Elmer Pellerine is a relative newcomer to the North Shore but his family has been in Canada for a very long time.
The Pellerine name, in its many variations, shows up in the historic record as early as 1617. In those days, before there was Canada, there was New France. The French claim to most of North America included the territory that is now Canada's Maritime provinces, which the French named l'Acadie or Acadia.
Acadian culture lives on in communities throughout the Maritimes. One of these is Larry's River, a hamlet on Nova Scotia's northeast shore.
On Jan. 3, 1942, the population of Larry's River, then at its peak of 500 souls, increased by one with Elmer's birth.
"It was pretty insular," recalls Elmer. "Everyone got along very well and everyone spoke French. My mother was an Avery. Her family came from Wales. She never spoke anything but French."
Making a living in Larry's River was determined by the climate. His father would be away most of the summer, a deckhand on the government hydrographic survey boats. Elmer's mother cared for the children and worked in the local factory, a lobster cannery. It was, and is, a close-knit community, selfreliant and reliant also on the support of neighbours and family, especially when raising eight children.
Like his brothers, Elmer enlisted in the Canadian armed services in his early 20s. When his hopes to train as an air force pilot did not come about, Elmer made his way west and trained as a teacher at the University of British Columbia.
He taught French in the Castlegar school district, driving from one elementary school to the next. "It was a good time to be a teacher," says Elmer, "when language education was introduced in elementary schools." In 1980, he married Veronica Bullock, blending four children into a new family that now includes nine grandchildren. For the Pellerine family, life in the Kootenays was good, Castlegar was booming and building a new house led to an entrepreneurial opportunity.
"We had designed our house together," says Elmer, "and we enjoyed the whole process so much, from design to building, that we looked around for another project." They created the Lion's Head Pub in the mountains near Castlegar and operated it for more than 16 years.
The inspiration for Elmer's next adventure had gestated for approximately 40 years. "I decided to get my pilot's license. It was a great experience to be learning something new at the age of 64."
Piloting a small aircraft in the mountains of British Columbia is not for the faint of heart but for Elmer, the challenges he faced were part of the joy of flight. "I liked to dangle that little airplane around the mountains and the clouds, then return and land safely. While flying, I learned how to handle potential catastrophes. All of a sudden, you've got to be really disciplined and rely on your skills. Coming out of such situations is just absolutely the thrill of a lifetime," he says.
Antarctica is next on Elmer's bucket list. A dip in the icy waters of that continent will complete his goal of swimming in all five of the world's oceans. A few years ago, he and Veronica drove the Dempster Highway to Inuvik, on the shores of the Beaufort Sea. "I came prepared with a bathing suit but was not prepared for how cold the Arctic Ocean would be, even in the summer," he says. Elmer plans to pack suitable gear for his dip in the southern ocean.
In the meantime, Elmer is immersed in his community, applying skills developed in his working life to volunteering at Gleneagles Golf Club and West Vancouver Seniors' Activity Centre.
Elmer's greatest reward as a volunteer has its source in his childhood. It came about when he joined the Pitch and Putt group at West Vancouver Seniors' Activity Centre to improve his short game. Now the program's co-ordinator, Elmer increased members' participation in operations and is building the social side with get-togethers in summer and winter. These innovations reflect the values of self-reliance and support for community that were instilled in the boy from Larry's River.
For details about the Pitch and Putt program at West Vancouver Seniors' Activity Centre, call 604-925-7280.
Laura Anderson works with and for seniors on the North Shore. 778-279-2275 [email protected]
