TERRACE— Plans for the re-
‘union of Skeenaview employees
are practically complete accord
_ ing to one of the organizers,
Marg Goodlad, and the out-of-
town response has been “quite -
good’’.

She says the organizing com-
mittee has heard” from ex-
employees from as far ‘away as
Winnipeg and. Saskatoon as well:
as many. B.C. communities.

: The event. will ‘begin’ on Fri-
day; Aug. 4, ‘with a dinner and
dance: at- the . ‘Thornhill ' -Com-
munity Centre, then come River-
boat Days activities. the follow- :
ing. day for which -reunion
organizers are preparing a float
for the parade, and'on Sunday
there will be a picnic and’ social
on the’ Terraceview grounds, '
once the site .of Skeenaview
Lodge. This will be followed by
a tour of Terraceview, .

‘The reunion offers a chance
for may long-time friends to be
reunited and an opportunity for
the children of past Skeenaview
’ employees to discover just what
their parents lives were like
when they lived and worked at
Skeenaview. And this link to life
in Terrace in the past offers an
opportunity to get some of the
facts on to the official record. -

In researching the history of
Skeenaview Lodge, it was dis-
covered that very little material
exists. The only major source of
information is a Grade 12 thesis’
completed by Fraser McKinnon
on Dec, 4, 1978. In the introduc-
tion McKinnon writes, “‘Skeena-
view has an interesting and col-
orful history; yet surprisingly lit-
tle has been written about. it.
Nadine Asante, in her book, The
History of Terrace, contributes
only three lines to this local
landmark,”’

This isn’t quite true, but his
point is well taken. Asante gave
Skeenaview 13 lines of text in
which she described how the
local Board of Trade put up a
‘‘snirited fight”? to save the old
army barracks from demolition,
the number of staff members
‘and patients .as of May 1972,
and brief mention of the Remo-

4 “Terrace Revie = - Wealnesdey, June 28, 1985"

~'Skeenaview r reunion 1 to. be steeped. in histor

tivation Prograni in the ' “very<
active staff-managed Handicraft

Workshop”. which was ‘funded.
by private individuals and :or- ‘

ganizations and aided by yolun-

-teer workers.

‘In addition to’ McKinnon’s
thesis, the Terrace Review
talked .to one of Skeenaview’s

first employees, Jim Piffer, who
started: working at Skeenaview :
_as the head, ‘cook ‘and later -be--
came. the purchasing’ agent, And.
‘after talking to.Piffer, it appears -
‘as though McKinnoii is ‘tight —
‘Skeenaview does have an inter- :
esting and. colorful history and
did make a significant contribu- .
tion towards the development of |

Terrace. Piffer, along with an-
other early Skeenaview employ-
ee Fred Stewart, who was at one
time was the director of nursing,
were McKinnon’s primary

‘source of information.

-Milltary beginnings

The’ buildings that were to
become Skeenaview Lodge were
originally built by the Royal
Canadian Air Force in 1941 as a
military hospital, according to
McKinnon. At that time there
was fear of an enemy attack on
the west coast and there were
3,000 army troops stationed in
Terrace. But when the war end-
ed in 1945, the army. departed
and the $300,000 complex was
scheduled for demolition.

‘McKinnon doesn’t mention
the ‘‘spirited fight’? put up by
the Board of Trade but does

describe how the site was even-
tually bought by the provincial
government in 1947 for

$75,000. It was then renovated
and opened in the fall of 1950 as
a psychogeriatric unit called
‘‘The Home for the Aged’’. At
that time it was a branch of
Essondale’s Valleyview Hospital
and operated under the direction
of the Department of Health’s
Mental Health Services.

First, however, the chief engi-
neer, Fraser McLaughlin, came
to Terrace and then an advance
party arrived on Aug. 21, 1950,

remembers Piffer. And at that

time, Terrace was very different
than it is today. These early

‘workers: ‘feeded’ ‘some | “of that

pioneering | spirit: demonstrated: -
‘by. our-very first. white settlers’

some 45 years earlier. In: 1950, :

‘reports ‘McKinnon, Terrace was
*. a small isolated community of ©
‘about 400, people and the roads

into the. community were. eX- .
tremely narrow — in many cases

nothing better than dirt tracks.

