More than 200 pioneers attended the annual Douglas Day celebration on Saturday, Nov. 19.
The celebration of local pioneers is named in honour of Governor James Douglas, who brought the crown colony of British Columbia into being by his proclamation at the Big House in Fort Langley on November 19, 1858.
The annual banquet has been held for more than 60 years and in 1946, the celebration of Douglas Day was established by municipal bylaw.
The 2016 edition of Douglas Day was hosted by the Township of Langley and the City of Langley at the Langley Events Centre, where guests were treated to lunch, entertainment, special presentations, and tributes.
“Douglas Day is our opportunity to recognize the long-time Langley residents whose knowledge, ideas, and efforts helped forge our community,” said Township of Langley Mayor Jack Froese. “They laid the foundation for our way of life here, and we are grateful for all that our pioneers have done and continue to do.”
“Douglas Day has always been a day I look forward to, honouring the men and women who have devoted their lives to the Langleys,” said City of Langley Mayor Ted Schaffer. “I would like to thank all of the Langley pioneers for their service to our community, and am happy the Township and the City of Langley can celebrate these long-time residents year after year.”
The 2016 event also marked the 158th anniversary of the creation of BC.
To qualify as a pioneer, residents must be 70 years of age or older and have lived in Langley Township or City for at least 60 of those years.
This year, there were 18 new pioneers who met that criteria, bringing the total number of Langley pioneers to 346.
More than 210 of them were in attendance on Saturday.
The theme this year paid tribute to Langley’s historical country stores and pioneer merchants, the family-run businesses that acted as focal points for the community.
Pioneers honoured at the 2016 Douglas Day event included:
Charlie and Lorraine Allen
Benny and Penny Anderlini
Bob and Susan Anderlini
Albert and Dorothy Anderson
Gezina Anderson
Muriel Anderson
Harvey and Dianne Antonsen
Carol Armstrong
June Barichello
Del Barron
David and Lynda Beales
Roger Beaulieu
Elsie Beggs
Duane Benson
Bill Berry
William Betts
Ernie and Sharon Bird
Phyllis Bishop
Sven Bjorknas
Italo and Jackie Bonetti
Bruce and Karen Brandow
Frank and Chrissie Braun
Ed Bregg
Joe and Marie Breier
Jim and Margaret Brezden
Barrie and Beverley Brown
Fred Burgmann
Myrtle Burnell
Norma Carruthers
Margaret Carson
Allan Cartwright
Wilfred and Jeanette Cartwright
Bill and Hazel Casey
Dick and Betty-Lou Chell
Barbara Chiste
Ken and Lenore Christensen
Lucy Christianson
Terrence and Judy Christie
Irma Cockett
Walter Compton
Nadia Cooper
Mary Ann Corfe
Barbara Cornies
Thelma Coward
Lorne Dance
Hugh Davis
Jean Davis
Rodney and Ada Deans
George and Marge DeGianni
Alfred and Eleanor Deglan
Wilma Denbraber
Daroyl and Evi Dent
Alex and Lois Dickson
Evelyn Dornan
Dietrich and Nettie Driediger
Helmut and Karyn Dyck
Seward and Joy Easingwood
Effie Ebbeson
Richard and Lois Edwards
Roy English
Marilyn Farquhar
Dave and Elsa Faulkner
Dorothy Ferguson
Joe and Florence Fifer
Mary Foote
Keith and Janet Foss
Audree Foster
