The Outrageous Francis O’Bierne Alienated All Who Knew Him
To those unfortunate enough to have known the outrageous Francis O’Bierne personally, he was just “Mr. O’B.”—or worse. For many years (perhaps mercifully) his real identity was a mystery. Not until CBC actor and writer Tommy Tweed did some historical sleuthing in the 1970s was the cantankerous Francis O’Bierne’s identity revealed. Tweed’s interest in this son of a bishop and student (if not graduate) of Cambridge, was because of Francis O’Bierne’s dubious role in provincial history–as one of the most annoying, obnoxious and exasperating individuals ever to set foot on the B.C. stage. In light of later events, it’s easy to see why so little was known of O’Bierne’s background. Family and friends must have made every effort to forget him. It is record that one of the first controversies in which he became involved was his conversion to...
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Arts and Culture Came Hard to Nanaimo Pioneers
There was a time when arts and culture in Nanaimo were all but non-existent. Some early efforts to improve upon this sad status quo were doomed to, at best, minimal progress and, at worst, resounding failure. Among those who really tried were the founders of the Mechanics’ Institute on Bastion Street. If you think this was a school for mechanics, by the way, you’d be wrong. It was indeed a place of learning but in a totally different way. At the Institute you had free access to a library, could sit quietly and read or write a letter home, listen to a lecture or participate in spirited debates on religion, philosophy and politics. If there were any ‘mechanics’ there, they’d be doing the same. Taking things a step further, members of the Mechanics’ Institute raised $40 to start a...
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Old Photos Found at Flea Markets Make Me Sad
How many times I’ve found them over the years: old photos, scrapbooks and other very personal family memorabilia at flea markets and garage sales. All for sale, of course. Their very presence at these venues and the fact that they’re for sale like any other commodity always bothers me so I often ‘rescue’ them. These old photos are (or were or should be) some family’s treasured keepsakes. What are they doing on a dealer’s table, lumped among household goods and other everyday items? But this latest batch of old photos is unique—they found me, having been passed on after being retrieved from, of all places, the “free store” at Duncan’s Bings Creek recycling centre. There are eight old photos in total including a daguerreotype, the pioneering type of photo printed on tinplate rather than, as later, paper. Two are...
Read MoreCowichan Poet Robert McLay Honoured No. 1 Mine Victims
BACKGROUND: When Cowichan settler Robert McLay took pen in hand to honour the lost miners of Nanaimo’s No. 1 Mine, he did so as not just as a poet but as a former coal miner himself. His firsthand knowledge of the dangers of working underground made his tribute from the heart even more meaningful… As many Nanaimo residents prepared to sit down to dinner May 3, 1887, an explosion shook the workings of the Vancouver Coal Co.’s No. 1 Esplanade Mine. Then a second blast and the steady scream of the mine’s whistle confirmed yet another colliery disaster. Although coal towns Nanaimo and neighbouring Wellington were no strangers to tragedy over the industry’s 30-odd years, this one was the worst of all,:150 men. It’s Canada’s second worst colliery disaster. But the horrific story of the No. 1 Esplanade Mine...
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