Hugh Macaulay, who was a columnist for the Coast Reporter for more than 10 years, has died of lung cancer in Vancouver. He was 62 years old. Hugh wrote a popular column about mental health issues for the paper and was active in the community, including a stint as vice president of the board of the Arrowhead Society.
Hugh was born in 1959 in Vancouver. He grew up with a strong link to and love for the Sunshine Coast, having spent idyllic summers in Roberts Creek with his family and bringing his own two children in later summers. He settled on the Coast about 12 years ago and made a community for himself here. He volunteered at Arrowhead, cooked for the homeless shelter, and was a founder of the Ocean Vegetables Public Garden in Sechelt. He started an online newspaper, and wrote the column for the Coast Reporter.
Earlier in his life he was a newspaper reporter, a speechwriter for politicians, including Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, and a communications co-ordinator for the Canada Council and the Research Council of Canada. He was a fitness trainer and had his own writing and editing business. His latest project was a business providing program design, management and consultation in social services.
Hugh was active in the arts community in Gibsons and Sechelt. He was a photographer, played guitar since he was a kid, and was a good cook and avid about fine food.
His writing about mental health was balanced and compassionate. He recognized that health and fitness, good diet and warm friends, are important for our mental health, whether we are suffering from mental illness or not. At the same time he was open to whatever psychiatry and counselling had to offer.
He will be missed by his community of readers, in particular, and many others on the Coast, including many who benefited from his quiet kindness.
