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June 1997 WEST VANCOUVER HISTORICAL SOCIETY Page 3 AND THIS IS THE WAY IT WAS The Kinsmen Club of West Vancouver Btirb Johnson, Contributions Editor The Kinsmen/Kinette week in Canada last month marked the club’s 77th birthday and brought back many happy memories for Hal and me of our Kinsmen Club here in West Vancouver. Unfortunately , our West Vancouver club no longer exists but 825 clubs across Canada are still carrying on the good work. Aiding the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is their main national project now. Besides that each club works for its favourite activity in its own area. "Serving the Community *s Greatest Need" is their objective and they achieve this by raising funds for local projects, as well as hands-on service activities such as constructing playgrounds and organizing social activities for Seniors. On their special Flag Day, this year on May 10th, they promoted Canadian pride. West Vancouver climbed on the Kinsmen Service wagon in 1940 and my husband Hal joined the gang in its second year of action. There we met hard working men such as Wilf Elder, Bill Peake, George Griffin, Ed Johnson, Walter and Ed Tearoe and learned what dedication meant. Soon Syd Welsh, Dick Wright, Les Johncox, Wilf Bennett, Roily Summerfield, Bruce Grey, Joe Crowder and many others swelled the expanding group undertaking a host of projects. Bruce Grey won a National award for his years of work with the Polio Foundation. The School of Medicine at the University of B.C. got its initial impetus to get going on its way through the work of this dedicated club. The West Vancouver Regatta at Dundarave always had their full-hearted participation and West Vancouver’s May Day could not have been half such a success without them running the sports and the dances. War time came along and Milk for Britain became their chief objective for the large sums of money raised. Millions of quarts of dried milk were sent during each of the war years, most of the money raised through a very special project. Four houses were built, one a year , with most of the work done by the members. Contractor Cecil Sharpe, History is a Team Event! By: Waring Pentland Barb's story started an interesting search. The lottery caught my attention. I wondered if we might find a picture or identify any of the houses. I contacted Mary Chapman for something from our Archives. She was enthusiastic, remembering the lotteries well. The Archives proved valuable; you will read more about them in the Archives Comer on page 8. To find the 1942 house I turned to the microfilm files in the West Vancouver Memorial Library, specifically the West Van News. Two hours later I had 9 items, from first mention, Feb. 1941 to winner, Aug. 1942. Lottery progress noted, but the house identified only as at 21st & Haywood. A call to our Honourary Archivist, Rupert Harrison, evoked a great deal more background and the address, 2104 Haywood. A trip to West Van with a camera, the results you see adjacent. The house is now owned by the winner’s son, now living in Kelowna. The news clippings are now in our archives and also in a Kinsmen clipping file at the library. This history is truly a team sport. You just never know what you may start. Just keep those contributions coming! experienced in real estate, suggested the building lot, contractor Bud Stevens designed and helped build the homes. The Tearoe brothers, in their business, helped in so much of the necessary carting of building materials. Every member contributed to the actual putting-together of these edifices. A lottery was held and everybody sold tickets. What a successful venture! We girls decided we should have a club too. The Kinettes, and our aim was to help in every way with each Kin project. We too sold apples each year, standing out in the cold and wet to do so. We held bake sales, collected paper, smashed glass for stucco, raffled dolls; no efficient manner of raising money was rejected. The Kinsmen Club was our only social excitement in those days of little money, and we always held an Apple Day party after our hard work was done. Dances at the old Dundarave Hall, then later at the Clachan, were very popular. We attended conventions, put on skits, wrote songs. One of our most famous entertainments was held at the Roof of the Vancouver Hotel; Swan Lake Ballet performed by an allmale cast of our members. It brought down the house. The best friendships we made in our lives were found through the brotherhood of this lively, active, service-minded club. WARING Kinsmen 1942 Lottery Prize Home, 2104 Haywood