Chapter Ten - Arriving in Canada
The Start of Something New
Previous chapter / Next chapter / Start at the beginning
Trish clenched her hands together as the gap between the plane’s window and the ocean below shrank rapidly. We are going to crash! Before she could react, the plane jolted slightly as it touched the water, and the engines roared louder than before. She glanced around. The other passengers, about a dozen, sat calmly looking out their own windows, as if this was completely normal.
Boarding the plane at Vancouver airport, Trish had assumed it would land on a runway, just like any other flight. The ticket clerk mentioned “the Goose”, but failed to explain it was a Grumman Goose—a wilderness seaplane that could land on an airstrip or water, without changing from wheels to floats. As the plane taxied through the choppy waters of Cousin’s Inlet, spray washed right over the fuselage and streaked the windows. The plane changed direction and taxied toward the shore. Trish exhaled, unclenching her hands and wiping her damp palms on her skirt.
Just as it seemed the plane was about to collide with the shoreline, it stopped sharply, and there was a loud ‘clunk’. The plane lurched forward again, slowly lumbering up onto land. After disembarking, Trish saw the concrete ramp under water that the plane had taxied over top of, before lowering its landing gear, and carrying on up the ramp onto shore. Once the plane came to a rest on dry land, the passengers disembarked. For some, Ocean Falls, the small village and pulp mill at the end of Cousin’s Inlet, was their destination. Others lingered on the nearby dock waiting for another short flight to the next community. Trish joined those who were waiting, as this was not yet her destination.
Her destination, the B.C. Packers “company town” named Namu, had been built around a fish cannery about 50 kilometres away, as crows fly. The first cannery had been built in 1883, and in 1970, almost a century later, B.C. Packers owned the cannery. They hired workers seasonally from Bella Bella and surrounding Indian villages, as well as Japanese workers from Vancouver. Trish was the new community nurse for the seasonal employees at the cannery. As she waited on the dock at Ocean Falls for her next flight, just a short hop really, into Namu, she thought about all that had happened in the two weeks she had been in Canada.
On July 4th, 1970, Trish arrived at Vancouver International Airport in British Columbia. She was excited to visit her friend Susie, who lived in Vancouver, and planned to spend a few days with her before heading to her summer job in Namu.
Trish had been hired by the United Church to work in the small coastal village of Bella Bella, located on the Bella Bella Indian Reserve No.1. The Church operated a hospital there, where Trish would ultimately work as a nurse, but for the first few months, she would work in a clinic at a nearby cannery in Namu. Before starting her job, Trish was eager to catch up with Susie, a friend she had met at Alder Hey.
Susie had been a third-year nursing student when Trish was a Ward Sister in the Neonatal Surgical Unit (NNSU). Susie was short, so short that when she had to do tasks like change an IV bottle, she had to stand on a stool. She had immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong with her parents, and when she finished high school, they sent her to do nurses' training in England. Trish had immediately liked Susie, as she was always cheerful and ready to help with any task. They had stayed in touch via letters after Susie returned to Canada at the end of her training. As soon as Trish had her travel plans, she had contacted Susie to let her know she would pass through Vancouver, and Susie had invited her to stay with her family.
Susie didn’t drive, but one of her sisters drove her to the airport to meet Trish. Susie lived with her mother and her sisters in Chinatown, in Vancouver. Her father had died some years before. Her sisters were studying at the University of British Columbia, and like Susie, spoke English. Susie’s mother didn’t speak English, but even with the language barrier, Trish felt warmly welcomed into the home.
Susie said a letter had arrived for Trish. Trish was immediately curious what it might be. She had provided Susie’s address to her new employer, so she presumed it would be from them. The letter was indeed from the United Church. It welcomed her to Canada, then explained there was an issue with her job - someone else had been scheduled into her position for the next two weeks. Trish’s job would begin two weeks later than expected. To compensate her for the delay, the Church offered her a two-week long job as a community nurse in Gander, Newfoundland. Trish calculated the travel time required to get to Gander, it was significant. She talked it over with Susie. Susie and her family proposed that Trish should stay with them in their home for the two weeks until her job in Namu began. Trish gratefully accepted the offer from Susie’s family and declined the job in Gander.
Staying with Susie and her family was a memorable experience. On her first morning, Susie presented her with a box of cereal they had bought just for her. Apparently, they weren’t sure if she would enjoy their usual traditional Hong Kong dishes. Touched by the gesture, Trish prepared herself a bowl of cereal—only to discover there was no cutlery in the house, only chopsticks. What followed was a valiant, but doomed attempt to wrangle cornflakes with chopsticks. Later that day, she bought herself a pack of plastic spoons. Over time, she learned to use the chopsticks—just not for cornflakes!
