Photograph is cut from a larger original with a label pasted to the bottom. Verso says "Dedication of school swing in memory of Don McDevitt, June 1971. Mrs. McDevitt & School Board [missing text] Phil Sampson. Children seen are Christine [missing text] ?racy, Jean & Ernie and wee Freddy [missing text]." School is the Whaletown school".
Identified by Janice Maclean Kerr as:
Front: Lottie McDevitt and Phil Sampson
Children: Back L, Jeannie Halliday, Phillip Bergman, Tracy Prestley with Christine Froese standing in front of her, Johnnie Prestley (behind Lottie's shoulder); the little boy in the front L is Ernie Halliday.
Photograph is cut from a larger original with a label pasted to the bottom. Verso says "Dedication of school swing in memory of Don McDevitt, June 1971. Mrs. McDevitt & School Board [missing text] Phil Sampson. Children seen are Christine [missing text] ?racy, Jean & Ernie and wee Freddy [missing text]." School is the Whaletown school".
Identified by Janice Maclean Kerr as:
Front: Lottie McDevitt and Phil Sampson
Children: Back L, Jeannie Halliday, Phillip Bergman, Tracy Prestley with Christine Froese standing in front of her, Johnnie Prestley (behind Lottie's shoulder); the little boy in the front L is Ernie Halliday.
Front, L to R: Phillip Bergman, Janice Maclean, Doug McCoy, Jeannie Matthews, Sarah Weiler, Sheryl Matthews with Ricky Matthews in front, Heather Maclean, Ian Maclean.
Back Row L to R: Pat McCoy, Brigid Weiler, Johnny Weiler, Mr. Don McDevitt.
Front, L to R: Phillip Bergman, Janice Maclean, Doug McCoy, Jeannie Matthews, Sarah Weiler, Sheryl Matthews with Ricky Matthews in front, Heather Maclean, Ian Maclean.
Back Row L to R: Pat McCoy, Brigid Weiler, Johnny Weiler, Mr. Don McDevitt.
Fonds comprises material created or collected by Wilfred (Wilf) Freeman in the course of his work as a logger and during his community activities. It includes correspondence, logging records, maps, minutes of committee meetings, financial records, ephemera and clippings. It is arranged in four series: Logging; Centennial Committee; Ephemera; and Cortez Grapevine Telephone Association.
Wilfred (Wilf) Michael Freeman was born October 21, 1917 in Vancouver B.C. and died December 23, 2012. He was the son of William George Freeman and Robina Steel (Manson) Freeman and brother to Elizabeth Jane May (Freeman) Ellingsen (born March 13, 1914). His grandparents were Michael and Jane Manson. Wilf grew up on Hernando Island until 1926 when the family moved to Vancouver. One of his first jobs in the early 1930s was in Powell River where, among other things, he was hand digging basements under some of the original Powell River townsite homes.
He gravitated to the logging industry, working for Sigurd Ellingsen and Eric Flescher in Phillips Arm through the late ’30’s and into the 1950’s. He was an excellent worker; strong, resourceful, thoughtful, humorous and thorough, and, as well, he enjoyed hunting and fishing.
Wilf and his wife, May (Spence; died 1970) moved down to Smelt Bay on Cortes in the early 1950s from Phillips Arm. He logged with Bill Mathews between 1954 and 1965 in the Von Donop Creek areas. As well, they both crewed on the seine boat “Courtenay Maid” with Pat Andrews for a few summers.
When the ferry came to Cortes Island, both Wilf and Bill worked as deckhands, always cheerful and busy throughout the trips, often chipping and repainting rust spots on the ship.
Wilf was active in many community affairs over all the years living on Cortes: among them the Ratepayers Association, the 1958 Centennial Committee, the Cortes Grapevine Telephone Assoc. (a local telephone system, 1959 - 1966), Cortes Days summer celebrations, Cortes Island Firefighters Assoc., Cortes Rod and Gun Club.
Wilf and his second wife, Nora, lived on in Smelt Bay until they moved to Willow Point, South of Campbell River, in 2002. There they lived until, on December 23, 2102, he passed away while shovelling snow in their back yard.
Custodial History
Accession 2001.001 was donated to CIMAS by Wilfred Freeman on June 16, 2001. Accession 2002.002 was gathered at Wilf Freeman's garage sale by Bonnie MacDonald and donated to the museum in June of 2002. Accession 2017.006 was donated to CIMAS by Bruce Ellingsen, Freeman's nephew, in July of 2017.
Scope and Content
Fonds comprises material created or collected by Wilfred (Wilf) Freeman in the course of his work as a logger and during his community activities. It includes correspondence, logging records, maps, minutes of committee meetings, financial records, ephemera and clippings. It is arranged in four series: Logging; Centennial Committee; Ephemera; and Cortez Grapevine Telephone Association.
L to R Doug McCoy, Phillip Bergman, Ian Maclean,Gary York (?), Mr. Don McDevitt, Sheryl Matthews, Heather Maclean, Jeannie Matthews, Johnny Weiler, Sarah Weiler.
Back Row Pat McCoy.
L to R Doug McCoy, Phillip Bergman, Ian Maclean,Gary York (?), Mr. Don McDevitt, Sheryl Matthews, Heather Maclean, Jeannie Matthews, Johnny Weiler, Sarah Weiler.
Back Row Pat McCoy.
