123_Seaward-D_Ferries-1957-61.mp3

otter.ai

29.01.2023

no

Unknown Speaker 0:01
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. First of all, review of what Fred said. And anyway, I was gonna say, the ferry company did not operate from 1957 to 61. Those were the years I worked for it. It did finish in 1961 that it started technically in 1951. Also, I would point out that as you are the Historical Society, this is not a well researched paper I'm presenting it's my personal reminiscences. They're all factual, basically, things that I was involved with. I've often addressed people in the hiking club, which I go out with frequently, about instance, in the passage, I say, Now, this is history, but then something else I say, this is legend. May or may not be true village legend. So I've done a note here, generally of background CPR came to the Gulf Islands from 1918 to 1914. Very generally, the last ship running here was the Princess Mary. So as we all know, Captain Morgan started the site pack in 1930. Running from forefoot to Swartz Bay and or Sydney I'm not sure. He was at that time, financially backed by a Mr. Matson who have random owns the data columns, also part of the background. Then in 1951, when there was a stamp, when I first came, the Gulf Island ferry company, Nike 51 Limited Company was formed on the island with shareholders on the island and was subsidized by the provincial Department of Highways. There were I don't know how many shareholders on the audit the only two who would possibly be known were death crops and who was vice president of the company. And also when he walked more, who was the mother of Charlie Horrell shares were left to Charlie Horrell so he wasn't involved. There were several other people, but they're mostly long gone. Not that many Island connections.

Unknown Speaker 2:41
Well, okay, I'll come together. I'm going to tell you how the very personal power because it is relevant, how I came to Saltspring. I've often said, or a lot of us have said, you could write a book, I think if you could collect the various stories about power, I came to Saltspring. I was on a deep sea Fraser, British writer, which was actually a Liberty ship, and Crofton in 1947. And here, I was looking at my future home on the west side of Salisbury. I didn't know there was no mill, there was no query, there was just a wharf. And the daily load of lumber came down by train alongside the ship and go to that demand. We actually came into Vancouver, loaded grain in the low hills, and then we came across. And then she made us and across to New Westminster and finished off with a deck with lumber. And those days, it wasn't packaged stuff, it wasn't all strapped together. It was all loaded separate pieces, the stevedores stowed them all and filled up the hole and then put the hatches on and then then loaded the deck cards. So I It was summertime and British Columbia and we swam over the side of Croft and and I thought it was just great times pretty young in those days. And sort of the back of my mind. I decided if I ever integrated I was going to come to British Columbia. Well, I came that's another story. But 10 years later, and I got a job when on the CPR ferries i was on the princess Liz was one of the firm's nightclubs were two nightclubs, one LED Victoria Vancouver every night at midnight. And after I got out here, my mother rose out and told me that we were distantly related to a captain more better see if you can find out something about him. So I've ended acquired some very soon found out that he lived on Saltspring. He also said he had something to do with a ferry. So I found out about catching more than I rang up the mods. And they very graciously said Well, as soon as you can get some leave, come on down and visit you see it So, in due course I got somebody and I left that ship in Vancouver and I flew to Pat Bay. And I got a cab from Pat Bay out Sportsbet now this is the spring of 1957 the cab came out the Old MacDonald Park Road, which was just through the to the trees came out to Swartz Bay was one single wall and wouldn't walk. And there were about four or five vehicles lined up for the ferry. And this gorgeous spring evening and I sat down I thought, my goodness, this Britain is part of the world. So anyway, then we came on the ferry Saltspring mods put me up and at the same time in the day they call them this there was an advertisement for I think two mates to the Gulf Island ferry company. So I got the chills that evening, I said to Captain board, what about this? You see? Oh, you're interested. So I said, certainly. So having been in the country, then about six weeks, and that's my work in small children behind. So he said right, we'll go out and seek Gavin work tomorrow morning. So we drove up to Ganges. And we went to see go and I got in boat was the, amongst many other things. He was the president of the Gulf Island ferry company. He was the unofficial bearer of Saltspring. He was into everything. So he, we had a chat and he said, When can you stop? And I said, Well, just let me get back and get my notice pack my bags. I'll be right down. So basically, that's how I can solve. Now

