"Pulling Together"

10 canoes of First Nations People, Police and other participants, together with their support group arrived in Egmont on June 28 to a huge welcome at the Government wharf. The Egmont Community Club volunteers prepared a potlatch dinner of salmon, fry bread, bannock and assorted salads.

See “Pulling Together” for details and information on this group and their paddling journey.

Kent, Pop, friend Gus and I went out on the “Jervis Mist” around noon to greet the paddlers and photograph the canoes. They left Saltery Bay at 8:30 am and we found them on a beach on Nelson Island resting and eating lunch. When they launched again about 1 pm, we followed along with them for an hour or so, then decided to head back to Pop’s to rush up to the Government wharf where Pop was to be part of the welcoming committee. We arrived at the wharf just after 2 pm - in plenty of time - we didn’t want to miss any part of it.

Hah, guess where the paddlers stopped for a rest and bathroom break. Yup - right at Pop’s floats and beach - and we weren’t there to welcome them. Luckily a friend, Charlie, was kayaking along with them and snapped a few shots and sent them to us.

First Nations Elder Barbara Higgins greeted the paddlers and welcomed them ashore to rest, eat and share music and stories. Longtime residents John West and Billy Griffith were also part of the welcoming committee together with organizer Beverly Saunders and many local families and friends.

When the paddlers left Egmont at 5 am June 29 to traverse the Skookumchuck Rapids at slack tide, heading toward Porpoise Bay, Kent and I joined in on the Jervis Mist to help escort them. The volunteers who supplied breakfast at 4 am were on the Government wharf so we asked them if they’d like to ride along with us. Karen, Caroll, Paula and Peter were happy to get on board to see the send off. It was an amazing sight to watch them paddle through the Chuck - even at slack tide. A bald eagle co-operated with a nice flyover while they were passing Roland Point. Kent shut down the engines and we drifted for a bit, watching and photographing the canoes. Each group saluted the chefs with their paddles in the air and many thank you’s. We listened to the beautiful cadence of their chanting and the echoes of their voices in Sechelt Inlet. It was a nostalgic, moving moment - beautifully serene with the sun just brightening the water and the canoes moving swiftly but quietly along with the tide.

Seeing the canoes in Egmont reminded me of a photo my Mom took in 1959. It was one of the Sechelt Band’s canoes - an original one - no fibreglass back then! The photo is poor quality and dark - but it depicts an interesting part of the coast history.