BOOK OF RAINBOWS VOLUME TWO PEOPLE OF PRINCE RUPERT & PORT EDWARD Edited by DUANE JACKSON Book of Rainbows Volume 2 Book of Rainbows Stories of Cultural Diversity Making a Difference Volume 2 Edited by Duane Jackson Book of Rainbows: Stories of Cultural Diversity Making a Difference, Volume 2 © 2015 Hecate Strait Employment Development Society All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without written permission from the publisher. Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication CIP data on file ISBN 978-0-9921295-1-4 (pbk.) 125 Market Place Prince Rupert, BC V8J 1B9 1-800-808-3988 [email protected] We thank the Government of British Columbia and the Government of Canada for their financial support of this publication through the Employment Program of British Columbia: Partnership and Innovation Fund. ISBN 978-0-9921295-1-4 Book design by Aaron Dalton. Cover design by Stuck On Designs. Cover photos by Shauna Alexander, Joan Dudoward, Duane Jackson, Brady Johnston, Ellen Marsh, and Kathy Nelson. Watermark artwork by Peter Dennis: Eagle Dancer Drumming Drum and 4 Crest Dance Mask Printed in Prince Rupert, BC, Canada, by Stuck On Designs. The truth about stories is, that’s all we are. —Thomas King,The Truth About Stories: A Native Narrative Contents Acknowledgements ix Preface xi Kathy Bedard 1 Giuseppe “Joe” Paolinelli 119 Mel Bishop 5 Jamie Quast 123 Lee Brain 9 Gurvinder Randhawa 129 Doug Brown 13 Judith Riddell 133 Sam & Marilyn Bryant 17 Doreen Ridsdale 137 Alexander Fred Campbell 21 Frances Riley & Richard Haley 143 Dale Campbell and Wade Wilkins 25 Clyde Robinson 147 Pete Chaprun 31 George Sampson 151 Susan Crowley 35 Pamela Seeley 155 Kathy Dann 39 Eugenia “Jen” Silva 161 Jocelyn De Sagun 43 Michael and Santa Slubowski 167 Doug and Debbie Davis 47 Michal Sluka 171 Constable Matt Ericson 51 Lousia Smith 175 Friendship House Elders 55 Ben & Cindy Spencer 181 Denis Garon 61 Dwight Stewart 187 Simona Ionita 67 Joy Sundin 191 Frances Jackson 71 Marlene Swift 197 Adrienne Johnston 77 Travis & Kelly Tubb 207 Bess Leeson 83 Garry and Gloria Ubdegrove 211 Liu Family 87 Jessica Watson 217 Peter Loy 95 Gloria Venn 221 Audrey Lundquist 99 Jim West 225 Ellen Marsh 105 Brian Wick 229 April McLean-Collart 109 Marion Weir 233 Ken Minette 113 Marlene & Richard Wright 237 Epilogue 241 About the Authors 245 vii Acknowledgements he Book of Rainbows, Volume 2 is a follow-up to the Book of Rainbows that was published in 2013 to demonstrate the contributions of First TNations, immigrants, and community members to the economic and social development of the region. The first book was full of rich and inspiring stories of some of the people that have contributed to our diverse region. Volume 2 carries on the tradition of the first book and details the past and present experi- ences of many more. A publication such as this is the result of many hours of hard work by con- tributors, Hecate Strait Employment Development Society staff, and various partners in the community. With a shared vision, many have worked together to highlight stories that demonstrate courage, hope, and the great efforts that individuals have made to develop the community. The efforts made have been outstanding. Danielle Dalton, the editor of the first Book of Rainbows, provided advice and inspiration as a new team took on volume 2. Duane Jackson dedicated time around the clock in his role as project lead and editor of volume 2. He led a team made up of Kathy Nelson and Justine Knott, who worked tirelessly to perform interviews and write the stories that they heard. Beyond these key individuals, all the staff at Hecate Strait Employment Development Society provided support in various ways. All of these committed people have made it happen Looking outside of Hecate Strait Employment Development Society, Barbara Burton of Stuck On Design (printing and cover design) and Aaron Dalton (copy editing and book design) provided key expertise and skills to bring the book to publication. And of course the book itself could not have been completed without the funding support from the Ministry of Social Development and Innovation, Province of British Columbia. Most importantly, each individual and family that took the time to share their stories and pictures must be recognized. We are grateful that you shared with our community and beyond. —Shauna Wouters, Chief Administrative Officer, Hecate Strait Employment Development Society ix x Preface irst I would like to acknowledge the traditional territory of the nine allied tribes of the Tsimshian Nation, upon whose traditional territory weF were privileged to complete this project. I would also like to acknowledge all those who agreed to be interviewed and entrusted us with the task of re- spectfully