Unknown Speaker 6:55
perhaps I'll talk about Kevin mark now. I always nowadays, I still say Gavin Buck was my first boss on the island. Government was an incredible man, his drive and energy are making right up to the end of his life. He was behind many, many things. Some of you know this. More than I do probably. So from my point of view, he was very paternalistic. And as an employee, he was always interested in us and our families and the across the business. And he was involved with many, many things on Saltspring. He started the waterworks or he was the driving force behind the waterworks lady mental hospital. The ferry company, he was an entrepreneur. Absolutely. And anyway, so then we started so there was quite a lot of colorful characters on the islands that Oh, another a personal instance, there was a man named Cecil cos. I bought bumped into him as soon as I came to Ganges, that gentleman and I had sailed together on the Empress of Scotland, which was the former Empress of Japan, which ran out of Vancouver, on the self run, before the war. In her last trooping days, we were running out of Liverpool, on the British Department of Transport, picking up troops and that sort of thing. He and I were on wash on that ship. Together. He was a senior Watchkeeper novice, a junior work. And here we are. 10 years later, we end up on a little more because it was a few years before that. We end up on Saltspring there's another amazing he was a particularly colorful character. He amongst other things had been run running of the California coast. Deep Sea he was an artist. I think it was the second officer on the episode Aisha, she was torpedo Malacca Straits, and he was injured getting off the ship. And I think he had two broken legs. And he was in a prisoner of war camp. While he wasn't he got assurance in the port and things were falling apart there very quickly, but the able bodied ones got out but he was in hospital. So he was captured in this prison war for four years. But then he ended up on Saltspring there was Captain brass to Brown who was next. But the only man I know who was a BC pilot coastal pilots and he quit. And he was here for a while. Excellent ship handle, of course in the real gentleman. And there was Edward Lacey and Lesley Molot. Both posts became skippers both for top of the island were the backbone of the parents for a long time. There was a dark day you He was the chief engineer. Some of you will know the name the better Dean, his wife invested in Hospice Foundation they were leading citizens of Florida at that time and it was George Croft many interesting people

