30
Wednesday, June 10, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
DEMONSTRATION:
Gathering was
orderly and peaceful
VAN DER LOON:
Sisters man lives
outdoor lifestyle
Continued from page 1
Continued from page 3
but I wanted to stand with
my friends here and help
out and be a voice for the
community.=
Community member Pete
Shepherd was one of the
many demonstrators out on
Saturday. He said he was out
in support to memorialize
George Floyd.
<I hope also to stimulate
my own thinking about what
I and we can do to make this
situation better,= he said.
He hopes that this can be
an occasion for everyone to
think about what they can
actively do to help. It was the
first time in 50-plus years that
Shepherd has held up a sign.
<The last time I held up
a sign at a demonstration
was 50 years ago since the
Vietnam War,= he said
Sisters High School grad-
uate Margo Bruguier was
also amongst demonstrators
and she was there in hopes to
represent the Sisters commu-
nity to marginalized groups.
<I want to let the mar-
ginalized groups of people
know that our community
supports them and that their
voices will no longer remain
unheard,= said Bruguier.
Bruguier thought the
location was a good place to
reach a broad audience as it is
heavily traveled.
<It will hopefully start
the conversation with family
members as they see us when
they drive by,= she said.
One of Bruguier9s biggest
hopes from these demonstra-
tions is that more education
will come out of it.
<I think we need to be
more proactive in teach-
ing about racism within the
schools and with each other.
It is a privilege to be able to
learn about it and I think it9s
important to teach about it
and understand that it is real
and present, everyone has to
talk about it,= she said.
Two Sisters High School
graduates 4 sisters Mary and
Liz Stewart 4 were also out.
Mary was out there <because
I want to stand in solidar-
ity with our black brothers
and sisters and demonstrate
against the unfair treatment
of them in our country,= she
where cooperation is required
to avoid getting voted off the
island. The History Channel9s
offering places each con-
testant in solitude. With no
camera crews and fellow con-
testants to distract them, they
grapple not only with surviv-
ing the elements but facing
their own selves.
<It9s unusual in that you9re
alone for a long period of
time,= said van der Loon.
<The psychological aspect
of being alone, which brings
challenges. Being away from
family.=
He described himself as
more solitary and introverted
naturally. Being away from
his two-year-old son was
his psychological challenge.
<Otherwise I enjoyed the time
alone,= he said. He appreci-
ated <the deep level of con-
nection that you form with
the natural world when you
don9t have any distraction,
where all you have to worry
about is the essentials: staying
warm, feeding yourself, stay-
ing creative.=
The physical challenge
was considerable as well. He
listed the obstacles: dealing
with not eating very much,
weight loss, and lack of nutri-
ents, <with a sort of high
workload.= He noted, <It takes
a lot of work to feed yourself
and build a shelter and pick
berries and keep warm.=
The van der Loon fam-
ily moved to Sisters Country
about two years ago. Joel and
his wife Leah first met when
they were both employed on
yachts, out at sea. <I was a
chief engineer, and she was a
PHOTO BY CEILI CORNELIUS
Art teacher Bethany Gunnarson made signs for demonstrators in Sisters.
said. Liz said, <I want to help
normalize people chang-
ing their views and that it
is totally OK to learn and
change your views on some-
thing, especially in this time.=
Mary Stewart also said
that she hopes that at least, it
will get families and commu-
nity members talking about
racism in the United States,
no matter what you believe.
<I hope at least doing this
will get people starting those
important conversations with
their kids,= she said.
Cheryl Stewart, Mary and
Liz9s mother, was among
demonstrators.
<I am here because my
Christian faith calls upon me
to do this,= said Stewart.
She believes that the
Black Lives Matter move-
ment is not a political, parti-
san or religious issue, but a
humanity issue.
<I hope that this time is
a watershed moment for our
I want to let the
marginalized groups of
people know that our
community supports
them and that their
voices will no longer
remain unheard.
— Margo Bruguier
country to get this right; it
isn9t about Christian views
versus non-Christian, it is an
issue of humanity,= she said.
She hopes that the audience
of drivers see this as a neces-
sary movement.
<We are not here to dilute
the message of Black Lives
Matter and make it about
something else. In order for
all lives to matter, black lives
have to matter too,= she said.
Sisters High School
teacher, Gail Greaney and her
family held signs.
<I think the time of not
doing anything is well passed
4 it is important that people
that were silent now step up,=
she said.
She expressed that every
car honk is another ally in the
fight for justice. Greaney also
hopes that since it is 2020,
and racism is still in commu-
nities and around the world,
that people can acknowledge
the problem and speak up.
<I hope all of this at least
starts the conversation again,
keeping the issue an actual
problem, opposed to just
focusing on one part of it
when something happens;
it all becomes cyclical,= she
said.
Greaney strongly believes
in the community figuring
out their own role in actually
doing something, whether it
be demonstrating, document-
ing, or just having the tough
conversations.
<Pick one thing or way
and do something,= she said.
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hostess,= he explained. They
settled in California for a few
years, where van der Loon
started his Bush Survival
Training school.
In addition to direct bush-
craft experience, van der
Loon9s bio states that his
certifications and educa-
tion include STSC survival
instructor, WMA wilderness
first responder, ASHI wil-
derness first aid, and MCA
advanced fire fighting. He is a
kick boxer, hunter, fisherman
and diver, and is qualified in
advanced sea survival under
the British Coastguard.
After having a baby, the
couple wanted a more rural
lifestyle. <We sought out a
place that would provide a
compromise for myself, what
I desire, and my family,=
van der Loon said. <My wife
wanted a sense of community
whereas I9m more introverted.
Sisters, we felt, was the per-
fect size.= Since moving here,
he too has become fond of the
community.
The van der Loons live
north of city limits, bordering
public lands.
<We have everything we
need in town,= van der Loon
enthused. <It9s a great life-
style. The access to the out-
door activities is what does it
for me. I9m not as off-grid as
I9d like 4 but it9s all on our
doorstep.=
He enjoys mushroom for-
aging, hunting, the mountains
and getting his son out in
nature (see story, page 31).
Learn more about Joel van
der Loon at www.bushsurvival
training.com. Info about
Alone is available at www.
history.com/shows/alone.
<It9s going to be a great
season,= said his wife, Leah
van der Loon. <We hope our
community will be stoked to
see one of its locals out there!=
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B ross R
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ealt
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291 W. Cascade Ave. | 541-549-6000