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| Neighbourhood History |
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 The history of your neighbourhood is its identity!
If you have lived in your neighbourhood for many years, it is a source of fond memories. If you are new to the community, this section is a way for you to come to understand the background of the neighbourhood you now call home.
We would love for you to share the history of the neighbourhood for all to enjoy. If you have any bits or pieces of neighbourhood history, please submit them here! |
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Hatzic Memories by Bunny Jeboult
My first recollection of coming to Hatzic Lake was with a school chum, Dick Douglas whose father bought farm property on the Silverdale bench in 1950. When I came out from Burnaby to visit him, we’d take our girl friends to the lake for a picnic and swim; I believe Colonel Swan still owned “Swan’s Point” then.
In 1958 I teamed up with Ron Bestward, racing Crackerbox Runabouts and took part in three regattas annually running off Swan’s Point. (A Crackerbox is a flat bottom inboard runabout, 15’ in length and seats 2 at the back, a driver and a riding mechanic. At that time, speeds of 75 mph were the average for 5 laps on a 1-mile course.) The races at Hatzic Lake would host 60 to 75 hydros and flat bottoms, running in 6 or 7 classes and entertain a crowd of 2000+ fans.
Ron traded his Burnaby home for the present owners interest in Swan’s Point Resort in the spring of 1960 and moved into the old house on the point. I spent almost every weekend working with him upgrading the plumbing, repairing the house, the picnic tables, the wharf and building a new concession stand. As Ron was tied to the resort for the summer months, we made a deal that my buddy, Mike and I would race his boat, Besty’s Baby” at all the away races and Ron would drive it when the regattas were held a Swan’s Point.
The next winter, we built a large shop back of the launching ramp where we would make wooden trophies in the off-season. We also built Crackerbox kits to encourage new racers and built some of the new craze, ‘Ski Boats’ for racing enthusiasts and pleasure boaters. My family and I spent many memorable winter months here playing in the snow, skating on the lake and having Christmas dinner here with Ron and Olive.
I recall attending meetings of the Hatzic Lake Ratepayers Assn. where the property owners were trying to retain a higher level of the lake until after Labour Day weekend. Quite often an MLA, a DARD rep and local dignitaries attended, we drafted letters to Victoria, prepared petitions and planned more action. Regardless of the hard work, come the middle of August the level of the lake water would begin to recline. It was always the same for the next 5 years I was involved.
In the spring of 1961, Mike and I launched my new race boat, ‘Hot Box” at Hatzic and during the next 5 years, Ron and my pal enjoyed many close contests. The most memorable was in ’64 when we entered the last turn, side-by-side and he flipped his boat, did a complete barrel roll with the boat landing right side up. But it veered into our lane, I turned a hard right and we flipped too, also with our boat landing upright. Since Ron went over first, he was disqualified while we went on to race both heats and win 1st place for the day.
From the mid ‘50s through the ‘60s there were always as many as 3 annual races at the lake where we ran north to south from the point and later from the point to the east. The course was American Powerboat Assn. sanctioned where many US records were established and some still stand today.
I sold my North American National Champion Crackerbox boat in 1966, but Ron continued to campaign his newly built ‘Besty’s Baby II’ for another 5 years, I chaired the running of powerboat races at Hatzic and Harrison Lakes.
It wasn’t until1986 that I returned here in search of a site to park my 5th wheel RV. I was dismayed to find Swan’s Point was now a strata title park so headed over to Everglades Resort. We were overjoyed to find our old friends Eddy and Ardyce Hocevar now owned the park and had room for us to rent one of their sites. For the next 3 years, we enjoyed many weekends and holidays at the north end of Everglades. We were asked to represent the park owners at the ‘New Hatzic Lake Rate Payers Assn.’ and once again, attended meetings of lakeside owners who wanted to extend the water levels to Sept. It was ironic to me that most of the attendees were the same crowd as I’d met in the ‘60s, the agenda was almost the same and the action was identical. Needless to say, the results were the same and still today, the lake subsides around the middle of August!!!
As I was nearing my self-proclaimed retirement age, we decided we’d like to settle here for our reclining years and began to scout out the Mission area. On the morning of our first look, there was property for sale, right across the lake. After a close look, we made an offer and by the time we arrived home that night, the agent advised us we now owned an acre of land on Hatzic Lake. We rented the mobile and for the next 3 years we continued to stay weekends in our RV on the front of the property.
In 1990, I built our present home and shop, landscaped and later that year, sold the Burnaby holdings and moved here permanently. Originally, I thought the only people I knew here was old buddy Ron, turned out on old school teacher, Martin Melado lived next door to Ron, Danny & family lived 3 doors down from me, Harold, next door to Danny used to drive side-car motorcycle for my uncle Bob King, old pal Ernie Loewen had property across the lake, Stan Miles had a chicken ranch down the road ( I used to install telephone systems for him in the Cave Supper Club,) Al Davies who’m I’d met through Rotary had a house 3 doors south and of course Eddy & Ardyce that I first met when they owned the store at Ruskin. A little later, I re-met Rocky , owner of Rocco’s Diner in town and also Michaels who I had first seen as a fat little kid running around behind his father’s ice cream parlour, the ’Hi-Lite Burger Bar’. At an Edmonds Street School Reunion, I rekindled an elementary school friendship with Gwen Pearson and in 1994, another old friend from my Jr. hockey days, Mary Clippendale, moved in next door.
In conclusion, I must say I have never been so happy in all of my life as the times I have spent here at Hatzic Lake. It is presently close enough for me to visit my family and grandkids in New West’r and Nor Vanc., I feel here, we have all a person needs near-by, yet I can relax on my deck in either the am or pm where it is so peaceful and I can enjoy nature, sunrises, sunsets and all the activity taking place on the lake. Soon, I hope to join the increasing number of ‘Float-Boats’ to get back on the water again.
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