full of angst and negativity and bitterness," Plummer observes. "So, if nothing else I'm trying to bring a message of, 'Life with some autism can be spectacular, and the more you know about it the better you'll manage with it.'" Plummer has received "a lot of great feedback", especially from parents with kids on the autism spectrum, encouraging him to set up a separate YouTube channel, The Autistic Millionaire, to explore topics related to it. One of his messages is that an early diagnosis is helpful, and that each child's situation is different.

Regina beginnings

Reflecting back on his early life in Regina, Plummer notes that he liked talking to adults more than kids. After school he would walk over to his father's hardware store on College Avenue East and hang out in the back of the store, which he describes as a combination workshop and informal coffee club. Within walking distance were the laundromat that his grandfather managed, the local confectionery, drug store or barber shop. "I think being around adults was highly useful in developing my 'masking' ability," Plummer explains. "In other words, I was socializing and observing how to 'fit in', which for people with significant ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) requires effort and work."

Some adults noticed that Plummer was different from other kids, and made accommodations for that. He still keeps in touch with his beloved fourth grade teacher at Arcola School, Mrs. Donna Harvey, who gave him special projects to work on - for example, a report on all Soviet and American space launches at that time - to help maintain his interest in school.

Computer Science

Plummer's engagement with computer science began when he was about 12 and his mother enrolled him in a computer class at the University of Regina that enabled him to explore his interest in programming.

"I soon realized that I could come back pretty much any time the lab was open and work on whatever I wanted, so I came in on weekends," Plummer says. "If there was no formal class going on, as long as you acted like you were supposed to be there, few took any notice of me."

A young Dave Plummer at the University of Regina circa 1992. A young Dave Plummer at the University of Regina circa 1992.

Plummer enrolled in the gifted student program at Miller High School, but after that folded he lost interest in school, skipping classes, creating video games for the Commodore 64, cruising in his car. After dropping out he worked different jobs until a friend hauled him down to the U of R campus and urged him to look into the Adult Entry program. When he saw the prerequisites he was missing it seemed logical to him to complete them at Miller, persuading the principal that he had reformed enough to graduate, which he did. "I then entered the U of R in 1989 and never looked back."

Plummer describes the Computer Science program as close to ideal for someone on the spectrum, and "fairly elementary" for him until fourth year, where he experienced his favourite classes - advanced operating systems, graphics, languages and algorithms - and his favourite professors, Dr. Howard Hamilton and Dr. Xue Dong Yang (both of whom are still members of the Faculty). Both were very influential for him, he notes.

Dr. Howard Hamilton, U of R computer science professor and director of the Laboratory for Computational Discovery. Dr. Howard Hamilton, U of R computer science professor and director of the Laboratory for Computational Discovery.

Dr. Hamilton recalls that Plummer was one of 21 students in the first class on introductory operating systems that he taught in 1991, and among the 12 in the first offering of a course about advanced operating systems. "It felt like 12 of the cleverest and keenest students from my four introductory classes were collected together, and Dave was one of them," says Dr. Hamilton. "I could tell he would do well because of his hard work, meticulously done assignments and determination to master programming skills."

Prior to his fourth year, Plummer acknowledges, he had no clear idea of what a job or career in computers might look like, but while working at SaskTel over a summer he read Hard Drive, a book about Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and the rapid growth of the company. With what he describes as hyper focus, Plummer decided he wanted to work for Microsoft. "I had no second choices or fallback plans."

Microsoft comes calling

He was successful in landing an internship after his third year - as far as he knows the lone Canadian among thirty interns - before returning to the U of R, where he graduated in January 1993 with a BSc degree in Computer Science, with High Honours. By that time Plummer had received a full-time job offer from Microsoft, which he eagerly accepted. He recalls comparing notes with two other fellows who started the same week - one from MIT and the other from Harvard - who discovered they had received the same starting salary, to the penny. "As a result of that I've always worn my U of R alumni status as a badge of honour. I received a great education and entered a very competitive industry without the virtue of a name brand that allowed me to start the race on third base, so to speak."

Plummer set sail for a career at Microsoft in the mid-1990s. Plummer set sail for a career at Microsoft in the mid-1990s.

While working on Microsoft Windows-related projects, Plummer continued programming at home, creating a Task Manager application that he had planned to distribute as (try before you buy) shareware. However, a supervisor that he showed it to liked it, and it became part of the Windows operating system. Over the past 25 years 2.2 billion people have used TaskManager, a fact that Plummer finds rewarding. "I made it for myself because I wanted it, and that is often a great way to start," he says.

Plummer left Microsoft in 2003, founding SoftwareOnline, which distributed software titles on disk and by download. The company at its peak employing 35 people as it evolved to provide more technical and security support to users. It was purchased by another support and security company in 2009.

The Plummer clan in front of the Parisienne 2+2 that Dave's father bought new in 1969. Dave acquired it in 1984 and used it as a daily driver. Note the Saskatchewan front plate. From left to right: Dave, Brooklyn, Eric, Steven, and Andrew.
The Plummer clan in front of the Parisienne 2+2 that Dave's father bought new in 1969. Dave acquired it in 1984 and used it as a daily driver. Note the Saskatchewan front plate. From left to right: Dave, Brooklyn, Eric, Steven, and Andrew.

Looking back on his experiences Plummer refers to the Japanese concept of Ikigai -- something that gives a person a sense of purpose, or that brings pleasure or fulfilment. He is fortunate, he says, to have that feeling in his life. "Working on my own gives me flexibility to chase things that interest me, and so I start and finish a lot of projects, which is always educational and keeps things fresh."

The U of R hosted an online talk and Q&A session with Dave Plummer in January 2022. Watch it here.

 For more information on the U of R's Computer Science program, click here.

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