UNews - marketing manager

Alums making best of flooding situation

trevor.kenney — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 19:22:29 +0000

The weeks-long flooding crisis in Australia may seem like a world away to southern Albertans but it hits close to home for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's Heather Anderson, an administrative assistant for Pronghorns Athletics.

Anderson's daughter, Lindsay Trebble (BSc '09), along with her husband Dan Trebble (BMgt '08), is currently living in Toowoomba, a city in South East Queensland, Aus. Floodwaters roared through their city last week, sweeping away their car but otherwise leaving the young family unharmed.

Alumni Lindsay Trebble, background, and Dan Trebble, rescue their dog from a local kennel as flood waters race through the city of Toowoomba, Australia.

"It was pretty scary to see the pictures they sent but thankfully, they all made it through," says Anderson, whose son Tanner is also in Australia visiting Lindsay and Dan.

The couple, both 24, has been in Australia since June 2009 where Lindsay works at a life insurance company and Dan is a marketing manager. From her conversations with Lindsay, Heather says the roads are again opening in Toowoomba and flood waters are receding. Located 127km west of Brisbane, Toowoomba is Australia's second largest inland city and on higher ground, some 2,300 feet above sea level. Flooding in that area is extremely rare because of its altitude.

The family's vehicle, which was swept away after Lindsay parked it at work, has been recovered but may not be salvageable. The video below shows the raging floodwaters and a vehicle (not theirs) rushing down the street. Their car was parked in front of the blue building.

Those looking to help Australian flood victims can donate to the cause by following this link.

Alumnus Davie wins writing award

trevor.kenney — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 20:30:52 +0000

It's easy to picture: a canopy of glimmering stars, crickets chirping in the background, rolling waves lapping against the shore as crisp dry wood crackles in the campfire, and the words of award-winning author and storyteller Michael Davie (BMgt '95) mesmerizing friends with a fantastical tale.

"I love the way that words sound, especially words that sound like what they are," says Davie, recent winner of the Alberta Reader's Choice Award. "The sound of words can change a sentence, but I would categorize myself as a storyteller rather than a word-person. I've just always wanted to tell a story, whether it was around the campfire or by putting words on paper."

In May, Davie earned an Alberta Reader's Choice Award for his comedic coming-of-age novel entitled Fishing for Bacon. The lead character, Bacon, is a sheltered young man experiencing sexuality and life in the big city. Davie is excited with the feedback he has received.

Alumnus Michael Davie has always been able to spin an interesting yarn.

"I love reading the critiques. It has been a bit of a rush that, for the most part, has been overwhelmingly positive, but there has been some criticism of it that I find fascinating. I just try to take what everyone says and learn from it," says Davie. "It has been a great confidence boost to write a novel. It sounds so cliché to say that anything is possible, but anything is."

Davie's first storytelling outlet was through cartoons. He had dreams of following in the footsteps of noted comic artist, Charles Schulz.

"My mom used to buy me Peanuts comic books. I was always glued to them," says Davie. "I started to bring my own cartoons to high school and my best friend would laugh at them; hearing that laughter was a drug to do more."

After graduating from high school, Davie took a year off to commune with nature, spending a lot of time camping. In the fall of 1989, Davie entered the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge hoping to fulfill his creative aspirations.

"My original goal was to get to the Alberta College of the Arts but I couldn't connect the dots to form a career path. I decided to go into management. I have a very strong creative drive but I also have a strong analytical drive. To feel fulfilled I need to use both sides of my brain. I discovered a great path to that in marketing," says Davie, who is an ardent believer in the benefits of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's liberal arts philosophy.
"The exposure to liberal arts classes, to different people and different viewpoints and the respectful environment under which we could express or challenge those views, really opened my eyes."

Davie graduated with a bachelor of management degree in marketing in 1995 then worked as a marketing manager in both Waterton and Banff. He also drew political cartoons and created a successful comic strip, The Last Resort, which he continued to do for about four years. In 1997, Davie travelled to Korea with a friend. He stayed for almost a year and a half, backpacking through the country and teaching English.

While in Korea, Davie's creative medium morphed from cartoons to short stories, for which he won several contests including an opportunity to attend a one-week course at the Victoria School of Writing.

"I had been taking some creative writing classes at the U of C and both my professors at the university and the instructors in Victoria told me that my short stories were novellas that I was refusing to allow to grow," recalls Davie. "That is what sparked my novel, Fishing for Bacon, that and the fact that there were so many interesting people and stories I saw when I lived in resort towns that I wanted to convey how it seemed to me."

That encouragement has benefitted us all.

Davie a born storyteller

trevor.kenney — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 22:01:18 +0000

Davie's first storytelling outlet was through cartoons. He had dreams of following in the footsteps of noted comic artist, Charles Shultz.

That encouragement has benefitted us all.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ bookstore has a fabulous display of Michael Davie's book Fishing for Bacon, prominently featured at the front of the store. As with all of their trade books, there is a 15% discount off the suggested retail price.

UNews - marketing manager

Alums making best of flooding situation

Related Topics

Alumnus Davie wins writing award

Related Topics

Davie a born storyteller

Related Topics