Long-time Harbour Terrace resident and our good neighbour Gillian Willis passed away at her home in late December. Gillian loved her False Creek South neighbourhood and participated actively in her community, volunteering for many events. A Neighbourhood Association delegate for Harbour Terrace for many years, Gillian helped make lanterns for the annual carolling event, regularly manned the fort for the Keep Vancouver Spectacular clean-up, and was part of the support team for our two Syrian refugee families. Gillian entered her beloved papillon dogs (her “guys”, as she called them ) in the dog agility demonstration at Granville Island every Canada Day.
Gillian had many other interests. She was an accomplished photographer and frequently shared her pictures of flowers and birds. She volunteered for many years with the Vancouver Citizen’s Crime Watch and at the Vancouver Bird Hospital.
Gillian was born in New Zealand where she had trained and worked as a pharmacist, but she’d always had a travel bug. Before settling in Canada she traveled via the Middle East to Afghanistan and India. In Canada she used her pharmacological background to develop a vast knowledge of the diagnosis and treatment of poisonings and overdoses. She helped establish the Drug and Poison Information Centre (DPIC) in Vancouver, the first of its kind in Canada. But she also kept on with active travel: visiting Antarctica; trekking in Nepal; whitewater rafting on the Zambezi; observing wild gorillas in the Congo; hiking to Machu Picchu.
Gill was planning to go home to New Zealand in March to celebrate her 80th birthday with family. Fearing that her health might not permit it, she tracked the New Zealand travel of friends online to offer information and advice. Those who knew her well cherish how helpful she was to others. Many more will remember her walking in the neighbourhood with her spectacular little ”guys” in tow.
– Marie-Claude Collins (Harbour Terrace)