Unknown Speaker 10:22
I made a note here that community spirit we hear we talk quite a bit about community spirit soon after I started the operation but okay with eight o'clock in the morning, full fed, we go down and we get ready to start and I was very very view and we start to lower the ramp to get it in position to put the traffic on board. And lo and behold, nothing happens. The ramp during the night a lot of had come up and jammed underneath and to to stop the ramping load down so what did we do now? See So somebody said oh, well, we better reportable get them somebody to fix it. But no sooner we turn around there's a couple of guys have got chainsaws and pickups they were waiting to go on the ferry just a few of the morning loaded vehicles. So they get the chance I was like come on, let's get out this. We had it all sorted out in 15 minutes. Climb down below sort of this log log here load the ramp down in the correct place and away we go with nice community spiritual so you didn't wait for them to do what you're doing. So that the schedules Oh, okay. We had three Wharton halls Ferris. This is not the fifth to seventh. At that time, there was a murder Princess on the forfeit Swartz Bay run the murder princess had been acquired from the CPR for I believe $1 and had an extensive refit. She had been running from Sydney to Stimpson for them for quite a few years. But she was considerably changed. And as I say at that time, was on the forefoot to Swartz Bay run on the receivers craft and novice service craft and Ron Vincent started in 1955. That's two years previously and I heard many stories about the an overrun there the was a little ferry with a single screw GM engine I can always remember and it took about 18 cars and so that was there and then the side pack. The famous side pack was running out Ganges to the outer islands down to Swartz Bay and back is based in Ganges tied up urbanites and it goes on to that. The schedules, I got a copy here, which I went to the archives and they have quite a good selection of material from those days. And I got a copy on I look again at the particularly the schedule for the site Peck and I, I remember, depart. Well, Mondays and Thursdays you served and Galliano men and Panda Tuesday and Friday. You went straight down the tourney that's a turner, Panda and data Swartz Bay. You left Ganges at 530 in the morning. And you did some of the islands whichever day it was went down the Swartz Bay that was to take them down for their shopping for the day. Now the saqqaq Carrot 17 vehicles. So think on that one, eight was also side loading. Now. Most of you will not recall or know anything about Seidman. It really was quite a business when you look back now, instead of going straight into the pen and paper coming on over the bow all the stuff you wanted alongside the old style of shipping the spring line so it came alongside. There were little gates and the foredeck of the side pack. And the ramp came down to the vehicles came down and then turn either back and fill. There's a lot of backing and filling. But you did that as all the alcohol imports when I started. So that was an interesting business because the ticket low tide, it was extremely hazardous. The vehicles were coming down and you had to have plans to get up the gap between the wall and the ship. There were two planks to run over. And you had so you manhandle those planks into position. And they were so damn steep and then sometimes that people would or they be going up, they pick them up, you will have to jump. Somebody nearly got that shins broken several, several times. So it was it across some people better drivers than others, shall we say. And so it was always interesting, then you got stuck. Occasionally a truck would would start up a seed round, and he slide back and he kicked the boards out. So then you start to push the shipper his back wheels would be going down between the chicken wars, all these sort of these happens, but a lot of the time, but so that side loading, we did that on the side pack. And we also later the motor princess was went on to the the outer island run also, that was a similar operation. The Okay, so the schedule is yes. So, Monday, then, as other working conditions work when you think about them, were amazing weeks, start at 530 in the morning, we were supposed to finish at eight o'clock at night. Occasionally, we'd have an overloaded Swartz Bay famous overloads. So then we got to the outer islands, they would come up the cars left would come up on the forefoot ferry and drive again, we come back from the outer islands into Ganges and then take them out from Ganges out they get back at 1030 at night, having started at 530 in the morning. In the morning. As journeyman in the ferry company, I often used to work on all three ferries and three days I go from one to the other, or Gavin, but the boss would drop working schedules and try and fit things that juggle things around, you'd end up when somebody goes sick or something and the weather is bad people. Then I should say also, the person that the service run ran the 12 hours a day, which they were doing up to just a few years ago when they put a second shift on that you worked a 12 hour days. So sometimes you'd be working for six days, 12 hour days. But these sort of things happen no overtime. So oh, okay, at the bottom of this, and I remember this particularly at the bottom here of the schedule, it says schedules as above will be followed as closely as possible, but only toward facilities and extremes tides. Unfortunately, they may occur occasionally. This I sort of emphasize on when I look back and sort of think about it and I shudder that okay, you sailed away you off on your day, particularly the outer islands. And you didn't have any nowadays to know you've got your radio your phone into the ferry terminal of Swartz Bay, or whatever it is, or report anything that goes wrong. You didn't have a you only had channel 16 government radio, you didn't have any contact. Sometimes it's a breakdown of Terry, you know, six hours late or something had never been heard. What's happened. So occasionally things like it also says Gulf Island ferry company, phone, five, two or five, four. In those days, there was a manual phone exchange here. And it was great fun. I remember our hub number was one three queues. You had rings, your own ring, on the other hand, you had local ladies on the telephone extension would ring up. So then you get somebody you know, we'd have a long involved chat, and then she'd say, Well, what number was it worth to Dennis? And you see, oh, I want to say Oh, well, they're not there. They're out there. So and then I'll put you through that. With a job. It also helped. I always remember I hadn't been here very long. I came back. I guess what for morning shift. And I got home from Ghosts. Hello, that your dentist? Yes. There's a father Mr. Santos, will you go? I said right. I'm on my way. There was a we had a vet, a volunteer department for the video truck. And this is sort of thing that happens in the community spirit. The other one here I should mention is modern coffee shops aboard motor princess and slow Peck. Again. Do you know you could get bacon and eggs on the portrait run on those days? We probably took 14 minutes as opposed to 30 minutes So, I should mention that the partisan Nancy Patterson had the, the, what he called the she ran the catering. concession. Right, thank you. On both well, that the the George Pearson didn't have it was too small didn't have a coffee shop at the side pack in particular those long days. And so there was always somebody on the side pack with us for the Vegas to split us in the middle of the day. But there was always a lady in the coffee shop. And the fool for drama in particular did a great business. There's a young lady that was in the coffee shop and Royal Navy, Holly's with working as she was a teenager and in my day. Yes. Now, one here I've made a note of particularly because people do get confused. There was another outfit sparking us up, which I think was called the golf on Navigation Company. And it ran from Steve Austin, the mainland Fraser River, to the alcohol to the islands are mostly islands and ended up in Ganges and we're still coming into beaver point. When I first came, but there was a water beaver point, but it was about 58 or 59 was just continued and it came to Ganges. The wolf was abandoned and eventually taken down. There was also a branch of Patterson store out at Beaver point in those early days. So better Oh, he had the Navy rose. Some of you may have heard the lady rose, actually was a small coastal steam. It was not a car ferry. And it ran the outer islands it had come out from Scotland originally and was in the last war last great number of years has been running out on the Alberni canal to to your COVID and data, etc. But cars they carried a couple of cars on the foredeck, but they were slung over the sidebar. Derek. So then smoking you had the the island Princess bills for the islands, which was more a month of multiple use very wasn't a Qatari, and that ran to the islands until the end of or when BC Ferries took over. It was interesting. He, of course, he was private enterprise Spock and you came from Galliano The family lived there. And so he knew the islands. And actually I can remember having a great big route with him. We got one of his trucks that studies back. And so he started giving me hacking. I said I don't work for you and Mr. New, you know, shove off. But anyway, so he was interesting. He went BC very started and then took out though, he had terrific rouse with with Nick Galati who was Minister of highways in the social credit government at that time, mostly in the press. So eventually, spark in you took the island protests and started the run from Kelsey Bale, Ken Johnson straight. And that's another story. But people do often get confused. With that run. That was nothing to do with us. We did meet up with his new we burst at practically the same time or we're juggling for the wolf of ganseys in the middle of the day. Okay, so, again, going back to the working day, remember there was no power on the wards those days. The forefoot and Vesuvius dropped and we pull those docs up and down with chambers to turn one the semen on one side and meet on the other. You pulled off, you pulled it down, and then you set them up. So at the end of the day, I can particularly the service it seems because every half hour you you are pulling these stocks up and down the end of the day, if it was low tide, you had to pull that dock up from the bottom to the top for the next morning. So that was done took us 15 To 20 minutes to pull up. Well, that's pulling hard on those channels. So then no lights. At the service. I can particularly remember there wasn't even a light on the top there was no electricity at all we used to the winter evenings. The last two or three bronze. We'd like to kerosene oil lanterns and post it up at the end of the dock so we can see where the end of the dock so that's the end The thing as I was saying, particularly the other one, there was no radio contact, you were very much on your own it when you started out, and you've got delays and things that you really didn't have anybody to contact you had some assistance from. Now also don't forget, we ran to we were using Monterey Bay, and studied Bay in active parts. We were going into Port Washington and on Pender island. So turnout was was the same, but they were all side loading. To start with. And when you think, I think, again, I shudder when I think what we did do, we went to the active paths, and the low side paths, not very heavily powered, and single screw and, and we're in a lot of active path and in the dark and we birth at minus b. That was horrendous at times. You had a minus b you pass on the big Berry. When you go through your path minus say north on Main on it's on the starboard side the right hand side and it was a notoriously bad faced with a tight the back end is you could never tell what we used to watch for the skipper did I wasn't the skipper then which way the boats were lying at the mooring buoys to tell which way the tide was running across the wall, because you'd headed and then you'd make a last minute decision whether you're going on the starboard starboard side to a port side to one port Skipper ended up wrapping the end. It didn't in a Montessori way, but mine is that particular was very hazardous. And then we went up to this bay and then came back. And the skipper's particularly Edward Lacey loafer man used to back Eddie's and was on the wrong side of the path for traffic because there wasn't half the traffic that there was nowadays, but some of that was pretty scary stuff when you look back, but 30 is back again, when the tide was very terrific ties are very well very, very deep. And how we, I was trying to think back sort of major incidents, we didn't I can't recall any any major ones and what sort of situations we got into anyway to progress on from there. And within a couple of years. They built and opened Montague Harbour and village Bay and I particularly I was on the inaugural run there with a motor princess with a bunch of big waves. And of course Gavin Lord a photographer a female photographer, I seem to have a thing about getting across swords with with newspaper photography people this there was a female on and we were in Montague province. I want the I want to picture these three trucks on the on the route. I said lady if I have three trucks on the route ramble since there were human rumbled trucks, some of the old timers remember human rumble, they were building the power lines, the pylons across the when they were doing the transmission cables. So then that things became much easier using vintage Bay and Montague harbor we got to end loaders. So that was great. Then in due course, we got an end loading wharf adds to turnout. And then later on still, I mean it's often the period study or debate and voting again. But we also went into hookbait those of you in the past record all the voting, we used to walk at Hope Bay which is around a navy channel on the way down on the north side of North Pendragon we used to lose that some of the time on the way down to Turner Yeah, no, we didn't go into bed with me

