Wednesday 26th of April this year saw me make my departure from Birmingham Airport for another visit to the beautiful Canadian Province of British Columbia.
July 7th 1999 saw me depart from Stansted Airport for a first visit accompanying a dear friend of mine Vera Lees, who was visiting her Son Brian John Lees who whilst he was born in The George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton, England has for more than thirty years lived in Canada first in the Province of Ontario then the the Province of Alberta and for the last fifteen or so years on Vancouver Island which is off the Pacific Coast of Canada, in the Province of British Columbia.
I had met Vera, a Widow, in my house in 1990 courtesy of a neighbour Mrs Maureen Watts, Vera and Maureen had at one time been colleagues in the same office. Vera’s Marriage to Jack Lees who was in fact my second Cousin, had lasted for thirty-six years and produced one Son, Brian. Jack Lees’s life came to an end in 1982 and sadly Vera who in the last twenty years of her life had been troubled with Heart disease.died on 29th November 2002.
I decided to found a new Trophy for Annual competition in the AWA Flying Group, The Vera Lees Trophy, to be awarded for the longest three legged flight in the UK Airspace starting at Coventry, unlike the other Trophies that exist in the Group it is not ornamental but practical, A two Pint Pewter Tankard my second visit was to enable Brian to have the first use of this Tankard but there were other reasons which will transpire later in my story.
Since the runway at Birmingham is not long enough for direct flights to Vancouver on the mainland of Canada’s Pacific Coast, on my second visit, my first flight was by KLM Airline to Amsterdam in Holland a Boeing 737-900 then via an MD 11 for 9 hours twenty minutes to Vancouver and the final leg was a thirty five minute flight from Vancouver to Comox Canadian Forces Base which is also used for Civilian traffic this was by a Saab 340 plane with fifteen of the twenty five seats occupied.
The town of Comox and the City of Courtenay sit on opposite sides of the River Puntledge, on the Eastern side of Vancouver Island, this Island is 260 miles long by 60 miles wide and has mountains that rise to nearly 8000 feet, it is also reputed to have a population of 10,000 Black Bears that can be as dangerous as the Brown or Grizzly Bears on the Canadian mainland and the largest population anywhere of Cougars the Mountain Lion, I saw none of these on either visits. Though I nearly mowed down a dwarf species of Deer in my Car returning from a Music Concert, late at night, these Deer are nocturnal.
Comox and Courtenay are about one third of the way from the Southern tip of the Island where Victoria, the Capital City of the Province of British Columbia is situated. Captain Cook is reputed to have explored the Island in the Eighteenth Century. I stayed on this second visit at a Bed & Breakfast accomodation Estuary House which was built and run by Mr and Mrs Selwyn Jones, Selwyn is a Welsh Speaking Welshman from North Wales, his Wife was born in Canada. This business is for sale so if anyone reading this would like to take on a thriving business let me know, I can put you in touch with the Jones
The Vera Lees Trophy was delivered to Brian Lees who put it to good use during my two-week stay, as he is partial to Beer. Brian is very much of an Entrepreneur; he has had more than one business in Canada, he currently runs Comox Glass, which is situated in Guthrie Road, Comox.. Brian’s Wife also has a Business, Signature Wine and can supply most Alcoholic Drinks.
This second visit to Vancouver Island also gave me the opportunity to thank in person Mr & Mrs Seitinga who live at McKenzie Avenue, Comox.. Canada is the land of Immigrants, the Seitingas’ have strong connections with the Country of Holland their first Language is Dutch. They are customers of Brian Lees Wife’s alcoholic business and in 1999 they wished to spend three weeks in Holland. Mr Seitinga is a keen gardener and has a large garden, so Brian’s Wife arranged that Vera Lees and I had the use for almost the three weeks of our stay in 1999, of their house. Vera was also keen on gardening so under the supervision of Vera and Brian I kept the Garden well watered during their absence in Holland The final night of that first visit was spent in Victoria. The travel arrangements on that first visit were somewhat different, we started our aerial journey from Stansted with a stop to clear Customs and Immigration and refuelling at Winnipeg in the Province of Manitoba. The Plane was an Airbus Long range 320 and I sat with the Crew as the plane crossed the coast of Hudson Bay. Brian met us at Vancouver and we crossed to the Island via the Boat, Ferry, Arriving at Nanaimo just as it was getting dark at 10 30 pm in a tremendous cloudburst of rain. When Brian wished to refuel his transport the first stop he made was not successful, as a Lightning strike had knocked out the Electricity supply. Apart from that,.we had started from Stansted in superb weather and the whole time we were in Canada the Sun shone every day. We never met the Seitingas on that first visit..
