This November, join five B.C. authors at the Museum at Campbell River (470 Island Highway) for two free local history events.
On Saturday, Nov. 7, from 1-3 p.m., Bill Proctor and Yvonne Maximchuk will talk about their new book, Tide Rips and Back Eddies: Bill Proctor’s Tales of Blackfish Sound. And on Sunday, Nov. 8, from 1-3 p.m., co-authors Christine Dickinson, Deborah Griffiths and Catherine Siba will give a presentation on their new book, Watershed Moments: A Pictorial History of Courtenay and District (co-written with Judy Hagen). Both of these events will feature book signings, with books available for purchase from the Museum at Campbell River.
A lifelong fisherman, trapper, logger and, in later life, author, Proctor learned from both the indigenous people and the settlers who came to live in Blackfish Sound. Along with his entertaining tales of the surrounding communities, Proctor also discusses the ingenious technology necessary to both fishing and everyday survival.
Covering the natural and domestic history of the area and everything in between – from recollections of old-time fishermen to Billy’s own stories of sasquatches and other strange things – Tide Rips and Back Eddies is a riveting and deeply moving account of a long and uniquely coastal life. Writing collaborator Yvonne Maximchuk’s drawings illustrate Proctor’s personal anecdotes as well as carefully detail an eclectic array of interesting items collected by Proctor throughout his lifetime for his personal museum.
Bill Proctor has been a resident of the Central Coast for 80 years. For the past 35 years, he has run Billy’s Museum, a public collection of historical items he has found and collected, located in Echo Bay, BC. Proctor is the co-author of Full Moon, Flood Tide, with Yvonne Maximchuk. Maximchuk is a lifelong working artist, illustrator and author. She is the co-author of Full Moon, Flood Tide and the author of Drawn to Sea. She lives with her husband Albert in Echo Bay, B.C.
In Watershed Moments, the Courtenay and District Museum opens its vast collection of historical photographs, glass plate negatives and other ephemera, much of which has never before been available to public viewing. Spanning from the late 1800s to the modern era, here are scenes of K’ómoks village life, boating parties, family celebrations, agricultural events and economic activities.
This rich visual depiction of the region and its development is complemented by lively text, drawing heavily on the museum’s extensive holdings of primary source material. Local authors Christine Dickinson, Deborah Griffiths, Judy Hagen and Catherine Siba write of ancient fish weirs, bride ships and gentlemen adventurers, back-breaking work and astounding beauty, tracing the complex development of a diverse and ever-changing community.
Christine Dickinson is an educator with a passion for regional history. She co-authored Atlin: The Story of British Columbia’s Last Gold Rush, which received the Lieutenant-Governor’s Award.
Deborah Griffiths is the Executive Director of the Courtenay and District Museum and has been involved in museum research and curatorial work in the Okanagan and on Vancouver Island for over 30 years. Judy Hagen has been writing her popular “Hunt for History” column for the Comox Valley Echo since 1992.
