excerise 2

September 5, 2026 By: Hailey Donaldson

My great grandmother migrated from England in the 1940’s when she was a young girl. She moved to the coast of Vancouver with her family. Not long after she had met a man and moved to Vancouver Island for working opportunities. I didn’t know my great grandfather, but I believe he worked in the forestry industry as that was the most common occupation on this island. They then had two girls and the youngest boy who is my Papa. Through stories and critical thinking, I began to understand that my great grandfather wasn’t very nice and not long after the kids grew up, he left. My great grandmother was still living on the island, Lake Cowichan to be exact, my papa still lives there today. Not long after he was 23, he met my Nana, I wish I knew how they met. They were both quite hippy dippy people; my Papa had long strawberry blonde hair and my Nana had very short hair, she couldn’t even tuck behind her ear. They both loved the outdoors, that’s where they spent most of their time. They weren’t together long before they got engaged then shortly after having my dad. They were now living in Mesachie Lake, only a few minutes outside Lake Cowichan. My Papa was an operator for a logging company, and my Nana was busy with my dad. He was very stubborn, so I heard. Not long after my dad started kindergarten, they moved back to Lake Cowichan across from the duck pond right by the water. Now that my dad was in school, this gave my Nana more freedom. I’m not sure if she took post secondary classes when she was living up island before she met my Papa or if she took them when my dad started school, but I know she had taken typewriter classes in Port Hardy. That was where she was originally from with her two older brothers. Once my dad had gotten a little older and independent, my Nana became one of the schools janitors which she stayed doing for a long time. After my dad had graduated, he was going to post secondary school to be a heavy duty mechanic in Nanaimo. Once he did his six weeks of schooling, he was sent off to work in Campbell River. Campbell River is where my mom is from. Apparently, they had mutual friends that set them up, and they’ve been together since. My dad had a job opportunity in Fort St. John and asked my mom if she wanted to come, so they packed their things and moved all the way across the province. They were living in Fort St. John for about two or three years and got a house then not shortly after they had me. My dad was working for Interflex and often was at camp while my mom was taking care of me. My mom often took me to see my grandma in Campbell River since she had no point in staying in Fort St. John since my dad was in camp. When I was four, they had my brother Tyler, and we were still in Fort St. John. We stayed there until I was eight then moved to Chetwynd for another job opportunity that my dad got. This opportunity was for SNRI, the company that he is still with today. When I was about 10 years old, they had their last baby, Travis. My parents and brothers still live in Chetwynd, but I’ve done some moving around for my schooling. I moved to Fort St. John for a little bit, not far but still not home. But now I am in Kamloops, to continue my schooling! 

Obviously, the forestry industry is important to my family’s history because that was the resource that gave them work. That industry kept them afloat and allowed them to build their lives in communities like Lake Cowichan and Mesachie Lake. Although forests and lakes are natural environments, the places where my family lived were not completely untouched. Logging changed the landscape by removing trees and developing roads, worksites, and larger communities. My family has therefore been both dependent and involved in transforming the environment. For example, my great grandfather and Papa worked in the forestry industry, meaning their employment was directly connected to the use of forest resources. My parents continued moving throughout BC because of employment opportunities. In this way, natural resources and industries have influenced where different generations of my family have lived. My relationship with the environment is different from what my grandparents and parents are. Their lives were closely connected to the resource based communities and employment while I have had more opportunities to move for my education. In the future, I hope to maintain a strong connection with the environment by appreciating and respecting the natural landscapes around me rather than only seeing them as a resource for economic development. My family history has helped me understand the environments we live in shape both nature and the choices people make.