Fonds consists of photographs of the Gorge Harbour Lodge and Lodge activities, the Corneille and Ballantyne families, and Gladys Ballantyne's house, Gypsy Hill.
Bobby (Elizabeth) Corneille Ballantyne (1914-2009) was born in Vancouver and moved to Cortes Island as a young child. She was 4 years old when her father died suddenly on Marina Island in 1919; she remembers that they had to wait 3 days for a Union Steamship to get the body. Her mother Tena (Sarah Christena) Corneille (1877-1949) bought a tourist lodge at the east end of Gorge Harbour in 1929, and ran it until 1936 with the help of her two teen-age daughters. Gorge Harbour Lodge offered accommodations in the main building or in tents, tennis and badminton courts, and excellent boating, bathing and fishing. Vacationers came up from Vancouver on the Union Steamships for a round-trip ticket price of $6.65. The annual Regatta was the main social event of the season, with people arriving by boat from Cortes and the surrounding islands. It featured boat and swimming races, and a dance in the evening.
Gladys Georgeson Ballantyne (1882-1964), first came to Cortes in about 1910. In about 1920 she bought a property in Whaletown (now 640 Whaletown Rd.) that she called "Gypsy Hill". She was one of the original members of the Whaletown Friendly Circle, later the Whaletown Women's Institute. Gladys, her son Bill, daughter Valerie and her fiance were all on Cortes building a summer cottage when the Depression suddenly hit. Their off-island jobs fell through, and they remained at "Gypsy Hill" for the duration.
Bill Ballantyne (1908-1993) was in the Merchant Marine from 1924-1929. When he was unable to find work on ships during the Depression, he took whatever jobs he could find hand-logging and fishing. Bill and Bobby Corneille were married in 1937. They and other young Whaletown residents formed the Gorge Harbour Dramatic Society to help raise funds to build a community hall, and Bill was the work boss of the building crew for the Gorge Hall. In 1941 they moved to Victoria, and after the war settled in Courtenay with their two sons Peter and Ross. In the late 1950s they returned to Whaletown on Cortes Island where they fished for many years on the gulf troller “Viking”. During that time many young “deckhands” spent time aboard during summer vacations. On retirement, Campbell River became their home.
Custodial History
Electronic records were downloaded in 2012 from an internet address provided by Peter Ballantyne. One photograph was scanned from a photograph temporarily loaned by John and De Clarke.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of photographs of the Gorge Harbour Lodge and Lodge activities, the Corneille and Ballantyne families, and Gladys Ballantyne's house, Gypsy Hill.
Receipts for community hall related income and expenses, 1952-1972. Keywords: Southern Cortes Community Association, Manson's Landing Community Club, Cortes Barbeque Committee. Tax form, order form, 1970. Southern Cortes Community Association reports, 2009-2018.
Receipts for community hall related income and expenses, 1952-1972. Keywords: Southern Cortes Community Association, Manson's Landing Community Club, Cortes Barbeque Committee. Tax form, order form, 1970. Southern Cortes Community Association reports, 2009-2018.
Clippings and articles with info on funding, emergency response communication, programs such as Vintage Vingnettes and ECOreport, a book, documentaries such as Deep Roots and Who Are My People?, international broadcasting, AGMs, and promotional material, 2005-2019. Email and letter regarding Vintage Vignettes, 2017, 2018.
Clippings and articles with info on funding, emergency response communication, programs such as Vintage Vingnettes and ECOreport, a book, documentaries such as Deep Roots and Who Are My People?, international broadcasting, AGMs, and promotional material, 2005-2019. Email and letter regarding Vintage Vignettes, 2017, 2018.
