Hello everyone here at Vibrant Victoria,
I wanted to drop a quick line and post a letter we put in the Colonist this weekend. Thanks for all the support, and we hope to see you in the new year!!
Cheers,
Dear Victoria,
Down here at Cabin 12, we would like to say thank you.
From the day we flung our doors open in early April, we have been on a rollercoaster ride. Looking back, I could attribute our very existence to a number of miracles, but that would be taking the easy way out. Our story is an unlikely one, and our continued survival would probably read like a script from suspense series;
“What’ll happen at the Cabin this week folks? Will our plucky heroes survive the dreaded Source Deductions? And will they be able to insulate and heat the building enough to beat the Cold Snap? Tune in to find out!”
All joking aside, when I truly think of the incredible amount of growth that we have achieved in such a short time it boggles me. We set out to build a better workspace, based on the summer camp model and built on the idea that we would reach our goal through a lot of hard work, pride and self respect. But with no manuals, guidebooks or maps, or money for that matter, we were usually in uncharted territory. Often it felt like we were up a creek we’re all familiar with, and many times I wasn’t sure where we were going to find that paddle. Somehow, we always seemed to.
Now, I can’t report that everything has been perfect, we have certainly had our failures, and I know I’ve made a number of mistakes. But we’ve also seen so many successes and I am amazed at what we’ve accomplished so far.
Now aside from luck: which admittedly has played a large role, I believe that there are two reasons that we’re still here;
1 – We have been blessed with the most extraordinary staff. From the very beginning we have been surrounded by passionate, smart people that take pride in their work. Building a team is not an easy thing to do, I’m proud to be a part of this one.
2 - We have had lots of help. I’m talking about an enormous amount. A simply ridiculous amount of help. See where I’m going here? This help has come in an extraordinary number of ways from the most amazing and diverse set of people. I want to thank each and every one of you. I have failed to do so on many occasions, and even now this forum seems grossly inadequate, but here it is.
In my own life, I realize that I’ve spent many years searching for a place where I fit, or even belonged. Somewhere I could be safe and valued. Hence, the Cabin, a restaurant modeled after summer camp, a place where the goal was everyone fit and brought value. And since opening the doors, we have witnessed so many incredible acts of kindness and caring, support and encouragement; frankly I’ve been overwhelmed at times. Is this what it is to be a part of a community? I still feel a bit shell shocked, to be honest.
For it has been within the acts of those that have helped us along the way that I have had my eyes opened to the very pillars of community that I have been searching for, and that we’re trying to build here. The actions of those that we’ve had the fortune to meet indicate to me the type of city that I get to live in. I know that we have issues, because I see them every day. We all do. And I think it’s easy to start to think that we have nothing but problems, but perhaps it’s just as easy to forget the most influential and valuable part of the whole city equation. Us. The Citizens. In my opinion, how we choose to act and why dictates what Victoria is more than anything else.
And from that perspective it’s easy for me to see what an amazing place this is. Sure, we have problems. And we will always have problems. I rest comforted by the fact that these problems will eventually be solved by us, in one way or another. Having seen the caliber of character demonstrated by so many people here tells me that the law of averages will keep finding us better and better solutions. What a truly amazing piece of the world to live in during such trying times worldwide.
So while it is my hope and intention to thank as many of you as I can by name, I really want to extend my gratitude to Victoria as a city. I speak for myself, and as a representative of Cabin 12. We have been blessed and touched by only a very small segment of this city, but I know that this segment wouldn’t exist without the whole, warts and all. We can choose to label our city and ourselves however we want, but that doesn’t necessarily make it so. It is within the sum of all of our actions that we truly define our city, and I’m happy and proud to be able to live in this one.
I only have space here for a few names, but this list is much larger. To see the whole list, please check out our Facebook group. So without further ado, thank you.
To Petr Prusa. Petr, you have done more good for more people than anyone I have ever met. I feel privileged to know you. To the original investors, thank you for believing in me when few would have. To Adam Escourse and Jim Madden, without you guys, the Cabin wouldn’t have opened. To Dani Trueman, the Floyds Crew and the Spoons Crew. To Sam, Tina, Michelle, Rose, Jodie, Erin, Tash, George, Kenny, Dave, Cam, Morgan, Carey and Andrew. You have worked so hard and have done so much with so little. To Jack Knox and everyone who helped us navigate the window that would have broken the Cabin’s back, what can I say? In one week you gave us a fighting shot, and restored much of my faith in humanity, and I don’t believe I properly thanked many of you. To all of the Artists and Musicians that have filled our room with light and joy. To Dan Parks, Janice Lacouvee and the Twitter group, you’ve been there from the beginning. To Shambala Dan and Heather, Harry and Lynn and all of our regulars, thanks for coming back! To Matt and Simon from Phillips. To Nadine, Rob, Nino, the ladies at Fisgard Market and to all of our distributors. To the Dobell Brothers for the sign and to Matt and Chelsea for the menu. To the Plaza and to our friends at Monty’s and Barcode. Thanks for having our back. To The Ellingboes, Tique, Quinn, Humpty, Marynia, Zyoji, Theresa, Justin, Sarah, Kris, Gordy, Jordan, Petroni and all of our friends. To my folks, love you guys. To Susan, Mike and everyone on vibrantvictoria.ca. Thanks for the support! To Blue Lake Camp and everyone I’m associated with from it, after all, everything starts there. To Taircus, Brave New Waves, Terry Brennan and everyone who came or played for our Cabin-Raiser. To everyone who participated in the online auction. And finally to Craig Thomson, thanks for believing in us enough to risk investing in our crazy little dream. It means a lot to us.
Cheers, and Happy Holidays!
Corey Judd
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