During the unexpected extension to Trish’s visit, Susie’s sisters took Trish around the city to see the sights. They were on a summer break from their university studies, so they had time. They visited Queen Elizabeth Park, the UBC lands, and Stanley Park.
Susie joined when she could, around her work schedule. She worked at Vancouver General Hospital in the laundry department. Although she had the same nursing qualifications as Trish, employers wouldn’t hire her, citing her short stature as the reason. When she had registered to write the equivalency exam to become a registered nurse in Canada, the exam’s administrators decided her English language skills were not adequate, and did not permit her to write the exams. It seemed unjust to Trish, she knew how capable Susie was as a nurse, and her language skills had been adequate to complete nurses’ training in Liverpool.
On Friday evening, friends and neighbours came to the house to visit Susie’s mom. After exchanging pleasantries, they cleared the table, and a mahjong set appeared. Susie's mother and her friends filled the rest of the evening with the clacking of mahjong tiles and chatter. They were still playing when Trish went to bed. To her surprise, they were still there when she woke up in the morning, and they just kept playing! Maybe they had napped in the night, Trish didn’t know, but their commitment to the game was commendable.
When Sunday came, the family invited Trish to join them at the Chinese Church at the University of British Columbia for a service. The service was in Chinese, Trish understood two words, “amen”, and “hallelujah”. As she looked around the congregation, she realized she was the only white person in the church. After the service, the family went to a Chinese teahouse for lunch, and again, Trish noticed she was the only non-Asian diner in the teahouse. She knew she was having a special experience.
Now, standing on the dock at Ocean Falls with her suitcase, Trish waited for the floatplane. She glanced around at the few others waiting nearby. They were all men, and she guessed they were workers headed to the cannery.
The second flight was much shorter, lasting only about 20 minutes. The Beaver flew low, offering breathtaking views of waterways and untouched wilderness. Trish marvelled at the dense blanket of trees that stretched endlessly over the hills, starting at the water’s edge and continuing as far as she could see. Inlets and channels carved into the wilderness like fingers. Trees grew right out of the shoreline, with only a few rocks visible between the forest and the water.
The cannery came into sight, Trish saw four large factory-like buildings perched on pilings over the water. Off to the left there was a much smaller wharf with a building on it that had “NAMU” painted on its roof in large block letters. This was certainly her destination.
As the Beaver circled to land, Trish could also see houses dotted along the shore. The float plane landed smoothly in the bay in front of the cannery, then taxied to the wharf with the NAMU building. Once the plane was tied securely to the wharf, Trish waited while the other passengers climbed out. When she emerged, there was a man walking directly toward her.
“You must be Trish. I’m Ronald, the manager here. The guys call me Ronnie. I’ve been expecting you.” He reached for Trish’s suitcase and took it from her. Ronnie told her he would show her around, then take her to the house where she would be staying. He gestured with his chin toward the large warehouses on the wharf further down the shoreline, “Let’s go.”
Trish followed along as Ronnie told her he worked for B.C. Packers, and he met each plane and boat that was dropping off or picking up supplies or people. Before they stepped onto a boardwalk that connected the small wharf to the large concrete slab of the big wharf, he gestured with his free hand toward three small houses set back in the trees.
“You will live there, with Bill and his wife. They will get you settled in. Bill is the engineer who runs the steam engines that power the operations here.”
Trish scanned the houses, uncertain which one he had been referring to. She took hurried steps to catch up as Ronnie strode on along the boardwalk. Trish glanced down and saw they were over water, it made her feel uneasy. She had never learned to swim, and although the July sun was warm, the water below did not look inviting. Ronnie was saying there wouldn’t be much for her to do for the next week, so she could spend the time getting oriented to the site.
“The Japanese workers are clearing out of the village heading back to the city. They aren’t your problem. Next week the Natives will arrive for the salmon harvest, they're who you're here for. This week is a break while we get the canning line set for the salmon,” he said.
Trish walked quickly beside him, stepping off the wooden boardwalk onto the concrete pad of the big wharf. It was massive, and Trish immediately forgot that it was suspended above the ocean. She followed Ronnie as he carried on between two large warehouses. When they emerged from between the buildings, there were two smaller buildings in front of them, on the seaward edge of the platform. One of them was the clinic. Ronnie pointed out the clinic was next to the cop shop, as he pushed the door of the clinic open, then waited for her to enter. She stepped through the door and stopped short. The clinic was empty, save a thermometer she could see on the counter at the back of the space, and a bottle that she thought looked like aspirin.