The City of Courtenay has an Airpark situated near the river with one runway orientated almost in the same direction of the river there was plenty of opportunity to fly in Floatplanes. A Canadian resident in Estuary house who had flown several times in planes from water and Brian and I were intending to fly with Mr James Slater from Courtenay Airpark over the mountains and land at Gold River but Brian could not find the time and sadly I never flew in a Floatplane., though Stephen Powell is proposing I will..
I am old enough to have been an Air Training Cadet during the War with No 411 (Borough of Nuneaton) Squadron, there was also a second Squadron No 121 The Grammar School Squadron, 411 was disbanded after the War and has never been re-established , I returned my debt to the Cadets as an Instructor several years ago with 121 Squadron. The present Commanding Officer of the still in existence 121 Squadron, Flt Lt Ian Crewe gave me a letter of introduction to Captain Jack Shapka, the CO of No 386 Canadian AirCadets who have their being near Comox Forces Base, I also took a recording of the Nuneaton Squadron Band but sadly I never heard the Canadian Squadron who also have a band play....
My interests in life, in descending order are Music, The Flying of Aeroplanes, Model Railways and The Royal game of Chess.. My visit encompassed all four I attended the inaugural Concert of The Strathcona Symphony Orchestrar, where all the players were under the age of 19, at the Stan Hagen Theatre, . Sarah Hagen, the Daughter of the Man whose name is used for the venue played Chopin’s Winter Wind Etude accompanied by the Orchestrar, the first time I had experienced such an arrangement, the first and last item on the programme were by a fellow Englishman of mine, Henry Purcell. I purchased three OO gauge Canadian Freight cars for my Model Railway from Charlie’s Choo Choo’s near the Air Base. I won three of my six games of Chess in Courtenay’s Seniors Club; I also attended a well rehearsed and performed Play ”A Man of no Importance” The tragedy of Alfie Byrne.
All my arrangements for the trip except the flight from Vancouver to Vancouver Island were made by me from information over the Internet and by Telephone. The Three biggest items of expenditure in descending order were The rent of a Car, Accomodation for two weeks, and Air Fare, Birmingham to Vancouver return !2,000miles for £460. If anyone reading this wishes to emulate me I am almost invariably at the Clubhouse on Sundays and can give them all the details.
Brian Lees is very active in Rotary International, he took me along to their weekly Thursday Night gathering, first there was a singing with great gusto of The Canadian National Anthem, Oh Canada I was most impressed with this. A meal was next and then there were talks illustrated with video displays by five visiting Rotarians from South Africa. If there are any Rotarians reading this account they will be very welcome in Comox by Brian Lees.
On my first visit to Vancouver Island, Brian and His Wife lived in accomodation above His Wife’s business in Comox, but he has now built an enormous house on the road from the City of Courtenay to Victoria. Timber is extremely plentiful in British Columbia and that is what the house is built. Brian was working on a lawn that slopes down to the Sea, he showed me the many logs that he has put to keep the Sea at bay, he told me that last year all the logs that he put there were claimed by the Sea.
