If only my Valiant t-shirt could talk.

My experience of Yellowknife to date hasn’t involved too much consideration of which t-shirt to wear (except as one of several base layers), although it’s finally started to warm up and it’s now t-shirt weather.

It's finally VALIANT t-shirt weather

I find that t-shirts can really tell a lot about a person. Like most people, I have my trusty old favourites, and, as in most places I’ve lived, I’ve now accumulated four t-shirts since living in Canada.

My Melaroma “Coaching Staff” t-shirt will always remind me of my rugby days in Vancouver, and more specifically the challenge of “coaching” a group of about eight 4-6 year olds for a week long rugby training camp. Ah, those were the days.

My old Coast Mountain Sports work t-shirt has not been worn since leaving that “interesting” job and will be heading to the local Salvation Army store soon. My days of selling shoes has left me with mixed emotions. Lets just say I was relieved to get my construction job in Vancouver.

My NWT Get Active t-shirt was earned through volunteering at a local Yellowknife gig, at the Multiplex (ice rink) back in January. That’s where I learnt the real meaning of the term “get your skates on”. It’s quite a cool t-shirt and I wear it a fair bit.

On Sunday I got my my recent edition to my t-shirt collection by volunteering at the 25th Annual Yellowknife Bike Rodeo. As a keen biker (cycler not motorbiker) I’m pretty happy with this one too. But it will always remind me of manning the 4-way stop station when the first kid arrived, and me explaining how to signal – in New Zealand signal language! It turns out that if you’re turning right on your bike here, you don’t just put out your right arm! No, it’s a left arm up at 90 degrees thank you very much. After getting some strange looks from parents and kids, I soon learnt the correct rules to be teaching and assessing the kids on. It was also funny seeing the look on the faces of some of the kids when I said my first few words – the old kiwi accent throws em every time.

But, alas, it’s time to farewell my trusty old Valiant t-shirt. After purchasing it in Melbourne while living there back in 2001, it’s been with me through the best part of 17 countries, and never let me down once. And now, with a tear in my eye, it’s time to say good bye.

Farewell Valiant t-shirt

Tags: t-shirt, Valiant, Yellowknife