Swanwick Star Issue No. 13 (2020)

Bruce Martin

 

 

Bruce Martin was the Biology teacher during the first year of operation of the Krishnamurti school (called Wolf Lake School) which opened in 1977 and was visited by Krishnamurti in 1978. He moved from Nelson, BC, to Metchosin where the residential school was located with the intention of later moving it to land owned by the Siddoo family at Wolf Lake, a little further north on Vancouver Island. He was a member of a team of ten, including Jackie and Sarjit Siddoo (the directors), four teachers, and other staff that administered the school during its first year. There were ten students from Grade 6 to Grade 10 level hailing from all over North America, one of whom was Chanda Siddoo, the daughter of Sarjit.

The school was one of a number endorsed and supported by Krishnamurti with the intention of providing an excellent academic education while at the same time investigating the possibility of educating children without the usual social conditioning and exploring the question of true freedom in life. Krishnamurti himself arrived at the school in April of 1978 and stayed for one week in the main house on the property. He gave a public talk in the living room with the room full to overflowing (about sixty people) and held a couple of talks with the staff and students of the school.

Bruce was a source of valuable support to myself and the other teachers and staff as well as being very popular with the students and inspiring interest in the natural world through book study as well as exploration of the beautiful environment surrounding the school. He participated with staff and students in the athletic activities like soccer and hiking. Other commitments took him back to Nelson at the completion of the school year. He now lives in Comox with his wife Barbara, where he enjoys painting among other interests. On a trip to Victoria in late October of 2020 he included a visit to the Krishnamurti Educational Centre in Metchosin, where he had a long conversation with Luis Torres, the property manager, and then met with me for afternoon tea and discussion in Victoria.

It was good to talk briefly about our experiences at the school, about what has transpired since then over the years, and about the present functioning of the Krishnamurti Centre with all the recent changes and challenges of Covid-19. Bruce expressed an intention to return before long and to donate some of his extra K books to the Centre library. I look forward to exploring our friendship more fully again.

Submitted by David Bruneau