Duncan was a founding member of BGSS. He has been involved in improving the community since the mid-1990s when a small group was planting trees in the area. Major milestones include involvement in the Birthplace Forest initiative in 2002, forming a development group for this piece of land in 2003, and becoming a society in 2013 when Duncan became our first president. In 2022, he took on the role of Treasurer while also coordinating most of the hardscaping maintenance work in the Gardens. Along with two other members, who are all still very active in the garden, Duncan was a recipient of our first major appreciation award: The Calgary Horticultural Award of Merit for Distinguished Voluntary Service to Horticulture in Alberta, from the Federation of Calgary Communities in 2012, in recognition of the volunteer contribution this project made to Calgary.

If you ask Duncan what has kept him so actively involved for two decades, he will tell you: “We are accomplishing something significant for our neighbourhood, for Calgary and beyond. I can’t think of a better use of my time.”