Celebrating Murray Journeay's Retirement at URBC 2020
Murray… Our Godfather of Resilience
You have influenced resilience thinking in Canada and across the globe, by fostering relationships between people, sectors and levels of government. You have demonstrated quiet determination to keep pushing, to encourage and empower, to listen to others and connect threads and ideas towards a greater vision.
But you’re not just about your work….. You LIVE resilience. You have replaced your aging, outdated body parts with more innovative ones. But you didn’t wait until they completely failed, you had the foresight to imagine your future and make sustainable moves. You designed and built a beautiful home that will withstand earthquakes and climate change, and is a haven for the ultimate resilient creature – the hummingbird. You have created a balanced life, full of family, friends, music, recreation and meaningful hobbies.
You have inspired so many, both professionally and personally, Murray. You have made a difference. We will carry the torch.
Thank you for being my mentor and friend.
- Written by Fiona Dercole on behalf of all of us!
Thank You, Murray!
“One of the first conversations I had with Murray left me feeling inspired, energized, as though I have had a conversation with a creative intelligence that held up vision of where emergency management and disaster risk reduction could go. And really, every conversation with Murray since then has left me feeling the same way. Murray has been a generous supporter of the Masters in Disaster and Emergency Management at Royal Roads, shooting his expertise and insights in experiential learning activities, supervising students, and embodying the kind of future thinking and leadership that the field needed and still needs. Murray is kind, funny, and just generally a beautiful, warm, and heart centred human being. I feel blessed to have worked with him, and I firmly believe the field of disaster and emergency management and disaster risk reduction have been brought to a different level through his community engaged approach and his collaborative orientation. In all that I have witnessed of his work, he has embodied a firm commitment to building resilience and empowering communities, professionals, and learners to imagine big and translate thinking into socially just and creative action. Thank you Murray for being who you are. I feel privileged to know you, to have worked with you, and I can’t wait to see what comes next. Sending hugs and best wishes.”
— Robin Cox, Professor, Royal Roads University
“Murray, thanks for your inspiration to make a difference. Your work on public safety and disaster risk reduction is unparalleled. Your messaging is very thorough and is presented in a manner that is understandable to the layperson. It traverses institutional boundaries, illustrating your commitment to the public interest first and foremost. Your work has helped us understand risks and will catalyze action to reduce our vulnerabilities.”
— Andrew Pape-Salmon, Executive Director, BC Building and Safety Standards Branch
“In 2017, when I moved back to Vancouver, colleagues at GEM suggested that I meet their "Canada partner who is this amazing guy from NRCan". Since our conversation in a coffee shop in West Van, every interaction with Murray has been inspiring and insightful not only on earthquake risk information and DRR but also on the way of life and how to be an elated human. Murray, I truly feel honored that I got to work closely with you in the past few years and I am grateful for the trust you put on me, opportunities you provide me, and all that you have thought me on DRR Pathways and pathways of life. Wishing you a fabulous new chapter and hope it includes some more of the inspiring and visionory DRR work!.”
— Sahar Safaie, Founder, Sage On Earth Consulting
