Vancouver Historical Society NEWSLETTER ISSN 0042 - 2487 October 2010 Vol. 50 No. 2 Wreck Beach October Speaker: Carellin Brooks pproximately 500,000 people history of this fascinating stretch of In case you were wondering: Avisit Wreck Beach every year, coast. The area has been in threat since this presentation is an academic and despite an absence of access before its inception, and not always examination of the geographic roads for clean-up or maintenance, for the reasons you’d think. Erosion, and cultural history of this iconic minimal police or security coverage, UBC expansion, arrests and ill-judged Vancouver location. Please be assured and a highly-desirable location for attempts at preservation are just some the accompanying images will be residential development, it remains of the situations Wreck Beach faced no more prurient than what one one of the down to become cleanest, what it is today. naturally pristine beaches of In the end, the the city. The story of Wreck enthusiastic Beach is an and vigilant examination of attention of the freedom, and Wreck Beach the variations of Preservation what freedom Society is a means to clear example of different people what an engaged or groups. citizenry can accomplish. Carellin The Society’s was born in commitment Vancouver, to keeping and has lived Wreck Beach in Ottawa, untarnished is Montreal, New reflected in its York, Oxford resistance to outside regulation and and London (UK), San Diego, Seattle, Author Carellin Brooks emphasis on self-policing. But it has Japan, and Salt Lake City. She has not been without struggle. a BA from McGill University and might find in the collection of any a Masters from Oxford University. respectable metropolitan art gallery or The story of Wreck Beach, and the She was the managing editor of New museum. characters that have tried to preserve, Star Books, is an instructor at the Scott Anderson change, or destroy it, is truly not to be University of British Columbia, and a missed, and author Carellin Brooks Rhodes Scholar. visits us in October to explore the Next Meeting: 7:30 PM, Thursday, Oct. 28 at Museum of Vancouver Preznotes Chuck Davis Continued from Page 4 thousands of them — stored, but I do know everything As your new President, I have undertaken to review was stolen shortly after we arrived. He never recovered the current state of our Society, and will be sharing it. He got a job loading milk trucks at Dairyland, which some of my thoughts and observations over the next was then on 8th Avenue near Cambie, and I attended few months. It is my hope we can together examine school at Gilmore Elementary in Burnaby. It was a the issues that have potential to alter the workings of long walk up the hill through the bush to get there. (It the Society, and open a discussion about a common strategy in addressing our future. (Never fear: was while I was in Grade 5 at Gilmore that I became the irony of the President of a Historical Society interested in words: our English teacher, Miss Scott, invoking grand visions of sweeping new changes for explained to us one day that the word “breakfast” came The Future have not been lost on me!) about because the first meal of the day would “break” the “fast” of the preceding night. I was fascinated to learn At this point I feel it necessary to assure everyone that words had histories, and that began a lifelong love of our Society is in no immediate peril! We are not words and language.) facing bankruptcy or an imminent demise! It is merely my intention to examine and assess where After a few months Dad was able to rent a little place on we are right now, and share my thoughts. If it is East Hastings in Burnaby that had been a taxi dispatch necessary to plan for where we want to be in the office, and he sold our shack (for $300, what we’d paid future, so be it. for it) and we moved in there. Our shelves were orange I must confess that I am excited to embark on this crates. The streetcars ran right outside the door, and I conversation. I know what my vision of the Society recall my pals and I laying out strings of caps on the is, but I don’t truly know yours. As your President, rails, anchored by wads of gum, and listening to them I want to ensure what I see and do is a natural bang-bang-bang as the cars drove over them. I remember, extension of the will of the Society. But I’ll leave it too, the yellow rattan seats in the streetcars and sitting in at that until November. the back row with my hands on the framework of the seat in front of me and “steering” the streetcar when it turned This past month saw some sad news