About Me — Gill McCulloch
Holding on to life’s roller coaster, keeping my face to the sunshine
Hello, and welcome to my About Me page! My name is Gill McCulloch, and I appreciate you taking the time to get to know me.
My life in a nutshell — at least I’ll try
I was born at a very early age and lived with my mum, dad and two sisters in a lively seaside town called Brighton on the south coast of England. My parents were kind, hard-working people. I’ll always be grateful for the life lessons they taught me and for their unconditional love and support.
The best advice my mum gave me:
- When things go wrong, always look for silver linings.
- Don’t worry if you get lost; there may be an exciting adventure around the corner.
- Always be kind.
The best advice my dad gave me:
- Don’t worry if you miss the bus — there’s always another one coming along the road.
- If you trust people, you’ll encourage them to be trustworthy.
- Speak up for what’s right.
At university, I completed a B.Sc. (Hons) degree in Human Biological Sciences. I then spent a year working and backpacking around Australia with my future husband, Warren. We had lots of wild adventures and also the most bizarre coincidence of our lives. Neville Taylor, if you’re reading this, please track me down!
In 1995, Warren and I were married on a Greek island, and a year later, we emigrated to Canada. We’ve been together for over half our lives and have a wonderful son and daughter — young adults now making their way in the world.
Jobs I’ve had
As a teenager
I’ve had jobs as a newspaper delivery person, babysitter and Saturday shop assistant in the underwear section at British Home Stores. You’ve no idea how challenging it is to stack silky knickers into neat piles! At eighteen, I spent six months in France as an au pair, looking after three beautiful children.
During my university gap year
One of my most interesting workplaces was the Army Personnel Research Establishment in England. As a research assistant, my job was to put soldiers through their paces and take physiological measurements in extreme conditions. During the year, I had the opportunity to work at the airshow in Paris, France, where I was a silver service waitress with Rolls Royce.
While backpacking around the USA and Australia
To earn money to fund my travels, I found temporary work as a chambermaid, youth hostel assistant, salad chef, short-order chef, restaurant server, pedal cab driver and deli assistant.
My silliest job!
During our year in Australia, my sister Jackie and I got jobs as pedal cab drivers. We had to wear ridiculous outfits and cycle around picking up passengers and delivering them to their destinations. Unfortunately for us, the tourist season hadn’t yet started in Cairns.
On the first day, we cycled for eight hours in the hot sun, transported a few people and didn’t even make enough money to pay the rental fee for the pedal cabs. Needless to say, we quit after one day!
My worst job
To raise money for my travels, I worked for six months in a vacuum pump factory. I was one of two women in a noisy, dreary factory with 200 men. Most of the guys were great, but my boss was a bully, and every day was a battle of wits. The only thing that kept me going was the knowledge I’d soon be on a plane to Australia.
A fling with the music business
For a while, I was keen to work in the music industry, so I spent a few months as a trainee sound engineer at Anzak Recording Studio in England. Sadly, vandals burned the studio to the ground and, with it, my place on a government-sponsored recording engineer course. I later spent some time at 210 FM Radio in England as a commercial productions assistant.
From music to health and fitness
In 1990, I changed tack and switched to the health and fitness industry. I trained as a gym instructor and later became the fitness director at a large London club, where I worked for six years before emigrating to Canada.
From the UK to Canada
As a new immigrant, I had to take a few steps back and once again worked as a gym instructor before being quickly promoted to assistant club manager at the 24-hour Fitness World in Vancouver. After a year at the club, I left to have my first baby and have been self-employed since then.
What I do for a living now
I’m the owner of Safe + Sound First Aid Training Ltd. We’re a Canadian Red Cross Training Partner providing first aid classes and safety training to businesses and the public. I started the company in 1999, a few months after my son was born, and 25 years later, we’re still going strong. I’ve taught first aid and CPR classes to thousands of people and learned some important safety lessons along the way.
There have been many ups and downs in my life, and I’ve lost loved ones to cancer, heart disease, accidents and suicide. In What I Learned From “Doctor Death,” I wrote about my friend Derek Hersey — a world-famous climber and free spirit, and his influence on my life.
In 2020, I had the heartbreaking experience of supporting my aunt through Medical Assistance in Dying.
I’ve endured health issues, faced business and personal challenges and somehow managed to survive to tell the tale. I know you’ve had your own set of struggles and roadblocks, and I’m constantly amazed and inspired by the incredible survival stories I read here on Medium. Life is often tricky, occasionally bizarre and sometimes spectacular!
Where I live
I live in British Columbia, Canada and am surrounded by trees, lakes and mountains. I love the outdoors and feel happiest when walking on beautiful beaches or camping with friends and family in the sunshine. Some of my best moments include building sandcastles with my kids, hiking with family and friends and sharing stories and songs around the campfire.
Community Involvement
I’m active in my community and have a lovely network of friends and business acquaintances. I’m a member of my local Chamber of Commerce as well as three community action teams.
The Tri-Cities Friends of Refugees helps support refugees by finding low-cost housing and support services. The Tri-Cities Overdose Community Action Team is working to prevent opioid overdose deaths. The Tri-Cities Homelessness and Housing Task Group addresses homelessness in our community.
I care about the homeless and hungry. One of my most eye-opening experiences was taking part in the Welfare Food Challenge, where I lived on a weekly grocery budget of $18.00.
Creative stuff and hobbies
Writing
In 2019, after reading a few of my Facebook posts, a writer friend, Jennifer Sommersby, encouraged me to join Medium. At first, I felt shy about sharing my stories and asking editors to include my work in their publications. I kept doing it, though, because I was learning so much and having fun!
In 2021, another writer, friend and editor encouraged me to submit my story, A Christmas Star to Chicken Soup for the Soul. I was thrilled when my story was published in Chicken Soup for the Soul — The Magic of Christmas.
I’m really enjoying the camaraderie of other writers, and I’m exploring various genres, including humour, poetry and fiction. You can find a complete index of my work on Medium here.
Singing
Singing with my choir, DeCoro brings so much joy to my life. I missed them all when choirs shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s great to be back together again.
In 2020, my choir members and I were invited to join internationally renowned conductor and composer Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir 6. I’m honoured to have been one of the singers in the largest virtual choir in history, where 17,572 people from 129 countries united to produce a soothing musical gift to the world.
This experience will forever be a highlight in my life. If you’d like to watch the video we made, read 17,572 Voices Sing Gently as One and see if you can spot me in the picture below ;)
Rock Painting
Over the last twenty years, I’ve painted hundreds of rocks. I’ve kept a few to decorate my home and garden, given many as gifts, and sold some at craft fairs to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society.
At the start of the pandemic, I wrote Dear Hospital Workers — a tribute to the world’s healthcare professionals putting their lives on the line to save ours.
I painted a group of healthcare worker rocks and gave them to a paramedic friend. She took them to her local hospital and placed them in the emergency room to cheer people up. The staff and patients loved them, and that made me happy. :)
It’s hard to squeeze a lifetime into a few lines. You know a bit about me now, and I look forward to getting to know you, too. Thank you for reading my story and supporting me in my writing journey.
I’m grateful to all the hard-working editors who’ve published my stories, poems and articles and to everyone who’s left encouraging comments. I wish you enormous success!
I’ll leave you with a favourite quote,
Use what talents you possess;
the woods would be very silent
If no birds sang there
except those that sang the best.
— Henry Van Dyke
Thanks for reading! Please subscribe here if you’d like an email when I publish a story.
Connect with me via:
Email:[email protected]
Website: learnfirstaid.ca