An impressive man
He’s moved to Gabriola to farm. He’s in his fifties, he’s got nine kids, and there’s no school, so he teaches his own children. He realizes that he ought to know more himself, so he works to upgrade his education. He sends away for books, and he studies. Finally he decides he’s ready to take the examination to become a teacher.
He builds himself a rowboat. When it’s time for the teacher certification exam, he rows from Gabriola to Victoria, passes the exam, and then rows home. It’s 1881.
Do you know who he is?
He’s Alexander Shaw, with whom I am tremendously impressed. He went on to teach many more children, both on Gabriola and in Nanaimo.
Shaw Road is named for him.
Sources:
- Black Diamond City: Nanaimo—The Victorian Era by Jan Peterson
- British Columbia Historical News: Journal of the BC Historical Federation, Volume 25, No 1
- Gabriola Island Place Names by Aula Bell and Neil Aitken
Filed in Gabriola Island,Gabriola people,history 2 Comments so far
2 Responses to “An impressive man”
Michael Mehta on 02 Feb 2010 at 5:07 pm #
That’s amazing. People were a lot tougher back then. I can’t imagine rowing to Victoria and back!
Gabriolan on 02 Feb 2010 at 8:54 pm #
It would take a lot of doing, wouldn’t it? I wish I had both a rowboat and the fitness level to row all that way. Maybe one day!