Keith Fuller
Founding Member
I was born in Calgary and spent my first 23 years there. The winters were brutal, so a friend and I would escape to Banff in the summer for hiking trips. If the weather turned or we were too tired, we’d sometimes just keep driving through the night and head out to the coast. I ended up working on coastal tow boats as a cook-deckhand, following in my friend’s father’s footsteps. It was hard work - long days, weeks at sea - but it paid well and gave me the freedom to travel. I saw most of coastal BC and spent winters somewhere warmer. Life was good. After meeting my wife, Kathy, I realized it wasn’t a long-term career (most older deckhands were missing fingers and had a few divorces behind them). I followed her to Toronto, and we were married. Over the years, we moved back and forth between Vancouver and Toronto - one for work, the other for living. With no tow boat jobs in Toronto, I shifted into software and systems development, starting in the early days of mainframes, minicomputers, and the first PCs. My career evolved from writing software to managing projects and eventually designing large-scale systems, working across North America and occasionally Asia. By the end of my career, I was at the executive level in SaaS companies. We moved back to BC in 2015 and built our home on Bowen. And that’s how I washed up here - now happily volunteering with the Men’s Shed, doing something that has absolutely nothing to do with software.
Matthew Redekopp
Treasurer
I’m an engineer, entrepreneur, and long-time community builder, originally from Winnipeg. My background spans science, engineering, and theology, which still shapes how I think about systems, people, and purpose. I moved to Bowen Island in 2004 and run Rede Energy Solutions, helping schools and public organizations better understand and manage their energy use. My wife Jeni and I have been together for 20 years - she’s the General Manager of Rivendell Retreat Centre - and we’ve raised three teenagers here on Bowen. I enjoy skiing, tinkering at the cottage, and making and fixing things with my hands. I’m drawn to the Men’s Shed because it values craftsmanship, shared learning, and showing up without pretense. As a board member, I try to bring a steady, thoughtful presence and help keep the Shed a welcoming place where people can connect, create, and contribute.
Nick Moseley
Co Chair
I was born and raised in Richmond to parents who immigrated from England in the 50s. After college, I worked for the Hudson’s Bay Company in the Northwest Territories, where I saw more sunshine in a year and a half than in my first 19 years in the Lower Mainland. Back in Richmond, I started as a teller at a local credit union and spent my career in the financial industry, eventually becoming Manager of Branch Operations for a five-branch credit union. Along the way I got married, had two children (now four grandchildren), and settled in North Delta. What started as a practical commute solution, a Triumph Spitfire, turned into a long-running hobby of restoring and maintaining cars that continues to this day. Bowen has been part of our family for generations. My wife’s family has been connected to the island since the early 1900s, and our children spent their summers here. When we retired, we were lucky enough to build a home on our daughter and son-in-law’s property, which means we get to see our grandchildren every day. In addition to the Men’s Shed, we’re both involved with Seniors Keeping Young on Bowen, and I serve on the Bowen Municipality Accessibility Advisory Committee to give back to the community we love.
Peter Henley
Co Chair
I’m Peter Henley. My family has had a place on Bowen since the 60’s so my strong connection with Bowen Island was formed when I was a young. However, starting in my mid-20's my branchbanking career moved me around rural BC. It was hard to make friends knowing my posting there would be only for a year/maybe up to two, so I didn’t have much to do outside of work (living in an apartment limited my hobbies). Eventually, I was posted back in Vancouver and my career evolved into the world of technology implementation and support, much more suited to my affinity for fixing things. Being that I retired just before the pandemic, I was fortunate to have a lot of interests and not surprisingly I also had a backlog of household stu and a bunch of tinkering to keep me busy through the isolation times (mostly with our 6 cars, 4 of which are collector, and a few boats). Post-pandemic, I think my wife was wanting me to make some new friends just to get me out of the house, with the reasoning that she didn’t want me to be lonely when she’s gone. She hadn’t packed any bags so not sure where she plans on going without me, but I really think she just wants me out from underfoot once in a while. We have a lot of things that we do together, including raising and training Assistance Dogs (PADS), volunteering with Bowen’s Emergency Support Services (ESS) and travelling since our immediate family is spread from Vancouver Island to Winnipeg.
