Don Urquhart
Times-Chronicle
It would be fair to say Zoltan Boda or ‘Zoli’ as he’s affectionately known around Sunshine Ridge Seniors Community and amongst his friends, has his head in the stars.
The 85-year-old former school teacher, principal and administrator was recently honoured with a National Service Award by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC). Making the award that much sweeter is the fact Boda, who was a member of the Okanagan Centre club of the RASC, was nominated by local members.
Zoltan Boda or ‘Zoli’ to his friends, proudly shows his Royal Astronomical Society of Canada National Service Award.
It caps a long and substantial contribution to the non-profit, volunteer-driven organization that included key positions such as Okanagan Centre treasurer.
Ironically, Boda had little interest in the starry skies above when he first joined after retiring to Kelowna with his wife. It was more a way of filling the retirement-induced void after a long productive career. “I didn’t even own a telescope,” he chuckles.
Although through happenstance as much as anything, it was in fact a perfect fit for Boda. His years of working as an educator gave him an excellent skill set for working in this type of volunteer environment.
As the nomination submission states: “Zoli established himself quickly as an eloquent, thoughtful and often humorous contributor to club discussions.”
Clearly, a highlight of his time in the club was the establishment of a new club observatory. Turning to this topic there was a discernible gleam in his eye as he talked about the challenges and ultimate successes in creating the facility that continues to enchant newcomers and old-timers alike.
“I thought it was a good idea,” he says, adding the first challenge was to get the provincial government to agree to give the club a small piece of land (a former gravel pit) on a mountain road on the way to Big White ski resort.
Once permission was given, the club set about the massive task of preparing the site and building. “Zoli jumped in as a full participant and could be found at various times behind the scenes keeping the books in order, or on-site in any of several roles: operating a diesel packer helping to level gravel, spreading ground cover, installing the entry gate, leading installation of amphitheatre seating and lending a hand to various other maintenance tasks,” the nomination paper reads.
Even the entranceway to the observatory was unofficially named ‘Zoli’s Road’, in recognition of his “astute input” in the choice of an S-Curved route joining the nearby secondary highway and the observing field.
Humbly, Boda points to the work of many who made the observatory a reality, not just his fellow club members, but a number of individuals and companies from the community who lent a hand donated materials and also donated money.
As we chat about his experiences Boda is fiddling with the little blue box containing his Service Award medallion, turning it over and over with his fingers. He looks intently for a moment and then laughs.
This medallion, in its blue velvet box, reminds him of an earlier time in his life in Hungary when the country was still Communist. For his work in aiding the revolution a lifetime ago, the government awarded him with a similar medallion in a similar little box. The emotion is palpable.
“These things come to you when you really get involved in something when you get enthusiastic to do it and be involved,” he reflects.
When asked what his favourite part of the night sky is, the man who previously had no interest, says two constellations are his favourites: Hercules and Lyra. “I said to my daughters, and their families, don’t worry about what you’re going to do after I’ve passed away, if you want to remember me, just take a telescope and look at these two things and say ‘that’s where my daddy is.”