Unknown Speaker 29:19
so yes, again 530 In the morning again, geez. The people covered down there for promoting would be usually would be the hydro, the BC towel and all the district knows quite often they were the people who had to serve it the Crawford was the district personnel days. Jake Parker, there were two people for BC Hydro. I think there were two BC BC tell. There was 190 on the island. Now when I look back now there's 190 for quite a long time, particularly those years So they had to come do their work in our drawers and so they had to work in with a fairly fast and so they again now I am made on these all these ferries and the customer, there was no shore staff that would rank attendance, ticket takers and also they waited. The Mate collected the fares loaded the vehicle. Most of the runs the outer islands and the service run you collected on board you loaded the vehicles and then you collected while you were going along. We had a wonderful system of fares all also we fast were charged by length of your vehicles and small vehicles was 75 cents. The average Ford Zephyrs and things were $1 the average North American car was $1 and a quarter car driver, the big cars, Cadillacs and Lincoln's were where dollar $75.50 And then the trucks were so much. And they were we were supposed to charge and by the weights of the freight that carried on the trucks. This is something but now also we we carry packages for 25 cents a package or letter 25 cents. We on the service run again. Somebody there's still no Stevens Johnson Lewis still here, that brother would come down and they bring to crop them. They bring crates of Dale checks. I hand me about three of these things until I take them up into Alaska because to Donald drafted said that they wouldn't laugh the trip across carry them all up into the land where they were a little bit warm. And then usually Mr. Sharp. John, yes, he come down and get go. I wrote all the phones. A couple of times I'd have these things half the morning I got started, I started to come and get your chicks chirping away up there in the lounge. So

