Below is a copy of my Pantheon Canadian Community Award acceptance speech as given today at the first Toronto Puppy Contest. Much thanks to Toronto Leather Pride for the chance to be heard today.
And congratulations to
- Patty McKibbon – Volunteer of the Year
- Master Tony Palazzo – Man of the Year
- Carlyle Jansen – Woman of the Year
- Jake English – David Galbraith Award
- Pup Ego (as in alter ego) on winning the first Toronto Puppy title, making history today!
- Digger on winning Showmanship!
- To my husband, Master Scott, for his first time judging a contest!
It’s been a while since all of you have seen me. I’m not hiding! you could say I won an all expenses work trip to one of the most boring cities in the world – 3x; a bout of pinkeye kept me away from TLP. this year and I was showing up in Chicago a few months early or late for IML. Unfortunately Canada is not seeing much of me this year.
But I am here and as always, I take the time to be a face of Canada, Canadian Leather and Leather wherever I travel. It’s something that was engrained in me as a young man, wherever I traveled, I am that representative of my culture – and it holds true today as a Leatherman, as a Titleholder, even if former. There is always an opportunity to represent, educate and be that face of whatever Leather is to you.
I’m going to quote International LeatherSIR 2011, Sir Alan Penrod, or at least paraphrase, from his speech from Pantheon a month and a bit ago: “No one can do this without others”.
We need the support of those who are our mentors – those who support us and those we support, in our community, even the broader community who ever that may be. If you think otherwise, you have a lot to learn my friend. And believe me, there was once a time in my life where i discounted that fact, thankfully I’m over that.
If you are here to do nothing but criticize without providing options and potential solutions – and I have seen that a lot in before, during and after my title year with Master Chuck – how about directing your energy toward partnership and setup that event that you’re complaining about that might be missing or could use some tweaks. Don’t forget, most of us are volunteers and I can guarantee you those efforts would be accepted with open arms.
I want to thank you – my community and Leather family for being my support and to those who felt I should be honoured with the Pantheon of Leather Canadian Community Award. I appreciate that – a lot! That said, I look at it as a community that has raised this boy well and as such, given it is the Canadian Community Award, I wish to accept this a totem that honours all of you who have impacted me over the past 8 years.
Thank you.