Rob Pineau
Secretary
My name is Rob Pineau . My wife Karen and I moved to Bowen full time 6 years ago, lucky enough to buy my father-in-law’s property when he passed. We’re grateful to be here and have made some great friends. Our three kids are spread across Quebec, the Island, and Vancouver, but we see them and their little ones regularly. I started university but quickly pivoted into a 30-year career at BC Hydro during an exciting time in computing. After leaving Hydro, I moved into RCMP Victim Services, eventually managing the program in White Rock. The work was tough but deeply rewarding and much more aligned with my personality than tech. Volunteering has always been a big part of my life - from Search and Rescue to 16 years with Camp Goodtimes. After retiring in 2016, I spent more time fishing and travelling, but also got involved in mental health education with the Vancouver Crisis Centre. Now on Bowen, I volunteer with the library, Family Place, Emergency Support Services, and the Fish Hatchery - when I’m not playing pickleball, running through Crippen, or travelling.
Scott Peterson
Founding Member
Hi, I'm Scott!
Stephan Richter
Member at large
I grew up in Bochum, Germany - a hardworking city near Düsseldorf and Dortmund, but without their glamour or trophies. My teenage years were spent tinkering with motorcycles and other highly productive nonsense. I studied economics and briefly worked in accounts payable before realizing spreadsheets were not my destiny which is why I decided to start fresh and go to film school. At 30, I moved to Canada chasing dreams of wilderness and polar bears. I ended up working at a bank for five years (so, more spreadsheets), before joining Earth Rangers - a charity that empowers kids to protect animals and habitats. That’s when things clicked. Since then, I’ve had the chance to film polar bears, belugas, falcons, lemurs, foxes and more, helping inspire kids to take action. My family and I spent 20 years in Ontario on a lively little farm with goats, chickens, rabbits, a goose, two dogs, two cats, and, inexplicably, a peacock. Recently, we followed my wife’s career west and landed on Bowen Island. We’re still new here, but already love the rhythm of island life - the trees, the ocean, and the strong sense of community. Our daughters, now 10 and 13, have embraced it even faster than we have. It feels like the start of a pretty special chapter.
Lance Weismueller
Member at large
I was born in Port Alberni in the 1940s. My father was a police officer and so the family moved from there to Lulu Island (Richmond) , then to Bowen Island in May 1964. As a teenager I helped my dad rebuild and restore Model T Fords. My wife Barbara and I were together dating and married for 32 years. Sadly, Barbara passed in the last year. My dad was a Canadian Paratrooper, and I've been the longest-serving Associate Member of any in the Bowen Island Legion. My father and I decided to establish a logging and sawmill operation on Bowen and worked there for many years. The mill created railroad ties for the CN Rail; those ties from Bowen were used all across Canada. Some logs were used for pilings on the Fraser River. Later, I opened and operated a landscaping business on Bowen for about 5 years, after which I collected recyclables for homes and businesses on island for over 20 years! I still do it for a small number of clients. Otherwise I'm happily “semi-retired” and enjoying life!
Steve Elves
Vice Chair
I’m Steve Elves, and I’m currently the Vice President of BI Men’s Shed. I’m originally from Alberta, and as a child I aspired to be a brain surgeon or an astronaut. These initial career plans were somewhat stymied by my innate clumsiness and fear of heights, so some minor compromises were made. I therefore attended university in Saskatoon with the intention of becoming a veterinarian, without really processing the fact that I was violently allergic to virtually anything in a fur coat. The resulting education in Biology and Physical Chemistry naturally led to a brief stint as a Commercial Loans Officer with a bank and then a longish career as a partner in an insurance agency in Parksville. While there I was also a member of the volunteer fire department, which one might reasonably interpret to be a slight conflict of interest. I sold out my partnership in 1992 to go to school at BCIT to study electronics and instrumentation – in hindsight, not as obvious a career move as it seemed at the time. After 26 years doing industrial control systems all over the world, I retired in 2016 to take up woodworking (i.e. sawdust creation) and wife annoyance as continuing hobbies. I’m proud to say I’m reasonably successful in at least one of them!
Meet the board
Not everything at the Shed is built with wood. This crew helps build the foundation - keeping things organized, moving forward, and occasionally reminding us where we left the measuring tape.