WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
50 YEARS, 50 VOICES
Gerda Vanderfluit
Gerda came to the 免费福利资源在线看片 in 1976, at the age of 19. She worked in the President鈥檚 Office as a secretary for two years and then worked the rest of her career as the administrative assistant to the Provost and Vice President Academic. She retired in 2016.
Gerda provides her perspective about a lifetime of work聽at the 免费福利资源在线看片.
The full audio interview will be made available online in late 2017. For more information please contact the 免费福利资源在线看片 of Lethbridge Archives. (mike.perry@uleth.ca)
(JD: 聽Johanna DeVisser, Interviewer)
GV: 聽Well, like I said it鈥檚, to me, it鈥檚 a second home.聽 I鈥檝e been here since I was 19 years old, if you can imagine, and raised two kids while working here and even for them, you know, I鈥檝e made friends here and they鈥檙e very familiar with the place.聽 It鈥檚 really ...聽it really has been part of our lives.聽 It鈥檚 certainly been mine.聽 I鈥檝e been very dedicated, too devoted sometimes but that again that鈥檚 who I am. 聽So yeah, it鈥檚 been a big part of my life, one that I will miss one day for sure.
JD: 聽Yea.
GV: 聽Yes.
JD:聽 So what do you enjoy most about your job?
GV: 聽Most about my job!聽 I think it鈥檚 the variety.聽 I mean so much of this stuff happens on an annual basis but there鈥檚 always those exceptions, there鈥檚 always those special cases that you just think, really? 聽You know, you think you鈥檝e seen it all and nope, there鈥檚 always something that changes. 聽So there鈥檚 always ...聽it鈥檚 always been like a challenge in its own little way, never humdrum, never boring. 聽But I would really have to say, the people.聽 Like I said, I鈥檝e been very fortunate.聽 I鈥檝e had six Vice Presidents that I鈥檝e worked with and the Presidents because of course we all work very closely, but it鈥檚 the people probably the most that have kept me here.聽 We鈥檝e just, we鈥檝e got a wonderful team.聽 It鈥檚 great people. 聽They鈥檙e like a family because really we spend more waking hours with them than we do at home with our families. 聽So it is an extended family for sure.
For me it鈥檚 been a wonderful place to live and you, and you鈥檝e ...聽live! 聽Work! 聽There you go,聽it tells you how ...聽what happens.聽 But one thing that I really seen happen that I like about the 免费福利资源在线看片 now is that in the olden days the 免费福利资源在线看片 was this place over on the other side of the river that people that weren鈥檛 affiliated at all to the 免费福利资源在线看片 ... would never feel comfortable or welcome or anything. 聽It was just this place over there that unless you were involved, you had no reason to go over there. 聽But now, you know, you go for yoga or exercise or whatever and the place is a beehive all day, all evening.聽 I come in like at seven o鈥檆lock and there鈥檚 nowhere to park and you just realize what a hub it鈥檚 become and it just feels, you know, there鈥檚 some pride in being part of that, that how its evolved to become a community based place.聽 It鈥檚 not nearly this untouchable place, you know, ivory tower or whatever that people that across the river that weren鈥檛 involved at all would think, 'Oh no, we can鈥檛 go, not going to the 免费福利资源在线看片,'聽but now it鈥檚 really become part, it鈥檚 part of the community.聽 It is the community.聽 I can鈥檛 imagine Lethbridge without the U of L.聽