“What am I supposed to use to do my work?” she asked.
Ronnie looked at her and shrugged, “Just order what you need,” he offered casually, “it will come in on the next flight.”
The stark emptiness of the clinic was in contrast to the crowded thoughts reeling through Trish’s mind. Order from where? Who are my patients? What do I even need? Her eyes scanned the space, taking in the counter, the shelves, the desk, the treatment area. She tried to imagine it as a functioning clinical space. She couldn’t conjure up the image before the tour carried on. Ronnie said he would take her to the house where she would be staying. As they walked, he explained that she would have her meals in the canteen with the workers. She was only to sleep at the house where she was being billeted.
Trish followed him back between the warehouses, across the boardwalk, and over the small wharf where she had deplaned. They continued onto another boardwalk that led to three houses tucked into the trees. Ronnie stopped at the door of the house on the left and knocked. A round-faced woman, about thirty years older than Trish, answered the door. She introduced herself as Norah, and warmly welcomed Trish inside. As Norah closed the door behind them, Ronnie gave a quick goodbye and rushed off to his next task.
The interior of the house was simple, but clean. Trish removed her shoes as Norah explained that her husband, Bill, was at work but would be home in the evening. They were both pleased to host her. Norah showed Trish to a small, cozy bedroom and suggested she unpack her belongings into the drawers and closet.
After settling in, Trish joined Norah in the kitchen. The two women chatted-Norah was curious about Trish’s background, while Trish was eager to learn about Namu. She was surprised to discover that Norah and Bill lived in Namu year-round, as Bill’s job involved maintaining the cannery equipment during the winter. Norah said there were only a few people who stayed during the winter, but in the summer, Namu was a busy place. She told Trish that the Natives would arrive in a few days. They would come as families; the parents would work, and the grandparents would care for the children. The families would move into the village, on the other side of the cannery. Trish hadn’t seen the village yet, trees hid it from sight, but Norah said there was a boardwalk that Trish could follow if she wanted to go look around the next day. Norah had the manner of a mother figure, and talking to her was comforting. In the evening, when Bill joined them, and was just as warm and welcoming as his wife, Trish was grateful for their kindness and hospitality.
Previous chapter / Next chapter / Start at the beginning
If you are enjoying reading Trish’s story, please consider supporting my work by buying me a coffee.
Coffee makes the world go round, and the words flow, as they say!
Author’s Notes
N.B.1: In 1970, as Trish was introduced to the people of Namu, Bella Bella, and other communities where she worked, the language of the time, “Natives” was used. Today, the people living on the lands where Trish worked have reclaimed their traditional identities, leaving behind the nomenclature assigned them during colonization.
Namu and Bella Bella sit on the traditional territories of the Heiltsuk Nation. Workers came each summer to Namu from Bella Bella and surrounding territories including, but not limited to Klemtu, the home of the Kitasoo Xai'xais Nation, and from River’s Inlet, home of the Wuikinuxv Nation.
If you would like to read more about the identity and culture of First Nations people in Canada, including insights from Indigenous authors and advisors, here is a resource from the “First Nations & Indigenous Studies” program at the University of British Columbia.
N.B.2: We often see our parents through the lens of their roles in our lives— caregivers, disciplinarians, cheerleaders. Perhaps they are our role models or mentors, but who were they before they became these things to us?"
To better understand who my parents were before they were, well, my parents, I set about interviewing them about their lives before marriage and kids. I started with my mom.
Trish Lewis was 18 years old and desperate to escape a mind-numbing administrative job at a factory in Liverpool in the 1950’s. She made the impulsive decision to join a friend to interview for nurse’s aide training at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. That decision changed the trajectory of her life and launched her into an interesting and rewarding career as a nurse.
Trish is my mom, and this is her story, as told to me in a series of interviews in 2024. The story is pieced together from Mom’s memory, photos, and documents. As we all know, memory is fallible. In the telling of this story, some names have been changed, either because they could not be recalled, or to protect the privacy of the person. The Journey is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
N.B.3: If you are enjoying this story, you may also enjoy reading my memoir, “Resilience in the Rubble: A True Tale of Aid and Survival in Kashmir”. The book shares my experience as a first-time medical aid worker in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan, after an earthquake devastated the region in 2005. It also tells the story of Nadeem Malik, a local teenager who lived through the earthquake, and his struggle to provide for his family in the aftermath.