Richard Dopson: Presenting the Bid Package

Richard Dopson is interviewed at Sunset Beach Park about presenting the bid package to the SFAAA. The camera catches a view of the Granville and Burrard Street bridges and the south shoreline.

Dopson: “We started – Betty Baxter, Barry McDell, Bill Raymond, Mark Mees –  people who are still involved,  started putting together the components of a bid presentation package. And I went down in the summer of ’86 and volunteered in the San Francisco at the office, just because I thought it would be the only possible way to see it from the inside, the inner workings. It’s kind of like a practice round, if you will for what was coming in 1990, or what we wanted Vancouver to host in 1990. And then Barry McDell and Mark Mees flew down in mid-July, and Betty was available by phone in Alberta to answer any questions that San Francisco might have about the lesbian community support and we spent an afternoon at Tom’s house presenting to the San Francisco Arts and Athletics committee and of the whole of their Board. And we presented the bid package and we took down flags, and pins, and banners, and package of information and letters of support from all the major community organizations in Vancouver, plus again, the support of Mayor Harcourt and support of Tourism B.C. and a letter from the police – Chief Constable Bob Stewart – and we presented the package.”