I visited this house three times, the first was a reconnaisance when the Lees were not at home, Brian’s Wife could not show me on the map of Comox and Courtenay that I had, where the house is, it is so far out of the City of Courtenay, She just gave me the Number which is in four digits, it took me two hours to find it, and my two other visits resulted in some prowling about to find the house which lies more than a hundred yards away from the road., as one would expect in British Columbia behind a great deal of trees.The two meals with the Lees were the highlight of the trip. The Lees could have Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, performed in their house,as it has a Balcony inside the premises,
I have for many years visited the Courts of Law in England, so I decided to pay a visit on the second Friday of the trip to Courtenay’s Justice Centre. The Sheriff told me that there were not any proceedings taking place that day, but if I returned on Monday there was to be the start of a Murder Trial..
So promptly at 9 AM on Monday I arrived at the Centre simultaneously with a Canadian Policeman who when he got out of his Patrol Car was wearing a Firearm always a disturbing sight for an Englishman, I introduced myself as a visitor from England and asked if The Royal Canadian Mounted Police always got their man, he replied We Try, We Try.
In the event I never heard any of the Murder Charge due to other cases being heard first. It should have been interesting, I had planned to fly over the Mountains from Courtenay Air Park to land at Gold River, a place that I visited with the Lees Family on the first trip to Vancouver Island. Seemingly the Policeman’s reply to my question was true. Some eight years previously a Woman had died by drowning at Gold River and Her husband had now, Eight years later been arrested and charged with Her First Degree Murder.
Should I become suddenly and inordinately rich due to the Lotteries I gamble on, I propose to make another visit to Vancouver Island, this Summer but not with The Vera Lees Trophy. The AWA Group, will have to organise a Social event to present it to Rosemarie Clemo who has laid claim to it. Vera’s Son will not be in England this year to make the presentation, but he has a Daughter living in England, so we might persuade Vera’s Granddaughter to stand in for him.
British Columbia as its name suggests is noted as being the most British of Canada’s Ten Provinces, the games of Cricket and Rugby Football are played in the Province, according to the legendary Australian Batsman Sir Donald Bradman, the most beautiful Cricket ground in the World is in Victoria Park in the Canadian City of Vancouver, in one direction from the ground is the Sea and in the opposite direction are a range of Mountains.
July 7th 1999 saw me depart from Stansted Airport for a first visit accompanying a dear friend of mine Vera Lees, who was visiting her Son Brian John Lees who whilst he was born in The George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton, England has for more than thirty years lived in Canada first in the Province of Ontario then the the Province of Alberta and for the last fifteen or so years on Vancouver Island which is off the Pacific Coast of Canada, in the Province of British Columbia.
I had met Vera, a Widow, in my house in 1990 courtesy of a neighbour Mrs Maureen Watts, Vera and Maureen had at one time been colleagues in the same office. Vera’s Marriage to Jack Lees who was in fact my second Cousin, had lasted for thirty-six years and produced one Son, Brian. Jack Lees’s life came to an end in 1982 and sadly Vera who in the last twenty years of her life had been troubled with Heart disease.died on 29th November 2002.
I decided to found a new Trophy for Annual competition in the AWA Flying Group, The Vera Lees Trophy, to be awarded for the longest three legged flight in the UK Airspace starting at Coventry, unlike the other Trophies that exist in the Group it is not ornamental but practical, A two Pint Pewter Tankard my second visit was to enable Brian to have the first use of this Tankard but there were other reasons which will transpire later in my story.
Since the runway at Birmingham is not long enough for direct flights to Vancouver on the mainland of Canada’s Pacific Coast, on my second visit, my first flight was by KLM Airline to Amsterdam in Holland a Boeing 737-900 then via an MD 11 for 9 hours twenty minutes to Vancouver and the final leg was a thirty five minute flight from Vancouver to Comox Canadian Forces Base which is also used for Civilian traffic this was by a Saab 340 plane with fifteen of the twenty five seats occupied.
