This award is presented to a student with a minimum 3.00 GPA who intends to work in the field of marine biology, if possible, or otherwise life sciences.
I would like to tell you about my beloved daughter Dianne, after whom this bursary is named.
Dianne was born in Trail, BC and attended high school in Castlegar, followed by two years at Selkirk College, and finished her degree in biology at Simon Fraser University. She started working with the department of Fisheries and Oceans first at the West Vancouver Research Lab as a nutrition biologist, and then as an assessment biologist with the Salmonid Enhancement Program located in downtown Vancouver, where she was employed until the summer of 2000.
Dianne was a wonderful daughter, a precious sister to Nadine and Gerry, a special auntie to Travis and Alana, and "mom" to her beloved dog Wun-Chi and cat Keesha. She had many friends from many walks of life and from her varied interests in gardening, aerobics, golf, curling, hiking, etc.
She fought a courageous two-year battle with cancer, always with a smile and kind words for her family and friends.
As a memorial, the Department of Fisheries dedicated a portion of a salmon habitat restoration, aptly "Angel Wing Pond,” and renamed as Dianne's pond. At this site, a brass plaque (donated by her cousin, Louise) was attached to a rock cairn, and a small log bench was constructed to allow for quiet contemplation. As Dianne had loved outdoors, this spot was selected as a scenic peaceful site, next to a quiet pond with a view of the surrounding mountains.
Dianne is very deeply missed by all her family and friends, and I believe she would be happy that her memory "lives forever" at Selkirk College.