MCPA says good-bye to Val Bell

by Karen Emilson

Taking care of people is what Val Bell does best, but by the end of February, her days of taking care of cattle producers are over.
Val is moving on and beginning a whole new life in Fitzgerald, Georgia with a new husband and a new home.

Val was hired to work for the MCPA by General Manager Keith Robertson in July 2003 after she returned to the province to care for her ailing mother.
Val had worked previously for Buchanan Lumber Sales in Upsala, Ontario in a bush camp where she kept tabs on 25 heavy equipment operators. She cleaned the office, answered phones, made coffee and cinnamon buns so the guys would have something warm to eat when they came in after a long day’s work.
Prior to that, she ran a cattle farm for 10 years at Beausejour, supporting four young children after her husband Paul died of cancer at the age of 52. It was the toughest period of her life, but the experience she gained got her foot in the door at the MCPA.
“I can never thank Keith enough for hiring me,” she said. “I knew something about the rear end of a cow and I could type, but that’s about it.”
It was two months into the BSE crisis and Val suddenly found herself on the frontline in the office. Answering the phone and being the first voice producers heard during that uncertain, stressful time, meant she and the rest of the office staff learned to work as a team in a hurry.
“It was overwhelming because for awhile there, all three lines would be busy, all day long and we were all on the phone,” she said. “I talked to producers who were worried they were going to lose everything and some were talking suicide. Usually by the time we finished talking they would say ‘thank you’ for listening - because they needed to vent and couldn’t talk to their wives about how they were feeling. I realized that I had to have my best voice on all the time because that is what they needed. I feel honoured that they chose to talk to me. It was a horrible time to be a cattle producer and unfortunately, things haven’t changed much in that respect.”
In addition to answering the phones, Val is responsible for keeping the Cattle Country mailing list current, books airline flights and hotel rooms, schedules meetings, directs inquiries to the right staff person, keeps the office running smoothly and makes sure the Directors have what they need to stay organized. She also played a huge role in organizing the MCPA’s Annual General Meeting.
And with nearly six years of experience under her belt, Val has seen both staff and directors come and go.
“After Keith left we didn’t have a General Manager for nine months,” she said. “That was hard but members of the executive committee - Ken Crockatt, Martin Unrau, Art Jonasson - they were all here when we needed them and we were able to keep things going.”

Now with her children all grown and married, Val has decided to turn a page and start yet another chapter in her life. Last year she met Paul Weaver through a mutual acquaintance and their long distance friendship blossomed into love. On May 9th she and Paul will marry in his home town of Fitzgerald, Georgia with her children and their families in attendance. After the wedding Val will help out in Paul’s Cypress lumber and log home building business.
“It is very difficult to leave Manitoba but love has a way of being the deciding factor,” she said. “I’m not leaving for a better job, this is an opportunity for me to be a wife again.”
Val is currently in the process of obtaining a U.S. Visa but says that she will always be a “Canadian,” hopefully with dual citizenship.
And she said if there is one message she would like to leave with everyone it is this:
“At the office we got calls from producers who have said thanks to us for the job we are doing and it felt wonderful to work in an industry with such fantastic people.
I really admire all the present directors, and those who have retired from the board, for all the time and effort they put in, for their dedication to represent the industry in Manitoba - it is just phenomenal what they do on producer’s behalf.
And it is humbling to think that I was a part of something so big. This really was an eye-opening place to work and I want to say thanks to everyone for making the last five and half years so enjoyable.”