Monday, January 16, 2006
Then and Now - Fred Withey
Then and Now
By Ian Lowden, M.Sc., B.A.
As some of you know I am gathering material for a history of Gabriola –1945 to 2005. Sort of trying to pick up where June left off. With that in mind I have been seeking out personal accounts, journals, pictures, documents and memorabilia of gabriola during that time period. The reason I am doing this now is that people who lived here during those years are aging and if we want first hand accounts then now is the time. With that in mind I am encouraging involvement in this heritage project, and I believe the best way to encourage involvement is to print some of that information. I am hoping that future columns of Then and Now will be written largely by the people who where there. The information for this column comes from Fred Withey who was born hers in 1940 and whose father started the shipyard at Silva Bay.
In the early fifties there were approximately 300 people living on Gabriola going up to 500 by the mid 60’s, I say approximately because then as now it is almost impossible to get an accurate census.
Then there was one phone line with 32 homes using it. Everyone had a combination of long and short rings and listening in to your neighbours conversations was even easier than it is now with cell phones, then as now some felt the phone service inadequate but many didn’t have phones at all. There were three grocery and dry goods stores each of which doubled as a gas station for cars and boats. These stores filled the role of supplying hardware, building materials and local gossip. Strangely enough, given the population, each gas station was supplied by tankers of separate oil companies.
Then as now the ferry service was perceived as being inadequate with a side loader that carried five cars, and 2 – 4 sailings per day usually, but none if the seas were rough as the boat didn’t have the engine power to work against high winds and rough seas were dangerous.
There where no paved roads or strip malls, and no hotels or bed and breakfasts per se as there weren’t many if any tourists, but apparently there was a coffee shop run by Bea and Ben Bodaker. There was a post office and part-time taxi, and there was even a limited bus service – the small school bus took paying passengers as well as students. There were two schools one near the community hall for grades 4-6 and the other for grades 1-3 in what is now the Women’s Institute. The North and South end had separate community halls (which had quite a rivalry stemming in large part from how and where the ferry got located). Then as now there were diverse groups each claiming to be the majority.
. Other than at the shipyard there were few full time jobs so most people worked at a variety of things depending on the season - farming, fishing, logging, general labour. Even the road crew was originally part-time. Electricity came to the island the same year as the first salmon barbecue –1955. Television came in 53 (although few could afford it or had a generator to power it) and the only station people could get was Seattle.
Fred reports that there were few fences on the island so the sheep and deer often got into people’s gardens. “There used to be lots of Squirrels and Chipmunks. Also lots of Grouse. There were less Deer than today, very few Seals, lots more Fish, many more Orcas, fewer Blue Herons. There were no Geese, less Eagles, no Turkey Vultures”. Orcas where then known as Killer Whales and people believed they were dangerous – Fishermen would often shoot them if they got a chance”.
Despite the hard work and lack of luxuries (or what we often think of as necessities today) Fred says it was a great place to live and for kids to grow up – many people still think so. Thanks Fred.
By Ian Lowden, M.Sc., B.A.
As some of you know I am gathering material for a history of Gabriola –1945 to 2005. Sort of trying to pick up where June left off. With that in mind I have been seeking out personal accounts, journals, pictures, documents and memorabilia of gabriola during that time period. The reason I am doing this now is that people who lived here during those years are aging and if we want first hand accounts then now is the time. With that in mind I am encouraging involvement in this heritage project, and I believe the best way to encourage involvement is to print some of that information. I am hoping that future columns of Then and Now will be written largely by the people who where there. The information for this column comes from Fred Withey who was born hers in 1940 and whose father started the shipyard at Silva Bay.
In the early fifties there were approximately 300 people living on Gabriola going up to 500 by the mid 60’s, I say approximately because then as now it is almost impossible to get an accurate census.
Then there was one phone line with 32 homes using it. Everyone had a combination of long and short rings and listening in to your neighbours conversations was even easier than it is now with cell phones, then as now some felt the phone service inadequate but many didn’t have phones at all. There were three grocery and dry goods stores each of which doubled as a gas station for cars and boats. These stores filled the role of supplying hardware, building materials and local gossip. Strangely enough, given the population, each gas station was supplied by tankers of separate oil companies.
Then as now the ferry service was perceived as being inadequate with a side loader that carried five cars, and 2 – 4 sailings per day usually, but none if the seas were rough as the boat didn’t have the engine power to work against high winds and rough seas were dangerous.
There where no paved roads or strip malls, and no hotels or bed and breakfasts per se as there weren’t many if any tourists, but apparently there was a coffee shop run by Bea and Ben Bodaker. There was a post office and part-time taxi, and there was even a limited bus service – the small school bus took paying passengers as well as students. There were two schools one near the community hall for grades 4-6 and the other for grades 1-3 in what is now the Women’s Institute. The North and South end had separate community halls (which had quite a rivalry stemming in large part from how and where the ferry got located). Then as now there were diverse groups each claiming to be the majority.
. Other than at the shipyard there were few full time jobs so most people worked at a variety of things depending on the season - farming, fishing, logging, general labour. Even the road crew was originally part-time. Electricity came to the island the same year as the first salmon barbecue –1955. Television came in 53 (although few could afford it or had a generator to power it) and the only station people could get was Seattle.
Fred reports that there were few fences on the island so the sheep and deer often got into people’s gardens. “There used to be lots of Squirrels and Chipmunks. Also lots of Grouse. There were less Deer than today, very few Seals, lots more Fish, many more Orcas, fewer Blue Herons. There were no Geese, less Eagles, no Turkey Vultures”. Orcas where then known as Killer Whales and people believed they were dangerous – Fishermen would often shoot them if they got a chance”.
Despite the hard work and lack of luxuries (or what we often think of as necessities today) Fred says it was a great place to live and for kids to grow up – many people still think so. Thanks Fred.
