Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: chris gadsden on October 08, 2010, 11:12:44 PM
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Bill is gravely ill, please keep your thoughts and prayers with Bill and his family in the days ahead.
Bill has given so much to the hunting and fishing fraternity for many years and I had the pleasure of working with him for a few years, especially with the Sport Fishing Defense Alliance.
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Did not know the man personally but I really enjoyed and valued reading his prose. I am sure Bill is being surrounded with love in this difficult time.
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Thanks for posting that message Chris. My wife and I visit Bill everyday and so do many others. Bill is here in Merritt in palliative care. The doctors have given him 5 to 6 days to live. In one of our visits Bill told me that it gave him great pleasure to serve his fellow outdoor enthusiasts. He also cautioned that sportsmen need to understand that they have to put their differences aside and unite if we want to have a fighting chance in preserving our sport for future generations. "There are battles looming over us that could mean the end to hunting and fishing as we know it if we do not band together and keep on our toes." he said.
We're very saddened, and yes we shed a few tears too. I consider my self very fortunate that I could get to know Bill personally and work together with him on our clubs board of directors, that he called me a personal friend of his is an honor to me. Our prayers go out to Bill and his family.
Not many hunters and anglers realize that the reason we have so many hunting and fishing opportunities is due to a few individuals like Bill Otway, spending an enormous amount of time and resources to make our view heard in the government and defend our sport on many different fronts. Bill Otway will leave big shoes behind to fill and I am not sure that we will soon, if ever, find somebody to fill these shoes.
Coincidentally, two month ago I planned to dedicate one of my regular outdoor newspaper columns to Bill Otway. The day before he had to to the hospital I talked with him at length about his life and how he became one of the greatest conservationist and defender of hunters and anglers in this province. The column is scheduled to be published next week and it tears my heart apart to think that it now will be an obituary. This was the toughest column I ever had to write.
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Thanks huntwriter for the nice post under very difficult circumstances.
I did not know Bill was this ill or I would have seen him when I was in Merritt a week ago, I regret very much I did not call him and have a chat. We had many good times together as many people did working with him as well as fishing and hunting. We all know he worked so hard for us, the recreational angler and hunter.
Once again it reinforces the fact to enjoy every day as we never know when the Lord will call us home.
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Chris I can't send PM's on this forum. If you send me an email to atacov(at)yahoo.ca I will send you Bills home phone number and his wife can give you his bedside phone number. Failing that you can write me any message you may have for Bill. I will print it out and take to him. I know he would love to hear from you and any other people that know him personally, he talks often about all the wonderful people he met in his live and how much they all mean to him.
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Chris I can't send PM's on this forum. If you send me an email to atacov(at)yahoo.ca I will send you Bills home phone number and his wife can give you his bedside phone number. Failing that you can write me any message you may have for Bill. I will print it out and take to him. I know he would love to hear from you and any other people that know him personally, he talks often about all the wonderful people he met in his live and how much they all mean to him.
Thanks, I have Bill's number.
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Bill has set a high standard for us all. His total commitment to the conservation of wildlife is an example we should all strive to achieve.
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-- Bill initiated so many successful campains and projects, I doubt they could all be listed.
-- Dear to my heart would be a return and rebuild of the Thompson, Nicola, Spences bridge steelhead.
-- I'm sure we can all think of fitting legacies
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Bill truly is one of the greatest people the outdoor community has here in BC and beyond. Many people do not realize what he has done for all of us. What impresses me about Bill the most is that I not even once heard him asking for anything of us. The opposite is the case, even when he was very ill he always asked "What can I do for you." Just two days ago when I visited him he asked me, "Is there anything I can do for you while I am still alive?" He never said or wrote "somebody should do something about it." He just went and did it himself.
To that end I am surprised how little response this thread generates. I thought people where a bit more grateful to a man that gave all of his life so generously of himself and did so much for so many, even during times when he should have looked more after himself than look out for others. It is save to say that without Bill we would not have that many fishing opportunities and programs like the family fishing day and many others that enhance our fisheries or recruit more anglers.
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-- Dear to my heart would be a return and rebuild of the Thompson, Nicola, Spences bridge steelhead.
Bill was on the forefront in the fight to enhance the steelhead program on the Thomson. Together with the Nicola Valley Fish & Game Club and the Lillooet Club he planned to build a hatchery. Until the day he had to go to the hospital Bill was busy with meetings at government levels. However this was one battle he lost because the government refused to have a hatchery built on the Thomson, even so the clubs would have provided the financing and the running of the hatchery. As usual a minority political agenda seems more important to the government than conservation and creating opportunity for all, not just a select minority.
