Andrea Dickson

Here I am on the North Shore, community nursing and raising my 9 year old daughter. Looking forward to seeing old friends. Over the years in Victoria I kept in touch with Paul taylor (an excellent dinner party host and gatherer of eclectic friends) and the ever gracious Michael Pash. I dined in Nana's fabulous restaurant last year, and look forward to seeing everyone again.

David Zaruba

One month afte the 10 year reunion I was hired as a financial controller for a German steel trading company and have been there ever since. My free time is spent with family and friends and playing music. I've just taken up the banjo and am learning to play bluegrass. I look forward to visiting with my old Hillside friends!

Anne Harkness

Hi everyone, I am really sorry that I will be missing the reunion Saturday. Thanks to you all for posting such incredible updates. Great laughs fond memories and a few, hmmm where is my annual moments. The 20th reunion was so much fun, hearing about everyone’s life experiences; I wish I could be there Saturday to hear 10 more years of stories.

Here is an update from me.
After graduation I worked in Calgary for a little while and returned to college and UBC until I realized that I wasn’t going to survive on an Anthropologist’s wage. I saved my summer Peppi’s waitress money and moved to Paris where I have spent as much time as I can in each decade ever since. When I ran out of money the first time I moved back to Vancouver and for the last 24 year have been working in the investment business. I worked while finishing my business degree at UBC as well as studying international business in Nice, France and Vienna, Austria. I am currently working for a provincial government agency managing investments. Travel is my real passion but most weeks you can find me dragon boating in False Creek with my wild and crazy team. I am dating a great guy who has two boys that are the age of the kids that I might have had had I not been such a vagabond. As Anne would say, better late than never.

I would love to hear from all my old pals, you can email me at annharkness@shaw.ca. Have a blast on Saturday night!! Sorry I can’t be there to share it with you.

Cheers,
Ann

Anthony Fulker

30 years on and I can’t believe how clearly some of my highschool memories come rushing back with reading all the wonderful updates that others have posted…and how many memories have been lost. I like to think that it comes down to years of new wisdom and learn’n that has displaced some of the older material…Yeah, that’s it.
It has been great reading your stories.

Let’s see, no wife, no kids, no house, errrrr, still skinny, more hair where it don’t belong – less where it do.
I am happy, healthy, active, and suitably delusional so all looks pretty good from here.

I took time off after Hillside to work for awhile (lifeguard/swim instructor), travel for awhile, dance a lot, and eventually find my way to college. Never did get my biology degree, but did grad in recreation (aquatic specialist) and then moved up to Kitimat…realized my error after one year and returned to West Vancouver.
Became an architectural photographer (initially working with my father) and did that for many years.
In ’87, after a wonderful six months exploring in Australia, I came back to Canada for my sister’s wedding and our ten year grad reunion. Shortly after returning home it became obvious that not all was right with my health and I came down with a mystery illness that really knocked the stuffing out of me. I finally reclaimed my health, and then some, after eight years of doctors, hospitals, drugs, and frustration. My recovery came after I walked away from my doctors and turned to natural/wholistic principles. I have since eaten more green stuff than most cows do in a full lifetime and can be found grazing at various vegetarian establishments and fields around the lower mainland.

Upon getting well I returned to photography with a vengeance only to discover my heart was not in it. I became more and more interested in natural healing and started doing a bunch more of that getting educated thing.
I now help people reclaim/retain their health through wholistic and integrated medicine, diet, and lifestyle. I work with a loose team of doctors and other practitioners around North America to support people in finding the motivation, information, and the resources that can help them heal. Sort of came back to the whole biology thing but with less dissections and formaldehyde.
I do a lot of public speaking, give presentations, and lead workshops on a wide range of lifestyle issues.
I also gave up Kraft Dinners and gourmet ketchups, although I do still enjoy the occasional glass of red wine or microbrew beer.

I still play soccer with the West Van Royals which I started, with my dad as coach, back in ‘76 (I’m the old guy) and still play badminton but still not as well as Brian Sheffield or Byron Kidd. Maybe my last year with the Royals as I fear that I have lost way too many functional brain cells to continue smacking my head against the ball, or is it that I keep getting out-run by kids who ask if I am lost while on the field?
I love all the wonderful outdoor activities that are possible living here and I make a point of hiking and getting out in the forests frequently.

I am looking forward to catching up with many of you on the 13th and wish all of you the very best in your continued journeys and adventures.