Brochure on Manual Artificial Respiration, 1952; Offer to Purchase Form for an ambulance, 1988; CEFAS postings in WNE 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991; Newspaper clippings about Cortes Ambulance in WNE 1998, Cortes Marketer 2011; article written by paramedic Paul Brewer, 2007; email from Elizabeth Jordan regarding use of paramedic service, 2011; Posting from BCAS Open House & Career Information Session on Cortes, 2014; Article (2015), brochure (2016), and paramedicine overview (2016) on bringing paramedics to the front lines of rural health care; article in appreciation of Cortes Island Ambulance Service by Marcel Creurer, undated
Brochure on Manual Artificial Respiration, 1952; Offer to Purchase Form for an ambulance, 1988; CEFAS postings in WNE 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991; Newspaper clippings about Cortes Ambulance in WNE 1998, Cortes Marketer 2011; article written by paramedic Paul Brewer, 2007; email from Elizabeth Jordan regarding use of paramedic service, 2011; Posting from BCAS Open House & Career Information Session on Cortes, 2014; Article (2015), brochure (2016), and paramedicine overview (2016) on bringing paramedics to the front lines of rural health care; article in appreciation of Cortes Island Ambulance Service by Marcel Creurer, undated
Info on: wildfire emergency preparedness; Cortes Volunteer Fire Department and Fire Fighting Association; firehalls; fire trucks; by-laws and funding initiatives concerning fire services on Cortes; helipad and expansion of FD services to handle medical emergencies; fire protection equipement at Klahoose FN; fundraising; and posts relating to local fires and fire fighting responses, 1987-2016
Info on: wildfire emergency preparedness; Cortes Volunteer Fire Department and Fire Fighting Association; firehalls; fire trucks; by-laws and funding initiatives concerning fire services on Cortes; helipad and expansion of FD services to handle medical emergencies; fire protection equipement at Klahoose FN; fundraising; and posts relating to local fires and fire fighting responses, 1987-2016
"A Brief History of Medical Care on Cortes Island," with info from the beginning of outsourced medical care by the Columbia Coast Mission in 1905. Pamphlet for the official opening of the Campbell River and District General Hospital Extended Care Unit, 1968. Files with info on: Cortes Health Centre funding and services; Cortes Community Health Association (CCHA); local health care practitioners; social services; wellness resources; home support; medical on-call availability program; employment opportunities; Strathcona Regional District Community Health Network; advance care planning; health notices; patient information, 1994-2019. CCHA newsletters and notices, 2003-2019. Excerpt from Goosegrass and Buttercups by D.C. Kirk, undated.
"A Brief History of Medical Care on Cortes Island," with info from the beginning of outsourced medical care by the Columbia Coast Mission in 1905. Pamphlet for the official opening of the Campbell River and District General Hospital Extended Care Unit, 1968. Files with info on: Cortes Health Centre funding and services; Cortes Community Health Association (CCHA); local health care practitioners; social services; wellness resources; home support; medical on-call availability program; employment opportunities; Strathcona Regional District Community Health Network; advance care planning; health notices; patient information, 1994-2019. CCHA newsletters and notices, 2003-2019. Excerpt from Goosegrass and Buttercups by D.C. Kirk, undated.
Cortes Ecoforestry Society (CES) newsletters, 1999-2000. Clippings with info on: CES sustainability initiatives; development of Cortes Community Forest Cooperative (CCFC) in partnership with Klahoose First Nation (KFN); Island Stance; and Island Timberlands, 2005-2012. Copy of "An Assessment of the Cortes Forestry General Partnership (CFGP) of BC, Canada, open case study from UBC, 2020. CES membership form, undated. CCFC membership form and subscription agreement, undated. CCFC pamphlets, undated. Additional keywords: Bartholomew; Hanks Beach; Friends of Cortes Island (FOCI)
Cortes Ecoforestry Society (CES) newsletters, 1999-2000. Clippings with info on: CES sustainability initiatives; development of Cortes Community Forest Cooperative (CCFC) in partnership with Klahoose First Nation (KFN); Island Stance; and Island Timberlands, 2005-2012. Copy of "An Assessment of the Cortes Forestry General Partnership (CFGP) of BC, Canada, open case study from UBC, 2020. CES membership form, undated. CCFC membership form and subscription agreement, undated. CCFC pamphlets, undated. Additional keywords: Bartholomew; Hanks Beach; Friends of Cortes Island (FOCI)
Strathcona Regional District Official Community Plan and open letters to the Cortes Island community, 2011-2012. Additional documents relating to the Official Community plan, 2009-2012.
Strathcona Regional District Official Community Plan and open letters to the Cortes Island community, 2011-2012. Additional documents relating to the Official Community plan, 2009-2012.
Gas Tax/Public Transit Management Services letter from gov BC, 2006. Info on the Community Works Fund in emails, notes, reports, schedules, and letters, 2011-2012.
Gas Tax/Public Transit Management Services letter from gov BC, 2006. Info on the Community Works Fund in emails, notes, reports, schedules, and letters, 2011-2012.
