Ross Carter and his wife, Lois Meyers-Carter, are the second couple chosen as Citizens for the Year. They have been active participants in community life since moving to the island full-time in 1986. Like many islanders, Ross is a second generation person.
Ross’ interest in community service comes from the thorough example of his parents, Dick and Katie Carter, who were active in establishing the Bowen Island Historians and the original Bowen Island Improvement Association (now called the EcoAlliance) in the 1960s. In the early 1970s, Katie called on him to design the posters for the Historians’ summer auctions. He's continued to be involved ever since.
In 1974, Ross was asked to sit on the “EcoAlliance” board and worked with Joe Malkin to produce the Bowenian newsletter bringing issues of development and planning to the attention of Bowen’s small community. It was tales of Joe’s years on the Vancouver Parks Board and how things got done that interested Ross in the political process. He accepted an appointment by then GVRD Director Pat Thomas to serve on a GVRD committee to establish the Old General Store as a heritage building. Ross got a picture of political backroom machinations when the committee was killed after changes at the provincial level.
When he and Lois moved to Bowen full time in 1986, Ross renewed his direct involvement in community planning through a second appointment to the EcoAlliance board. He and other board members worked hard to make sure that the approach to Snug Cove was in keeping with the ideals and policies expressed in Bowen’s Official Community Plan. He served on the second Snug Cove Planning Committee in 1987/88 and briefly on the Advisory Planning Commission. He chaired the 1989 study committee reviewing Bowen government options.
In 1990, he was elected as GVRD Director for the island and served through 1995. This gave him an opportunity to see in detail how Bowen local government works. He and the Island Trustees of the period – Dave Morgan, Graeme Dinsdale and Claus Speikermann -worked closely together on a number of projects. Ross was particularly interested in the establishment of a Bowen Parks authority and worked with GVRD officials to get that put in place. He also worked to enhance Bowen library and recreation services. Always interested in Bowen's Community School, he found a strategy to fund the Coordinators' position when it was about to be scrapped. And, he's been involved and active in Eagle Cliff neighbourhood affairs for many years.
His interest in the arts, especially painting – he’s a regular contributor to Bowen group shows and has had a couple one person shows at the Gallery at Artisan Square – led him to serve on the Arts Council Board with a stint as president.
Aside from painting, Ross enjoys writing about Bowen’s history and editing Historiana, the newsletter of the Bowen Island Historians. He has recently taken on editing of Lieben, the newsletter of the Arts Council and is the editor of Marlais, the newsletter of the Vancouver Dylan Thomas Circle.
He is currently serving on the Advisory Planning Commission, the Surplus Lands Working Group, the Municipal Budgetary Processes and Policy Task Force and the Bowen Island Library Board.
Lois, as the Bowen Island librarian from 1986 to 1990, organized the move of the Public Library out of the Community School into the Old General Store and spearheaded the referendum to get the Library funded by property taxes, rather than yearly grants. Trained as a Children's Librarian, service to Bowen's young people has continued to be a major interest and activity.
Lois co-chaired the Women’s Discussion Group and helped create the Bowen Island Heritage Preservation Association, serving as board member and president. As a active member of the Bowen Island Historians, she's been a board member, and president but now concentrates on archival and museum work, chairing the Merry Beary Christmas display each year. She's been part of the People, Plants and Places Tour team since its inception. She has served on the executive team of the Chamber of Commerce and chairs the Friends of the Library and its annual August Book Sale. For seventeen years, her Island Neighbours column in the Undercurrent weekly newspaper has recorded the stories of island residents and their lives.
For a complete change of pace, she learned Irish tunes to play with Contraband and now the Snug’s Irish Session Group and coordinates the Vancouver Fiddle Orchestra, which plays Scottish dance and concert music.