May peace and joy be with all of you.
Anthony

John Durrant

I'll just give the quick skinny, since I am so late in getting this in. It has been really great reading everyone else's stories, glad to hear so many happy ones. And here's mine:
My wife Char and I just celebrated our 15th anniversary. I had been living on the west side (UBC etc) for many years and got married there. We moved to the North Shore when it was time to have kids. So now we are in NV, with Niki 9 and Alex 6. Lots of fun! We ski and bike in the mountains, and spend summers mostly up on Savary Island, where I built a little place 20 years ago. Nothing fancy, more like a big wooden tent...
I am a partner in a film company which does work in Canada as well as elsewhere. Film is what I have done since 1988. I love it. Char is a stay-at-home mom, but we share writing projects on the side. Having fun, renovating continually it seems, and raising our two wonderful kids. That's it in a nutshell.
See you all on the 13th!

Randy Knobbs

Haven't ventured too far from the old 'hood-living in Lynn Valley near the canyon for the past 16 years. Married to a lovely lady, Leanne, we have been together for almost 20 yrs. She is slightly outnumbered in terms of the men in her life as there are 5 of us (males) including our black lab, Max. My (our) three sons, Brandon (15), Ryan (12), and Tyler (9) keep us hopping, particularly on weekends - I often look forward to going back to work on Monday mornings for a rest. Career wise, I have been working downtown in the finance and risk management field for the last 20 years. For the past 10 years, I have been with Marsh Canada, an international insurance broker and risk advisor, in the forestry and mining sectors. I made it to the 10 yr. reunion and the Hillside closing/wrecking party in 1996? but missed the 20 year so I am looking forward to seeing everyone on the 13th. Cheers, Randy

Randy Valpy

Like many of you I am amazed that 30 years has come and gone and it seems that each year is going by quicker and quicker. Also like many of you I would like to thank Anne for putting this together and would also like to thank the others that are working with Anne to organize the 30th reunion.

It was great to see those of you that attended the 20th reunion weekend and I certainly look forward to catching up with everyone on the 13th. While Hillside is a distant memory, I am fortunate enough to see 8 of my best friends every year as we reunite in Whistler at CB’s cabin, in fact we just had our 21st (or 22nd) boys weekend with Charles Curtis, Mike Biehl, John White, Steve Niewerth and Brian Hermon. Missing this year were Dave Zaruba and Wayne Murphy.

After several years of being transferred back and forth between Vancouver and Toronto I have finally settled down in Winnipeg where I have lived for just over 12 years. I spent the first 20 years of my career in the home furnishings industry, 17 years in window coverings and 3 years in floor coverings and then moved to the insurance industry 6 years ago, which seemed to be the next logical step (not in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be in the insurance industry). I am a marketer at heart and this is what attracted to me to my current roll as President of SecuriCan General Insurance Company. What makes our company unique is that we are Canada’s only federally regulated P&C insurance company that specializes in pet health insurance (that’s right – health insurance for cats and dogs). We underwrite 4 products, one for the Canadian Automobile Association, one for President’s Choice Financial, one for Nestle Purina PetCare and our own brand which is marketed under the name Petplan. Pet insurance is a marketers dream and I have had a lot of fun building the company over the past 6 years.

I travel extensively for my job throughout Canada, the USA and Europe and love visiting new cities, states, countries and am fortunate to have friends all over that I get to visit during my travels.

I have two fantastic children, my son Andrew (23) who moved to Winnipeg a couple of years ago and is currently employed with Shaw Cable, and my daughter Tanya (20) who just started her third year of college in Massachusetts and who lives with her mother and stepfather in Westfield, MA. I have recently purchased a new home with my partner Kimberly and just this past month we have combined our two households. Kimberly has two great daughters (11 and 19) who live with us half time. Kimberly is a business owner and fortunately has the flexibility to take time off and accompany me on some of my trips.

Looking forward to seeing you all soon.

Keith Ranspot

"Ah, but I was so much older then. I'm younger than that now.

"Hey Everybody!

I read the full list of names wishing I hadn't lost the yearbook. I haven't seen most of you in more than thirty years so its taking a while to clear the cobwebs. However, I have remembered enough arithmetic to realize that there must be a significant number of lurkers out there, many of whom I hope to hear from or read about. Not to worry though. If you don't have the time or inclination, I'll make one up for you. Now that could be mucho fun. Anybody want to help?

