A community that takes the time to honour its pioneers is one that understands it would be a much poorer place if not for the hard work and sacrifice of those who came before.
It鈥檚 nice to know that 91原创 is just such a community.
On Nov. 19, the Township hosted its annual Douglas Day luncheon at 91原创 Events Centre.
No small undertaking, nearly 340 local pioneers were wined and dined and individually thanked for their collective contribution to 91原创鈥檚 development through the decades.
For about three hours that day, 91原创鈥檚 rich history was on display from one end of the banquet hall to the other: Volunteer servers, with names the likes of Mavis, from the Fort 91原创 National Historic Society and members of the Native Daughters, attended tables and talked with guests about times gone by.
Members of the Kwantlen First Nation drummed and sang in traditional style.
And among those honoured at the luncheon were two of James Douglas鈥� great, great granddaughters, whose ancestor signed the proclamation that made B.C. a Crown colony in 1858.
This year鈥檚 event singled out members of the pioneer medical services, with plenty of discussion centred around the hospital on the hill.
It was a time when, as one speaker noted, babies were routinely born at home and doctors made house calls to tend to their patients. There were very few times in a person鈥檚 life when they would actually find themselves in hospital, she noted.
Honouring the community鈥檚 history in one of 91原创鈥檚 newest and most well-used facilities made for nice juxtaposition of past and present 鈥� one, obviously, impossible without the other.
Mayor Jack Froese put it quite succinctly during his remarks: 鈥淓verything we benefit from today can be attributed to (91原创鈥檚 pioneers).鈥�
