1968 - 1978

recent moves by the College to limit
expansion of the present campus, and to
establish physical presences elsewhere.
The inconvenience to the establishment
may have to be accepted if the broad
service to the community is to be
provided. I am glad the College is now
working on a West Vancouver presence
and has started well into a program of
offerings in the Squamish area.

This is probably enough advice from a
proud father (albeit only one father of
many) to my now of age baby. Perhaps I
might, however, be allowed to reminisce
about four fascinating, frustrating, fiery,
friendly and fruitful years of my life,
1964 to 1968. In 1964 the four School
Boards, North Vancouver, West
Vaneouver, Howe Sound and Sechelt,
formed a coordinating committee to
establish whether there was a need for a
community college and if so to bring it
into existence. The Hardwick Report
confirmed our own lay investigations.
Confirmed that a college was urgently
needed. We then started the political
process of getting Provincial approval.
Some of us formed a B.C. College
Association and did provincial wide
analyses which confirmed the _ high
prioity of the North Shore. '65 and '66
went by without action but with many
representations to Victoria. February
1967 brought the shattering news that
new colleges were to be built in B.C. but
in other places, not on the North Shore.
Restrengthened activity and the re-
presenting of an excellent case brought a
change in Victoria's attitude and promise
for action in 1968.

We were ready when, on January 31,
1968 we were finally given approval to
proceed. The next step was to get the
community's support through a
plebiscite. By February 7 we had notices
and detailed information in the Press and
on March 7 the plebiscite got
overwhelming approval in three of the

four districts. It was defeated in Sechelt
and the subsequent College was the work
of the three school districts. With the
College then approved by both Victoria
and the people, a Council was appointed,
Les Brooks was appointed as Planning
Director and we decided to go for broke
and try to open a College in September,
only a short six months away, a planning
period which was a full year shorter than
the start-up time for any other college.
By dint of working every Saturday and
with fantastic effort from the staff we
had, by July, Alf Glenesk appointed as
Principal, by August the first students
had registration forms, portable buildings
were being erected at West Vancouver
High and in September we opened on
time with the 300 students that we had
forecast.

For those of us on the College Council -
Bae Wallace from West Vancouver, Jim
MacDonald from Howe Sound (a resilient
one, he is still on Council), Bill Lucas and
myself from North Vancouver and the
two Provincial appointees, Bill Manson
and Dr. John Ellis, it was an exhilerating
year. The community really rallied
round - it was a real "community" effort,
with housewives, businessmen, students
and people from all walks of life actively
explaining the concept and_ getting
matters done, supplying volunteer labour.
It was an example of democracy in
action.

Since then you have expanded. During
your childhood we the public, the
taxpayer, the citizen have increased our
financial and moral support as your
demands have increased.

Now you are of age, we look to you to
find efficiencies and other ways to
continue to improve your services to the
community, but to do this by using your
own resources and means, not by looking
for increased proportions of the
taxpayers resources. This is now your

responsibility. c=

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