Two neighbours who made a difference

Diane Ziegler and Keith Shackleton have spent more than two decades enriching Terra Firma and the wider community through their volunteerism, energy and generousity.

 

REBECCA AIRD

On September 4th, more than xx Drummond Street residents joined in celebratory appreciation of their neighbours Diane Ziegler and Keith Shackleton. For over 20 years, this fantastic duo has lived in Terra Firma Cohousing (TFC). They are people who, individually and together, have lived lives of continual engagement in actions that have benefitted people, planet and community.

Here is a little taste of why those of us who know them will feel their departure acutely, even while cheering their good fortune at their move to Unitarian House in Kitchissippi.

Keith – a farm boy and camp counsellor, and Diane – hailing from a small-town Ontario family of very modest means and ambitions, came together through the creation and shared operation of a rural, farm-based home for kids under the protection of the Children’s Aid Society (CAS). Diane was a registered nurse with two kids of her own, Keith a social worker with four boys. But both believed they could also create a dynamic and healthy environment for kids in need. And they did. Over the years they have fostered over 10 kids, from infants to teens, many of whom have maintained contact through the decades. An example – in late August they attended a celebration of life in Oshawa of the older sister of one of their foster kids.

After moving to Ottawa in the early 1980s,  Keith worked with the Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa, and then internationally with SeedChange (USC Canada). Later career activities included teaching on corporate environmental and social responsibility at Algonquin College.

For her part, Diane completed a BSc in nursing at the University of Ottawa, while continuing – with Keith – to foster medically fragile, high-needs infants and children. She eventually began working with special needs students in schools, which led her to earn her teacher’s certificate, also at Ottawa U. As a teacher, she initially worked at Clifford Bowey, a school where the majority of students have conditions that require professional support. She then shifted to teaching kindergarten and primary grades at a school where English was a second language for the majority of the students. During this time, seven grandchildren also occupied a joyous chunk of their time.

In 2004, mutual enthusiasm and creative problem-solving led to a new infill at TFC that provided both a home for Keith and Diane and a common space for TFC (kitchen, dining, living-room, guest-room, bathroom). In addition to managing this complex construction project, and in line with his deep commitment to climate action, Keith led the development of a shared hot water and heating system powered in part by a solar hot water array on the TF roof. Whenever something needed to be built or repaired at TF, Keith was a star contributor. And in addition to his impressive and informative story-telling, he also entertained the neighbourhood with his music – primarily accordion and concertina – and frequently hosted sessions with his musical friends in the driveway.

Keith’s growing preoccupation with environment and climate issues also led him to volunteer  with not-for-profits – including the Ottawa Renewable Energy Coop – and with the Ottawa Centre Greens. He was a founding member of Sustainable Living Ottawa East, and a core force in the establishment of the Ottawa East Community Garden. The shed he built there still houses the OECG’s tools.

Meanwhile, Diane was still teaching, until an aggressive form of breast cancer forced an early retirement. But at TF and in the community, that barely broke her stride. It became a sort of “in” joke to see whether anyone could at least occasionally beat her to washing the dishes, cleaning the bathroom, sweeping the decks, shovelling the walkways and driveways –  whatever needed doing. She also became a twice weekly volunteer at the Centretown Community Food Centre, a choir member with Just Voices, and an extraordinary rustler of clothing and furnishings for refugee families and others in need.

Diane was also indefatigably helpful  – often over extended periods – to many neighbours, providing babysitting, elder-companionship, household organizing, flood damage clean-up, moving assistance, cat-care and more.  Her erstwhile nursing skills – including the removal of stitches — were also frequently called into informal service. As a baker, she almost always made an extra loaf of fabulous sourdough bread to share. 

These are a few of the many tangible ways Diane and Keith have contributed to life on Drummond Street and in the larger community. But more than anything, neighbours will miss their upbeat energy and the casual sidewalk, front-porch and back deck opportunities to enjoy the generousity, ease, music and pleasure of their company. We’ll be doing our best to tempt them back for regular visits (though that means we may have to offer to put them to work)!