Monthly Archives: March 2021

People

Claudia, From Bombs in El Salvador to Peace in Princeton

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Claudia at her business in Princeton.

I came away from a conversation with Claudia Orellana Earl deeply impressed by the capacity of the human spirit to prevail in spite of opposition, setbacks, and danger. “When I was a child living in El Salvador,” she said, “I often hid under my bed at night, listening to gunshots and bombs exploding. Our country was caught up in a nasty civil war and I almost never felt safe.”

Claudia now lives in Princeton and owns All About Computers on Bridge Street. The memories of those danger fraught years are still vivid. “My mother’s husband and father both died in 1973,” she recalled. “It was a hard time for her. She never told me she loved me and couldn’t provide for the family, so she gave me to my grandmother. Grandmother became a mother figure for me and she loved me unconditionally. She never said a harsh word to me.”

In 1980, when Claudia was 10, her mother took her back and they set out for the U.S. border. A relative already in America sent two blond friends to Mexico to bring her over. “I didn’t know a word of English,” Claudia said. “I was afraid the border guards would ask me questions, but they assumed I was a child of the blond couple and ignored me.” Her mother was brought over in another vehicle. They lived in America until Ronald Reagan became president and ordered refugee claimants to go home, saying “it’s safe there now.”

El Salvador continued to be unstable and dangerous. Returning there was not an option they could consider. Fearing expulsion, they fled to Brandon, Manitoba where they were sponsored by a United Church. “Mom was really determined,” Claudia said. “She attended the University in Brandon and earned a BA in psychology.”

Living with fear and poverty in El Salvador had exacted a toll on Claudia’s mother. “She couldn’t say she loved me. If she saw anything in me she didn’t like, she withdrew from me. She taught me not to trust.”

Her mother couldn’t handle the cold and returned to Texas, where she earned two Masters degrees. Possibly the warm Texas sun, educational and professional success, and living in a safe environment had a healing impact on her. “Our relationship has improved,” Claudia observed, obviously relieved. “She doesn’t withdraw from me anymore, and she isn’t judgmental. Her determination to succeed has been a big influence in my life.”

Claudia married her high school sweetheart, and in 1992 they moved to Japan. “He returned to Canada to obtain a degree in architecture. I stayed in Japan and supported him, teaching English in a technical high school. I was shy and introverted but realized to be successful, I needed to change. I learned to project my voice and when the students didn’t understand, I acted out what I was saying. My ten years in Japan gave me confidence. It’s where I became the woman I am now.”

Claudia had never wanted to have children, fearing she would pass on too many negatives from her own past. This changed when her husband abandoned the relationship. She married a Japanese man and gave birth to a daughter. “The greatest disappointment of my life came when he walked out and refused to have any contact with our child. It made her very sad that she couldn’t spend time with her dad. I don’t understand how a father could do this.”

Looking back now, Claudia said “there have been a lot of events in my life. My mom was a gypsy, and I’m one too. I’ve lived in 34 homes, 14 cities and 4 countries.” Coming to Princeton seems to have settled her. “Now I try to give the love my grandmother gave me. I’ve learned to be patient with my computer clients. If someone doesn’t understand, I’m very willing to explain it ten times. I want to live in a way that would make my grandmother proud.”

At the end of our conversation Claudia said, “People who complain don’t understand what it’s like to live with fear and poverty. We’re so blessed in this country. I’m very grateful that I have a family, a home and a business. And I’m grateful I don’t have to hide in fear under my bed at night, listening to gunshots and explosions. I love the people here, and I love being close to nature. I really feel at home in Princeton.”

Hedley Times, People

Karen Collins Shedding Light On Local History

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Karen Collins, local history sleuth

Karen Collins is gifted with a number of attributes that would have made her an attractive recruit for CSIS, Canada’s spy agency. Chief among these are an insatiable curiosity, a prodigious work ethic and a tenacious will to tease out information from unlikely sources. Add to this an alert mind and an ability to express herself clearly, and we have the makings of a canny sleuth. The spy moguls didn’t come calling though and she has devoted her research talents to unearthing secrets from the local past.

Born in Oliver, Karen spent her growing up years in rural communities, including several years in Hedley. When the family moved to Kettle Valley, the nearest neighbours lived a mile away. Still preschool, Karen and her older brother tramped a mile through bush to play with their children. Even at that age her curiosity sometimes took over. When her father said they should stay away from a nearby hill because the bears were coming out of hibernation, she felt compelled to do a little investigating there. One day her father hid in a clump of bushes and made growling sounds. “We were terrified,” she admitted. “My mom saw us coming and she told me later I had been running so fast, my ponytail had been flying straight out.”

Her fascination with local history began early. “My parents took us for Sunday drives along logging roads and they talked about local scenes and people. I was interested and paid attention.”

Karen’s interest in local history, especially the people, didn’t abate. “I learned that Thomas Ellis and his family, early ranchers with thousands of acres and large herds of cattle, had donated land for the Penticton Cemetery” she said. “I made a list of all the people buried there and did research on them.” She wanted to know who they were and what they had contributed to their community.

When geologist Charles Camsell (1876-1958) came to Karen’s attention, she was quickly intrigued. She learned he was the son of an HBC factor and did extensive geological fieldwork in southern B.C. Locally he did a detailed survey of the unique gold deposits of Nickel Plate Mountain. “I recently ordered a rare book on Camsell from Boston, ” Karen said, “but it’s so musty I’ve put it aside to let it air out.”

