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Patrons of Paddle Canada

Becky Mason	Paul Mason

Kevin Callan	David Suzuki

Becky Mason

Becky Mason acquired her paddling skills and her fondness for canoes from her father, Bill Mason, the author and film-maker of the Path of the Paddle series. She continues the family tradition of sharing her passion for canoeing through her paddling instruction, film-making, writing and presentations as well as her professional art career. #

A contributor to numerous canoeing publications Becky has written for the magazines Canoeroots, Explore and Paddler among others and for books including a chapter for 'The Canoe in Canadian Culture and a Woman's Guide Canoeing', text and paintings for the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society's Rendezvous with the 'Wild: The Boreal Forest', a chapter for Cliff Jacobsen's 'The Basic Essentials of Solo Canoeing' and with her brother Paul she updated her father's books 'Song of the Paddle' and 'Path of the Paddle'.

In the year 2000, she wrote, directed, produced and starred in the award winning instructional video 'Classic Solo Canoeing'. She has also had guest appearances in the BBC production Bushcraft with Ray Mears, Justine Curgenven's 2010 release This is Canoeing and the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association's promotional DVD. Becky has also made many appearances in national, regional and local media on issues related to canoeing and the environment. Becky is a Patron of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society's Boreal Program and a Quetico Foundation trustee.

A native of Chelsea, Quebec Becky Mason continues to teach canoeing at her family home on Meech Lake. She also enjoys traveling to share her thoughts and skills on where the canoe and creative can take her. She has been through much of Canada and the Northern U.S. teaching, demonstrating and speaking and in the spring of 2010 she spent six weeks on a tour of the UK and Sweden sharing her love of canoeing with hundreds of Europeans.

Becky is honoured to be a patron of Paddle Canada.

Statement of support

It is essential for Canada, the home of the canoe and kayak, to have a national body that promotes safe paddling across this great country. I feel it's imperative that Paddle Canada spearheads the important role of educating the Canadians in all the current and developing paddlesports genres. Becky Mason 2010.


Feature links to related published works and web offerings

Becky Mason, canoeist and artist
www.redcanoes.com

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Paul Mason

Paul Mason, son of the late canoeing legend Bill Mason, is featured in the Path of the Paddle series of books and films/DVDs. Paul continued on to a career as a canoe instructor and wilderness guide, while competing on an international level in the sport of open canoe Whitewater Freestyle. #

Born in 1961, He graduated from The Ontario college of Art in 1985. He was co-author of 'The Thrill of the Paddle', a companion volume to his late father's instructional canoeing book 'Path of the Paddle'. Paul competed for Canada in three World Whitewater Freestyle Championships, 1993 (bronze medal), 1995 and 1999. Paul was recently featured in Canoe and kayak magazine (fall 2007).

Paul is a freelance cartoonist and creator of the paddlesports web comic strip Bubble Street.

Paul's Most memorable capsize: "I think the most memorable had to be sliding down a steep grassy bank at the put-in. All was going well until I decided to show off by doing a flat spin midway down the hill. Partway through the spin I caught the chine on a rock hidden in the grass. Wham! Windowshade on dry ground, pretty hard to make that look intentional."

Paul on Canoe Skills: "I know this may go against what many canoe instructors are preaching, myself included until a year or two ago. But, it's not what you're doing with the paddle, it's what the boat is doing that counts. As an example we used to spend days trying to teach people the best forward stroke so that they could generate enough speed to be able to rudder effectively. Now it's easy…don't rudder."

Featured link to published works:
Paul Mason, cartoonist, canoeist and little kid in the bow
of the canoe in the "Path of the Paddle" films and book.
website: bubblestreet.ca
pmp@magma.ca

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Kevin Callan

Kevin Callan is the author of twelve books, including the best selling 'The Happy Camper', the incredibly popular series of paddling guides, and his latest 'Wilderness Pleasures: A Practical Guide to Camping Bliss'. On a regular basis he presents across North America and has been a key speaker at all the major canoe events for over 20 years. Callan is also a frequent quest on radio and television, including CBC, Canada AM, CTV and Breakfast TV. He is also a field editor for Explore Magazine. He is a winner of four National Magazine Awards and three film awards. #


For the last 19 years he has taught Environmental Issues and Sciences at Sir Sandford Fleming College and lives in Peterborough, the birthplace of the modern day canoe.

Feature links to related published works, videos and web offerings
www.kevincallan.com
The Happy Camping Blog
Firefly Books (The Boston Mills Press) publisher of Kevin's books
email: callan@sympatico.ca

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David Suzuki

David Suzuki, Co-Founder of the David Suzuki Foundation, is an award-winning scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster. He is renowned for his radio and television programs that explain the complexities of the natural sciences in a compelling, easily understood way. #

In 1972, he was awarded the E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship for the outstanding research scientist in Canada under the age of 35 and held it for three years. He has won numerous academic awards and holds 24 honourary degrees in Canada, the U.S. and Australia. He was elected to the Royal Society of Canada and is a Companion of the Order of Canada. Dr. Suzuki has written 48 books, including 19 for children. His 1976 textbook An Introduction to Genetic Analysis (with A.J.F. Griffiths), remains the most widely used genetics text book in the U.S. and has been translated into Italian, Spanish, Greek, Indonesian, Arabic, French and German.

Dr. Suzuki has received consistently high acclaim for his thirty years of award-winning work in broadcasting. In 1974 he developed and hosted the long running popular science program Quirks and Quarks on CBC Radio for four years. He has since presented two influential documentary CBC radio series on the environment, It's a Matter of Survival and From Naked Ape to Superspecies. His national television career began with CBC in 1971 when he wrote and hosted Suzuki on Science. He was host of Science Magazine (1974 – 79) then created and hosted a number of television specials, and in 1979 became the host of the award-winning series, The Nature of Things with David Suzuki. He has won four Gemini Awards as best host of different Canadian television series. His eight part television series, A Planet for the Taking, won an award from the United Nations. His eight part BBC/PBS series, The Secret of Life, was praised internationally, as was his five part series The Brain for the Discovery Channel. On June 10, 2002 he received the John Drainie Award for broadcasting excellence.

Dr. Suzuki is also recognized as a world leader in sustainable ecology. He is the recipient of UNESCO's Kalinga Prize for Science, the United Nations Environment Program Medal, UNEPs Global 500 and in 2009 won the Right Livelihood Award that is considered the alternate Nobel.

Featured link

David Suzuki Foundation