We will continue the fight to have a hatchery on the Thomson and improve the steelhead fishery in that region. We owe that, and much more, to Bill.
As stated in a different post here. Bill did many things that we do not know about, but take for granted today, because he was not the kind of man that made a big story about it or bragged about his achievements on forums. He just worked quietly and unassuming day in and day out, often traveling great distances, even when very ill, to attend meetings and hearings.
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Huntwriter: I was keeping quiet on this one, but I think you have stumbled across a few things. First things first, I am sorry to hear about Mr. Otway's condition and his presence will be missed as I enjoyed reading his columns in B.C. Outdoors. He seemed to be a tireless crusader trying to ensure the voice of the little guy was heard. However, I don't know where the next Bill Otway will come from. I hope I am wrong, but it seems most sportsmen of today are takers instead of givers. Heck they have enough trouble getting people to come out to collect garbage strewn along the banks of the Vedder and the Fraser River after fishing season. Hopefully this thread will draw people out of their shells and make people realize that all the things we take for granted didn't just happen. There were people behind the scenes, such as Bill Otway, who worked tirelessly volunteering their own time to try and ensure the voice of the sportsmen was heard.
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dennyman you hit on a very sore spot that plagues all of society not just the angling and hunting community. Just today I was talking to someone in our club how hard it is to get people to do anything or get them involved. Yet very often we hear "somebody should do something". Often the people who say something along these lines are the biggest complainers. It's disheartening at times how we as a society seem to turn more and more into takers and relay on others to put something back. I do hope and wish that people like Bill Otway set an example and make us realize that we all have to do our bit in any which way we see fit to ensure a future for the generation to come after us.
To Chris. I told Bill today about our little conversation here and he seemed very happy - with a big smile on his face - when I mentioned your name. Bill is starting to find it difficult to remember words and form sentences. The end may come any day or hour now for Bill. If you get a chance please get in contact with Bill as I know he would love to hear from you one last time.
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dennyman you hit on a very sore spot that plagues all of society not just the angling and hunting community. Just today I was talking to someone in our club how hard it is to get people to do anything or get them involved. Yet very often we hear "somebody should do something". Often the people who say something along these lines are the biggest complainers. It's disheartening at times how we as a society seem to turn more and more into takers and relay on others to put something back. I do hope and wish that people like Bill Otway set an example and make us realize that we all have to do our bit in any which way we see fit to ensure a future for the generation to come after us.
To Chris. I told Bill today about our little conversation here and he seemed very happy - with a big smile on his face - when I mentioned your name. Bill is starting to find it difficult to remember words and form sentences. The end may come any day or hour now for Bill. If you get a chance please get in contact with Bill as I know he would love to hear from you one last time.
Glad you did this, thank you so much. We had a lot of good times together especially with the SDA for a few years putting on the dinners etc.. He has been a inspiration to me and many of my friends who also work hard to make things better for our wildlife, the environment while at the same time providing fishing and hunting opportunities. We may not have always agreed on topics but we respected each others views at all times. I am so glad he got out with Gwyn to a fishing trip to Winter Harbour a couple of months ago.
I have tried the house to get his hospital phone # but not one was home. I imagine his family is spending as much time with him at his bedside. Needless to say the importance of family support is so important in such difficult times.
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Chris I just found out that Bill does not have a phone in his room. As you can imagine Carol is very busy . On our visit to the house today I told Carol that you might phone up. Please keep trying it would mean so much to Bill. Thank you.
Not everybody agrees all the time with Bill, even I had at times a difference of opinion that is human nature but we always respected each other and that is what makes all the difference in a true friendship, heck even my wife and I do not agree on everything yet we're still happily married after almost 20 years.
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Very Saddening News this morning:
It is with a heavy heart that I bring news which you may already be aware of.
Bill Otway passed away last night. His family has requested that no flowers be sent but that donations be made to BCWF in Bills honour.
Bill was the single most vocal proponent of the recreational anglers needs and fought to hold both MOE and DFO accountable for their actions for many years. His ability to write incredible articles and books and all that he meant to BCWF and other angling and hunting associations will make his absence so difficult for many of us. However all this pales in comparison to the loss this means for his family and friends. I only knew Bill for a short time but will always treasure the conversations we had and I will always remember and admire his ability to see through the smoke on issues that were important to him. I will miss him.
Please say a prayer for and remember the Otway family at this time.
Thanks
Well Said. I truly admired Bill for what he stood for, for what he fought for, for the insight & thoughtfulness in him, and for The Man he was.
Even though we knew this was coming, it is a damn bitter pill to swallow. Mighty Big Boots to fill. I, as many will miss him. :'(
My most sincere condolences to his Family & Friends...