Unknown Speaker 32:11
not charters. There's another one. What do you think nowadays, we you could charter the ferries, a ferry for $25. Outside of ours for $25 plus the regular fares. So the pursuers very was quite often chartered by, I don't know the Legion or somebody wanting to party 10 o'clock at night, you do a 12 hour day. And then you come back 10 o'clock at night you take them out, nobody takes it over at seven or something and then bring them back at 11 o'clock at night. So again, the dark all the way down. And then once in your tourist town, we had a bunch of very inebriated local citizens. Okay, back to the creative take on the theory. So things that happen and then hospital trips, there were there were two doctors on Saltspring in those days. And they one of them. I'm sure he did it on purpose. Very dramatic. He postponed setting Boston the regular so he called us out the middle of the night. I remember one less down rainbow. He drove up one under my window, come on down this hospital trip to see who's Okay. All right, you drive up and he used to go and he had a SIP trunk. And he used to run to Victoria head of the ambulance about 80 miles an hour. But he I'm sure he did that several times. Unnecessarily, shall we say? That's the way but you could and we'd always another thing is overloads particularly for Falconer's member overloads holiday weekends. If you were there for the failing of the last trip, we would do it. We go on to three overload trips. They live way, way up the hill. And literally we go on to lead them at 12 o'clock at night. Now, here's another one, WAC Bennett had a summer house on Sunset in those days. And he used to drive himself and his wife over on the ferry, whatever they come over Friday go back Sunday. I particularly remember one holiday weekend. It was Sunday or the Monday the big massive cars and I suddenly saw Mr. Bennett in the lineup and I knew he wasn't going to get on that sailing so I stopped everything and I went across Do you want me to get your own mr. Bennett said no, my boy. He said I'll take my turns and anybody else who had no demand it did that. And he was here. You'd meet him in the door and you have a chapel

