Dining with Della: Paddy Munro in False Creek
December 19, 2016
I have known Paddy Munro for almost three decades. We met in the late 80s through her husband who was an agency client. They soon became close friends. Their two sets of twins were young children at the time. Since we met, the children have become adults and, sadly, Paddy became a widow. Her big, loving Irish family has experienced more than its share of sad times. After the tragic death of her sister, Paddy raised her nephew as well.
We have taken holidays together and she has witnessed and supported me through some health issues with my husband...on the road. Through all our personal trials, we have found opportunities for plenty of laughter and good times. I can still see Paddy at the wheel of my husband's 66 cherry black Chevy Malibu cruising down the highway. She loves those long haul drives and looks like a million bucks in the driver's seat of that classic car.
Paddy is one of the sweetest people I know. She never has anything bad to say and is as honest as the day is long. The harshest profanity I have heard cross her lips is "rats".
I picked up soup and sandwiches for the Railtown Cafe and went to Paddy's beautiful False Creek condo to do this interview. The Railton Cafe is a happening joint on Railway Avenue down by the tracks. It is a hipster haven for the young fashionistas in the neighbourhood. The food is fresh and delicious... and people watching is the number one pastime.
What one bit of communication impacted your life?
Paddy talks about a moment in the mid 80's when she first became aware of clearcutting. She heard about Clayoquot Sound on the news and was compelled to act. To get the full essence of this story it is important you have a mental picture of Paddy. She is ultra chic and looks like a model (she actually did some modeling at the time). Definitely not sporting Birkenstocks.
Anyway, after hearing of a protest march about the clear cutting, she took her six year old twin daughters downtown to the corner of West Georgia and Granville to join the movement. Thousands of people were carrying placards. The organizers handed Paddy and the girls their signs and they were off. She was a bit aghast to discover one of her daughters was carrying one that said "Don't pimp our forests". She quickly took that one herself and gave her daughter a less edgy one. That daughter has since become quite an activist concerned about the environment. Paddy wonders if the seeds were sown that day. This was a pivotal communications moment for Paddy to see the power of many people supporting a cause. She believes one person can make a difference but has witnessed the influence of common concern shared by many.
What did not work...
Paddy has taken on many campaigns in her community - writing letters and doing as much as she can to raise awareness around sensitive issues of concern. She is passionate about her causes and is fully engaged. She goes to public meetings, educates others and researches the topics. Her regret has been her lack of ability to stand up in front of a crowd to express her point of view.
What if...
What advice would you give to your younger self to enhance your ability to communicate with others – and why?
Paddy would tell her younger self to take a public speaking course as she feels it would have enabled her to follow through on some of the hot topics. She had no problem speaking up when faced with a challenging scenario with her mom and the health care system. However, she feels the added confidence to speak in front of a city council or crowd of people might have done more for her causes.
(Note from Della: Paddy is truly an upstanding citizen. She volunteers for things like the red nose campaign getting drunk drivers home safe. We tease her about being so law abiding and concerned about breaking rules - even in a game. She is famous for getting us all to play "corn in the hole" and is strict about how to tally up the points. It can be rather confusing after a few cocktails and raucous disagreement over where the bean bags land. The rest of us would probably fudge it, but not her.
I think of her like a bit of a southern belle - gorgeous and sweet but with the spirit of Scarlett O'Hara when it comes to an important cause. Thank goodness for people like Paddy.)
I think of her like a bit of a southern belle - gorgeous and sweet but with the spirit of Scarlett O'Hara when it comes to an important cause. Thank goodness for people like Paddy.)
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