Dunwoody Does It All

He retired almost 20 years ago, but 79-year-old Thomas Dunwoody, BEd'69, hasn't been parked in a Barcalounger sipping tea. He's one of those people whose schedule makes your head swim. And almost everything he does - with the exception of a little golf and gardening - - is to help people in his community of Metchosin, British Columbia, and the nearby city of Victoria.

Thomas Dunwoody (left) helped out at a student send-off in Victoria, B.C.

Among his retirement activities he has been a dispatcher for the local volunteer fire department, where he served as a firefighter for 24 years. He still coordinates the department's annual Muscular Dystrophy Drive, donates time to meals on wheels, and tutors children at the Victoria General Hospital. He volunteers as a lay preacher, is active with a branch of the Canadian Legion where he chairs the annual Poster and Literacy Contest, and visits World War II veterans. Tom is also vice-president of the Greater Victoria Citizenship Council, a group that facilitates citizenship awards.

Now the busy Dunwoody has been recognized with an award of his own. All his good works earned him the Governor General's Caring Canadian Award, which he accepted earlier this year with becoming modesty. "You want to feel as though you're doing something useful," he says. "I like to spread myself around, do a little bit of this, a little bit of that. Volunteering gives you a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment."

Good Dome Makes Good Neighbours

Nicolas Morin

Not to be confused with those inflatable jumping castles for kiddie parties, the new manure dome on the Macdonald Campus landscape has area residents breathing a bit easier. The hog herd at the Macdonald Farm may be happy pigs but their manure generates quite a smell in the summer months. Now a double-layered, green inflatable dome takes care of the unpleasant odour from the manure tank.

"The dome has made everyone forget a herd of hogs lives on campus, which is surrounded by residential and commercial developments," says Suzelle Barrington, BSc(AgrEng)'73, PhD'85, manager of the farm and a McGill professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering.

Local resident and former mayor of Baie d'UrfÈ Anne Myles is delighted with the change and says, "This dome has made an enormous difference." Businessman Mark Goldman, BA'81, whose Encore Gourmet Foods Inc. is situated right next door to Macdonald Farm, agrees: "We're enjoying fresher air."

The dome is inflated by the methane gases generated by the fermenting manure. "Being airtight, the cover helps break down the manure, which, when applied to land, provides great nutrient value for the crops grown at the Webster Research Centre," says Barrington.

The dome, developed and installed in collaboration with AgroDome Inc., an inflatable structures specialist in Sorel, Quebec, is not the first innovation for the Macdonald Campus swine operation. Built in 1992, the barn also offers superior animal comfort and individual care. There is lots of space for sows to move around, and small pens, specifically designed for grower hogs, allow the animals to socialize in a family atmosphere and feel right at home. Happy pigs, and now, happy neighbours.