It’s a small, quaint heritage building nestled in Port Guichon, but it’s much more than that for those who have been using it for generations.
The Ladner Fishermen’s Hall is considered the heart of the community for members of the local fishing contingent, as well as ordinary residents, who will come together this Saturday to celebrate its 75th anniversary.
“A lot of memories, for sure. So many things went on in there - dinners, weddings, celebrations. I’d say it’s the hub of the community, the heart, for a lot of us,” said John Stevens, a member of the Ladner Fishermen’s Co-operative Association, which owns and lovingly maintains the community hall on Savoy Street.
The age of the original portion of the building isn’t clear but it’s likely over a century old. It had been used as a station for the Victoria Terminal Railway and Ferry Company until it was moved in 1929 from the wharf to its present location in the west part of Ladner. It was used as a private residence and rented out until 1943 when it was put up for sale.
The association explains that was the year a group of fishermen and their wives got together and had the first meeting for what would become Ladner Fishermen’s Hall. At the time, the fishermen of Ladner, Port Guichon and Canoe Pass and their families were keenly aware of the need to have their own community hall because the only option was the Ladner Parish Hall, which was located near the present Ladner Community Centre.
Frank Radoslovich bought the property on behalf of the group, which sold shares in order to raise the funds needed to pay him back. The group was registered in Victoria as a co-operative association and the building, which was eventually expanded, converted into a hall. In later years, two adjacent lots were purchased for a parking lot.
The association notes that in order to maintain the hall, numerous fundraising events were held, such as spaghetti and seafood dinners where the people would line up for a meal. They also held dances and New Year’s Eve parties.
The hall has also been rented out for weddings and other social events as well as playing host to an assortment of activities like a boxing club, cribbage league, Girl Guides, Boy Scouts, dance lessons, martial arts, jazzercise and yoga classes. There have even been a few funerals held there.
“My first memories were when I was five or six when we had Christmas concerts there,” said Stevens, a former association president. “Port Guichon was quite compact with a lot of fishing families but a lot have moved and spread out over the years, but there’s still fishing families or their descendants living here. This is also a community centre for everybody. It’s a community hall, even though the community has changed. A lot of the new people use it and groups rent it. It’s really a fixture and it’s doing quite well now.”
He noted many longtime residents, including members of his family, would get married or have their receptions at the hall and later on have their silver or golden anniversaries there as well.
Stevens also recalls how Port Guichon was a very political community for a time and the facility would be the centre of some charged meetings.
Several of the hall founders also started the Ladner Fishermen’s Credit Union, which decades later would morph into what’s known today as Envision.
An interesting tidbit when it comes to the rich history of the building is that crooner Michael Buble’s grandparents were among those involved with setting it up in the early years.
Members of the association, including Stevens, are also part of another group called the Delta Fishing Heritage Society that is promoting a number of ideas to not only preserve the city’s fishing past but also use it as a way to promote tourism. One idea the group is hoping to find partners, such as the city, for is a community mural project. Stevens believes it could really put Delta on the map as a destination similar to what happens in Chemainus on Vancouver Island.
The group also hopes to eventually see an interpretative centre built that could add a great deal to a revived Ladner waterfront area, he said.
The social committee for Ladner Fishermen’s Hall is organizing the 75th anniversary celebration for Saturday, Nov. 24. Festivities will commence with a social from 1 to 4 p.m. that will include a mix of artists performing live music and reflections of the hall’s 75 years in the community. There will be time for families and friends to connect, listen to speeches, view historic photo displays and enjoy food and beverages.
Evening festivities include a dance with live music featuring The Karmichaels starting at 7 p.m.
Bruce Stevens, president of association and Ladner Fishermen’s Hall, will welcome families, friends and guests as the master of ceremonies.
For more information, check out the Ladner Fishermen’s Co-Operative Association at http://lfca.ca.
