Photograph of a group of girls who were taking part in the Vacation School sponsered by the Columbia Coast Mission standing on the Whaletown wharf, in front of the freight shed. Left to Right: Yvonne and Louise Boas, Beth Hanen, Nola Ogren,Joan Disney, Mary Irwin, Pam Woolsey, Florence Bull, Mary Thompson.
Photograph of a group of girls who were taking part in the Vacation School sponsered by the Columbia Coast Mission standing on the Whaletown wharf, in front of the freight shed. Left to Right: Yvonne and Louise Boas, Beth Hanen, Nola Ogren,Joan Disney, Mary Irwin, Pam Woolsey, Florence Bull, Mary Thompson.
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.
Photograph originally labelled "Canon Alan Greene (R) at Whaletownon Cortez Island. With him is the Rev Douglas Kendall". The photograph was taken at the dedication of St. John the Baptist Church in Whaletown.
Photograph originally labelled "Canon Alan Greene (R) at Whaletownon Cortez Island. With him is the Rev Douglas Kendall". The photograph was taken at the dedication of St. John the Baptist Church in Whaletown.
Photograph of the Clinic building in Whaletown, with the Rectory to the right and a picket fence at the edge of the dirt road in front of the buildings.
Photograph of the Clinic building in Whaletown, with the Rectory to the right and a picket fence at the edge of the dirt road in front of the buildings.
Photograph of the "John Antle" leaving port. An appended caption of the back of A says "The mission ship "Rendezvous" (skipper Rollo Boas) leaving Whaletown her home port." However, the back of B identifies the location as Heriot Bay, and the boat is the "John Antle".
2 photograph prints: b&w; 15.5 x 10.5 (A) and 9 x 6.5 (B)
Scope and Content
Photograph of the "John Antle" leaving port. An appended caption of the back of A says "The mission ship "Rendezvous" (skipper Rollo Boas) leaving Whaletown her home port." However, the back of B identifies the location as Heriot Bay, and the boat is the "John Antle".
Photograph of David Edwards, a mail bag on his back, putting a valise into the fiberglass Davidson dinghy used to take mail and freight between Channel Rock and Whaletown.
Photograph of David Edwards, a mail bag on his back, putting a valise into the fiberglass Davidson dinghy used to take mail and freight between Channel Rock and Whaletown.
Photograph of Don Maclean in his garden at Cedar Hill Cross Roads. Maclean acted as a Lay Reader for the Columbia Coast Mission in Whaletown in the 1960s when no clergymen were available.
Photograph of Don Maclean in his garden at Cedar Hill Cross Roads. Maclean acted as a Lay Reader for the Columbia Coast Mission in Whaletown in the 1960s when no clergymen were available.
Photograph labelled on the back: "Rendezvous Patrol. Dr. B. Hall and Dr. R. Rose, the dentist, with their black bags, getting ready to go aboard the "Rendezvous". They are being taken to Whaletown for their monthly visit to the Mission clinic."
Photograph labelled on the back: "Rendezvous Patrol. Dr. B. Hall and Dr. R. Rose, the dentist, with their black bags, getting ready to go aboard the "Rendezvous". They are being taken to Whaletown for their monthly visit to the Mission clinic."
The medical and dental clinic established by Boas was held twice a month. Every second Friday, Dr. Bathurst Hall and Dr. Phillip Margetts travelled from Campbell River to Heriot Bay by water and land taxi, and were ferried from there to Whaletown in the "Rendezvous".
The medical and dental clinic established by Boas was held twice a month. Every second Friday, Dr. Bathurst Hall and Dr. Phillip Margetts travelled from Campbell River to Heriot Bay by water and land taxi, and were ferried from there to Whaletown in the "Rendezvous".
Photograph of the Bob Ferguson, teacher at the Whaletown school; his parents; his wife Ethel; and children in their home. The photograph has been marked up by Gilean Douglas for use as an illustration for one of her articles, and has a typed caption taped to the bottom.
Photograph of the Bob Ferguson, teacher at the Whaletown school; his parents; his wife Ethel; and children in their home. The photograph has been marked up by Gilean Douglas for use as an illustration for one of her articles, and has a typed caption taped to the bottom.
