They have travelled the world, built families and helped build Squamish. Many of the residents at Hilltop House in the Valleycliffe neighbourhood have also known great loves and great loss. The 麻豆社国产 sat down with six residents to get to know them a little better and to hear some of their best advice for a life well lived.
听
From England, with love
听 Soft-spoken Myra Caulfield, 99, sits on her bed, a stack of novels and magazines at her side. She reads anything she can get her hands on, she said.
听 Photos of her children 鈥� three sons and a daughter 鈥� watch over her from the shelves around her bed. On the wall is a framed certificate from former prime minister Stephen Harper in honour of her 90th birthday. She came to Canada in the 1960s after retiring from a career 鈥渋n service鈥� in England and retains her British accent.
听 鈥淏e as happy as you can,鈥� she said in offering advice for those just starting out on their adult lives. 鈥淢ake the best of things.鈥�
Her daughter and three sons have given her the most happy moments of her life, she said. 鈥淚 love them. There are none that are perfect though, of course.鈥�
听 Her advice for the many parents of young children in 麻豆社国产is to, 鈥淟et them know that you love them, that is the important thing,鈥� she said, adding finding out what children want to do in life and then supporting them is better than trying to mould them into what the parents wish them to be. 鈥淒on鈥檛 push them, just let them choose.鈥�
听
Proud RCMP spouse
Ruth Wilson wears a bright smile and jewelry that coordinates with her matching black-and-white outfit. She鈥檚 quick to strike up a conversation with strangers and fellow-residents alike. On the wall in Wilson鈥檚 room is a historic drawing of the old 麻豆社国产police station that was once her home.
The building is currently home to the Alano Club of 麻豆社国产on the east side of Third Avenue downtown. For Wilson, 90, her marriage and family were the centrepiece of her life.
She was married to her RCMP officer husband, Don, for 60 years and before coming to 麻豆社国产almost five decades ago, they moved to many places around the country following his career. He rode in the internationally renowned RCMP Musical Ride for a time, she said, proudly taking down a photo of her husband in his RCMP red serge riding a thoroughbred when he was a member of the ride.
鈥淏y the time we came to 麻豆社国产he was a sergeant,鈥� she recalled. The couple moved to 麻豆社国产48 years ago and lived in the house attached to the former 麻豆社国产police station with their three sons.
When he left the force, Don became a lawyer and practiced in 麻豆社国产for many years. He died last year, Wilson said.
听
World traveller
Hamid Taimuri, 77, was born in India and travelled the world before landing in Squamish. A former economist, Taimuri estimates he has made his way around the world four times. His advice for the young is to travel as much as they can.
鈥淵ou learn a lot,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou mix with different people from different cultures.鈥� Of all the places he has been, Canada is his favourite. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very peaceful,鈥� he said.听
A self-described people-person, he added travel allowed him to interact with individuals from many different walks of life. He has learned that 鈥減eople are the same everywhere. I love people very much.鈥�
Taimuri was married twice. The second marriage has lasted 38 years, so far. 鈥淭olerance鈥� is the key to a happy marriage, he said.
His beloved wife was key to his ability to travel because she took care of their children while he was away.
Taimuri has four children 鈥� two daughters and two sons. "My children are very talented,鈥� he said.
One of his sons is an engineer who works for Squamish鈥檚 Woodfibre LNG.
听
Former city girl
A black-and-white photo of Dorothy Dawson, 99, on her wedding day in 1943 at her family鈥檚 home in East Vancouver, sits on her shelf. In it she is wearing a pill hat atop her sharp curls and a delicate dress suit. Her husband is in his sailor鈥檚 uniform. Both look impossibly young and confidently happy.
Asked what the secret is to a long marriage, Dawson thought about the question for a few minutes. 听鈥淚 think young people give up too early,鈥� she said, finally.
鈥淚f you have two people who are brought up under totally different circumstances it stands to reason you are going to have different opinions on things and you aren鈥檛 always going to get along together. You have got to have a little bit of give and take.鈥�
Her family had a long history in Vancouver. She grew up in a home on Battison Street that was named after her family (her maiden name is Battison) and belonged to her grandfather. When her grandfather died they found out he hadn鈥檛 been paying the taxes on the large property, Dawson said with a quiet laugh. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a school on it now.鈥�
She grew up in the city long before it was a cement jungle, Dawson said.听
鈥淥ne of my favourite pastimes in the summertime was going picking berries 鈥� we picked blackberries and huckleberries,鈥� she said, adding her mom would make jam with the berries.
麻豆社国产Nation proud
Stacks of DVDs sit in piles around Karen Lewis鈥檚 room. A leather case holding her cellphone is strung around her neck as she maneuvers around her spacious Hilltop House room in her wheelchair. Lewis, 67, is a 麻豆社国产Nation member 鈥渁nd proud of it,鈥� she said.
Some of her favourite memories involve cooking and baking, especially strawberry or blueberry cheesecake. She likes that cooking pleases people and 鈥渕akes people happy,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 could cook for two to three hundred people.鈥�
She doesn鈥檛 like the change she has seen in 麻豆社国产over the years. 鈥淭hey are chopping all the trees down,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen I first lived up here there used to be apples, cherries, cows walking around and now there鈥檚 nothing. Just houses and white people,鈥� she added with a hearty laugh.
Her advice for young people is to 鈥渢ake care of yourself because you are going to suffer. It is never too late to start looking after yourself.鈥�
听
Longtime Squamite
Ray Gaumond, 86, clutches a homemade green 鈥渟cribbler鈥� that is held together with silver duct tape. The pages are filled from top to bottom with the broad strokes of his neat handwriting. It is a science fiction story he wrote. Writing has been a favourite pastime for many years, he said.
Gaumond came to 麻豆社国产from Quesnel in the 1960 in search of work. He was in forestry, 鈥渟awmilling and falling,鈥� and later worked for BC Rail, he said. When he first arrived in 麻豆社国产it was a 鈥減retty rough town,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t only had one street paved.鈥�
He remained a single man all his life, which wasn鈥檛 always easy, he said, because people expected him to settle down with someone. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 feel like raising a family,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was strange because I didn鈥檛 chase the girls around鈥� I didn鈥檛 drink.鈥�
He said there was a girl he had a crush on back in Saskatchewan where he grew up. 鈥淚 told dad, 鈥業 am going to marry her,鈥欌�� he recalled. He never approached her though.
Gaumond said his only advice to young people today is to 鈥渄o what you can, keep straight and you will make it鈥� Just try to survive and not cause too much trouble.