The Lowdown on Keith:

TravelThe family has had property on Savary Island for 20 yrs plus. We built a cabin there in the nineties and I spend as much time there as possible. (Indian Point to you Savoryites. Savary Islanders? Savoryonians? ) I've also done some traveling, primarily on this continent, but I also had a memorable time wandering through Europe. Mom was fulfilling an ambition to live and study in old Paris. She had a dingy little apartment in an antique mansion right in the latin quarter, a short walk from everything. So I stayed there a while exploring and improving my french before I took off on my own to bounce around western europe . No itinerary at all. Usually meeting other travelers in the hostels, traveling together for a while, then heading off in another direction with someone else. I loathed to see it end and decided then that I'd be back when I could stay much longer, when I had a deeper understanding of history and culture, and when I had a year (at least) to do it right. I will return.

School
Nine years post secondary: BA in arts (Psychology and Religious Studies) , 3+ years Computer Science, (UBC) and a diploma in Multimedia production. . Even did the first year of a masters in Islamic Architecture.

Jobs
Determined fairly early that corporate software engineering wasn't the place for me. So I bounced around quite a bit in the first few years: Prospector, Assay lab tech, Expeditor, Ironworker, Carpenter. I determined while still in university to learn a trade that would serve as a better paying summer job while I finished my education.

Gigs
Websites, Databases , Programming. Manuscript editor. Tutor. Graphic artist & Typographer.Musician.

Career
Eventually I discovered that I loved building things, so I decided to teach myself the craft of furniture making. Been doing it ever since, with a couple of excursions into Architectural Millwork and the TV /film industry. ( I worked for the CBC for a while in the mid & late 90s doing props, set dec, staging, and set carp on The Junos, Da Vinci's Inquest ,Edgemont etc etc etc.] Still at it today, though I work for myself out of a shop in East Van: " Beatty St Woodworks. ". [The shop is actually at 1000 Parker st]. You may have been there if you've ever toured the Culture Crawl held every year in the last week of november. If not, check it out. If so, do it again.

Love
A hook up with a North Van girl in my mid-twenties led to a twelve year common-law marriage. No Kids. [By the way, many belated congratulations on your many children. ] Thus far I've contented myself with the delusion that my brothers kids think of me as the 'cool uncle'. -- " K'yea. As if. " They're almost all in university now, as are many of yours., but that's one bit of reality I haven't got a handle on yet.

Fun
Like many of you, my body is paying today for yesteryears nonchalance and I've had to retire from the impact sports like tennis and basketball, and of course Gymnastics (in those days my 'serious' sport) . I finally learned to skate when I turned 40 (rollerblade) and hope to try all of the new activities that have emerged in the past three decades.To feed the brain I study history , make music,rant about world events, or work on any of a number of crazy projects-- including a diabolical scheme to conquer the world. But hey. Who isn't? (It's still on the ground-floor though. It's a lot harder than you'd think finding evil minions, and the prices of death-rays these days is extortionate! )

Locales
Except for a few months living in Dunsmuir California (Near Mt Shasta on the I5), I've remained in the lower mainland : N Van, Kits, Kerrisdale, East Van, West End, and finally back to WV in 2000 when I bought a condo near Municipal Hall. I've run into some of you, but less than I'd have expected and far fewer than I'd hoped.

So they say that if you want to make God laugh, you should tell him your plans. No doubt then that I've been an ongoing source of mirth to him. So I got that going for me .

I Missed both 10 & 20, so I'll try like hell to clear the calendar for the 13th. Hope to hear from everyone. Nutin but Love. Keith.

Mark Smith

They were the best of times and they were the worst of times...actually, my high school years I found relatively enjoyable aside from all that work, what was that all about? I was sort of an average student, but enjoyed playing football at lunch with Wayne Murphy and the gang, working behind the scenes on stage with Brian Buckingham, time put in on the Student Council (damn you Jay MacKeown)…falling asleep in History 12 (how did ol’ Mr. whathisname not notice??) I remember the great Banner escapade in the Stanley Park causeway as a grad prank (with Mark Fremmerlid laying spread eagled in the long grass after we were almost caught…the patrol guy standing virtually right over him and he’s whispering, “help me, help me…” in his walkie talkie) I remember Lisa Kofod painting the Pink Panther outside the main entrance of the school. Then there was going for Chinese with Ian Millar, Craig and Bruce, Mark Fremmerlid and Jeff Swartz… After graduating, Craig and I drove his Datsun 2000 down to California and I learned to drive standard on the way. It was the Summer Elvis died and every time the anniversary of his death comes up on August 16th I remember the trip. I sound like an old fogey to my kids, “why I remember when Elvis died, I had driven down to California….”

