Elida Peers
Contributed
Today, Grade 7’s are enrolled at Journey Middle School, but back in 1961, Grade 7 was the beginning class of Milne’s Landing High School.
Looking at this 1961 Grade 7 class photograph, I see faces of boys who became businessmen and community leaders, and girls with professional careers who have taken an active role in the community.
Many of these youngsters still make their homes on southern Vancouver Island. Their teacher was Mr. Ridley, centre left.
The British-born Ridleys had come to Canada to teach at the Doukhobour school at New Denver, and when it closed, they came to Sooke where Mrs. Ridley taught at Saseenos School.
Rear, left: Wayne Hull, Jim Woyce, Danny Heggelund (everyone knows fisherman Danny), Dick Thut, Danny Wade (think race cars), Larry Jupp, Karl Linell (think Sooke Community Association), Rick Clark and Bob Parker.
Second rear, left: Bruce Radford, William Van Tilborg, Gail Doswell, Pauline LaBerge, Terry Hunter, Wendy Michelsen, Rick Heathman, Stuart Soderberg (of Point No Point today).
Second row, front: Evelyn Linell, Faye Bartleman, Joyce Clark, Jean Money, Barbara Michelsen, Robin Cuthbert, Rose Wagner (now Rose Byrne, she keeps the Sooke Harbour Cemetery records), Shirley French, of the French Beach family.
Front: Alan Martin, Danny Eddy (think running) Eddy Helgesen (think oysters and history), Don Smith, Ken Knight (which of his classic vehicles will he putt-putt through Sooke today?) and Ron Lindley.
The high school, of course, was opened in refurbished army huts in September 1946, with the first grad class in June 1947.
Not long after this photo, the name of the school was changed to Edward Milne High School, as the powers that be felt that the name “Milne’s Landing” indicated an isolated location, which teachers would not be attracted to.
Then again, in 1987, the school became Edward Milne Community School, when Jim Gauley was principal and Phoebe Dunbar became the first community school coordinator. The school is looking forward to organizing its 75th Anniversary in 2021-2022.
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Elida Peers is the historian of Sooke Region Museum.