villagevibe Photo: Michael Hewison
Photo: Veronique da Silva
Photos: Adam Warrington
June 2007 : News and views from the heart of Fernwood
Strongback of the neighbourhood >> by Lisa Helps
T
he machine is oiled by the blood of the workers,” Adam Warrington of Fernwood’s own Strongback Labourers says to me, surrounded by his crew in Fernwood Square after a day’s work. “Karl Marx?” I ask. “It’s what the back of our new t-shirts say,” he tells me laughing. Adam and business partner Rick Thomas started Strongback Labourers seven years ago when, as Adam says, they were both in the construction trade and got “tired of being worked 90 hours a week in jobs that were ungratifying.” They run their company in a different kind of way. Each worker is a sub-contractor in his own right and signs up for the jobs he wants on the days he wants. “Adam is the king of flexibility,” one worker joked. From laying interlocking paving stone – at which they are ICPI certified – to stone masonry, to conceptual yard design and landscaping, these guys do it all. And they’re busy. In the last two years they haven’t done any advertising. “One job turns into the next,” Rick says. Adam adds, “People don’t ask us to bid [on jobs] they just ask us to get there.” And, they’ve almost stopped getting calls asking for a couple of strong backs to remove old furniture or TV sets. Michael Peck Senior and his two sons Michael and Jared all work for Strongback. Michael Senior’s done a variety of jobs all over North America from mining to journalism. As I’m talking with him someone pipes up, “He forgets more than most people know.” He’s been working
for Strongback for about a year. I ask when he’ll be off on another work venture. “I’m going to stick with these guys,” he tells me, “I enjoy this kind of work more than any other.” Michael adds that he’s lived in Fernwood for 14 years. “It’s really all about Fernwood,” he says to me. Almost all of the workers live in the neighbourhood. Michael Junior runs Veridian Landscapes and has worked with Strongback for three years. Zak Smith joined the crew when Strongback did his mom’s backyard about a year ago. He needed a job and Adam took him on. Tom Wise is the newest strongback, at it for about a week. Like the rest of them he says he really likes this type of work and, he adds, “Adam treats me so good.” This seems to be the general sentiment in the square. As afternoon sunlight filters through the smoke of post-work cigarettes and the guys joke and jostle, Adam is complementary of everyone. He points out their skills, affirms their talents. And he doesn’t need to micromanage, he says, the guys are totally self-sufficient. They own their own tools, team up to get jobs done on time, and he even pays them for all their time when a project gets done ahead of schedule. Most of the Strongback Labourers are also artists, which comes through in their dedication to and pride in their work. In June Strongback is opening a “yard art” gallery at 2200 Fernwood Road right next to the She Said Gallery. Their stonework, concrete and sandblast sculptures and paving stone work will be showcased. And, the rest of the neighbourhood can take advantage of these artists in residence, as they’ll be taking custom orders for stone yard ornaments, address plaques, planters, and much more.
Cornerstone wins award >> by Trish Richards
C
ongratulations Fernwood! Victoria’s Hallmark Society has acknowledged your volunteer efforts. The Fernwood Neighbourhood Resource Group recently received the Hallmark President’s Award for the ‘Rescue and Adaptive Reuse of the Cornerstone Building in the Heart of Fernwood’. The Hallmark Society has been working to preserve historic buildings in Victoria for some 30 years. Their Annual Awards recognize outstanding achievements in heritage restoration and reclamation. Fernwood NRG was honoured to be among the award recipients at the Society’s 2007 awards night on May 1st. Hallmark Society Administrative Director, Helen Edwards, a Vic High alumnus, nominated the Cornerstone Building for an award. During his presentation of the President’s Award, current Hallmark Society president, Nicholas Russell, applauded Fernwood NRG for its work and acknowledged the importance of the Cornerstone revitalization in bringing new life to the centre of Fernwood. Members of Fernwood NRG
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in this issue Green lunches launch at the Inn Page 3 Feature: Fernwood’s home-based businesses Page 4 FrequenSea: Eating fish food Page 6