May the fish forever be Hungry and Plentiful my Friend.
RIP Bill.
Sadly,
Matt
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It is with great sadness that I have to inform the members of this forum that Bill Otway passed away today in the early morning hours.
His wife informed me that according to Bill's wishes there will be no funeral held. Sometime later (date, time and exact location to be announced) a life celebration luncheon in honor of Bill will be held in Coquitlam. Instead of flowers it is Bill's wish to make a monetary donation to the BC Wildlife Federation. With his death I lost a very good friend and the outdoor community lost one of the foremost fighters and defenders for our cause. His absence will be felt for many years to come.
My sympathy and prayers to out to Bill's family and many friends here in BC and Canada. He was a remarkable man of the likes we will never see again. We all own Bill a huge thank you for what good he has done for all of us over the many years of his life. Rest in peace my friend.
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my prayers go out to bill and his family
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my condolences to all Bills family and friends,it indeed is a very sad day to lose a man of Bills passion for our outdoors,to fight the fights for all of us that most of us would or could never do,thank you Bill,R.I.P.
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My condolences to Bill's family. He truely was a remarkable man.
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I remember him a champion for the cause of steelhead preservation. He was truly a friend of the steelhead, and all of us steelheaders will miss the field general in steelhead preservation. May he rest in peace.
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It is up to all of us to remember Bill by continuing his good work.
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My condolences to the family of a true gentleman and sportsman.
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BILL OTWAY - IN MEMORIAM
By Rafe Mair
It’s with great sadness I learned of the death of Bill Otway, the sports fisherman’s constant warrior. Bill was a mainstay of the BC Wildlife Association and its executive director for many years.
I got to know Bill when I was a BC cabinet minister and I was one of three to hold a hearing on the Revelstoke Dam even though it was irreversible. The BC Hydro lawyer was giving evidence and was consistently asked by Bill what would happen to a certain strain of Rainbow trout. He so exasperated the lawyer with this question he finally spluttered out “For God’s sake Mr Otway, we already destroyed that species with the Mica Dam!”
Here’s a “now it can be told” story. The government I was in with one exception (me) couldn’t care less about fish and the problems associated with them. I got a call from Bill one day in the Spring of 1979 when I was Environment Minister. He told me that the BC Wildlife Association was going under. As I remember it was $75,000 in the hole. I told Bill that I would do what I could but that I wasn’t hopeful.
Serendipitously, at the next Cabinet meeting we learned that because we had joined the national lottery, (649), all of a sudden we had a bunch of cash outside the budget. What to do?
In the nothing ventured, nothing gained mode I out the case for the BCWF and told my colleagues about their problem. I told my colleagues that these folks didn’t support the Socreds because we wouldn’t listen to them. To my enormous surprise the Premier asked “what was the amount again, Rafe?”
I told him it was $75,000 and Bennett said, I think we should do it and even though the rest of the room though he and I had lost our minds it was agreed. We were 18 in number but we knew that if the guy at the end of the table wanted something, the vote was suddenly 19-18!
I must here digress for a moment.
The City of Seattle had the right under an old deal with BC to raise the Ross Dam on their part of the Skagit river near Hope which would have flooded the river on our side, built a sizeable lake and destroyed a beautiful drifting, canoeing and fishing river. This came to a head at the same time and I told Bennett that this simply couldn’t happen on my watch. He directed me to go to Seattle, and buy them off, which I did.
With the saving of the Skagit and the BCWF we gained a lot of Brownie points. This was all in April of 1979 and an election was far from my mind as we’d been less than 3 ½ years in power. When, right after these two events, Bennett called an election I was as surprised as the rest of my colleagues and the media.
I don’t say and will not believe that Bill Bennett called an election because he had catered so grandly to the outdoors voters. He knew I was an environmentalist when he appointed me and while he certainly couldn’t have forecast the BCWF and Skagit issues, he knew that industry was not going to like having me in this position.
At any rate, the same time as the election BCWF, in its news letter, praised Bill and me to the skies and that sure as hell didn’t hurt! I can tell you that after touring much of the province helping out colleagues, I have no doubt that if we hadn’t done what we did, the very close election would have gone the other way!
Bill Otway, then, quite without intending it, may well have kept us in power.
I saw a lot of Bill during the 80s when he took the boys from the hugely popular TV show, “Dallas”, hunting and fishing. In fact I chaired at least one fundraiser for the BCWF when Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, Steve Kanaly and Howard Keel were on hand. I did some radio interviews of them, I think all of them.
