He was a man of many talents and next Friday, the community will have an opportunity to celebrate the life of New Westminster school teacher Colin Mackay.
Mackay died in a motorcycle accident near Kamloops on July 2, 2015. He had been teaching in New Westminster since 1998, first as a teacher-on-call then at New Westminster Secondary School and later at Lord Kelvin Elementary School.
On what would have been Mackay’s 44th birthday, his partner, Julia Goudkova, is hosting an art show in his memory to raise funds for the Colin Mackay Memorial Fund, which provides scholarships to students in the Rocksolid program, a fine arts and anti-bullying program offered at New Westminster Secondary School.
“His family and I thought it would be a good time to celebrate his life and all of the love and beauty that he brought into the world,” she told the Record.
Goudkova and Mackay were together for nine years before the accident. She describes him as “a man of many talents.”
“He was a teacher, but he was also a bartender and a published author, … and he wrote some poetry on the side, and one of the things he was quite passionate about was travelling – especially long road trips,” she laughed.
Goudkova said his passion for life knew no bounds. He would fill every minute of the day with something interesting, productive or fun.
“He was just an awesome person to be around. Very caring and hardworking and creative,” she added.
At the event, there will be examples of his poetry and photography, paired with Goudkova’s artwork. Everything will be for sale by auction, and all the proceeds will go to the memorial fund.
“It’s about being able to celebrate him and stay positive without dwelling on the fact that he’s no longer here,” she said.
Tickets are by-donation (suggested donation is $20). To buy tickets, go to tinyurl.com/MackayArtShow.
For more about the Colin Mackay Memorial Fund, visit www.rocksolidnw.ca/colin-mackay.
The details:
When: Friday, March 24 from 6 to 10 p.m.
Where: Studio Two Photography, 814 West 15th St., North Vancouver
Why: Money from the sale of Colin and Julia’s artwork will be donated to the Colin Mackay Memorial Fund, which funds bursaries for deserving students in the Rocksolid program at New Westminster Secondary School.
Who: The evening event is open to all ages and is intended to celebrate Colin’s life.
Tickets: By donation (suggested donation is $20) and available at tinyurl.com/MackayArtShow.
