Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary Unit 20



This is the first of a series of articles profiling the members your Auxiliary.  We think it is important that the Community see us as more than just rescuers who speed around on the water in orange floatation suits.  This month’s profile is of Elizabeth (Bunny) Wilkes who is the Station Leader for Unit 20.
Elizabeth has lived on Pender Island for six years, having relocated with her husband Keith, from the Thunder Bay area on the north shore of Lake Superior.  Her background as a figure skating and power skating coach, routinely spending long hours in cold arenas, provided an excellent, if unforeseen, foretaste of leading an Auxiliary Coast Guard unit.  She credits Roger Pilkington with setting a high standard for the crews, and he continues to be her mentor.
She was recruited by then Unit Leader, Sheila Flynn, who was her beacon when Keith’s illness returned.  When Sheila found out about Elizabeth’s boating experiences on Lake Superior aboard the steel trawler Iron Lady, she discovered a willing and dedicated member.
Elizabeth joined the Newcomers Group on Pender Island when she arrived, and is now a member of the Graduates, sharing activities with friends who helped her through some tough times.  She has also been very active with the Power and Sail Squadron for a number of years.  Always committed to volunteering in her hometown community, Elizabeth was Chairman of Tourism and Recreation, and also chaired the Public Relations Department of The McCausland Hospital where her husband was Chief of the Medical Staff.  She is the proud mother of five, Mike, Terry and Shauna in Calgary, Ryan in Kelowna, and Rory in Sudbury.
An avid boater on Lake Superior, Elizabeth was familiar with Coast Guard vessels patrolling the international border, and also the Canadian Coast Guard ship Samuel Risley, whose annual visit to break up the thick ice heralded spring and the beginning of the Great Lakes shipping season.  A close friend was a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary with his own boat – The Tug of the North. The Wilkes’ became more aware of his involvement during a diving accident and recovery near Rossport where the wreck of the luxury yacht Gunilda lies on McGarvey Shoal in three hundred feet of water. 
Her work with the crews of Unit 20 has been both challenging and rewarding.  It is the dedication of all members is that makes the crews effective.  At any time during the week, crewmembers can be seen at the boat doing maintenance and taking inventory of the equipment. Late night calls come during the worst weather, and Elizabeth and her crews are always prepared.
 Elizabeth has seen changes in Unit 20 since she became a member five years ago.  Initially the boat was berthed at Port Browning, but has recently found a new home at the government dock on Razor Point Road. She envisions a heated boathouse for drying out the wet survival suits after a tasking, and a freshwater source to rinse salt water from the equipment.  Training has changed as well, with classroom sessions at the Medical Center and on-water training during the week.   She says it is comforting to know that, when the emergency signal sounds, we have superbly trained and equipped responders, operating a vessel capable of performing in Gulf Island conditions.
 Elizabeth would like to welcome more women “on board” and invites anyone interested to contact her.