THE WRITTEN WORD

Early last September Ron was invited to give a lecture in the Esther Birney Literature Series held every Thursday morning, from 10:30am to 11:45am in the Halpern Room at Brock House on Point Grey Road, Vancouver. The date Ron selected was December 15^th. However, this December the Lower Mainland and the Island was subject to a cold snap causing water to freeze in puddles, lakes and ponds, and snow to fall. In order to be certain of making it to the lecture Ron and I arrived the day before, staying with family in White Rock.

The drive into Vancouver on Thursday morning was spectacular. The day dawned clear and cold. The sky was ice blue and the mountains and the delta sparkled white. Around Tsawwassen the thermometer on our silver Toyota (which registers outside temperatures) dipped to minus six degrees Celsius. By the time Ron and I reached Brock House it registered a balmy minus one. Perhaps it was fear of icy sidewalks, perhaps it was the season, the Christmas shopping, baking, or holidays, but the lecture in the Halpern Room, which normally attracts an audience of thirty to forty, only saw a dozen that morning. However, the low numbers were made up by high enthusiasm, and Ron’s talk and readings were enlivened by lots of questions and audience participation, (and brisk book sales after, with one hard cover copy purchased for the Brock House Library.)

Brock House is a designated Heritage Site. It was originally completed in 1913 but not named “Brockholm” until 1922 by Mildred Brock and her husband Dean Reginald Brock, who purchased the property then. In 1952 the property was sold to the federal government and turned into offices for the RCMP. When the RCMP moved to new quarters the property was eventually turned over to the City of Vancouver as part of the transfer of the Jericho Waterfront Lands in 1975. The City then entrusted the property to the care of the Brock House Society. The Society’s Mission is “to provide for its members a social, intellectual, recreational and cultural centre, and, through a stimulating program of activities, enable members to achieve a more satisfying life.” Anyone over 55 can become a member of the society for the nominal fee of $45 (GST included).

Thanks to many, many volunteers, like Glenys Acland, who organizes Programs like the Esther Birney Lecture Series Brock House remains a thriving centre for 2,000 members–chock a block full of activities to challenge the mind, the body and the soul. If I lived in Vancouver I would definitely become a member and polish up my yoga, chess, table tennis or conversational Spanish. Perhaps I would even join a choir or take a course on Women Mystics. Or I might simply sit on a bench in the garden and enjoy the stunning views of Vancouver, the north shore mountains and English Bay, especially on a hot summer’s day, when the temperature is a comfortable 22.