Dale Rockwell, 84, stands on the front steps of his two-storey grey house with white trim in Valleycliffe.
There are two sets of deer antlers on the right side of the porch—one a four-point buck, the other a five—and a large moose antler is mounted on the other side.
The outdoor thermometer has graphics of shotgun shells.
A leather saddle sits to the left of the door.
There's a pickup truck and trailer in the driveway.
All are signs of a life of outdoor recreation experienced in Rockwell’s 60 years in Squamish.
But the house isn't actually his anymore. It is sold and he is moving away in a month.
Anyone who has lived in Squamish during those six decades of his tenure here, has likely encountered Rockwell.
He has been enmeshed in town for all of his years here.
He was most recently an accountant, and before that worked for MacMillan Bloedel in various capacities.
In terms of his time with organizations, he believes so far he has given about 140 years all told of volunteer time.
He has been with the Squamish Valley Rod and Gun Club for 60 years, being one of its first members. He was with the Howe Sound Minor Ball Association for 30 years and the Squamish Senior Citizens Home Society for 16, to name just a few of his many affiliations.
The Squamish Chief sat down with Rockwell in his home, at a wooden table where he plays crib with a friend each week, for a wide-ranging chat about his life, leaving town and his advice for those who remain.
What follows is a version of that conversation edited for length and clarity.
Q: You have been here your whole adult life, basically, correct?
A: Actually, I first came to Squamish in 1960 for three weeks.
I started working for MacMillan Bloedel on April 1, of that year at a Vancouver plywood mill. I started as an entry-level office clerk, but it was quite boring. My boss called me in one day and asked me if I wanted to go and work in the logging camp. Being young and single, I said yes, perfect. So, I came to Squamish.
We were logging on the other side of the Squamish River over the swinging bridge. That was a pretty famous bridge. We had a camp, cook house and bunk houses. And so I spent three weeks here, and then they finished logging, and sent me to Vancouver Island.
I stayed there for five years and worked my way up from timekeeping to cost accounting.
Q: Then you came here for good in 1965?
A: Squamish's MacMillan Bloedel operation reopened in 1963 or ‘64 and they logged in the Mamquam area. In 1965, I asked them if I could be transferred back here. They must have liked me because they said yes. The road from Britannia Beach to Squamish was a paved logging road; that is probably the best way to describe it. It was very windy and narrow. Then they reconstructed the Britannia to Squamish stretch of highway. Our office was actually just below the Stawamus Chief, where the Malamute hill is.
Q: What do you make of all the changes in Squamish in your time here?
A: I always got my mail at the post office. And every time I went downtown, I always saw somebody I knew, saying "Hello" on the street. And now I go downtown and golly, I don't see anybody I know. And if I do, it's a major event. So yeah, I think Squamish has grown, and I guess that's the sign of the times, but us old-timers don't like it as much.
I really liked that little town feeling. For years I always said that Squamish had the best of everything because we're close to the city where we have the best medical services and more expertise. And yet, we're in the country where there's so much recreation, mountains and rivers and a great golf course. I'm a life member of the Squamish Valley Golf Club. [Where he had three hole-in-ones.] I played golf for about 30 years, and it kept me pretty much physically fit—but I have to give Dr. [Richard] Cudmore credit for keeping me going. He's retired now. I don't have a doctor now, really.
Q: You are moving to Princeton to be nearer to your adult son. What else are you looking forward to in Princeton?
A: Princeton is an old mining town, and it has a small hospital like our first hospital. The main industries, of course, are mining and forestry, which are really, really important. In Canada, if we didn't have forestry, we wouldn't have a house. And I think Princeton is down to earth, with hard-working people like Squamish used to be.
Q: With leaving, what's your advice for the new people here who are making Squamish home?
A: Squamish has all the great outdoors. There are mountains and rivers and you know, there's still areas to explore here. The way I look at it, being up in the mountains is like going to church. I am going to miss that. I have pretty much been up the mountains here several times. So, enjoy what's here and give to your community.
You get out of it, what you put into it.
I am not the smartest guy in the world, but if you have a little expertise at something, you know, share it with the younger people, and they might like it too.
Rockwell is hosting a Farewell Celebration at the Squamish Valley Golf Club, on April 6, from 2 to 5 p.m.
If you knew him over the years, come on by, say so long and have a drink, he says.
About a local is a semi-regular column featuring an interesting resident. If you have a suggestion for someone we should feature (and their permission!) email [email protected].
