80's Heroes

From the city's very beginning as a one block long frontier village snuggled beside a sawmill, Vancouver had promise. On April 6, 1986, the city turned 100 and was now a metropolis occupying 5,500 city blocks and surrounded by blossoming suburbs.

This once tiny hamlet now housed varied populations, mixed lifestyles, numerous buildings and businesses. A long way from the settlement Gassy Jack Deighton set up his saloon in all those years ago.

Today, I am going to talk to you about the 1980s in Vancouver.

The spring of 1980 shocked many Vancouverites when, on May 18, Mount St. Helens erupted. The shocks continued with interest rates of almost 23% in 1981 and the selling price of a home nearly doubled in one year.

Throughout this decade, from 1982 to 1988, unemployment numbers were double digits. AIDS and organ transplants intrigued many of us and technology made its way into our homes with microwaves, VCRs, computers, and compact disc players.

Vancouver restaurants started to create outdoor patios in the summer for its patrons to enjoy our mild weather.

The 1980s was a big decade for Vancouver. The city hosted Expo 86 and invited the world to come visit. Once the fair was over, immigration increased and the number of languages spoken in the schools increased to 60. By 1989, almost 75% of the immigrants coming to Vancouver from outside Canada were from Asia. (Hence, our nickname Hongcouver) 

The eighties was also when Vancouver became known as the "Peace Capital of Canada" when the city declared itself a Nuclear Weapons Free Zone and inaugurated a huge peace march in 1982 against the nuclear arms race. This annual event grew to be the largest of its kind in North America. Up to 100,000 participants.

Many people view the eighties as a selfish decade but there are two events that speak of 1980s to me. One is the Marathon of Hope. Terry Fox, having lost a leg to cancer, dipped his prosthetic leg into the Atlantic on April 12, 1980. He filled two bottles with water from the ocean, intending on pouring one into the Pacific Ocean and keeping the other for a souvenir. Then he started to run. His goal was to run across Canada and to raise one dollar from every Canadian to help in the fight against cancer. Sadly, he made it just a little over halfway before the cancer returned and he was flown home to BC where he died a year later. However, money is still be raised in his name to fight cancer.

The second event is the Man in Motion tour. On March 21, 1985, paraplegic Rick Hansen waved goodbye to a crowd of people at Oakridge Mall in Vancouver and began a year long journey. He wheeled his wheelchair around the world and faced many hardships and triumphs along the way. His goal was to raise money for spinal cord research. Hansen completed his journey and has gone on to do many more great things.

Two of my heroes made their mark in the 1980s and both are from my home province.

The first two paragraphs are information from a book entitled Vancouver, A Visual History by Bruce Macdonald. The last, from me.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

Fascinating Facts for Friday

Here's something a little different for you. I am going through my files of photos on Vancouver and posting those. Usually I will fill your head with historical knowledge but not today. This time I am going to subject you to some current facts on my beautiful city. So I hope you enjoy it.

Remember when I wrote on the BC Hydro building? Well this is a sculpture that is outside the building.

For five years in a row Vancouver has been voted the most liveable city in the world.

Greater Vancouver is the third largest city in Canada while Vancouver city is the eighth largest.

Vancouver is a city where a person can swim, play golf and ski all in the same day.

The city was named after Captain Vancouver.

We are the third largest film production centre in North America. You might be surprised to realize that some of your favourite shows and movies are filmed here.

Although there is one vehicle for every two Vancouver citizens this is one of the few North American cities without a freeway running through downtown.

The wealthiest neighbourhoods in Canada are here. Unfortunately I don't live in one of them!

The west end of Vancouver only covers 20 blocks but is the most densely populated area in North America.

Vancouver has the highest proportion per capita of Asians than in any other North American city and 35% of Vancouver's population is foreign born which is the highest figure in the world.

We know have to have a good time though. Vancouverites dine out more than citizens in any other North American city.

Greater Vancouver is home to two of my idols: Terry Fox who, despite losing a leg to cancer, attempted to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. – The Marathon of Hope - He made it over halfway before the cancer struck again and he had to quit. That was in 1980 and thirty years later runs are still being in his memory to raise money for cancer research.

And Rick Hansen. Hansen became paralyzed from the waist down after a car accident at the age of 15.   But on March 20, 1985 Hansen left Vancouver on the Man in Motion tour. His goal was to wheel around the world to raise money for spinal cord research. Guess what? He did it. On May 22, 1987 Hansen was greeted by thousands of cheering people as he wheeled into BC Place Stadium. Remember the movie St. Elmo's Fire and that great song Man in Motion? That song was written by Canada's own David Foster and British musician John Parr as a tribute to Hansen. It was performed by Parr.

About ten years ago I was living in an apartment in New Westminster. It was less than a year after my diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Someone was cleaning out a vacant apartment and dropped a box of books off for me. One of them was Rick Hansen, Man in Motion - the story of Hansen's journey around the world. That book touched me deeply. I figured if Hansen could pull that off what am I doing getting depressed about my situation in life? I wrote to Rick Hansen and he answered me. I framed his letter and it hangs on my wall to remind me that I can do what I want. If you want to read a book that is inspirational and reminds you of what a person can do than I advise you to read that one.

The eccentric, reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes moved to Vancouver after a massive earthquake hit Nicaragua where he was living at the time. He lived here for a few years in a suite at the Bayshore Hotel at the entrance to Stanley Park.

I guess he didn't realize that Vancouver sits on one of the most dangerous earthquake faults in the world. One day an earthquake greater than 8 on the Richter scale will hit the city. We also have an active volcano nearby but should Mt Baker erupt it wouldn’t create a threat. Or so they say.

In the 1960s Errol Flynn, the legendary actor, spent his final days in Vancouver. He died in an apartment in the West End.

Vancouver’s CKWX was the first rock ‘n roll station in Canada in the early 1950s and in 1967 the first rock FM station, CKLG.

Greenpeace was founded here.

Rock star and activist Bob Geldoff used to be editor of the Georgia Straight - a free local weekly paper.

The term Skid Row which refers to the seedier parts of town is said to have started here. Other cities do lay claim to being the origin of the term but since I am in Vancouver and this is my blog I am going to give credit my city.

Vancouver may get a lot of rain but we get less than Boston and New York City.

I would like to thank vancouver.hm for the information and all these facts. Or at most of them.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

TAGS:Vancouver, Karen Magill, CKWX, CKLG,Bob Geldof,Rick Hansen,History,Terry Fox,Greenpeace,Howard Hughes,