When Karen became a single mom with two young children, she took a retail course at Okanagan College. In 1979 she was hired by Woodwards in Penticton. Here she met Hartley Clelland when he became store manager in the mid 1980’s. He had grown up in Hedley so this gave them an important common ground. They were surprised when they discovered that Karen’s great aunt Maggie (McLean) had been married to Joseph Brent, Hartley’s great grandfather. In time the relationship flourished and they became a couple.

“We visited a number of countries,” Karen said. “In Egypt I took a photo of Hartley at a pyramid. In Mexico I climbed to the edge of a pyramid. We also did cruises. These trips gave us an appreciation for what we have, and also for the people who live there. Hartley and I enjoyed over 25 years together, until his passing in 2019.”

Karen retired early and is investing much of her time in research and writing. She is president of the Penticton branch of the South Okanagan Historical Society and south okanagan editor of the society’s annual publication, Okanagan History. She has researched and written about area schools, churches, businesses and agriculture. “Currently I’m working on an article about L.W. Shatford,” she said. “He built the store that eventually became the Hitching Post restaurant in Hedley. For 17 years he was the local Conservative MLA. Later he was appointed to the Senate.”

Karen has scoured pretty much all newspapers in southern B.C. Some, like the Hedley Gazette are now defunct, but past issues offer valuable insights into people and events of early years. She also goes to the UBC Library Open Collections site for information.

Karen has family connections to the local past. Her great grandfather, Roderick McLean, was in charge of the Keremeos HBC post from 1863 to 1868. Listening to her talk about the men and women whose lives she has researched and written about, I was impressed with her intimate understanding of them, and the immense respect she has for them. Some are family and others seem like family.

Inspiration

Winnie the Pooh, Antidote to Anxiety

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Two years ago on my birthday, our neighbours Tap and Di gave me a hand crafted plaque with the inscription, “AN OLD BEAR LIVES HERE …WITH HIS HONEY.” Tap is a gifted artisan and I greatly value the gesture. To this day the plaque reminds me of the time when our children Jeremy and Vivian were age 5 and 7. At bedtime, Linda read for them a chapter from A.A. Milne’s “Winnie the Pooh.” Invariably there were bursts of delighted laughter and many exclamations of surprise. The children are adults now and have families of their own. For Linda and me the memories linger, with more than a touch of nostalgia. Now another birthday is looming on the horizon, and last week Linda and I again read the story.

Winnie the Pooh and Piglet, E.H. Shephard Illustration
Britannica, Image: Advertising Archive/Courtesy/Everett Collection

At the outset of the narrative, we are introduced to the Hundred Aker Wood, an environment uncluttered by television, computers, the internet or hectic social lives. Pooh, his special friend Christopher Robin, Piglet, Rabbit, Owl, Kanga and Roo, are blithely unaware of the larger world beyond the wood.

We find Pooh, frequently referred to by his friends as “a bear of little brain,” sitting at the foot of a tree with his head between his paws, trying to think. “That buzzing noise must mean something,” he says, “The only reason I know for making a noise like that is because you’re a bee. The only reason I know of for being a bee is making honey. And the only reason for making honey is so I can eat it.” Pooh’s thought processes are pretty basic, often centred on obtaining honey. In this case he borrows a balloon from Christopher Robin and it lifts him to the top of a tree where the bees are. One stings him and he decides these are the wrong kind of bees, and they probably make the wrong kind of honey. Having not thought about how he and the balloon would descend, he remains suspended near the top of the tree. Finally he asks Christopher Robin to shoot a hole in the balloon with his gun. Christopher Robin does this and Pooh floats slowly to the ground.

Although Pooh is a bear with little brain, at times he is very practical, even insightful. When he visits Eeyore, the donkey who lives in a corner of the wood where there is an abundance of thistles, he notices his friend is gloomier than usual. Hoping to discern why Eeyore is so sad he says, “Let’s have a look at you.” He walks around him, then says, “Why, what’s happened to your tail? It isn’t there!” Eeyore had not been aware of this and thought Pooh must be mistaken. Pooh tells him, “Either a tail is there or it isn’t there. You can’t miss it. You can’t make a mistake about it, and yours isn’t there.”

Eeyore, a chronic pessimist says, “Somebody must have taken it. How Like Them.” Wanting to help his friend, Pooh sets out for Owl’s place. “If anyone knows anything about anything,” he says to himself, “it’s Owl.” Fortunately he does find the tail and when Christopher Robin has nailed it on in its right place again, Eeyore frisks about the forest.

Pooh’s love for “a little something” at times creates a dilemma from which only Christopher Robin can deliver him. This happens when he squeezes through the narrow burrow into Rabbit’s home. Here he accepts Rabbit’s offer of honey and milk. He indulges enthusiastically and when he attempts to exit through the narrow opening of the burrow, he gets stuck and cannot move forward. “Oh bother,” he says. “I shall have to go back,” but he can’t move.

Rabbit fetches Christopher Robin who says, “Silly old Bear” in such a loving voice that everybody feels quite hopeful again. He declares, “There’s only one thing to be done. We shall have to wait for you to get thin again. That will take about a week, I should think. I’m afraid no meals, because of getting thin quicker, but we will read to you.” So, for a week Pooh grows thinner and then Christopher Robin says “Now.” He and Rabbit pull and all of rabbit’s friends and relations pull. Suddenly Pooh says, “Pop!” and he’s ejected like a cork out of a bottle. That’s Winnie the Pooh, more able to relieve pandemic anxiety than a session with a psychiatrist.