Unknown Speaker 34:50
the

Unknown Speaker 34:52
the other thing is interesting when you look back now, the famous business about wall for this point with all heard about I've been on and off. I don't know whether it's even on the back burner now. So I think it's far too late. But you'll know that then 35 years ago, before BC Ferries started there was an independent survey done, which recommended that the walkthrough project is developed points. What is the point of having a ferry run for half it's parallel to a rope. But now this is legend. This is not history. This is a village legend said that. The strong little social credit party in which Mr. Doug Dane was the leader and was one time as a candidate for parliament, it was said that they turned someone down on that, Mr. Bennett, we'd never think that that would have been the time to do it.

Unknown Speaker 36:00
Now one, as I say, no accident, an important one, which I chose, funnily enough, we were on a hike and we were down, profited yield points, looking at the Channel Islands. So I, we had a lunch break, we're sitting on the beach, having lunch. And so I gave this story about the Henry Fosse. Many, you know, always heard of the Henry. Henry fosse was a US tug. The sauce company had a lot of times, big ones, which right up to Alaska, etc. And they, okay, so what happens? The salad tech sales, and it was one of the later mornings, so that'd be terrific. It was February 15. I'm not sure it's not only 58 or 59. February. And they've been a heck of a se girls night for very big plus. And it's AIPAC left, and there was those still whitecaps and there's a heck of a lot of junk in the water logs off the beach. Never thought of sailing through. They was cutting up report Washington, South Korea. And I had been on the pack the previous day, but I was down working on the murder Princess on the ground that morning. I heard a lot of this on the radio. And I don't know whether this story is 100% Correct. But basically it's correct. They were sailing along they suddenly saw those look like seagulls. So they suddenly decided that wasn't seagulls they wheeled around the goal alongside there are two men hanging onto this loveseat. So they stop beside pack. Now, remember, the Cytec has a sort of white rail, as you might call it a platform right around the hall. The gabra Bear that in mind, they stopped. They had a skipper. I made a deckhand. An engineer, that a lady in the coffee bar, and they had one on that particular day had one male passenger with his truck going over to wash. So they gotta get these two men out of the drink. They're clinging on to locks and you imagine that so the skipper had to come down, leave the warehouse and totally come down. I don't know how they got them. Anyway, they got these two men on board these two bodies, one

Unknown Speaker 38:30
turn straight back, right back into one of those men survived the other did not see, and then nobody knew anything about anything up to that time.

Unknown Speaker 38:43
They have not got the signal. Radio made it or wait at all. The man who was in good condition on survive as an engineer who was in his bunk off watch, so he really didn't know what the what they surmise happened was that their radar wasn't working properly. They were running late ship. In other words, they didn't have a toe. They went ashore on the the Channel Islands, which is the mouth of Ganges kava, three small rocky islands. And

Unknown Speaker 39:18
it's I don't know how but subsequently

Unknown Speaker 39:23
thought that he tried to back off, which he shouldn't have done. And she said and there were there. I don't know whether we're three or four drums plus seats. And then of course, they started investigating etc. They found eventually where she had some they never did raise that shift because insurance companies that wanted to leave it. There they were and that I thought that crew did incredibly well. There were five or six men got these people back on board got back in. So that was the Henry because then we can see if we've covered most of these things that I mentioned.