Somehow, while university seemed inevitable after high school, it wasn’t automatic. I worked at MasterCard right after graduation and a year and a half later quit to drive a ski boat up at Malibu for the summer. I came back and worked in construction for a bit. I had done some work with youth groups and then more specifically with youth and their families in a group home called Ottawa House at 15th and Ottawa. Did that for a couple of years, got engaged and then married in 1982 at the age of 23. The year after, I started UBC and by 1988 had completed my Master’s degree in Social Work specializing in Family Systems Therapy. So, I started my career as a therapist and now its 20 years later. I’ve worked with Family Services of Greater Vancouver for 17 of it and have had a private practice for most of those 20 years. Recently I’ve Co-Chaired the Collaborative Divorce Vancouver group doing some work also as a Divorce Coach and I have been on the Board of Living Systems (formerly North Shore Counselling Centre) since 1998 and President of the Board since 2002. I’ve also had a growing passion for photography over those many years.

I’ve got 3 great kids, two sons aged 17 and 13 and a daughter who is 10. My older son, Jeremy, is a stellar defenseman in soccer, has just started grade 12 and plans to study Medieval History at UVic. He’s a gaming enthusiast as well… can anyone say, “Halo 3?” Nicholas, my younger son, enjoys fencing, rugby and electric guitar and has just started the high school experience in a grade 8 Explorations Program. My daughter, Allegra, plays soccer and shines in music theatre. They are all creative, bright kids who laugh a lot and generally have pretty good heads on their shoulders.

Me? I’ve been on my own for 6 years, but am proud to have a very amicable relationship with their Mom. I spend lots of time with my kids and, when I’m not, I’m working and so life goes. I’ve lived in Richmond since 1998 near Steveston. My folks still live in West Van so I get over there once in a while and my kids have had their own relationship with the area.

Having only just been located regarding the upcoming reunion in a week and a half I’ve been working hard not to take it personally. I mean there are only 13 “Mark Smith’s” in the phone book and no, I haven’t been working as a White House correspondent or playing hockey for the San Jose Sharks….and just because I’m listed in the book as “KM” doesn’t excuse anything! I did however just google myself (“Mark Smith therapist”) and I came up listed number one on google and listed as a sex therapist to boot! Imagine that, first among 250,000 hits…

Jeff Swartz

Since my first blog post –the first post on this site– was really Anne just using one of my e-mails responses to her as a test for this blog, maybe I can have another shot. If you don’t post this Anne, I’ll do it myself, unless you’ve changed the password.

I can’t make it back and do feel sorry about it. I am actually ready to handle most of you after so many years, but will not be able to prove it. It’s nice to feel reasonably well adjusted after so decades.

After high school I finished a history degree at McGill, got bogged down in graduate studies at UBC, and by the mid 80 was looking for a way out. I came to Barcelona 20 years ago last month. The first years here, learning Spanish in a rather exciting time in the city, were probably some of the most easy-going and carefree of my life. I have almost always taught English while here though it has always been the way for me to subsidize a career I somehow pulled out of a hat sometime around 1989: I’m an art critic and exhibitions curator. I don’t know how it happened, but I have had some success, though it is financially unstable. Still, I have published rather extensively (first name now Jeffrey), including writing directly in Spanish and Catalan, and organize shows (more at www.barcelonaculture.com). I now teach art theory at the EINA design school, have taught visiting foreign students as well, and do other things like translating in the culture sector. It is the rather varied and sometimes chaotic life of a free-lancer. The most important thing on the professional level, I think, is that I think I make my small contribution to the cultural life in the city, which I very much feel part of.

I’ve been with my wife Lola (really Maria Dolors) since 1991, and we got married in 1996. She’s from a tiny stone village near the Pyrenees, pretty beautiful place, but is committed to being a Barcelonan as I am (so much so that she works for the Deputy Mayor). Our son Elies is 8, and already tells me what a drag I am –I resignedly agree– and does other things more appropriate for a pre-adolescent. Today he said he wanted to be a squatter and was going to occupy Bill Gates’ house. Armed. I assure you that all I did, a few months back, was describe Bill’s residence to him. The forced entry part is totally his.

Will be thinking about all of you on the thirteenth, and hope to be back in Van next summer.