Geoff Hutchinson still lives on the same quarter-section farm in Telkwa where he was raised.
Arthur William Hutchinson, Geoff’s father, was introduced to his mother, Karen, whose father lived next door, in 1931.
Karen’s father had introduced her to the “eligible bachelor who lives next door” through a series of letters. Arther and Karen were married in Oregon, after she “loaded everything she had” into a bus and drove there from Ohio, explained Geoff.
“That van became the first school bus in the Bulkley Valley, they both drove it.”
Geoff said he has one goal in life: to live longer than his mother and father.
“Mum was six weeks short [of] 99 and dad was six months short [of] 99,” explained Geoff. “They lived a good life on the farm.”
Geoff is still a few years away from reaching that goal, but is currently in remission from cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer).
“Is beer good for cancer?” Geoff asked his wife, Muriel “Joy” Hutchinson.
“I’d like to think I’m cured. I was pretty close to dying. There was two weeks at a hospital in Vancouver where I don’t remember a thing,” explained Geoff.
“Oh well, dad smoked a pipe up until a few hours before he died.”
Arthur joined the army in the First World War as a medical sergeant for the British Army in 1915.
He served in the war for four years, during which time he tended to soldiers who were wounded on the battlefields.
“We did a tour once, somewhere in Holland, France, Belgium, where they did the Nuremberg trials,” said Geoff of a trip he and Joy took. “It still makes me emotional to think about.”
“Dad said if a bomber came over, he would go hide under an oak tree and hide. How much shelter do you think you get under an oak tree?’
When Arthur found himself back in Smithers after the war was over, he was suffering from “shell-shock,” a condition now recognized as post-traumatic stress disorder.
Geoff painted a picture of a distant image of Smithers that his father grew up in, describing streets with open-sewers and little road maintenance.
“He was walking downtown, when someone yells ‘Hey Doc!” explained Geoff. “It was Alec, don’t remember his last name, who got dad into the Legion”
Alec had recognized Arthur because he had dressed his wounds.
“His jaw was shot, his face was pretty mangled. Dad didn’t recognize him because he didn’t recognize his face.
“It’s a small world.”
Arthur had expressed his inability to find solace after the war and Alec suggested he join the Legion to connect with people who had similar experiences.
“You might suffer from shell shock, so you could kind of go into the Legion and use it as a support group. Back then it was just for military,” explained Joy.
“I’ve never been in the military, but I’ve been a Legion member for 40 years.”
Previously, Geoff served as president of the Smithers branch and is now a zone commander for the Royal Canadian Legion, which means he oversees a 600-kilometre stretch of Legion branches in the Northern District from Houston to Haida Gwaii.
“It’s an overrated name I think, but I oversee the largest zone in all of British Columbia,” he said.
Membership in the Legion has served Geoff and Joy well, When Geoff was in the hospital, Joy was able to access free housing and private housing because she was a Legion member.
“The Legion was just strictly war veterans. Nobody else, not the wives, the children, nothing. It was war vets. And it was for years and years. I can remember before the wives weren’t allowed, then that’s when I could join. That was in the early 80s,” said Joy.
Since then, the Legion has expanded from being a primary support group for members, to being a service club that supports the entire community.
Legion membership is dwindling, however, with fewer young people becoming involved. Geoff and Joy believe that many Smithers residents are unaware of what service clubs actually do for the community.
“If you go in and buy a drink, even that’s supporting the community,” said Geoff.
“I don’t think the average person in Smithers understands, unless they belong to the Legion, that the money you put into those boxes at the local businesses in town stays in the community to help the community,” explained Joy.
“It provides the needed equipment, beds and things for our medical centres, like Bulkley Valley Hospital.”
Geoff will be the emcee for this year’s Remembrance Day parade.
When his health was more optimal, he would also travel to local schools and speak to students about the importance of Remembrance Day.
“I gave them an idea about what went on 50 years ago, 100 years ago, everything to do with the wars,” said Geoff.
“I would ask: where did your freedom come from? Where do you think we would be today if you didn’t have someone fighting for your freedom?”
