Already a household name, local forestry pioneer John Drenka will be forever remembered thanks to Squamish Historical Society's (SHS) new film about the 94-year-old's life.
To help celebrate the Squamish Historical Society's fifth anniversary, the society is hosting an afternoon dedicated to the elder statesman of the Squamish logging industry where the film will premiere after having been postponed in December.
"Mr. Drenka is 94 years young and I would say he's the grandfather of forestry in our community," said SHS president Bianca Peters. "He's been very influential in all facets of our community, from logging to community amenities, and he definitely had a hand in shaping the future of our community back in the day."
The amazing story of Drenka's life and his commitment to the logging industry in Squamish prompted SHS to document his story.
"I've known about Drenka for years and years and years," Peters said. "He's matured like fine wine and we wanted to be able to capture him and what he's done for our community on film."
SHS filmmaker Helmut Manzl had only heard stories about Drenka before the decision to make the film. He met Drenka in June 2010 and has since spent hours with Drenka, his family and his friends documenting every tale that was told.
Drenka still lives in Squamish and is the owner and manager of Squamish Mills, the business he began in 1951 with then-partner Pat Brennan. The film tells his life story and recounts Drenka's contributions to the industry through the introduction of new machinery.
The premiere of The Legend of John Drenka and an open mic session to share stories about the guest of honour will take place on April 16 at 1 p.m. at the Sea to Sky Hotel.
The society is encouraging anyone who has stories or photos of Drenka to come out and share them with the audience. The event will be recorded and scenes will be added to the film at a later date.
Admission is by donation and money raised from the viewing will go toward establishing a permanent location and display for the Squamish Log Books at West Coast Railway Heritage Park.
