Debbie Patterson, who has dedicated 36 years to Squamish Loggers Sports most recently in the crucial logistical role of secretary, is retiring after this year’s event.
“I have somebody that I was really comfortable handing the reins over to,” Patterson said of Rebecca Bolkowy. “If I didn’t have that person I probably would still be there. But I have somebody who was very bright and knows the sport. We do need the younger generation to get involved in our community.”
Patterson has deep roots in Squamish. Her grandfather moved here from Toronto just after the First World War. He and Patterson’s father were both loggers. She sees loggers sports as a testament to the community’s past.
“It’s our history. That was what this town was built on, logging,” she said. “Now it’s changed and we don’t do things the way that they used to be done, but I think it’s great to show the people what went on, how things were done in years gone by.”
Her latest activities with the festival have been organizational — sending out registration forms, managing databases for participants and organizing logistics at the event — but she has fond memories of a variety of roles over the decades, including the now-defunct pageant that used to be part of the event.
“I thoroughly enjoyed being the pageant co-ordinator,” she said. “I loved being with the young women, the young girls – they were 17 or 18 years old. We had so much fun. We were sad as an organization when we stopped putting on the pageant.”
The end of the pageant, which both Patterson’s daughters competed in, was the result of social changes and organizational challenges.
“What triggered it, why we decided to stop putting it on [was that] the only place for them to go was to the Miss PNE pageant,” she said. The PNE changed their format from a beauty pageant to a Youth Ambassador Program and eventually disbanded entirely.
“Our girls could not go to Miss Canada because we didn’t have enough money, we couldn’t get the franchise to get into the Miss Canada pageant,” she lamented. “But that was a fun time.”
Other great memories come from the hosting that she and her husband have done while she has served as secretary.
“We have hosted so many people in our home. When we go to New Zealand and Australia, they, in turn, are amazing to us, so generous and so welcoming,” she said.
She laughs recalling a particularly full house.
“There was one weekend I had 17 people staying here,” she said. “I set up a dormitory in our double garage. I had beds on each side of the garage and they were in their glory. On the outside of the garage door I put up a sign and it said ‘Kiwi and Australian Axemen’s Dormitory. No uninvited guests.’ Because they were notorious for going out to dances — because in those days we had a dance every single night — and I didn’t know who they might bring home.”
Squamish Days Loggers Sports Festival is strong, but she worries about a challenge that seems to face every community agency in Squamish and elsewhere.
“We need volunteers. It’s not just our organization, it’s many organizations in Squamish,” Patterson said. “They’re suffering because people don’t want to volunteer and don’t want to give their time. Younger people are way too busy. They’ve got too much going on in their lives.”
