Krista Simpson (she/her)
MILUG Co-founder, LAN Ambassador, Administration Coordinator, Social Media Team – Facebook
Krista is a relatively new AFOL (adult fan of LEGO®). Although she played with her brother’s LEGO® as a kid, she never had her own LEGO® until she bought a few sets to help manage the stress of attending University. She became an AFOL in 2016 when her partner, Laura, gifted her tickets to the first BrickCan LEGO® Convention in 2016. It was at BrickCan that she learned about LUGs (LEGO® Users Groups) and founded MILUG with Laura and Michael.
Since then Krista has jumped head first into LEGO® – building sets and MOCs (My Own Creations), and writing about LEGO®. Her favorite themes are Ideas and Icons (18+), and her favourite MOCs to build are large scale vehicles. She is particularly interested in the application of LEGO® in mindfulness to help manage mental health and mental illness. She is a board member with Brick Alliance, a global community advocating for diversity, equity and inclusion in the LEGO® ecosystem, and a past contributor with True North Bricks, a Canadian RLFM (Recognized LEGO® Fan Media). She is also a member of Women’s Brick Initiative, Gayfols, and LEGO® Saved My Life. Krista is grateful to live, work and play on the unceded, ancestral, and traditional territories of the Snuneymuxw, Snaw Naw As, and Stz’uminus First Nations.
To see some of Krista’s MOCs, check out her Flickr account: Krista Simpson|Flickr
Laura Hawley (she/her)
MILUG Co-founder, Treasurer/Secretary
Laura rediscovered LEGO® in 2016 while hunting for a birthday present for her nephew. Things snowballed from there, from attending her first LEGO® Convention, to co-founding MILUG, to building and collecting ever since. Since forming MILUG Laura has enjoyed meeting and learning a variety of building techniques from other club members through the MILUG monthly meet-ups, collaborative displays and various community events. Laura’s LEGO® building tends to take a backseat in the summer months when more time is spent outdoors gardening, mountain biking, hiking and kayaking.
Michael Thomas
MILUG Co-founder, Website Administrator
–Coming soon–
Mike Sinclair
Data Management Coordinator
Mike has been an admirer of LEGO® since he was young, but didn’t really become an AFOL (adult fan of LEGO®) until attending BrickCon with his family back in 2012. It was at that time that he realised the true potential of the brick! While attending the very first BrickCan a few years later, he learned of a newly formed group of AFOLs (MILUG) based out of Nanaimo and joined immediately.
Since joining MILUG, Mike has enjoyed building in many different styles and for many different events. He finds that building (and let’s face it – lots and lots of sorting) is a great way to relax and unwind from the daily grind. Mike feels that MILUG has been a great way to meet other AFOLs in the community and has made him a much better builder.
You can check out some of Mike’s builds on his Flickr account: Mike Sinclair | Flickr
Scott Hutchinson
Social Media Team – Instagram & Facebook
–Coming soon–
Janice Hofman
Social Media Team – Instagram / Social Committee
Janice recently came out of her dark-ages during Covid after a friend sent her an image of the LEGO® Ideas Typewriter set, which she purchased on release day, and has been hooked again since. Her favourite sets include Ideas and Modulars, and she loves the storytelling aspect of LEGO®. She would like to learn more about stop motion animation as well as building better MOCs (My Own Creations). She joined MILUG in the fall of 2022, and enjoys the challenges and sharing of ideas with other AFOLs (adult fans of LEGO®).
Check out some of Janice’s sets and builds on her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thingsjanicelego/
Wendy Wise
Social Media Team – Facebook / Social Committee
Wendy started building with LEGO® in the early 80’s when her younger brother got his first set as a Christmas present. He was more of a build once and move on kind of person, and Wendy was always taking it apart and coming up with something new. Her parents occasionally gave her a set after that, like the LEGO® kitchen set (269). But mostly she had to take her brother’s LEGO®. Buildings were her focus and at the age of ten she was building airports, farms, churches and houses – so many houses. Wendy drifted away from LEGO® as she got older but got back into it when LEGO® came out with the Harry Potter sets.
Buildings are still Wendy’s favourite sets to collect and when the modular buildings started she had to get one, and another and another. Since then, Wendy has gotten her son into LEGO® as well, and he’s been helping her get back into the creativity she had when she was young. “It’s given us something to do together and to connect over. I started him on Duplo, and now he’s building things I could never imagine.” Wendy got her mother into LEGO® as well. It’s helped with her Arthritis as well as keeping her mind challenged. It just shows that you’re never too old to get started with LEGO®!
Sara Doyle
Social Committee
–Coming soon–
Ley Ward
Social Committee
–Coming soon–
Len Gatey (he/him)
Member
Len returned to LEGO® after many years away for the many health benefits that play provides. Play benefits human health in so many ways, by reducing stress, adding joy and energizing learning to name a few.
It can be a quiet solitary and calming thing or it can be enjoyed as a group activity such as building with a partner or group challenge. There are opportunities to meet with people and share LEGO® creations, whether they are builders or people who have never really seen LEGO® before.
LEGO® exercises your brain, following the building guide or creating something adventurous from your own imagination. LEGO® is a physical thing, working your fine motor skills with all those little parts and let’s face it, sometimes it takes a lot of effort to get those pieces apart again!
LEGO®, it’s for everyone!
Ben Nelson
Member
Ben has been an avid LEGO® fan his entire life. From building sets to random MOCs (My Own Creations) as a kid, he has always had a fascination with how sets come together and the design behind them.
As a child he was into the vintage space theme, knights and castles, and Technic. As an adult he’s moved on to being a big fan of the Modular buildings, the City theme, and minifigures.
In his late 30s he went from having a casual interest to being a big collector, and expanding his collection greatly. Off work during the pandemic he filled his hours with sorting out bulk bins and putting sets back together from them.
Although he has not done much building of MOCs yet as an adult, he is hoping joining MILUG will inspire creativity in him and get him building “outside the box” – so to speak.
Tasso Koulelis
Member
Tasso always liked LEGO® as a child, but never really got into it until he had his two daughters. His eldest daughter was born with spina bifida and was confined to a wheelchair, and all she wanted to do was play LEGO®. He tried other toys, but she didn’t like anything other than LEGO®. So, he got more and more, and that’s how they connected, and they spent all their time building together. Sadly, she passed away at age 15 in 2020.
His brother took him to BRICKCAN in 2023 where he met some members of MILUG and decided to go to a meeting. He joined MILUG for therapy and to try to cope with his depression. He builds only MOCS (My Own Creations), and every build is in tribute and in memory of his daughter.