Ellison, Vernon Etherington

Vernon Etherington Ellison was born in 1899, the seventh child of Price and Sophie Ellison. He attended elementary school in Vernon, going on to high school at King Edward in Vancouver. In 1917, he joined the 68th Battery of the Canadian Field Artillery, serving with them overseas until June, 1919. He then returned to finish high school at King Edward. In 1920, Vernon and two of his brothers each obtained a quarter section of land under the Soldier Settlement Board. The brothers worked together, buying cattle which were later sold at a loss. All the land reverted to the Soldier Settlement Board. In 1923, Vernon married Mabel Grayston in Vancouver. They had two children, Kenneth and Mary. In 1928, Vernon began a custom business hauling fruit, wood, and gravel and cultivating and spraying orchards. During World War II, Vernon started breeding purebred Hereford cattle, calling his operation Kalwood after two nearby lakes. In 1957, Vernon was chosen as one of four fruit industry representatives to tour Australia and New Zealand. As a result of the group's findings, the fruit industry adopted a 25-box size bulk fruit bin for orchard and packinghouse use. Over the years, Vernon held executive positions in the Vernon Fruit Union, Associated Growers, B.C. Beef Growers, Canadian Hereford Assoc., Kamloops Bull Sale, B.C. Federation of Agriculture, Calgary Bull Sale, Agricultural Advisory Committee, Farm Credit Appeal Board, and the Agricultural Senate Club of B.C. In addition to these positions, he was also involved in the Boy Scout movement and the Oyama Community Club. On retirement, he devoted much of his time to fishing, gardening, and curling. Vernon Ellison died in 1989.