There was a rumour that we were having a Barbeque at work today, but I didn’t know anything on the details. As it turned out, at 11:00am the horn was sounded in the Olympic Village, and we all piled out into the square to see what was going on. A huge pavilion had been erected for food, and there was a staging that awaited the dignitaries who were certain to arrive. Sure enough, Gordon Campbell pulled up in a black Toyota and began shaking hands with the workers. There was no media or photographers, so I’m not certain whether this event was publicized.
Mr.Campbell walked up onto the platform and then the speeches began. Gordon Campbell spoke for a few moments. So did Mayor Gregor Robertson, who made some jokes that fell a little bit flat. Minister of State for Sport Gary Lunn was supposed to show up, but for some reason he didn’t. The speeches were dragging on somewhat, but the crowd was sporting about it, and eventually we all got our barbeque. Or, we did after a lacklustre rendition of O Canada. Construction workers are too tough to sing.
Before we ate, however, Gordon Campbell himself handed out the medallions you see in the picture above. I even shook his hand as we were given our medals and Olympic hats. Now, I’m just about the biggest cynic there is when it comes to this stuff. I know it’s kind of a waste of taxpayer dollars, as is the Olympics, the village I’m building, and the artificial construction boom that’s keeping all us tradespeople employed in the lead up to the Olympic Games. I’m also not really a Gordon Campbell fan. He broke his own no deficits legislation, implemented a pointless carbon tax, and is embroiled in a possible corruption scandal.
Having said that, it looks like the barbeque and the medallions were genuinely an attempt to show appreciation to us, the workers who are building these Olympic Games. There was no media or photographers or anyone special to impress. The election for both the Mayor and the Premier just occurred recently. So the only possible explanation for the barbeque was a way of giving back to the workers, something seldom seen in my line of work.
Yeah, the medallion is kind of kitschy, but in a way it made me feel a little more proud for working on the project. I felt appreciated for once, and it’s made the sweat and difficult work just a little bit more worthwhile. And when all is said and done, my name’s going on that project, and it’s something I can feel good about. Even if the Olympics does break the bank when we’re all trying to pay it off after the big party.
