Vancouver Voyager: 1936

1936 marked Vancouver's Golden Jubilee. We had now been in existence for fifty years. The new city hall opened that year and the Vancouver Historical Society was founded.

On January 20 King George V died. All radio stations in Vancouver went off the air as a sign of respect and a memorial service was held on January 28 at Malkin Bowl.

Mount Seymour Provincial Park opened on January 31, 1936. At that time it was 274 hectares - now it expands over a region of 3508 hectares. Interesting note. During World War II, conscientious objectors were put to work building a road up to the developing ski area. Now we allow our objectors to camp out on public property and damage the area.

February 22, 1936 was when the Seaforth Highlanders Regimental Band was formed in Vancouver.

In March the provincial government responded to a vote held by Vancouver citizens in December of 1935. The government amended the city's charter and abolished the city's ward system.

Former mayor and currently an alderman, Charles Edward Tisdal1 died in office on March 17. He was 69 years old.

Ten days later a shipbuilder by the name of George Emery Cates died in Vancouver. Cates came to Vancouver in 1896 from Maine and started Cates Shipyards. He was responsible for building the 500 ton steamship Britannia, Klondike scows and a 500 horsepower electric plant.

On April 25 Charles Woodward, retailer, predicted that within "40, at the outside 50, years Vancouver will be the largest city in Canada."

The founder of the Vancouver Sun, Robert James Cromie, died in Victoria on May 11, 1936.

On May 24 the civic Golden Jubilee celebrations began.

On July 2 Mayor Gerry McGeer laid the cornerstone for the new city hall.

On July 4 there was some cricket news. Hollywood XI visited Vancouver - Vancouver had visited Hollywood the previous year. The two teams met at Brockton Point and among the cricket players from south of the border were Errol Flynn, Boris Karloff and Aubrey Smith.

July 6 was a day for technology. Telegraph wires linked Vancouver to London, England.

On July 18, a Chinese Carnival Village opened at Pender and Carrall streets which was Chinatown's participation in the Golden Jubilee. (I was at the Chinatown Festival this summer which was right in that area.)

On July 21 the main peak at Mt.Waddington was conquered by climbers Wiessner and House.

A giant in Canadian music, Sir Ernest MacMillan visited Vancouver on August 12 to be a guest conductor of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. MacMillan was the first guest conductor the VSO had ever had and Sir Ernest was a popular and busy man. He was also the first person to ever be knighted outside the UK for contributions to music.