Gathering of Ex-Northerners

By 250 News

Prince George, B.C. - It's a 'home-away-from home' reunion...

Former residents of Vanderhoof, Fort St. James, and Fraser Lake will be gathering in the Okanagan later today for the biennial 'Stuart-Nechako Reunion'.

One of the organizers, Don Wilson, says the idea sprang from a desire to re-connect with friends from the area, who'd since retired to the Okanagan.

Wilson says attendance is usually weather dependent, "Basically, if it's a nice day, we're definitely going to get a good crowd.  We've had up to 130 people one year."

The reunion is always held at the Research Station Ornamental Gardens in Summerland.  The forecast is calling for a cool and cloudy day, but Wilson is hopeful it won't deter too many people...even low attendance years see 50 or 60 people turn out.

"We've had people come over from Vancouver Island - they lived up there years ago and got wind of our get-together - and also some from the Lower Mainland," he says.  "One year, we had a couple from Vanderhoof who came down just for this, to see everyone, and they stayed for the weekend and then went back home."

Attendees sign a register with their contact information and Wilson says five or six people usually gather the May prior to the reunion and compile their contact list, the notice is now sent out to about 170 people.

Wilson has been keeping a photo album of the reunions.  He says 1991 has about three pictures, and the last reunion in '08 had 30 candid shots of those in attendance.

The group has only ever missed one year and that was in '07, when they decided to hold off to the following year because of a large reunion planned back in the Vanderhoof-Fort St. James area.

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