UNSUNG HEROES
/CREATING GARDEN BEAUTY AND MAKING CONNECTIONS
Jonathan Gordo - A Gardener With A Plan
by Michelle Livingstone
(click images to enlarge)
It's all about connections with Jonathan Gordo. One thing leads to another; an encounter begets a new situation. A kind word begets goodwill, understanding, and friendship.
Jonathan Gordo in the garden at the dr. peter centre. (James Oakes Photos)
A gentle, unassuming soul, Jonathan is originally from the South Philippines, the eldest son of a seamstress and a steel worker.
As a child he dreamed of being a doctor, but instead landed an engineering degree in metallurgy, and when he came to Vancouver in 2000 he put his training to work in a laboratory in North Vancouver testing precious metals.
“Leaving the Philippines and coming to Vancouver was a big change, but I've learned to be resilient and adapt,” Jonathan said.
And adapt he did, crediting his mother as having had a big impact on his life.
“Her tenacity, resilience, and just being out there and being a lovely person. She inspires me to connect with people,” he explained.
Arriving in beautiful Vancouver with hopes to pursue a better life, Jonathan found his immediate Shangri-La by walking in Stanley Park.
“That's where I get peace, and in good weather, by meditating on the beach,” he said.
He also does a lot of forest immersion (Shinrin-yoku) a practice that originated in Japan, where you simply go and be at one with nature, attending to all five senses to create a feeling of well-being and grounding.
As time passed, Jonathan realized he was not happy testing metals, quite apart from the toxicity, it was also mundane and unfulfilling, and so the call of something more tempting led him away from the chemical desk work. He found his footing as a building manager in Gastown, where a new passion sprouted — gardening.
“When COVID hit I was transferred from Gastown to manage a property in the West End where the garden was not attended to,” Jonathan described.
From there, he made another connection when a friend told him about Dr. Peter Centre. Now, in his spare time, Jonathan dons his green cape and sets about making creative connections through the flora-based space in Jepson-Young Lane and the Dr. Peter Centre’s patio garden.
Once designated only for people living with HIV, Dr. Peter Centre now caters to a much wider range of patients, showing compassion to folks going through hardships and getting them back on the path to a healthier and happier life.
During the day, the centre is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for drop-ins. No sign up needed.
There are many wonderful things this organization offers, a main lifeline being a free breakfast and lunch, courtesy of their amazing in-house chefs. Participants can also get free haircuts, attend the gym, and take advantage of free massages on Monday.
In the summer months, the private garden becomes a haven and a communal space for residents where they can have their lunches, sing karaoke, and enjoy some of the artwork created by the participants at the centre.
Jonathan gives his time freely on Wednesday mornings and during the spring and summer he goes by after finishing his own business day. After only one year of volunteering, he had already made his mark with the Centre. The organization jumped at his design pitch for the garden, incorporating grasses, a stunning water feature, additional seating, and umbrellas. Jonathan’s goal was to have the garden be functional year-round.
And at the back of the Centre, where the Jepson-Young lane is thoughtfully named in memory of the Centre’s founder, Dr. Peter Jepson-Young, the public can enjoy three raised beds of happiness. One with vegetables and fruits, including delicious eggplants, zucchini, tomatoes and peppers, one for mostly flowers, and one for herbs. Staff from St. Paul’s Hospital regularly go there for their lunch break, and of course many people can't resist taking a selfie amongst the fronds and flora on a sunny day.
“When I created this space, a lot of people used to camp here. But as I changed the garden I did not drive them away,” Jonathan said, recalling a homeless couple who asked if they could stay around the newly constructed leafy loveliness.
“A lot of people believe that [homeless people] will vandalize everything, but they didn’t and instead there were lovely interactions. I find this to be a way of giving back. What I've learned and experienced is that if you create something that is lovely, people will tend to gravitate towards it. I also have some mental health issues and gardening has helped me a lot, and I can share that with everybody else. It's kind of like my main purpose, to share. People will be very appreciative about it, and they start talking to you, and you make that connection with them. I think with social media having such a grip on the world, it's important to get outside and connect with people,” Jonathan said.
“I guess it's a common answer but I really hope for world peace,” Jonathan said about his one wish for the world. “There’s a lot of negativity out there, wars and hunger. I think now it's getting worse because people are in bed with misinformation and I think that starts everything off, disliking each other, hating each other.”
Jonathan says he wants to be known as being creative.
“I'm a jack of all trades, but in January I’m starting a course to become a master gardener. The course runs from January to March, followed by 40 hours of volunteer work.”
Jonathan wants to bring together knowledge and pass it on to places like schools, hospitals, and neighbourhood public space — anywhere that would benefit from an uplifting outdoor space.
Jonathan Gordo, this month’s unsung hero in a green cape, may be a jack of all trades, but he’s definitely a master of connection.
