When did you arrive on Bowen Island?
April 15, 1988
How did you come to be on Bowen?
Anne: We had a friend, Markus Duenner, who was already on the island. He’s the one who was the go between to help us make our wedding band and engagement ring. We visited him Boxing Day 1987 and we wanted to have acreage and there was acreage for sale.
André: We were just married in ’87. Anne had an apartment North Van and I had a house in East Vancouver. Given the type of work I was doing (a certified horticulturist since 1959), I was looking for some type of space where I could keep plants and animals and whatever. I was thinking of the valley and Anne said ‘No way – we have to stay near the water. I need the water.’
Where on Bowen do you live?
We are on the famous Westside Road. We built the first house on the Sunset Estates phase one. There was no Westside Road when we came.
Where’s your favourite place on Bowen Island?
Anne: All of it!
André: The top of Mount Gardner
Anne: Oh the view there is magnificent.
What’s your favourite Bowen story?
There are so many amazing people we met through the years, never realizing that some were millionaires, some were academicians and some people are relatively anonymous. We met some incredible people.
One famous story that needs to be told: Georg Helenius Sr. was a contractor. One day, he was going down Trunk Road with his backhoe and he realized that his brakes had broken and the backhoe was taking speed going down towards the wharf. So he dropped the bucket at the back and he plowed the middle of Trunk Road.
There would be thousands of stories like that we could tell – some of the stories with Eddie Weismiller, nobody would believe the types of things that he has done that guy.
What’s been keeping you going during COVID-19?
Anne: We have five acres!
André: We never realized that there was COVID around.
Fill the ferry lineup gap or don’t fill the gap?
If we’re early then we fill the gap; if we’re late, we stay behind.