The town of Comox and the City of Courtenay sit on opposite sides of the River Puntledge, on the Eastern side of Vancouver Island, this Island is 260 miles long by 60 miles wide and has mountains that rise to nearly 8000 feet, it is also reputed to have a population of 10,000 Black Bears that can be as dangerous as the Brown or Grizzly Bears on the Canadian mainland and the largest population anywhere of Cougars the Mountain Lion, I saw none of these on either visits. Though I nearly mowed down a dwarf species of Deer in my Car returning from a Music Concert, late at night, these Deer are nocturnal.
Comox and Courtenay are about one third of the way from the Southern tip of the Island where Victoria, the Capital City of the Province of British Columbia is situated. Captain Cook is reputed to have explored the Island in the Eighteenth Century. I stayed on this second visit at a Bed & Breakfast accomodation Estuary House which was built and run by Mr and Mrs Selwyn Jones, Selwyn is a Welsh Speaking Welshman from North Wales, his Wife was born in Canada. This business is for sale so if anyone reading this would like to take on a thriving business let me know, I can put you in touch with the Jones
The Vera Lees Trophy was delivered to Brian Lees who put it to good use during my two-week stay, as he is partial to Beer. Brian is very much of an Entrepreneur; he has had more than one business in Canada, he currently runs Comox Glass, which is situated in Guthrie Road, Comox.. Brian’s Wife also has a Business, Signature Wine and can supply most Alcoholic Drinks.
This second visit to Vancouver Island also gave me the opportunity to thank in person Mr & Mrs Seitinga who live at McKenzie Avenue, Comox.. Canada is the land of Immigrants, the Seitingas’ have strong connections with the Country of Holland their first Language is Dutch. They are customers of Brian Lees Wife’s alcoholic business and in 1999 they wished to spend three weeks in Holland. Mr Seitinga is a keen gardener and has a large garden, so Brian’s Wife arranged that Vera Lees and I had the use for almost the three weeks of our stay in 1999, of their house. Vera was also keen on gardening so under the supervision of Vera and Brian I kept the Garden well watered during their absence in Holland The final night of that first visit was spent in Victoria. The travel arrangements on that first visit were somewhat different, we started our aerial journey from Stansted with a stop to clear Customs and Immigration and refuelling at Winnipeg in the Province of Manitoba. The Plane was an Airbus Long range 320 and I sat with the Crew as the plane crossed the coast of Hudson Bay. Brian met us at Vancouver and we crossed to the Island via the Boat, Ferry, Arriving at Nanaimo just as it was getting dark at 10 30 pm in a tremendous cloudburst of rain. When Brian wished to refuel his transport the first stop he made was not successful, as a Lightning strike had knocked out the Electricity supply. Apart from that,.we had started from Stansted in superb weather and the whole time we were in Canada the Sun shone every day. We never met the Seitingas on that first visit..
The City of Courtenay has an Airpark situated near the river with one runway orientated almost in the same direction of the river there was plenty of opportunity to fly in Floatplanes. A Canadian resident in Estuary house who had flown several times in planes from water and Brian and I were intending to fly with Mr James Slater from Courtenay Airpark over the mountains and land at Gold River but Brian could not find the time and sadly I never flew in a Floatplane., though Stephen Powell is proposing I will..
I am old enough to have been an Air Training Cadet during the War with No 411 (Borough of Nuneaton) Squadron, there was also a second Squadron No 121 The Grammar School Squadron, 411 was disbanded after the War and has never been re-established , I returned my debt to the Cadets as an Instructor several years ago with 121 Squadron. The present Commanding Officer of the still in existence 121 Squadron, Flt Lt Ian Crewe gave me a letter of introduction to Captain Jack Shapka, the CO of No 386 Canadian AirCadets who have their being near Comox Forces Base, I also took a recording of the Nuneaton Squadron Band but sadly I never heard the Canadian Squadron who also have a band play....
