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Dave Walden elected as Pemberton's new school trustee

Polls closed at 8 p.m., Jan. 18 with Walden in the lead
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Dave Walden has been elected as school trustee for Pemberton following a byelection vote Saturday, June 18.

Walden received 62 votes. Erica Osburn, who was also running for trustee, received 32 votes. The results are unofficial and will be verified by Wednesday Jan. 22 and confirmed.

The byelection was called after elected trustee Michelle Butler of Pemberton moved back to New Zealand.

This is not Walden's first time as a trustee. He won election in 2006 and served in the role until 2011, spending four years as chair of the board.

A longtime music teacher, Walden served as vice-principal of Signal Hill Elementary School from the mid 1970s until his retirement.

"I've been involved with the school district for 53 years now," he told Pique last week adding that he taught for four years in his native Australia before moving to the Pemberton Valley in 1967.

Since his retirement in 2000, Walden has worked as a teacher on call (though he did have to give up this role after declaring his candidacy for the trustee race).

His educational roots run deep. His father and brother were teachers, and his daughter is a teacher at Pemberton Secondary.

"It's been very gratifying to meet some of my former students and they have told me, 'Oh yes, Mr. Walden, you got me started in music," said Walden earlier.

He earned a Bachelor of Education degree at UBC and a Masters of Arts degree in education at San Diego State University.

Osburn has two children at Signal Hill, where she has been involved with the school's Parents Advisory Committee (PAC) executive. As part of her contribution to the Signal Hill PAC, Osburn brought guest speakers to the school, including educators with the iGuy/iGirl workshops that discussed issues to do with gender and consent.

She has lived in Pemberton for the past 15 years and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of British Columbia (UBC).

Walden's official swearing in will be at the School Board Office on January 29. Following this, Walden will take part in orientation and a celebratory swearing in at the next Board meeting Feb.12

-with files from Joel Barde.