When residents of the new subdivision in Upper Gibsons give out their street addresses to friends in the coming years, they will be name-dropping some of the Town's most notable, generous and influential community members.
Gibsons council has chosen six former and current Gibsons residents after whom to name the streets and lanes of the Parkland subdivision.
To select the names, Gibsons corporate officer Michelle Jansson and researcher Heather Jeal have been combing through books on Sunshine Coast and Gibsons history looking for names for council to consider. Last Tuesday they chose these six:
James Shaver Woodsworth
An early Gibsons activist and politician, Woodsworth will be the namesake for the subdivision's main thoroughfare. Woodsworth was one of the founders and first leader of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), the precursor to today's New Democratic Party, and sat as a member of parliament in Manitoba from 1932 to 1942.
Woodsworth was a minister at the Gibsons Methodist Church until 1917 when he was fired by the church for his pacifist views. For a time, he lived in the Inglis family home
"He's a Canadian icon. The fact that [CCF's] planning meetings were held in the Inglis home is another important part of what Gibsons was. It has framed the kind of working class that community of Gibsons was," Mayor Barry Janyk said, explaining the rationale for the choice. "I think it's important to honour and respect the past. I think it's the proper thing to do at this time."
Keith Wright
Intersecting Woodsworth Road is Wright Road, named for Keith Wright, one of the only living Gibsons residents to have a street named after him. Wright, along with John Matthews, opened Gibsons SuperValu store on a 10-acre portion of land on what is now Sunnycrest Mall in 1957.
"[Wright] was a huge contributor to the community for over 50 years and a benefactor to a lot of organizations and one of the fellows who was key to the implementation of the Upper Gibsons neighbourhood plan," Janyk said.
Bruno Gerussi
Arguably Gibsons' most recognizable past resident, Bruno Gerussi will have a lane on the west side of the development. Gerussi starred as Nick Adonidas in the CBC comedy-drama The Beachcombers, which was shot and set in Gibsons from 1972 to 1991. Janyk said Gerussi and The Beachcombers made Gibsons known across Canada and around the world. He added that Gerussi chose to make Gibsons his home.
"That was his house," Janyk said pointing across Gibsons Harbour to the top of the bluff. "The one at the very top was Bruno's house. He lived there for over 10 years. He put Gibsons on the map. Why shouldn't he be recognized?" Janyk said.
Louise Hume
In honour of Louise Hume and her family, including husband Ted who was a Gibsons councillor, Hume Lane will run through the subdivision. Hume, who passed away this summer, was a pillar in Gibsons volunteering, a founding member of the Fibre Arts Festival and a big contributor to downtown revitalization.
"I think it's a really good pick. She was one of the main people who started the fibre festival. She deserves some recognition," Janyk said.
Lester R. Peterson
Described by Janyk as the "grandfather of historians," Peterson literally wrote the book on the Town of Gibsons and now has a lane named after him. Peterson's 1961 book The Gibsons Landing Story was the first historical text on the Town. Jansson relied heavily on Peterson's book to gather names for council to choose from.
Peterson was also the Town's first archivist and founder of the Elphinstone Pioneer Museum, which later became the Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives. The museum was originally just Peterson's basement, which he left open to visitors to come in and examine First Nations artifacts and pioneer tools he collected.
George Cooper
Cooper served as chairman of the Village of Gibsons (what would now be mayor of the Town of Gibsons) from 1930 to 1936 and spent many more years on council.
"He's one of the few mayors who hasn't been recognized posthumously, and he should be. He led the community at a difficult time during the Depression."
According to The Sunshine Coast: a Place to Be by Rosella Leslie, another book Jansson consulted, Cooper spent 21 years in total as a member of council. Leslie wrote this was likely because it was his position to "adhere strictly to the citizens' demand that there be no increase in land taxes."
Janyk said the current list of names to draw on for naming streets, parks and other Town infrastructure is badly in need of an update, a project Jansson plans to take on soon. With two more phases of development coming to the Parkland subdivision in the coming years and, eventually, new roads around Gospel Rock, more streets will have to be named. Janyk said he would like to have public input when it comes to drawing up a new master list of names.
"I think we should send a message to people that if they know a relative or friend, somebody who they feel is worthy of recognition, we'd be interested in their name and their history so we can add it to our repertoire," Janyk said.