My interests in life, in descending order are Music, The Flying of Aeroplanes, Model Railways and The Royal game of Chess.. My visit encompassed all four I attended the inaugural Concert of The Strathcona Symphony Orchestrar, where all the players were under the age of 19, at the Stan Hagen Theatre, . Sarah Hagen, the Daughter of the Man whose name is used for the venue played Chopin’s Winter Wind Etude accompanied by the Orchestrar, the first time I had experienced such an arrangement, the first and last item on the programme were by a fellow Englishman of mine, Henry Purcell. I purchased three OO gauge Canadian Freight cars for my Model Railway from Charlie’s Choo Choo’s near the Air Base. I won three of my six games of Chess in Courtenay’s Seniors Club; I also attended a well rehearsed and performed Play ”A Man of no Importance” The tragedy of Alfie Byrne.
All my arrangements for the trip except the flight from Vancouver to Vancouver Island were made by me from information over the Internet and by Telephone. The Three biggest items of expenditure in descending order were The rent of a Car, Accomodation for two weeks, and Air Fare, Birmingham to Vancouver return !2,000miles for £460. If anyone reading this wishes to emulate me I am almost invariably at the Clubhouse on Sundays and can give them all the details.
Brian Lees is very active in Rotary International, he took me along to their weekly Thursday Night gathering, first there was a singing with great gusto of The Canadian National Anthem, Oh Canada I was most impressed with this. A meal was next and then there were talks illustrated with video displays by five visiting Rotarians from South Africa. If there are any Rotarians reading this account they will be very welcome in Comox by Brian Lees.
On my first visit to Vancouver Island, Brian and His Wife lived in accomodation above His Wife’s business in Comox, but he has now built an enormous house on the road from the City of Courtenay to Victoria. Timber is extremely plentiful in British Columbia and that is what the house is built. Brian was working on a lawn that slopes down to the Sea, he showed me the many logs that he has put to keep the Sea at bay, he told me that last year all the logs that he put there were claimed by the Sea.
I visited this house three times, the first was a reconnaisance when the Lees were not at home, Brian’s Wife could not show me on the map of Comox and Courtenay that I had, where the house is, it is so far out of the City of Courtenay, She just gave me the Number which is in four digits, it took me two hours to find it, and my two other visits resulted in some prowling about to find the house which lies more than a hundred yards away from the road., as one would expect in British Columbia behind a great deal of trees.The two meals with the Lees were the highlight of the trip. The Lees could have Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, performed in their house,as it has a Balcony inside the premises,
I have for many years visited the Courts of Law in England, so I decided to pay a visit on the second Friday of the trip to Courtenay’s Justice Centre. The Sheriff told me that there were not any proceedings taking place that day, but if I returned on Monday there was to be the start of a Murder Trial..
So promptly at 9 AM on Monday I arrived at the Centre simultaneously with a Canadian Policeman who when he got out of his Patrol Car was wearing a Firearm always a disturbing sight for an Englishman, I introduced myself as a visitor from England and asked if The Royal Canadian Mounted Police always got their man, he replied We Try, We Try.
In the event I never heard any of the Murder Charge due to other cases being heard first. It should have been interesting, I had planned to fly over the Mountains from Courtenay Air Park to land at Gold River, a place that I visited with the Lees Family on the first trip to Vancouver Island. Seemingly the Policeman’s reply to my question was true. Some eight years previously a Woman had died by drowning at Gold River and Her husband had now, Eight years later been arrested and charged with Her First Degree Murder.
Should I become suddenly and inordinately rich due to the Lotteries I gamble on, I propose to make another visit to Vancouver Island, this Summer but not with The Vera Lees Trophy. The AWA Group, will have to organise a Social event to present it to Rosemarie Clemo who has laid claim to it. Vera’s Son will not be in England this year to make the presentation, but he has a Daughter living in England, so we might persuade Vera’s Granddaughter to stand in for him.
British Columbia as its name suggests is noted as being the most British of Canada’s Ten Provinces, the games of Cricket and Rugby Football are played in the Province, according to the legendary Australian Batsman Sir Donald Bradman, the most beautiful Cricket ground in the World is in Victoria Park in the Canadian City of Vancouver, in one direction from the ground is the Sea and in the opposite direction are a range of Mountains.
Alfred Clews..
