Written by Pam Fedoruk (Virginia Whitelaw’s daughter)

My parents, Jack and Ginny Whitelaw, wanted a cottage that they could access easily from Vancouver and make use of on weekends and in the summer. Our friends, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Humphreys had a cottage at Lions Bay and that is how we initially became familiar with the place. At that time, Lions Bay was fundamentally the marina and a row of cottages. In 1965, we bought a lot and had a Lindal house constructed on it. The materials were brought in on a barge. Dad always said that the builders were so happy there, he thought he would never get the place finished.  Our first pictures of the house show it surrounded by dirt and rocks but that soon changed.

July 27, 1996 promised to be a hot day. I was one of 21 hikers adjusting straps and other gear. Tucked away in my backpack was the Lions Bay flag, ready for its maiden trek to the Lions.

I felt a certain kinship and honour as I picked up the flag at Victor and Mary’s house the night before. Victor Miles was the winner of the flag contest the year before. As he handed me the flag I could feel his hands squeezing mine. He smiled and said, “I wish I could come with you tomorrow, but my legs just wouldn’t hold up to the grueling hike any more. One must be happy and content with memories when you get to my age!”

Some years ago, a traveler on the Sea-to-Sky might have noticed the Ansell Monolith, my name for a huge boulder resting close to the highway, the size of a modest home. It was brought there by the irresistible power of an ancient glacier, becoming a secret book of what was to follow in the millenia ahead. Let us try to unravel in our imaginations what the pages of that book had to tell.