Unknown Speaker 40:20
Running in fog, of course, was we didn't have right well, particularly for service very, I spent a lot of time on that. We didn't have any radar. We ran on time. And, well, the magnetic compasses, we didn't even have the gyro compass. So it was quite hairy at times, particularly if you met a deep sea trader or somebody standing up, and you had to stop. So if you stopped, you lost your time. And did some maneuvering around so my friend classic was, I was running one, and it was talking hatches, sort of the morning time. And it started to clear as we came back to pursue this, and I suddenly saw what I thought was opening to pursue this to my poor side to the most of me as such, I thought that's a bit funny. Anyway, wheeled rover, so they had to do some now that something's wrong, pull us down, and I was heading into duck Bay. With a Why is he so then we came out and sort of felt our way around and that he started to go. But the things we particularly the one time I was on, we tucked under the stern of a freighter, you could see us propeller thrashing around right under these routine things at that time. There wasn't any major accident. So we're starting to wind down now. In the fall of 1959 59. I was on the the motor princess with Captain Moore. We were running into force Bay and zombie holding came around cause opening up for more started jumping up and down. So we can't take that that's no bad. You see. So I got you know what I think? I think that's the start construction for you very turn. Sure enough, it was the government was integrating run your No, I should go back. WAC Bennett initiated stop and a building of BC Ferries BC ferry corporation with its various different names. Because there was a strike, vote, CPR and Blackwall in 58, or 59. Vancouver Island was isolated politically so it was quite right in the way. But that was the reason that BC ferry started, the government started. They started construction of Swartz Bay and to Austin Of course, which was an even bigger job because they had to build great horses and things in the late summer fall of 1969. They started the run in June 1960 with the queen of two awesome, and the Queen of 72 ships. And because we were running into Swartz Bay, rather than walk they said, one wants to start where to start with and buy on a lot of the old sea dogs that too often the older you know, they'll have a lot of trouble making landmines that that first winter they were very lucky. They went right through they did not have batteries subsequently they had the bad ones where they couldn't make it or went pretty smoothly, really. But it was touch and go getting it on. I couldn't remember this. They were collecting the fat. This is the big Ferris was started because they were collecting the past putting the money in wastepaper baskets, but they haven't got the cash machine. And that's because we knew the famous Danny Keane who was the termination date was the real character. He got the he really got the thing going and we had quite a bit to do with it. And we arranged to take over. So we the or they started the run okay that summer, June 60. And they quite well and then we were taken over the Gulf on a ferry company by the government in September 1961. Blackboard were taken over shortly before us they had two bigger ships running on the Nanaimo. Nanaimo Horseshoe Bay run. They were too taken over when we were taking if there was a lot of agitation on the island naturally that was the only way we were going to get improved services the the ferry company had very limited resources was financial etc. For a better ferry service so it was never been a long run. We knew that there was a big change. So we were taken over and those of us who were in service at that time,

Unknown Speaker 45:29
we got a

Unknown Speaker 45:31
bonus of $100 per year of service. I got $400 That was my down payment on my first new car. So that's that's basically the end of what I have to say I'll be very happy to answer questions anybody long Harbor on started in fifth I went there and in 67 It started in 65 that was that's another thing again, I go back to get you can imagine a lineup even of six cars in Ganges now to come down to the federal bowl. So inevitably had to come up. So long topic started with the community especially dusted around

Unknown Speaker 46:41
guess I wasn't involved. I was involved with fish boats, more of a service run I started amongst the boat there are a couple of times I don't recall any particular ones in corporate at that time, I know. Because you've got to remember that these single ended ferries, we made a stern landing focus so they can see like the hardest and then back then so when you if there was a big se girl blowing up the harbor coming out you have to turn to the cumbersome old thing although she was twin screw cap mod ended up quite often steaming up towards the head of the bay or just coming out and then backing halfway down. Go down the property down. Open harvest the floor if you tried to turn off the dock straight up on the beach on

Unknown Speaker 47:42
anybody else? Right.

Unknown Speaker 47:56
Dennis, thank you so much for Jerry