History as a ‘Positive Role Model for Youth’
This post may seem out of place on a website singing the praises of our pioneers. I assure you that it’s absolutely germane to our theme of learning about and from our past.
How do you know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’re coming from?
‘Positive roles for youth’ was the headline of an opinion piece in the Victoria Times–Colonist that Alexis Marie Chute wrote after the tragic death of actor Cory Monteith.
She’s identified by the T-C as a visual artist, photographer, creative writer and the mother of two young children. After citing several deaths of other notoriously troubled celebrities she suggests that they’re “evidence of a generation in trouble”. As a parent she’s worried “about the message that our current batch of teen and young adult celebrities are sending our children”.
She faults the media for propagating images of troubled celebrities while ignoring positive role models as being less newsworthy and thinks we should shift the spotlight from the glitter and the gross, the sensational and the shallow, to positive, upbeat things happening in our society.
No, she’s not being Pollyanna-ish when she writes, “Our generation of young people needs to be inspired, that’s what it comes down to… Let the media’s brainwash not be about human failings but point us instead to the amazing individuals making this world and themselves better every day. Then maybe being bad won’t seem so cool.”
In short, she means role models.
What better role models for today’s generation than our pioneers who really knew challenge, who really experienced hardship, suffering and pain yet overcame all to build this nation that we of succeeding generations have inherited.
I mean, very few of us can honestly claim to have faced challenges anything like those that were a daily fact of life right up until just a few generations ago. My grandparents came through the First World War and the Great Depression, my parents the Second World War. I came along in time for the postwar boom and all the benefits. As did most of us.
Which brings me to my point, that all contemporary society not just our youth and young adults could gain by learning more about those who came before us.
We think we have it tough? Get real!
I believe our schools are letting us down; Canadian history should be taught early and well–not force-fed but with a flourish and with real enthusiasm. It’s drama after all and children might even enjoy learning something about how to deal with their own lives from real-life examples of pioneer fortitude and strength of character if we give them models to aspire to.
You know, by learning how so-called ‘ordinary’ men and women put Canada on the map as a nation that’s envied by much of the world. Without drugs.
We forget the past at our peril.
Hi TW,
The neat thing about our history is how close at hand it is. For example, the local cemeteries you mention. Also, our logging past forms such a pillar to who we are and why buildings, roads and communities even exist where they do around the island.
And how about our colourful mining history? I took a drive up Mt. Prevost two Sundays ago and found my way over to Mt. Sicker. I had not been up there for many years and wanted to see the place and take a few photos for a little “local geology” presentation I was going to make to a men’s group I’m in. Despite my disappointment at discovering how few artifacts and structures there seemed to be at the site, I still left the place with many questions and – especially after reading from your Ghost Town Trails of Vancouver Island – a feeling of respect and amazement of those guys (and gals) who were part of that place. I’m further astounded at the fact that the place seems to be frequented only by off-roaders; their churning wheels and litter quickly grinding away the remnants of an amazing example of rich, local history.
Well, my “power point” presentation went better than I had expected. The guys seemed to enjoy seeing photos and hearing tidbits of info on the local geology that we all probably just drive by without ever acknowledging. However, one fellow remarked that, in 1949, him and a friend took a 4×4 and drove from Prevost, past the Sicker mine and ended up near the site of the Red Rooster cafe. Although I think that this excursion was well before recreational off-roading became a common pastime he did say that, in 1949, a drive along that route was a real adventure that few undertook. I wonder what the old mine site looked like then?
Thanks for the chance to blab and keep up the excellent work!
Shaun P.,
Duncan
Hi, Shaun. Thanks for the great comment!
I’ve lived on southern Vancouver Island my whole life, the last 40 years in the Cowichan Valley, and the opportunities for exploring old mine sites, lumber camps and following the abandoned railway grades has kept me busy all that time. And I’m by no means finished, particularly as my No. 1 Passion is now the Island’s coal mining history. My friend Jennifer and I do this mostly on foot, sometimes on bike, but without an ATV. You can’t find ‘treasures’ by driving along the logging roads…
But back to your comments: There’s still some great stuff to see up on Mt. Sicker if you know where to look. The road in from the Red Rooster Cafe that you mention was the original government-subsidized road; Prevost Road came later and is much friendlier for accessing the mountain, taking you right to the Tyee Mine and the Richard III. Mine, with the Lenora Mine and Townsite down below.
You mention my ‘Ghost Town Trails of Vancouver Island’ book which has been in print now for 38 years. Mt. Sicker is just a single chapter in the book; I’ve since told the complete story (300pp worth) of the Mount Sicker Mines in ‘Riches to Ruin: The Boom to Bust Saga of Vancouver Island’s Greatest Copper Mine.’
Back in 1949, when the chap you cite drove up the mountain, there was still lots to see as the Twin J Mines had just shut down. There were various buildings including a 80-man bunkhouse. No sign of them today, alas.
And, yes, you can’t visit these historic sites without developing a sense of wonder and respect for the pioneers who did it the hard way–with muscle and horsepower for the most part.
As I like to jest in my ‘Cowichan Chronicles’ newspaper column, Men were men in those days. The women, too!
Thanks again for your informative and enjoyable comment. TW