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.

In the years I worked for the One Way Adventure Foundation, a variety of youths were sent to our programs by judges, probation officers and social workers. Invariably they came with thorny issues that brought them pain but which they resisted dealing with. For mere mortals, change is difficult and I have sometimes wondered when they moved on whether we had helped them gain the motivation, understanding and skills required to continue rebuilding their lives.

Last week, after vanishing for forty-five years, one such youth surprised me with the following comment on my blogsite.

“I was one of those ‘bad boys’ sent to the OWAF back in 1976 by the courts. What an adventure!!

My name is Paul Richardson and I’m forever grateful to Len & Jean. Ron Gibson if I remember right was a counselor with the foundation. Ron would always steer us straight and kept a tight rein on us. I attended the Foundation School in Surrey, and we would travel to Hedley lots. Stayed in the Colonial House and the chef in the kitchen was a fantastic cook, (former biker if memory serves me right).

They had a cabin up the mountain from Hedley that we stayed in for a few nights in the winter. Going out to the well, break the ice in it to get water and the snow was deep. When we came back to the Colonial House, we came down the old tram line snow shoeing and sliding on our butts( I have a scar from an old spike sticking out of the ground ). Never felt it, frozen butt. It wasn’t until the chef noticed and fixed me up right away.

I was 16 when I was sent there and here I am soon to be 61, and the memories of that time of my life are flooding back to me. They are what saved me back then, the counselors of this great foundation. Have to stop writing for tears are forming in my eyes.

It took me another 10 years to get it. At 26 I sobered up and have been in AA for 34 years now, married and still living and dreaming. Thank-you Ron, Len and Jean and the rest of the One Way Adventure Foundation.”

Although I did not work with Paul directly, I recalled he had been gifted with a robust physique and a willingness to engage in conversation. In a 2 hour phone call from his home in Calgary last week, he talked about his life. “My father was an alcoholic,” he said. “He joined AA and my mother attended Al-Anon. I don’t remember my father ever giving me any positive affirmations in my early years, or saying he loved me.”

Paul began drinking some time after age 8. “The alcohol interfered with my memory. I don’t remember much of my childhood. I became a blackout drinker. I could be happy-go-lucky, then, in an instant become angry without reason”. As we talked, some memories came back to Paul. “A friend and I were bored and did a break and entry, looking for alcohol. This is what got me sent to the One Way Adventure Foundation at their Surrey location. I was placed in the home of a local family and this was a good experience.

In his younger years my group leader, Ron Gibson, had been on the wrong side of the law himself. He had been where we were, and had learned to stay away from what would drag him back down. Ron and other leaders planted good seed in us.”

After the Foundation Paul floundered for another 10 years, then went to detox, sobered up and joined AA. More good seed was planted here. “I still love the taste of alcohol,” he said. “I just don’t touch it anymore.

In 1986 I took a heavy equipment operators course and learned to run dozers, scrapers, graders, packers and other equipment. I enjoyed it and found I had a knack for it. Since then I’ve also taken courses in excavators and boom trucks. I’ve worked across Canada and in the U.S.”

In 2001 Paul married Rose and they have a comfortable home in Calgary. Looking back over his life now, he stills gives credit to the good seed planted by the One Way Adventure Foundation and AA. It helped that he was receptive to the constructive counsel he received.

This is a reprint of the 2015 article.

Advertising moguls wouldn’t likely select Jim and Pat Melville of Hedley as their Valentines Day poster couple. After the bumps and bruises that come with almost 45 years of marriage and raising 2 children, the Melvilles don’t have the sleek, unrealistic fashion magazine figures. They don’t exude the “over the top” glamour advertisers thrive on. For me their life partnership provides convincing evidence that stability and faithfulness in a relationship is more rewarding than the Larry King model of multiple failed marriages. I was interested in meeting with them because they are so thoroughly untouched by the hype and values of the advertising gurus.

They grew up in a time when money was scarce. Recalling the day in 1960 when he went to a car lot, Jim said, “I told the salesman I liked the1949 Pontiac they had, but I could pay only three hundred dollars. He said he’d talk to the manager. A few minutes later he came back. The manager had approved my offer.” The first time he went to put in gas, he couldn’t find the gas cap. After hunting for some time, he found it behind one of the tail lights.

For Jim, meeting Pat must have been “love at first sight.” He still remembers the day and the precise time. “I was working at what is now the Weyerhauser Mill in Princeton,” he said. “Some friends came to give me and a co-worker a ride home. They brought Pat along. It was 6 pm on October 24th, 1969.” For him the timing was fortuitous. His father had been deceased for 13 years, and he had lost his mother 3 weeks ago. Pat was a ray of sunshine. The following weekend he took her to a movie in Oroville.

They had similar interests and values, and their relationship flourished rapidly. It may surprise younger readers that Jim asked Pat’s parents for “her hand in marriage.” At that time there was greater respect for societal values and institutions, including marriage. Her father liked him and jokingly said, “if you want her, take her.”

