David Garrick (1946-2023)

The Walrus

May 25, 2023

A half a century ago I met a man who remained a close friend for my entire life although, because he was unable to enter the US and I have been unable to enter Canada, I have not seen him for many years, although we have stayed in touch.

David Garrick also known as Walrus Oakenbough, or the Walrus, passed away yesterday. He was 77. He was my oldest and dearest friend.

We called him Walrus because in the Seventies he used the pen name of Walrus Oakenbough as a writer for the Vancouver Newspaper the Georgia Straight.

In many ways he was a real life Gandalf, truly a wizard with his knowledge of plants and animals and his intuitive understanding of human nature and the spirit of the animals.

In 1972, we were both original directors of the Greenpeace Foundation. In 1973, Walrus was with me when we participated in the American Indian Movement campaign at Wounded Knee. He was the cook on the first Greenpeace whale campaign in 1975 and again in 1976. He and I organized the first two Greenpeace campaigns to protect baby harp seals in 1976 and 1977. In 1984, Walrus and I led the campaigns to defend wolves in Northern British Columbia with our group Friends of the Wolf. 

Writer, anthropologist/archaeologist, philosopher, and juggler. Walrus has lived for decades on Hansen Island off the coast of mainland British Columbia. His meticulous study of genetically modified trees was instrumental in supporting land claim settlements by the First Nations. He was also a recognized authority on mushrooms amongst his many talents. 

He was both a scientist and a mystic. He decoded Mayan symbols and discovered that a certain symbol on the Mayan calendar, that had eluded other anthropologists, was in fact related to the time of year of the sprouting of certain special mushrooms.

But what I most admired him for was his absolute lack of selfishness and his devotion to living peacefully and harmoniously with nature. He had found a special place in a beautiful wilderness eco-system where he graced this planet with his relations with First Nations and with his advice to environmentalists. 

We shared so many wonderful adventures together over the years. I remember his jokes as we snow-shoed down the ice on the Kechika River in the Peace River Valley, in 1984 to save wolves. I remember him fearlessly staring down a threatening mob of angry sealers in Newfoundland in 1976. I remember our weathering of a blizzard in 1977 on Belle Isle off Labrador, where we shared a tent for the day with Brigitte Bardot, waiting out the weather.

He had a depth of character truly rare in today’s world. Strength, independence, resourcefulness, kindness, and wise – very much so. 

I have lost many close friends over the last two decades. I was hoping to be able to return to Canada to see him again. Now I cannot even attend his funeral, thanks to Justin Trudeau and his pledge to extradite me to Japan for conspiracy to trespass on a whaling ship.

Sadly, and yet with wonderful memories, I mourn him. He was an extraordinary man, a great environmentalist and defender of the First Nations. His love for nature, his passion for writing and research into connections between cultures and eco-systems was an inspiration to thousands of people.