Fonds - Hugh Porteous fonds

Hugh Aubrey Porteous (1893-1987) was born in Galt (now Cambridge), Ontario, the eldest of three children (one brother and a sister). After high school he enrolled in the University of Toronto in the faculty of Forestry. During the summer months he gained practical experience in the principles of forestry by criss-crossing Canada as an employee of the Canadian Pacific Railway on their numerous tie reserves, and by making a reconnaissance survey of the forest resources in North-Eastern Manitoba. At the beginning of World War I in 1914, Hugh left his final year at the University to accept a commission in the Devonshire Regiment of the British Army. He served for some time in France before applying for transfer to the Indian Army. In October, 1918, he set sail for India where he was posted to the Fourth Rajput Regiment, a most memorable and exciting time. During a six month furlough to England in 1921, Hugh married Winnifred Warren on April 27th in St. Clements Dane Church, both returning by ship to India. In 1922, an official of the British Columbia Government approached the soldiers in India extolling the beauty and potential of the Okanagan Valley, particularly the Oliver area where land was being opened up for returned servicemen. In the fall, Hugh resigned from the Indian Army and with Winnie and two friends, Mr. and Mrs. Titmarsh, sailed to Canada on the Empress of Asia. They wintered with Hugh's parents in Edmonton before moving on to Oliver where they purchased 12.5 acres of land on the east bench on Road 2L.;In the spring of 1923, while their two-room cottage "Dereholm" was being built they stayed in the Oliver Hotel. They added another house to the property for Hugh's parents when they retired to the Okanagan in the early thirties, which proved a mutually beneficial move. In December 1925, their first son, John, was born in the Penticton Hospital. Brother David arrived in March of 1932, completing the family. Converting their patch of sage covered land into a fruitful orchard took years of hard work, quite different from life in the army in post war India. But Hugh and Winnie proved to be up to the task. During this time cantaloupe and tomatoes were planted between the rows of young trees to augment their income, and Hugh also worked as "ditch rider" for the Southern Okanagan Lands Project. Hugh was active in the growth of the community in various social and cultural activities: charter member of Rotary, founding member of the Fairview Golf Club, Tennis Club member (they built their own tennis court at Dereholm), and board member of St. Martin's Hospital by appointment of the Sisters of St. Ann. He participated in the building of St. Edward the Confessor Anglican Church and served on the committee and as warden for many years. The problems of growth of the fledgling fruit industry saw Hugh become involved at the executive level of his packing house and in the new marketing agency of the British Columbia Fruit Growers Association.;The outbreak of World War II beckoned Hugh to the army life once again, and he and his family moved to Vernon for two years where he served as basic training instructor at the military centre. Posted to National Headquarters in Ottawa, Hugh attained the rank of Major and served on staff until the end of the war as G.S.O.2. in the Directorate of Military Training. Returning home in 1945, the family found the elder Porteous' had the orchard and gardens in excellent condition. Their happy time at home was brief, as in spring of 1947, Winnie died following a brief illness, leaving a bereaved Hugh to raise his teenage son, David. John had left home for college.;In 1956, Hugh married Aileen Gray and happily welcomed her 13-year-old daughter, Patricia, to his now empty nest. Hugh and Aileen enjoyed serving their community together in many different ways. Hugh particularly enjoyed being involved with the theatrical productions of the Community Players, and expanding his gift for writing. Hugh managed the Penticton Herald branch office in Oliver, and became the area correspondent, best known for his weekly column "This week in Oliver". Later, he changed the name to "Pepys Diary", where activities of the community and its personalities were depicted in perfect Pepysian language. His articles also appeared in the Oliver Chronicle and the Grand Forks Sentinel. In 1971 when Oliver celebrated its fiftieth anniversary, Hugh became editor of the booklet, "Oliver 1921-1971". He contributed articles for the Okanagan Historical Society's annual reports and served as its editor for nine years. The Porteous family contributed much to the growth of Oliver, typical of the early settlers of the area, turning the land from sagebrush and cactus to a thriving agricultural community and progressive village.