Patricia Frederick
Bernard and Dianne Froebel
Hilda Frosdorf
Roy Fuller
Charlie and Arlene Gandy
Helen Gardner
Peter and Rosemary Genberg
Bruno and Shirley Giacomazzi
Roy Giacomazzi
Jake and Helen Giesbrecht
Jarnail Gill
June Goin
Glen and Marlene Goldsack
Mary Gooden
Tom Goodyear
Victor Gorcak
Ethel Graham
Betty Granholm
Bruce and Nicole Granholm
Terry and Joyce Greenfield
Eunice Greenwood
Alan and Jean Gregson
Bob Griffiths
Wilfred and Barbara Haid
Paul and Joyce Hamilton
Hazel Harrower
Jackie Hauser
Cora Hayward
Verna Hickey
Gordon and Joan Hill
Jean Hope
Terry Horne
Robert and Maureen Humphrey
Wayne and Margaret Humphrey
Margaret Hunter
Charlie Iberg
Norma Jamieson
Alice Johnson
Eldon and Sandra Johnston
Gladys Johnston
Rodney and Dorothy Johnston
Carel and Lynda Jongs
Eugene and Shirley Kaetler
John Kelly
Alice Kennedy
Dan and Jan Kitsul
Edward Kosciuk
Mary Koziel
Helmut and Shirley Kramer
Joseph and Loretta Krentz
Barry and Marilyn Kristoff
Gerald and Anna Larsen
Marj Lee
Kay Lindquist
Hazel Lindstrom
John and Donna Linke
George Lockerby
Diane Logan
Percy and Kay Lotzer
Albert and Elsie Lundin
Gail Lynch
Victor and Sheila MacDonald
Walter and Jean Makela
Wayne and Lynda Markel
William Marr
Elsie Martin
John Masztalar
Roy and Vicky Matts
Joan Mayo
Ted and Marylee McCallum
Reid and Jenny McDonald
Peggy McGregor
Nora McKain
Edna McLeod
Donna McTaggart
Helen McTaggart
Genny Milligan
Alex and Lucille Minnis
Phillip Miskulin
Margaret Mitcham
Mary Mitchell
Diane Moffat
Doug and June Moore
Beryl Moore
Fay Morelli
George and Sheree Morelli
Vernon and Merrilyn Morelli
Margaret Mountain
Claud and Darlene Muench
Pat Muench
Dorothy "Dot" Mufford
Joyce Murchison
Lurene Music
Fred Mutch
Bonnie Nelson
Dorothy Newcomb
Monica Newman
Kathleen Nicholas
Robert and Melerly Norman
Don and Marion Nundal
Mary Olafson
Clarence and Edith Olson
George Omelaniec
Sam and Pam Omelaniec
Vera Omelaniec
David and Sheila Ormrod
Betty Oswald
Norman and Joyce Paterson
Fred and Maureen Pepin
Audrey Pihan
Barry and Eileen Pihan
Bill and Arlene Pike
Patrick and Annemarie Plumridge
Sue Plumridge
Robert and Sharon Poole
Edward Powroznik
Winnie Price
Mary Probert
David and Doreen Radtke
Jerry Radtke
Arlen and Marilyn Randen
Molly Reding
Dick Rees
Don and Lorraine Reimer
John and Doris Riedweg
Jack Roberts
Bernice Robinson
Marilyn Rockson
Jim and Dawn Ryan
Ron and Edna Sawatsky
Wilfried Schnabel
Roy and Grace Seifred
Diana Sendall
Norman Severide
Jean Seymour
Bill and Gail Shields
Marjorie Shiell
Mike and Betty Skwarok
Alfie Smaback
Jean Smith
George and Janet Southam
Wilma Stromsten
Doris Stroyan
Allen and Gwen Sturn
Gerald Tapp
Robert and Joan Tapp
Al and Marilyn Tecklenborg
Phyllis Thomas
Bryan and Joyce Trattle
Getrude "Toots" Tucker
Bill and Mary Twemlow
Barry and Susan Vaughan
Edward and Mildred Vaughan
Ernest Vaughan
Harold and Joanne Vaughan
Laverne Vaughan
Stan Warner
Anita Waska
Phyllis Waugh
Sharon Weatherly
Phyllis Wegesser
Marie Wenman
Wayne and Betty Westby
Ray Wiens
Fenn and Mary Williams
Doreen Willushaw
Grace Wilson
Lilian Witt
Ellen Worrell
Shirley Worrell
Joe Wrazy
Willie and Diane Wright
Don Wrightman
Ron Yates
John and Shirley Yeomans
Martha Zado
Hazel Zaklan
Frank and Leona Zoretic