Piffer: describes tlie experience.

.of- driving. here from Essondale

via-Hazelton. ‘‘1. drove up over
these roads ‘and they were-horti-:

- ble,” he-says.““I remember. my

daughter being seared ‘looking:

“over the edge of the canyon just

outside of Terrace. “That was

horrible — something like the”

Fraser Canyon.”’ He explains
that the bends. and the. narrow
roads through ‘deep: rock. cuts
made it. ‘impossible _ to see any-—
thing coming the other way and.
often you would have to back up .

~ to let someone else through.

And ‘road’ maintenance left
something to be desired. too
according to Piffer, ‘‘The road
would wash away and there
would be just a trail made with
bulldozers — they just bull-
dozed a trail. And in the spring,
you would sink out of. site and
get stuck.’’ Yes, just getting to
Terrace in 1950 was an adven- .
ture in itself.

Stewart described the isola-
tion of the five-block-long com-
munity of Terrace in 1950 to
McKinnon. “‘There was one fel-
low who used to bring the mail
from Prince Rupert to Kitimat
by canoe because at that time it
was just an Indian village; that |
was before the railroad. He used »
to paddle up the rivers and drop
the mail off at different settle-

- ments. In wintertime he had. to

do most of it by dog sled... he
didn’t make too many trips a

39

year.”’

So why did these. early
Skeenaview -workers come to
Terrace? The facility was
located here only as a matter of
economic convenience for the
government — the buildings
were here and they were cheap.
Some may have been attracted .
by the isolation but others may

It was a busy day at Totem Petro-Can’s 10th anniversary “Customer Appreciation Day”.
Coffee, donuts and good service were there to greet all. And when it was all over, two lucky
Terrace residents had won the day’s draws. Elizabeth Mair won $100 of gasoline and Artin
Boobe won four all-season tires valued at $425.

- Chamber chooses new executive ©

The Terrace and District
Chamber of Commerce has
elected their 1989/90 executive.
_ ‘The new president is Bob Park,
who will be assisted by first vice
president . Doug. Smith, second

vice president Greg: Townsend,
treasurer Doug
secretary Sharon Taylor.

Also elected last week were |

nine directors. Serving two year

terms are Dennis Brewer, Eric —

McLeod, and —

Johanson, Barb = Kerr, Gerry:

Martin and Cary Rodin, Elected -
for one year terms are Wes:

Beeston, Reynold Collins, Bruce

Graydon and Joe Zocchlatti

“have endured it ‘for. other .
. -” ehgineer who ‘had’: tar ot
earlier. “‘He was quite a figure ing
the neighborhood,” Piffer
recalls, ‘“‘He really. came ‘out‘and’ -
shook hands and welcomed. ug.
Andy- Miles, ‘another. “old .
timer’’, was already there when -
Piffer. ‘arrived, and that-same
daughter ° ‘and. ©

reasons.

As far as Piffer was con-
cerned, it was.a matter of eco-
omic convenience for. the
worker.
1950, and at Skeenaview you

" could live in a single bedroom ‘
7 apartment for $25 a month or ‘in

a double for: only, $30 a month.

But: there “was some inconveni- .
ence too, ‘There was no water

or anything at ‘that time,” ac-

cording: to Piffer. ‘“We were ‘the
advance party. ‘We were sent up-

here to ‘get things ready.?”: ‘So. the

price ‘for the ‘low rent was ‘Haul-
ing water from’ Deep Creek in
garbage. pails. and eating in a -
-downtown cafe because . there.

was no way to cook food . at
Skeenaview..
But there was something : spe-

cial about the place. New.

workers were greeted. with a
warm handshake and a friendly
smile. And in their isolation,

friendships began easily and-

grew fast. Piffer still remembers
many of these early friends.

