Calling all former Woodfibre residents and employees, a reunion is coming up.
Wait, did you know there was a whole town at Woodfibre where the Liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility of the same name is now being built?
There was.
It was a company town built around a pulp mill.
Let's rewind
Back in 1911, the British Columbia Sulphite Fibre Co. built a pulp mill at what became Woodfibre. (It was originally called Mill Creek.)
In 1917, the mill was bought by Whalen Pulp and Paper Co., according to a post on the site Memory BC.
In 1925, it changed ownership to the British Columbia Pulp and Paper Company.
The mill was bought by Alaska Pine and Cellulose in 1950, and in 1958, it was taken over by Rayonier Canada, who owned it until 1980.
By the time Western Forest Products shut the mill for good in 2006, the township had moved on, but the memories live on today.
One of the four organizers of this third reunion, Francine Erickson, 70, recalls life there.
She lived at the site until she was 17, in the early 70s when the mill was expanding, so residents had to move away to Squamish and elsewhere.
"It had everything—movie theatre, bowling alley, cafe, store, community hall, tennis courts, swimming pool," she recalled.
"When they told us we had to move, we were all so sad. We didn't want to leave there. It was a small town family, so everybody knew everybody, and even to this day ... people can't wait to see each other."
After she left the townsite, she returned as an employee of Woodfibre. She stayed for 30 years.
The September reunion will include a catered meal, memorabilia (brought by former residents or employees), a bar and a band made up of former Woodfibre folks.
When the old friends and coworkers come together, it is like coming home, Erickson said.
"It's like we haven't [been apart] except we've got more wrinkles. It is so nice to see everybody again, because we were all one big family, right? Everybody loved working there."
The event, which saw 300 attendees last time, will be held at the Railway Museum of British Columbia.
For more details about the reunion, keep a watch on the Town of Woodfibre Facebook page or email the organizers at [email protected].