Bill Otway and I went to Sweden to look at animal issues and how they handled them. We flew to London First Class (those days have gone!). Bill was a rough diamond and as we sat down I kidded Bill saying that if he behaved himself I promised not to tell anyone he’d flown in the front cabin. I was joking, of course, and his rejoinder was that worse than this, he didn’t want anyone to know he’d flown with a god damned Socred cabinet minister!
As we were landing, Bill did something that we kidded about almost every time we met, in private and in public – he barfed his dinner and teeth into the barf bag! My reply to this interesting development was ” and you were doing so well, Bill”!
Bill loved the story.
Maybe you had to be there!
Bill always knew his brief and took care to be fully informed. That’s how he was able to speak for outdoors issues so well and was such a formidable debater. He was a consistent battler against the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and one need only talk to former senior scientists from that department to know how much they respected Bill and how much they wished the politicians would listen.
Bill Otway had all the ingredients to carry the burdens he did – smart, stubborn, fearless and a thoroughly decent man.
British Columbia lost something it can ill afford – a wise man who said what he thought, when he thought it, and without concern for whom he might offend.
Bill Otway is owed a huge debt of gratitude by us all. Our hearts go out to Carol and the rest of his family.
Rest in peace, friend.
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Great tribute to Bill by Rafe Mair. Everybody that knew Bill has such stories to tell. Bill was a grassroots man that believed in affirmative action. Bill did not suffer fools easily and as one government official told me once; "When Bill came to a meeting we all knew that we were in for it and better had our facts straight and have the data to back up or else risk public humiliation." When Bill believed that he was right, and he was most of the time, there was no holding him back. Bill always spoke his mind and never minced words even if that meant that he had to offend somebody.
I believe one of many reasons why Bill and I got along so well is because in this regard I am the same. Tow years ago Bill proposed to our club that we should shame the government with a "Poor Box" stunt into providing more funding for the CO's. This was right after the government cut the budget for the Wildlife Services again. All the board members, except me, thought that this is not a good idea because it might offend somebody or because it could attract unwanted negative attention. So Bill and I went ahead anyway and placed "Poor Boxes" in all the outdoor sports stores in the area. In addition I dedicated one of my weekly newspaper columns to the stunt plus wrote for days on all of my popular outdoor blogs about it that are read across North America. It created quite a stir across North America. Four days later Bill phoned me up, laughing he told me; "Othmar you can stop writing about the poor boxes on your blogs and maybe we should pull the boxes in the stores too. I got an email from the Minister telling me that after reading your blog columns he found money in the budget to give to the CO's." My blogs are regularly read by BC and Canadian government officials, especially when I call them out on an issue.
The term "They don't make them anymore like that." certainly applies to Bill.
Bill wrote a book "Fish Cops & Game Wardens" filled with stories and anecdotes from times gone by. Perhaps one day I'll write a book in honor of Bill with some of the stories and anecdotes from the "Field Marshall" of conservation, hunter and angler advocacy.
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Just got this news from Bill Otway's wife Carol.
There will be a Celebration of Life for Bill, held at the Executive Inn in Coquitlam (near Lougheed Mall) on Nov. 14th from 1pm to 4pm.
According to Bill's wish his his family has requested that no flowers be sent but that donations be made to the BCWF in Bills honour.
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Here's what John Cummins had to say in the House of Commons.
October 27th, 2:10 p.m.
Bill Otway
http://openparliament.ca/hansards/2307/7/
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Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I inform the House of the passing
of Bill Otway.
British Columbia wildlife enthusiasts and recreational fishermen have lost a
consummate warrior and friend.
Bill spent a lifetime at the forefront of the fight for the best in management
practices for fish and wildlife and was the single most vocal proponent of the
right of recreational anglers to fish.
Always available to provide advice and, yes, even criticism, Bill never
wavered in his convictions for the sake of popularity.
A former executive director of the B.C. Wildlife Federation and a sports
fishing adviser to the federal government, Bill was the recipient of many
awards, including a national Recreational Fisheries Award from DFO.
Bill had all the ingredients to carry the burdens he did. He was a smart,
stubborn, fearless and thoroughly decent man.
In Bill's passing, British Columbia and, indeed, Canada lost someone it could
ill afford to lose: a real conservationist and wise man who said what had to
be said.
Our hearts go out to his wife Carol and the rest of his family.
************
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I knew Bill for over 40 years. I was out of the country when he died, so I didnt get a chance to say "goodbye". While I fought many times with him, I always had the greatest respect for him. I loved debating with him. On several occasions, I remember telling him "Bill-- you are full of s#@t ! He laughed and said " I may be-- but I got your attention didnt I????" ;D
I know of no other single person that has done so much to advance and defend the rights of hunters and fishermen in BC.
RIP buddy. I will miss you.