‘Wages. were low in

‘day ‘Miles’

There was. Dave -Tomliso

George’ ‘Hamer: were married,

-There was Jack Kenyon and, his > =.
wife who caméto Skeenaviewto . ~
operate the laundry... And there.
was” another engineer whose _ ce
name has been lost in time that
invited Piffer and his family t to av

dinner party on their’ arrival...

‘So from the very first day, the
workers at Skeenaview were. a
new-found family and a part of |.

the community of Terrace

whose municipal © boundaries .

were still far'to the south. ‘‘The

people in Terrace really wel--. .
_comed us,’’ recalls Piffer. ‘‘But

we came here as group and we
knew no one. So we were a kind
of a family living within the
grounds.’’

Coming Events

Ongoing registration is now open for recreational kids,
age three and up, for the Terrace Peaks Gymnastic Club.
For more information, call Diane at 698-0786,

The Terrace French Preschool is now taking registration

for the Fall. Our new location will be at the Christian:

Reformed Church, 3608 Sparks St. To register, . call

_ Jayne Lin at 635- 2254,
June 10 to 30 — The June show at the Terrace Art:

Gallery during regular Gallery hours — “Plants and
Totems”, photo collages by Mike MacDonald.

Saturday, July 1 — Branch 73 of the B.C. Old Age Pen-

sioners’ will be holding their Pancake Breakfast from &
to 11 a.m. at the Happy Gang Centre on Kalum Street.

Everyone is welcomel!!-
-Sunday, July 2 — A cry from the heart — Three Iranian-

women tell about persecution and sacrifice In Iran. Very

moving and personal stories. To be held at 7:30 p.m. at»

the Terrace Public Library. Ail are welcome. Sponsored
by the Baha’i Community. For more information call

' 635-3219.

Thursday, July 6 — A meeting will be held at the
Seniors’ Lounge, 4623 Tuck Avenue. All former

employees of the home for aged, Skeena View and -

Skeenaview Lodge please attend to finalize plans for
the reunion.

Saturday, July 8 — Northwest Counselling Centre will
. be conducting a “Communication Skills Workshop for

Couples — Level I" from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Northwest
Community College, room 2001. Facilitated by Lynn
Hughes and Lil Farkvam. Please register at the North-
west Counselling Centre, 4711 Lazelle Ave. For more in-
formation, call the Centre at 638-8311.

July 10 - 28 (session 4); August 8 - 25 (session.2) — Ter-

race Little Theatre will be conducting summer school at

the McColl Playhouse on Katum Street. Session one is —

from 9 a.m. to 12 noon for 7-to-11-year olds; session two
is from 12:30 to 3:30. p.m. for 12-to-14-year-olds. For fur-
ther Information, phone Merry or Jo at 638- 6061 eve-
nings. .

Saturday, July 29 — Terrace Oldtimers’ Reunion annual
banquet at the Oddfellows Hall, 3322 Munroe, Terrace,

- social hour at 6 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. Welcome to Ter-

race residents prior to 1960, Tickets are on sale at
Rose’s Shop, Terrace Drugs and Grace Fell Florist.

August 4-6 — Grad ‘69 Reunion are planning a reunion.
Any former students who did, would have or should

‘have graduated then and wishing to attend, can phone

Rhonda at 638-8787 or Debbie at 635-9190.

Saturday, August 5 — Northwest Native Summer
Festival at the Kermode Friendship Centre, 3313 Kalum
St. Arts and crafts exhibition and sale beginning after
the parade to 5 p.m. Hourly door prizes. A Native dance

exhibition will be held at Lower Little Park Bandshell

starting at 7 p.m. For more information, call 635-4906. To
book a table, leave your name and phone number with
Vivian.

Sunday, August 13 — The annual Children’s Festival
will happen. All free! All fun! For more information, con-

tact Elizabeth at 635-2487 or Lort at 635-9533.

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