“We asked Reverend Derek Salter to marry us,” Jim said. “He took marriage pretty seriously. We had to go to his home and tell him about ourselves and why we wanted to get married. I don’t remember what we told him.”

Apparently the Reverend was satisfied with their responses. He performed the ceremony in Hedley’s United Church (now Hedley Grace Church) on March 28, 1970.

Pat and Jim share a lengthy history in Hedley. Her family arrived in 1951 and her father operated the tram that moved ore, supplies and people between the Nickel Plate mine, high on the mountain, and the town. “I attended school here,“ she said. “So did our children and grandchildren.”

Jim arrived somewhat later than Pat. He is one quarter native and related to the well known Allison family. “My mom was half aboriginal,” he said. “My dad was Irish.”
Initially they rented. When they applied to rent a house owned by the Credit Union, the manager said, “Why rent? You should buy it. There is a grant available.” They accepted his advice and it is their home to this day.

“There were large families living in small houses then,” Pat said. “People didn’t have much money to do things. We attended community events. There were dances at the Moose Hall and a big Robbie Burns celebration each year. Also Boxing Day and New Years dances. Groups of ladies met for coffee in their homes. Expectations weren’t as high as now.”

It has taken love, a sense of humour and commitment to get to where they are now. “If we didn’t agree about something,” Pat said, “we talked about it. We always worked through the problems.”

When our coffee cups were empty and they were ready to leave, it occurred to me that throughout our conversation, their voices had been gentle and respectful toward each other. At a time when 30 day Hollywood unions no longer surprise us, the Melville’s life long partnership is inspiring and well worth observing. Happy Valentines Jim and Pat!

Unfortunately, Jim passed away January 24, 2021. He was a good friend to many, and a valued member of the Hedley community.

When Noree Lilly first arrived in Hedley at age 19, she didn’t expect these few days to dramatically alter the direction of her life. Born in New Mexico and raised in California, she had left a job in a California hospital seeking adventure and purpose. “I enrolled as a student at Trinity Western University,” she said. “One of the courses was in outdoor recreation and the instructors brought us to Camp Colonial in Hedley for the wilderness skills component.”

She was enchanted by the mountains, the Similkameen River, and the rustic former gold mining community. Some aspects of the training were intimidating though, testing her courage and resolve.“The rappelling course really challenged me,” she recalled. “I was terrified the first time I was instructed to step off the edge of a high rock cliff and rappel down. Although the two instructors were experienced and I was securely tied in, I knew if anything went wrong it would be a long plunge to the bottom. When we moved to the higher, more difficult Grosbeak site, at one point because of the inward curving of the rock wall, my feet couldn’t find rock surface to steady myself.” The course also included rock climbing, chimneying, orienteering and stretcher lowering. “I didn’t at that time have the upper body strength required for rock climbing,” she said. “I struggled with it.”

In the evening Noree and the other course participants returned to the Camp Colonial lodge and here she met Len Roberts, founder of the One Way Adventure Foundation. The organization, still in its infancy, had a contract with the provincial government to operate programs for youth in Surrey and at Camp Colonial. It lacked extensive resources, but Len saw possibilities where others did not. He apparently recognized the potential in Noree and invited her to a one on one visit with him.

The young organization’s budget was lean and the needs were numerous. Len could not offer Noree a financial incentive to come on staff. What he could offer was an opportunity to provide constructive guidance to youths who almost invariably came from dysfunctional homes, substance abuse, crime and life on the streets. “In the church our family attended in California I taught a class for teens, some almost my age,” Noree said. “I found it hard and told myself I will never work with teens again.”

Len did not have charisma as we commonly think of it. His fervent belief in the importance of the work was compelling though, and in his presentation of the vision Noree heard something she found appealing. “His words and quiet passion ignited something deep inside me, and I decided to come on board.”

Initially she was promised no pay for her work, other than room and meals. “Len did at times slip me twenty five dollars for basic essentials,” she said. There were other perks. One that she valued highly was the more advanced wilderness skills training provided by Jeff Evans of Keremeos Outward Bound. Noree benefited from Jeff’s expert training and in time was elevated to the rank of instructor in rappelling and orienteering.

Watching Noree develop as a leader, Len initiated a one year training school for young adults who yearned for adventure, purpose, and experience in working with people. The training included rappelling, rock climbing, a ten day Bowron Lakes canoeing and portaging expedition. There was also a five day back packing expedition in Cathedral park, down hill and cross country skiing, horse back riding, plus yard work, cleaning and cooking. They were mentored in wilderness skills and the youth work by several seasoned, established staff.

Noree loved the outdoors and the activities gave her a common ground with the youths. “I got close to some of the girls,” she said. “After completing their program, years later they at times came around to visit and in some cases to show off their children.” At the end of one year Noree became the first graduate of this program. It matured and prepared her to become a full fledged group leader. She met Derek, a co-worker, and in time they were married. They now have three adult children and two grandchildren. After the Foundation closed its doors Noree worked for the Hedley Improvement District and then Canada Post. The young woman who came to Camp Colonial many years ago found adventure, purpose, a family, lasting friendships and much more.