Lyonel Doherty
Times-Chronicle
As children wear pink shirts today to raise awareness about bullying, some adults in Oliver and Osoyoos recall what it was like to be victims.
Osoyoos Mayor Sue McKortoff remembers being ignored in school because she was not part of the “in crowd.”
“As a teacher, I know that girls can be ignored or silently shunned, usually by a small group. That can be very stressful and cause anxiety.”
Patsy-Anne Takacs, principal of Tuc-el-Nuit Elementary School, said she doesn’t recall being bullied.
“I was a pretty shy kid who spent most of my time with a book. I love that you are doing this kind of story, though.”
Oliver Mayor Martin Johansen said he too can’t recall specific bullying incidents that he endured as a child.
“The one thing I do remember is I changed schools many times and the comfort I felt when a fellow student would step up and make me feel welcome. It’s people like this that are truly special ,and I will always remember the support they provided me.”
Randy Houle, Oliver’s director of development services, was often bullied as a child because of the colour of his hair, which is red. However, when he got older and bigger than the bullies, those hurtful comments stopped.
“I was raised to stand up for others and not condone bullying, something that I continue to practise today.”
Kyle Fossett, president of Oliver-Osoyoos Search and Rescue, experienced bullying when he started high school in Grade 8.
He remembers being pushed into some lockers and kids spilling fries and gravy all over his shirt. And someone took the lock from his locker.
“I got to the point that I avoided certain students and areas of the school and a lot of my lunch time was spent in the library to avoid these students,” Fossett said.
Oliver RCMP Sgt. Don Wrigglesworth recalls being bullied by his older brothers. They would tie his bike up in a tree so he couldn’t follow them, then they warned him not to tell or else they wouldn’t let him tag along next time.
“They also made me eat worms and random mushrooms, but I’m still alive.”
Osoyoos RCMP Sgt. Jason Bayda was fortunate to never be the victim of ongoing bullying. However, some of his family members suffered from it.
“As a parent, a sibling and a police officer, I have witnessed the extreme hurt it causes the victim and that hurt can change a person’s life tremendously, leading to depression and feelings of worthlessness.”
Bayda encourages anyone who is being bullied to report it to a parent, teacher, or the police.
“We all need to do our part to not only hold bullies accountable for their actions, but to teach them the effects they are having on victims.”
Area C director Rick Knodel knows all too well the effects of bullying since he has a lot of bad memories that are hard to shake.
“There were many incidents connected to school . . . it was often a terrifying place,” he said.
In those days there was no program to combat bullying and the school did not want to get involved or was able to do anything without making the situation worse, Knodel said.
“I don’t think things have changed that much.”
The director said social media has added a new face to the torment that many victims have to deal with.
Oliver Fire Chief Bob Graham said being of a smaller stature and from a single parent family, he was seldom included in school sports or community events.
“Bullying can take different forms from aggressive behavior to a passive form where a person is just made to be invisible and excluded from activities.”
Carol Sheridan, manager of Oliver Parks and Recreation, said she experienced a couple of instances in Grades 5 to 8 that were really hard to deal with, but she learned that it’s important to share how people rally and overcome these situations.
“For me it was my mom, a few close friends and the YM/YWCA that carried me through those tough times.”