about one of a corner. our distinguished members go public: Chuck Davis has terminal cancer. I won’t bore everyone with We next moved to a two-storey two-apartment building platitudes of what a great guy Chuck is, or how th much he will be missed – we already know both of at 374 West 4 Avenue, and thereby hangs a tale: in the those are true. early morning of November 29, 1946 the apartment above us was destroyed by fire. (No one was hurt.) Instead, I believe I speak for the entire Society I woke up to the fire trucks’ alarms, then dashed up when I say: Chuck, your friends in the Vancouver the street to Dairyland to alert Dad to the fire. The Historical Society have you in our thoughts and firefighters put the blaze out before it affected our place, prayers, and wish yourself, and Edna, and Stephanie, but everything we had was soaked to mush by water — all the very best in this difficult time. including a pile of coal sitting in the middle of the front room, the only place we had to store it. The front page Scott Anderson, President of The Vancouver Sun had a photo of me later that day, just turned 11, sitting on a wagon in the midst of the devastation and grinning like mad for the photographer. I Welcome New Members went out and bought a copy of the paper, and remember pointing at the picture and telling the paperboy: “That’s me!” It was many more years before I appeared in the Kristen Wong paper again. Cathy Barford ... Upcoming Speakers & Events Looking for Your Help We are asking you to make a commitment of time to your VHS. We need a Treasurer-in-Training who would then be The VHS invites everyone (including non-members) prepared to take on the role of Treasurer by May 2011. to attend our monthly talks. The talks are free and are held at the Museum of Vancouver, 1100 Chestnut Paul Flucke has been doing a superb job as the VHS’ Treasurer Street (close to Vanier Park) at 7:30 pm on the fourth for the past 10 years but now he would like to take a break. Thursday of every month except June, July, August, Paul has agreed to stay on for another term to be able to train December). Special events may be held at other his replacement. times for which there may be a fee. You don’t have to have an accounting background for this Thursday, November 25, 2010 - 7:30 pm position but you must have good organizational skills and an Uncovering 1886 Vancouver attention to detail. Over the years, Paul has set up a computer Speaker: Lee Henderson template that works very well for the job and simplifies many Author Lee Henderson will describe how he of the tasks. uncovered (and played with) Vancouver in 1886, just after the fire, for his award-winning novel The Man If you are a member of the VHS, we ask that you consider Game. applying for this important position. The VHS can only exist as a healthy organization through the efforts, talent and Thursday, January 27, 2011 - 7:30 pm commitment of our members. Vancouver at Work and Play Speaker: Colin Preston If you have an interest in this position, please let us know Our good friend, CBC Archivist Colin Preston will through the info-line (604-878-9140), return in January with some examples of Vancouver by e-mail ([email protected]), by regular at work and at play in the 1950s and 1960s, selected mail (P. O. Box 3071, Vancouver, B. C., V6B 3X6) or talk to from the CBC Vancouver vaults. Some time with the one of the Executive at our monthly meetings. touts at Exhibition Park, anyone? Thursday, February 24, 2011 - 7:30 pm Send Us Your Vancouver Memories Top Ten Endangered Sites in Vancouver Speaker: Donald Luxton Long-time VHS member and Director Chuck Davis writes The top ten list includes two schools, two about his first memories of Vancouver on Page 4 of this issue. neighbourhoods, a BC Hydro substation, a theatre, a downtown street and even historic street trees. Hear We would like to include more items like it in future issues. why the fate of theses sites is important to the city. Whether you were born here or moved here later, what are your Vancouver memories? Do you have special places? Did Thursday, March 24, 2011 - 7:30 pm you go to the clubs like Oil Can Harry’s, Isy’s Supper Club or The Natural Landscape of Vancouver The Cave? Did you ride the streetcars to work? When did you Speakers: Bruce Macdonald and Celia Brauer get your first television set and what were the local shows you The amazing original landscape of Vancouver is watched? almost entirely gone today, but our city is so young we have an unusually good record of what has been Even if your memories are shorter than our future 450-word lost.