Don

Don Pearce was born in 1939 in North Vancouver. In 1967 he purchased a lot on what is now Holly Park Drive and moved into the house he built in 1968.  Don recalls back in those days there weren’t many houses around the Holly Park area. “There were maybe 6 homes, a couple of farms and horse barns at the end of 66th Avenue.” Don shared that in 1967 a lot sold for only $1,800, and bungalows in the area were priced between $9,000 to $10,000.

In the late 1960’s Ladner was just a small town, people would do their shopping at the local market and for fun there was a bowling alley and a movie theatre. Westham Island was a great spot to pick up fresh salmon and on weekends you could look forward to the harness races, which took place at the track on Ladner Trunk Road and Highway 17. There was also plenty of skating and curling on the frozen ponds in the winter, “you only had a few neighbors so you got to know people.”

Having enjoyed a long career with Canadian Airlines, Don has always had a strong work ethic. He remembers his first paper route when he was 7 years old, delivering the North Shore Review. He’d get the bus by himself to pick up his papers and then start deliveries. Don remembers doing odd jobs for people and saving up 75 cents to buy his first lunch-kit for school, it even came with a thermos! Don still lives in the house he moved into in 1968, he has 3 daughters and 8 grandchildren.

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