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Pages WEST VANCOUVER HISTORICAL SOCIETY April 1997 A Tribute to Florry Corbett Mitchell Bio. note by her daughter, Sandra Grant Publisher’s Note: This illustration, with biographical notes, was slated to accompany Florry’s article ‘Babes in the Wood’ in our last issue but space would not allow. We are pleased to be able to show that Florry was as expressive with a brush as she was with a pen. It is just unfortunate that this medium can not show the marvellous colour of her painting. We will greatly miss her contributions. At my parents’ home, before making the tea, Mom and I would ascend the stairs to the “landing” to view her latest work. There in her studio she spent many happy hours creating beautiful paintings. Dad would construct a frame and stretch the canvas for her and she would “lose herself’ for an afternoon surrounded by her treasured oil paints and brushes. Her talent for drawing was apparent when she was a girl, and in the Corbett family home at 1280 Esquimau Mom recreated the popular images and cartoon characters of the era. My brother and I, when we were little, loved to look through the box containing these childhood sketches of movie stars and the likes of Maggie & Jiggs. Mom’s formal art training came much later in her life when she attended the Vancouver School of Art as a full-time student for a year’s study. Figure drawing, sculpting and painting; Mom put her hand to all these. Later on. Mom joined a wonderful group of women led by Mrs. Gertrude Keen who assembled weekly to practise the art of oil painting. The friendships Mom made at Mrs. Keen’s were lasting. WARING CapUano Valley -by Florry Corbett Mitchell - oil on canvas, 1976 After Mrs. Keen died the group continued to get together and in fact still does get together to discuss art and painting. Mom looked forward to, and enjoyed these luncheon outings with “the art girls” very much. Mom was always looking for beauty - in art and nature - and the good in others. She found joy in a sunset or a Raphael madonna. Such things inspired her own artistic offerings - and made her life a happy one. HISTORY BOOK ALERT Union Steamships Remembered Author: A.M. Twigg We received notice recently that long time West Vancouver resident and fellow member. Art Twigg, has written. and is in the process of publishing, a history of the Union Steamship Company. It will be a people book about the men, from Masters to mess boys, who worked on the Union Steamships from 1920 to 1958. As well, the history of 26 Union ships starting with the Coquitlam I to the last Union ship, Chilcotin, will be told. The book will be 8.5 X 11 inches, in hard cover, and contain approximately 420 pages with over 400 photographs. It is expected to go on sale early in April. A Book Launch will be held at the Vancouver Maritime Museum, 1905 Ogden Ave. (near the Planetarium), May 10, 1-4 pm. RSVP Rebecca at 257-8302 Anyone interested in further information is invited to contact Art Twigg at 411A Twigg Road, Campbell River, BC V9H 1E9, Phone/FAX (250)923-6704 As the Union Steamships has played such a large role in the history of BC and to a degree West Vancouver, we can all look forward to this read with great expectations. TWIGG SS Cardena on the West Coast