PNWRG Holds Semi-annual Weekend Meeting at White Rock, BC

Over the weekend of 13-15 October 2006, the PNWRG held its semi-annual regional meeting at the Pacific Inn near White Rock, BC.

The meeting started on Friday evening with a two-dealer bourse and an honour bar in our hospitality suite. We sure hope our dealers made some money from the event. I can attest to doing my share!

The regional meeting on Saturday had two distinct parts, the first a day excursion for the non-collecting partners and the second a philatelic day for the members.

The partners excursion was led by Eileen Jacobi who took the spouses on a short tour of the coastal city of White Rock and then on to Steveston on Lulu Island for a tour of the Gulf of Georgia Cannery. My wife tells me it was cold in the cannery, but the tour was great. The group then had a-no host lunch in Steveston.

Arline Burnett persuaded the majority of spouses to join her at "Dave's Fish and Chips". I was raised on Lulu Island and believe Dave's makes the best fish and chips on the west coast. This seemed to be borne out from the comments I heard later in the evening. The group then headed to a wine tasting at "Domaine de Chabertin", a winery in Langley, BC.

The philatelic program was a gem. We had five speakers each taking about one hour.

Ken Pugh spoke on forgeries of the Ottawa (Senate) and the Victoria and Esquimalt crown cancels. It is amazing just how many forgeries there are on these cancels. Ken has a new book in process and I can't wait to get my hands on one. We also welcomed Ken as a new BNAPS member. It is conceivable that he is the shortest tenured member to address BNAPS, having been a member for only a few minutes before he spoke.

Tracy Cooper put up a marvelous exhibit of advertising covers of Vancouver. I'm a native of Vancouver, and was amazed at how many memories he brought back for me. I guess I'm getting old when someone puts up exhibit material from places I used to frequent as a youth.

Ken Pugh giving a talk on crown cancel forgeries

Tracy Cooper in mail clerk regalia with an exhibit of advertising covers of Vancouver

Peter Jacobi showed a great collection of covers from the Arrow Lake Routes from Revelstoke to Robson. Some of these cancels are extremely rare as some of these towns were drowned with the damming of the river to form the lake and it was a pleasure to see them.

John Burnett showed an overhead view of his Small Queen collection, and told some stories that were tied to a number of the acquisitions.

The philatelic day ended with another new BNAPSer. Tim Woodland spoke on the lumber industry post offices of the British Columbia coast. Again, another great presentation just full of information.

John Burnett gives a Small Queens presentation

Tim Woodland discusses the lumber industry post offices of the British Columbia coast

In the evening we met for a catered dinner and a guest speaker. Roy Strang spoke to the group on an area in Surrey, British Columbia, known as "Sunnyside Acres", an area of 120 hectares set aside in Surrey to remain an untouched forest. This feat of putting aside the last remaining transition woods on the lower mainland was a very difficult thing to accomplish. Just think of the value of this property to developers, yet this man along with other volunteers got the law changed to protect this property in perpetuity. Well done, Roy!

Sunday morning saw us reunite for a neat breakfast, and say our farewells for another six months.

►  John Burnett, event reporter