This weekend, the club, the Hatchery and the Coquitlam community lost one of our most valued members and family in Norm Fletcher.
Norm was instrumental in many aspects of the club including advising on our major engineering projects, helping the club navigate our relations with the City and the Province, and foremost was for many years the face of conservation in the Coquitlam watershed, spearheading the growth of our Grist Goesen Memorial Hatchery, various preservation projects in the Coquitlam River and forming partnerships with many organizations including the Kwikwetlem First Nation in fostering salmon species. When media needed someone to explain the challenges facing our native stocks often it would fall to Norm to educate and promote those efforts. For his efforts in 2020 Norm received the Lifetime Achievement Award as an Environmental Champion from the City of Coquitlam.
Within the club itself, Norm was until recent years a stalwart presence at the AGMs and was called upon many times for his sage advice by the board and executive. Until he was unable, Norm was an enthusiastic hunter, balancing his pursuits with a long career as a respected professional engineer. As we celebrate his achievements, we also share our sorrow with the Fletcher family – including his son, our present treasurer Jack Fletcher and grandson, Cameron Fletcher who have been integral parts of our shotgun and archery committees over the years. We also extend our sympathies to the many volunteers of the hatchery committee.
The club will be coordinating a suitable way of honoring his memory in the coming days. We will miss your wisdom, Norm.