In memoriam: Georgia Paige Klap

Editor's note: UVic student Georgia Klap and two other young people lost their lives in a tragic house fire in Victoria on Feb. 16.

I find it helpful to maintain an attitude of gratitude and to remember that if it is not enjoyable, it is not sustainable.—Georgia Klap

An old soul, a wise woman, a dancer, musician and an advocate for all living beings. These are some of the descriptions of Georgia Klap provided by people who attended her memorial on Friday, Feb. 22. The gentleman from the Waldorf School she attended in Cowichan spoke of her fierce determination for making change, though on her terms and not at the expense of others. To Georgia, these “others” were the worms in the soil, the maple leaves falling in the forest and the hummingbird pollinating the flowers. Many of the speakers at her funeral referred to Georgia as the hummingbird, a giver of life and a symbol of the renewal of spring. These others also were her family and friends; there were many in her circle. They spoke of her spontaneous walks in the forest, her love of dancing, her wicked sense of humour and her great loyalty and empathy. If you didn’t already know her, you would want to.

To me she was a student, at first. A tentative participant in the Redfish School of Change, an Environmental Studies field school, in May and June 2012, Georgia came to our first field site with walls up and a guarded nature about her. With long dreadlocks wrapped in a scarf, she wore her fortitude like a cape, ready to take on everyone—student, teacher and guest speaker alike—in a battle of right and wrong, always striving for the truth. She expected people to bring their best game forward, to be genuine without pretense and be heartfelt without being trite. To be real.

One night early in the field school, around a campfire discussion I was facilitating, she tested me. She pushed, emotionally and critically. A couple of days later, after taking one of her long solo walks in the woods, Georgia approached me and asked if I wanted to see a plant she had found. She thought it was an unusual find for the West Kootenay region. I agreed and we walked up the trail to the plant’s location, in tense silence. The plant was unremarkable but we sat together by a small stream and slowly we started talking. Not as student and teacher, but as two people with past troubles and different perspectives. Although the discussion was awkward at times, and painful, I think we both learned a little something about letting go, trust and forgiveness. In the end we agreed to disagree and we hugged.

As Redfish continued, we all learned from Georgia. About being a free spirit and free dancing. About just picking up an instrument and playing, being in the moment. She shared songs and stories. She challenged others to reach inside and release the best part of them. Georgia transformed, as many of our Redfish students do, and knowing her was transforming for others as well. I came to realize that her invitation to see an unremarkable plant in the woods wasn’t about the plant at all. She found one thing, at the time, she knew we had in common—a love for native plants—and found a sacred place where we could find common ground, literally. She was a wise woman, indeed.

During Redfish, we canoed, biked and hiked over six weeks, and whether it was on a long-distance bike ride or hiking up 2,000 feet on snowshoes, Georgia was always there, putting a smile on people’s faces, singing songs and taking in the experience, all senses open. It was an adventure; why would it be anything else? At her funeral, I learned that this was Georgia’s modus operandi. She changed the world one person at a time through her interactions with them—through shared experience—during her early years in Mexico, while attending the International Youth Initiative Program in Sweden, participating in the COP15 Climate Summit in Copenhagen, touring with a dance group of international youth, World As A Garden, Travel for Social Inspiration and Exchange, or as of one of 18 university students in the Redfish School of Change.

Georgia tested, she pushed because she cared. Not about possessions, devices or circumstance, but about relationships, experience, and sensitivities. It was about the happening for Georgia: in a place, at the time. I am twice as old as she was and she lived more years in her tragically shortened life than I. Knowing someone like Georgia affects your life; losing someone like Georgia changes how you live. We miss you, our wise and humble hummingbird.

Submitted by Dr. Brenda Beckwith, Environmental Studies Senior Lab Instructor and Redfish Instructor.

Planning is under way to set up a scholarship or bursary in memory of Georgia Klap. Please contact Brenda Beckwith at 250-721-6125 or email at beckwith@uvic.ca if you would like to learn more or contribute to the memorial fund.