documenting their stories. When I first started this project, having lived in Prince Rupert for the bet- ter part of my life, I immediately started thinking about people whose stories I would like to document. I started making the list and stopped, choosing to wait until we had the two Job Creation Partnership participants in place, to ensure that we had a fuller cross-section of people from the city represented. After Kathy Nelson and Justine Knott were on board, we again chose to not continue on with the list but to move out into the community and meet people as they moved through their day. We met people in the aisles at stores, in park- ing lots, on the sidewalks, and at community events. Of course, we were re- ferred to people as well, and we are forever grateful to all those that pointed the way for us. In approaching the project in this way, we were assured that the city itself would have a direct hand in the creation of the second volume of the Book of Rainbows. The stories are very “in the moment” and have been taken directly from the interview video and notes with very little editing of their words. All of the interviews are very candid, with the participants sharing some very frank and intimate moments and events in their lives. We are so appreciative and aware of the courage it took to open up their lives and hearts and allow us to walk through those moments with them. That being said, we would like to make the reader aware that some might believe that some of these moments may be in- appropriate to share publicly. In response we can only say that every moment in this book is a “lived” moment, and we only gain learning and understanding through the messages and lessons of “lived” moments. All the information in this book has gone through various checks in which the final draft was not complete until the interviewee handed the piece back to us and said it’s ready to go. We were very fortunate to have the time to work through this process. xi We truly hope you enjoy this journey through the history and the everyday rhythm and flow of the city of Prince Rupert and the majesty of the rainforest and the Northwest Coast. —Duane, Kathy, and Justine xii Kathy Bedard • athy Bedard was born in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, as one of seven siblings. When she was five years old, her family moved to PrinceK George and Kathy attended elementary and high school there. She was active in many sports: volleyball, soccer, floor hockey, and basketball and was a championship baton twirler. Kathy loved the travelling for sports and the interaction with competitors and team supporters. With her teams she com- peted in northern communities from Fort St John to Quesnel and south to Vancouver. The teams she competed with won first place in the region, first the junior team (the Prince George Teddy’s) then the senior team (the Prince George Polarettes). During this time Kathy was introduced to her best friend’s brother, who had “a cool red Barracuda.” She admits to having a bit of a heavy foot, but she loved driving that car. The re- lationship flourished, and in 1969, the two were married and they later had a son, Michael, and a daughter, Michelle. They, in turn, have given Ron and Kathy wonderful grand- babies: Samantha, Jessica, Kolton, and Rylan. The couple moved around quite a bit following Ron’s carpentry op- portunities. They eventually settled on the Northwest Coast with Ron 1 as chief administrative officer for the District of Port Edward and Kathy as the continuing education coordinator at Northwest Community College (NWCC) in Prince Rupert. She remained at NWCC for twenty years and then left to start her own company, Projects Unlimited Consulting. Kathy, a skilled proposal writer, wrote proposals for the North Pacific Cannery and started the Ice House Gallery with Lynne Hill, a North Coast Artist Co-operative that provided a space for local artisans to showcase their work. In 1999, Kathy was approached to work with Hecate Strait Employment Development Society and started as an employment counselor. In 2001, she became the manager, working with a four-person staff in one office that grew to thirty staff in four offices. Kathy moved through many positions and finally moved into the position of chief administrative officer. She loves bringing pro- jects into the community and writing proposals to gain funding for skill de- velopment training programs. Kathy believes an organization grows because of people working together as a family. Kathy believes in giving back to the community and has volunteered in many capacities within the community over the years. As an elected position, Kathy was a school trustee, a Prince Rupert city councillor for sixteen years, and served on numerous advisory committees.