Yearly Archives: 2012

Roderrick Haig-Brown – 1970 A story by David Boulding

Roderick Haig-Brown

Jim was an avid fly fisher. His great relief was to go to the mouth of the Elk River (across from the Lodge) or to the drowned mouth of the Wolf River (a few miles from the Lodge) with his friend and mentor, Roderick Haig-Brown. Jim named a building after Rod, to keep his memory alive; Rod’s quiet way in the world contrasted with Jim’s ebullient enthusiasm.
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THE SPIRIT OF STRATHCONA A story by David Boulding

Tony Hunter

The Spirit of Strathcona is people, ideas, and energy coming together. For example, Young Adrian Koeleman escorting a bus load of German tourists has a fan belt break in the Rockies miles from any garage or parts store. What does he do?Adrian turns to the group and speaks to the women. He explains he needs them to get their suitcases out and go through their lingerie and give him all their pantyhose. He says he must make a fan belt from their nylons so they can get to the next town. Excited, the women lay out their suitcases on the Trans Canada Highway and pass Adrian all their nylons. The bus moves along, not overheating, and several German women have a Canadian story that will amaze their friends for years. Read more

FRIENDS WORLD COLLEGE 1972/73

Friends World College, on boat to Nootka Island, October 1972 had decided that he Mary, Nikki, Michael, Joan, Bergie, Mark (top row) Ken, Mary, Johnny Cake (bottom row)

In 1972, Peter Wright took a sabbatical in order to start a branch of Friends World College, a Quaker College from New York. Peter arrived at the Lodge a few weeks early to prepare for the arrival of the students. I was attracted to Peter’s great intellect; he was one of the most knowledgeable men I ever met. Jim loved his practical application of his worldwide learning to local problems. The second professor at the college, Ken Power, had been looking for an alternative to teaching under structured educational methods. Ken had done undergraduate and post-graduate work in sociology, anthropology and economics at the universities of Windsor , Toronto and Alberta and had enough of structured educational methods. By chance he had written to John Young, a high school principal in Campbell River at the time, who told him about Peter Wright and Friends World College

The undergraduates were to spend the fall and spring living in our new building, ever since called the College building, on the south side of Lodge property. After they arrived, the students had a six-week orientation and then with Peter and Ken would negotiate a topic, a time, an evaluation method, and how the work would be done. The students then roared into action studying the agreed upon topic, such things as wolves in North America, outdoor education, new building techniques and methods of generating and saving power. One student, Mark Hurwitz, built a Buckminster Fuller style geodesic dome, which is still at the Lodge. He lived there with Nikki Ellman. Mary Shed, another student, spent the winter gathering elk droppings, in order to find out what they ate. She later became a wildlife biologist. Some students built canvas kayaks and many participated in creating a large vegetable garden. They lived together, sharing food, books and sleeping quarters.  Read more

TOBY HAY 1972

In 1972 you and Jim hired my father Ean, my brother Colin, and me as carpenters to work on a renovation of one of the guest cabins at Strathcona Lodge.  We brought our schooner to the fisherman’s wharf in Campbell River and lived there, driving to the Lodge each day with Ron Woodcox who was a faller but had the summer off for some reason.  Perhaps the woods were closed because of the fire danger – I do remember the summer as very hot and that we used to cool off in the lake in the mid-afternoon.

TobyHay(futureson-in-law)

My father’s story was that you had hired two carpenters to do some work on the little cabin and then went somewhere for a month.  While you were away they framed a second storey on the cabin, a four bedroom addition on its south wall, and 60 feet of two storey extension to the north.  He claimed this was a surprise to you.  I don’t know if the original crew snuck away in disgrace or if you fired them.  If they were fired for incompetence they are unique in the early history of the Lodge where knowledge and ability were not necessary for most jobs – I speak as one who taught cross-country skiing to a Capilano College class the first time he wore cross-country skis. Read more