A lot of people in Chemainus know Fred Durrand, my father-in-law. At 93, he’s slowed down some, but still shoulders his pack a few times each week and makes the kilometre-and-a-half trek into town to do his shopping. Fred’s always busy, always out-and-about.
So I thought it would be appreciated, especially as Remembrance Day approaches, to attach some backstory to the amiable, dignified, gentle man who is so kindly treated at the grocery story checkout, the pharmacy and everywhere else he goes in town.
Fred was born in Revelstoke, BC. When you see him sitting in our front yard, his daily pint of warm ale to hand, watching the sun sail over Mount Brenton, or sink behind it, you know he’s reminded of his youth hiking in the mountainous backcountry of the Selkirks, or ski jumping on the lower slope of Mount Revelstoke. Many of Fred’s best stories are from his early Revelstoke days.
But the event that shaped him as a young man was World War II. He enlisted at 18 years-old, fooling the recruiting officer by memorizing the eye chart before taking his physical. He wanted to be a pilot, but when he was rejected for that duty, signed on as a dispatch motorcycle rider. He remembers most the camaraderie of the war, the characters he rode with, made friends with, socialized with.
Without a doubt, though, the most important story of all was his flirtatious encounter with a young Dutch woman Josie Gaarenstroom, the woman who would eventually come to Canada, leaving her family in Amsterdam to marry the man she loved.
Eventually Fred and Josie would have two daughters – Johanna and Diana; he would embark on a career in municipal administration – he worked in Revelstoke’s city hall for many years, then moved to the Coast to become Administrator of Central Saanich; then retire to Victoria, and – two-and-a-half years ago – join us in the move the Chemainus.
Every year Fred attends Remembrance Day services on Nov. 11. His comrades have almost all passed away, but his memories of them, their determination, discipline, sacrifices and antics are vivid. Fred is a man who cherishes his own stories and thinks deeply about the history he’s lived. During his minute’s silence he honours those young soldiers. But his reminisces are always counterbalanced by a deep sense of sadness and anger at the viciousness, futility and senselessness of war.
