“be directed — who operated by the -
~:Sbook which listed the members of

“Parliament and the jurisdictions

hey came from. That's how light-

Rls hoch ts rac On oy oD

EAL OY PALIT SH SLE ME PE EE FEN,

EGO TRLET PUE TL 02

ROE Sat

Seg y yas EP

In addition to inclement conditions, West Coast
lighthouse keepers weather storm from Ottawa

_ Eleanor

vintage years

7 MEN, SIMPLY because
“they’re men, have always

carried with them the need
to .prove their manliness.

That is ‘no longer establis hed by
having to ride a horse full cilt with,

“adance aimed at the opponent's
heart (unless you're going to count

those automobile drivers on
~, Lonsdale). We've got past that, But
sky-diving or walking on the moon

‘or approaching the irritated bull

with only a red cape and a short
- dagger. they're all cut from the
same cloth.

‘Lighthouse-keepers of earlier
days fitted supremely into that -

“stubborn determination to assert ‘the
‘male macho, When they rade that |

‘commitment to the isolated light
.~they had to be very. confident of all
their talents, all their capacities for:
“self-control and self-management,
-as well as physical strength. Some
“of them weren’t prepared for all
_,that would come at them.

Don Graham, our local keeper

of the light at Point Atkinson, has .

| Written two books about those men,

“who, with their women, were the
“first keepers of the lights on the
“B.C:coast and the west coast of
“Vancouver Island. Some of the :
tales bring you to the verge of :
tears. Such courage. And such”
‘betrayal. The betrayal spun from
‘the bureaucrats in Oitawa — to
whom all requests and pleas had to

b
hesrad bar ye
Jase core

A-year purse tioc

houses were staffed, by political
favor. The men in Ottawa knew zip
about our climate, our winds, our
currents, but still were the supreme
authority.

It 1910 a tight was built near

‘Tahsis on the west coast of the

Island — the wife of the light-
keeper developed crippling arthritis
living there. and the desperate
keeper besceched Ottawa for an
addition to his pay that would
allow him to hire help for his three
children. The reply reminded him
that he was home alt day and there-
fore had Sots of time to Jook after
the kids, and as for their schooling,
the B.C. government, they were
told, “had good correspondence
courses.” That's why the depart-

66 Things have
changed, and the pre-
sent keeper lives with

‘his-family in a proper

house and tills his
garden.... 99

ment preferred to hire married men.
so that there would t be no need for

_ an assistant.

Did the wife get the assistant’s
money? Hah. The wages were
unbelievably penurious.

When Ben and Annie Coleville

took over the Pointer Island light in
1917, his yearly wage was $595.
When he left, in 1945, it had got all
the way up to $1590.

Gran Island light was so
exposed to the sca and the elements
that in winter ice covered the whole
station, and the keepers had to keep
hammers handy in order to get
through the doors, Green Light was
regarded as the coldest of all the
light stations, thus the department
generously landed half'a ton of
coul per year to heat the engine
room. One keeper ordered a whale

. ton, very cheeky, and was sent the

half that was allowed plus a buck-
saw,

An Egg Island light keeper
asked for rockets and flares, but the
government deemed that four short
blasts on the horn should suffice a:
warning to ull ships. In November.
of 1948, that whole station was
swept into the sea by a tsunam of
epic proportions left nothing but

" the concrete foundation. The keep-

er and his family scrambled to the
highest ground —~ which was the
chicken coop — without food,
water or a change of clothing.
Their provisions for the next six
months, unloaded two days before,
had gone with the awesome waves,
and it was five days before a fish-
ing boat saw them and picked them
off the shore.

Had they had flares ~— ah,
Ottawa couldn’t be throwing
money around everywhere, could

it? When that keeper and his family -

got out of the hospital it was the
end, for them. of light-keeping. The
station was rebuilt, on higher

" . ground.

~ LEGAL CALL
FoR SENIORS |

I will come to your home

‘ Linda V. Mundell

Barrister/Solicitor

With a Seotut GHC vote citt Hae the

1 : . vd,
Yaey ca hefor: duly 2 Sand select om. bie

Lomadnin Dollae Non Redeemabty GC

that best suas Your need fs Cbindmum S300 investment) then

wetbadd a 6

oTeesites interest aver posted rates.

We alse dave a edie range ob rere aad interes: paymem

aptions tuchoosc. flone ft you're wasting for Funds toebeconme

Savanlable, reser
for up ted weeny

Came ta Scat

aan: fogiste red GAG ata guaranteed rate
thoour pre-booking option. :
wharth branch and let's talk.

‘ . L

1506 Marine Drive. North, Vancouver
1357 Lonsdile Avenue, Norte Vancouver
1586: Marine Drives West Vancouver ‘

tase Deon geen Scotiabank: Biv wheeled de coy A

‘Please Call 983-0763

Fax 983-7015

Don Grahain's situation is an
“in” station, which means, | gather,
nat totally isolated, Things have
changed, and the present keeper
lives with his family in a proper
house and tills his gurden and
keeps his records with imagination
und energy. He fives daily bound
up in the winds and currents, which
his finely tuned instruments allow
him to-interpret both for the ships
at sea and fellow lighthouse keep-
ers. ‘

When Ontawa starts talking
about de-staffing and automating
light stations, Graham thinks of
Egg Island, and of how technology
still has no jurisdiction over the
tsunami.

Stephen Wong

"harmacist

CAPSULE COMMENTS

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vita-
min and is eliminated from the body
in abouc 12 hours. It's better to take
Vitamin C doses twice a day to keep
your blood levels more constant.

The Vitamin C content of the
orange is maintained very well in the
unpeeled orange, After juicing and
kept cool, the orange still holds its
vitamin content well if you keep the
juice in a tightly-closed container. If
exposed to the air for long periods of
time, the nutritional content does go
down,

Whether ic be a vitamin choice or
simply some information about med-
ications in general, our pharmacists
are always ready to help.

‘DAVIES PHARMACY
1401 St. Georges 985-8771
145 W. 16th. St. 987-4411

Use our. WALKERS to take a long walk outside,
carry your groceries easily,
get better balance. & support.
No more falling.

CALL 990-9422

rT

EVERY WEDNESDAY fs "SENIOR'S DAY!

RE SPECIALS! ” |

ak

ExRECEIVE 10% OFF TOTAL GROCERY PURCHASE

(Must be 65 yrs. or older. Original coupons only & must be,

present
] a, esis

ot time of purchase, Limit 1 per visit) .
mo