During the second world war, she founded the Allied
Officers' Club with premises on Georgia Street,

as a social centre for officers' wives and for the
use of officers on leave. She designed and promoted
the dogwood flower as the official emblem of the
province of 3.C., and it was accepted by the Legis-
lature in 1952. She then worked with the Community
Arts Council to set up the first craft outlet here, in
premises on Howe Street,

Her next major enterprise was that she worked towards
securing, with the help of Dr. Gordon Shrum, one of

the U.B.C. Acadia Camp army huts as a permanent

location for the Department of Extension pottery courses
where they flourished for the next thirteen years or so.
This was the scene of many lively summer schools.

Rex Mason taught in the winter and the summers brought
instructors such as Carlton Ball, Santo Mignosa, John
Reeve dnd Harry Davis.

Olea's work appeared in all the important ceramic
exhibitions - abroad in Brussels, Ostend, Florence
and Berlin, at home in all the Biennial Ceramic Ex-
hibitions in Toronto and Montreal, and in America in
the Syracuse Biennial. Later, Olea herself became

an instructor there, generous as always with her

time and knowledge. With a grant from the Leon and
Thea Koerner Foundation, she collaborated with Stan
Clarke, Req Cixon and Hilda Ross in extensive research
on B.C. clays, and this resulted in the first commer-
cially prepared mixture.

As far back as 1954, she and a small group founded the
B.C. Potters’ Guild, and she served es its first
president. Without her continuing leadership through-
out its early years, it would never have survived to
become the considerable organization it is today. In
the early years facilities were few, knowledge sketchy,
materials and equipment hard to come by. When Qlea
saw any signs of talent, she was endlessly encouraging
and helpful, and there are many potters around in
Vancouver today who are in her debt. Even the younger
potters, who grew up after she retired, owe’ her more
than they know.