In 1982, a young T'esóts'en (Patrick Kelly) of Leq'á:mel First Nation attended a dinner with Queen Elizabeth II as a Young Achiever for Canada during ceremonies marking the patriation of Canada's Constitution, a document whose recognition of Aboriginal and treaty rights would shape legal and political debate for decades.
Forty-four years later, he has been appointed to the Order of British Columbia, the province's highest honour, for a lifetime spent doing the work that moment foreshadowed: bringing together people, institutions, and communities that had not yet found their way to the same table.
For British Columbia Golf, the news is personal. Patrick is a past president of the organization, has served on the Golf Canada Board of Directors and is founder and chair of the BC Indigenous Golf Association.
But the Order of British Columbia recognizes the full sweep of a life, and Patrick's reaches far beyond any single institution.
In the early 1990s, the Clayoquot Sound conflict erupted. The "War in the Woods" saw environmentalists, industry, government and First Nations collide over the future of old-growth forest on Vancouver Island's west coast. Patrick worked as a facilitator during the conflict, helping advance discussions among the parties as new approaches to land and resource management emerged.
He later facilitated the founding meeting of Coastal First Nations and served as its board chair for 18 and a half years, supporting its member Nations as they advanced landmark conservation, economic and stewardship initiatives throughout the Great Bear Rainforest.
When development on Salt Spring Island's Grace Islet threatened Indigenous burial sites, Patrick facilitated negotiations that led to an agreement protecting the site from further development.
His public service also included serving as an advisor to the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry. The Attorney General appointed him a bencher of the Law Society of British Columbia to represent the public interest in the administration of justice. He chaired the Victoria Foundation, becoming the first Indigenous person to lead a community foundation in Canada, and also served on the BC Provincial Judicial Council. In 2024, he received the King Charles III Coronation Medal for a lifetime of work advancing reconciliation in Canada.
Past BC Golf President Patrick Kelly Is Shown Here With The Honourable Janet Austin At BC Government House Prior To The BC vs Ontario Indigenous Golf Challenge Matches At Bear Mountain GC. Austin Served As The 30th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia from April 2018 to January 2025
His relationship with British Columbia Golf began during his five years advising Lieutenant Governor Steven Point. The two spent time together on the course, and a question began to take shape: what could Indigenous participation in golf look like if someone built the infrastructure for it?
Patrick cold-called Kris Jonasson, then the CEO of British Columbia Golf. He had formed the BC Aboriginal Golf Association, drawing board members from Indigenous communities across the province, and wanted to propose a collaboration.
What he didn't know was that Jonasson's board had passed a resolution the previous night calling on British Columbia Golf to find ways to enhance Indigenous participation in the game.
Patrick went on to join the British Columbia Golf Board of Directors and was later elected president.
Nearly 15 years after that phone call, the inaugural BC Indigenous Championship was held at Nk'Mip Canyon Desert Golf Course. The event was organized through a partnership among British Columbia Golf, the Office of the Lieutenant Governor and the Osoyoos Indian Band, which owns and operates the course.
One hundred and fourteen players representing 80 Nations gathered for the event, ranging in age from 14 to 80. Patrick was among them, not just as the person who had helped set it all in motion, but as a competitor; and at the opening ceremony, Lieutenant Governor Janet Austin presented Patrick with a Vice-Regal Commendation.
What began as one event built around a single question has become an expanding pathway into the game. It has grown to include Senior and Junior divisions, a youth clinic run in partnership with ISPARC and First Tee, and an interprovincial Challenge Cup between British Columbia and Ontario.
That growth reflects a conviction evident throughout Patrick’s work: belonging is not simply a program added to an existing structure. It is a principle that changes the structure itself.
It is a conviction that also resonates with BC Golf’s efforts to ensure its programs, leadership and pathways better reflect the full province it serves, and that more people can see a place for themselves in the game.
Patrick’s contributions are visible in the lands and cultural sites he helped protect and in the institutions he has strengthened, including our own.
On September 24, Patrick will be at Government House to receive the Order of British Columbia. That same week, he will be at Bear Mountain captaining Team BC in the Indigenous Challenge Cup. Both are recognitions of the same thing: a life spent walking into rooms and making them bigger.
Please join us in congratulating Patrick and the rest of the 2026 recipients appointed to the Order of British Columbia for this incredible and well-deserved honour.