Christmas 1969

1969 was an eventful year for Nora and I. I was called to the British Columbia Bar as a lawyer and got a job with the District of Coquitlam as a staff Municipal Solicitor. We moved into a new house on Wilmot Street in Coquitlam, and, of course, our Kathleen was born on September 10th.

When Christmas arrived we had much to celebrate. As part of our celebration the kids and I built a gingerbread house. Over the years I built a few of them but I think that year’s was the best!

From the moment we made the house the boys were planning which candies they wanted to pull off and eat. Eventually, after Christmas, we let them do as they wished. And a few there were that disappeared before Christmas! The rules were not strictly enforced. Sometimes a stolen candy tastes so much sweeter!

Christmas Eve of 1969 and the tension is building. This was Kathleen’s first Christmas and she did not have it figured out yet but the boys knew who was coming.

Sean and Gordon getting into their presents.

Wilmot Street was our first real house where we had some room. Our back yard was up against Mundy Park and the back fence was lined with tall fir and cedar trees. And the yard was flat so the kids had lots of place to run.

It was a good neighbourhood with young families so the children had lots of friends. The street out front was quiet and relatively safe for the children to cross and visit back and fourth.

We had three bedrooms and our living room had a fireplace which got used often.

In 1969 I was still developing black and white film myself because I could not afford color film or the cost of processing. By staying with B&W film as I had all through University I could control the process somewhat. I had a little darkroom off the kitchen for doing prints and contact sheets which I did infrequently. Many of these pictures I am seeing for the first time, now, as I place them online on this website.