It's been about a decade so I suspect both of us look a little longer in the tooth, but when you talk about change, the place we once shared is the one that has undergone the most profound transformation.
Those who have been associated with this newspaper for a while might remember the name Trevor Rate. Trev was a photographer for the Optimist for a number of years, an ex-pat Brit who never met a joke, or a pint, he didn't like. I have many good memories of time spent with Trev, including his Benny Hill sense of humour that often got him in a mess of trouble.
I trade emails with Trev every so often and fired one off to him last month after Typhoon Haiyan ripped through the Philippines, where he's been making his home for the last 10 years. Thankfully for him the storm struck 400 miles to the south, so he's just fine, as are his son and the new lady friend in his life.
During the course of our back and forth Trev inquired about all the changes happening here, a place his heart has never really left. He continues to keep tabs on South Delta from afar, using our website to stay up to date on familiar people and places.
When I attempted to succinctly summarize everything that has taken place, as well as all that's on the drawing board in these parts, it hit home at what a daunting list I was compiling.
I told Trev how the old Tsawwassen Golf and Country Club, a place we had played many enjoyable rounds together, has now become Tsawwassen Springs, complete with a sizable housing component. I listed developments on the Southlands and at Marina Gardens, a new highway and the prospect of a new bridge to replace the tunnel, an expanded container port with another on the way as well as all the supporting infrastructure, and the Tsawwassen First Nation's massive development plans, including a pair of mega malls.
Many of the projects on that list are still in the planning or approval stages, so we haven't really seen the impacts these undertakings will have on the community, but give it a few more years and their full force will become abundantly clear.
In one of the emails, my old friend said, judging from what he's read and what I've told him, he might find it tough to recognize many parts of South Delta. There are differences from a decade ago, to be sure, but, for the most part, I think he'd recall the place fondly.
If Trev doesn't get back here soon, however, he could well be returning to a foreign place.
