Letter from Murray Blanchard

First Commander of Valley Squadron in 1977

     Colin Williams and I approached the adult education coordinator for the ChilliwackSchool District in 1972 with a request to have the Boating Course taught in Chilliwack.  As they had no instructors I took it upon myself to take the BoatingCourse through Coquitlam Power Squadron in 1973.  Coquitlam Power Squadron is also the sponsoring Squadron for VPS.

     In the fall of 1975 I started the first Power Squadron class at the newly opened Chilliwack campus of Fraser Valley College.  We had 15 students including Colin Williams, John Plowman and Bob Gerrard.  The following year John taught the Chilliwack class and I started a class in Abbotsford at Abbotsford Senior Secondary. At the same time we submitted our application to form a Squadron in the Upper Fraser Valley through Coquitlam Squadron.  We had 12 graduates from the 1975-76 Chilliwack class together with 3 members of the Langley Power Squadron who were living in Abbotsford, including Sid de Haan and Ray Bonn, gave us the 15 members required to form a squadron.

     Mr. Justice Peter Seaton, Chief Justice of the B.C. Court of Appeal was the PMD law officer at the time and he gave me a lot assistance in filling the forms.  The name Valley Power Squadron was agreed upon with National and we received our warrant, together with Burrard Power Squadron in early 1977.  The warrant and charter were presented to the Squadron by D/C Roy Summerfield with Cdr. Bob Walsh of Coquitlam Power Squadron in attendance.  I was pledged as the charter commander and John Plowman and the Chilliwack Players Guild entertained us with a British Pub Night.  The Change of Watch was held at the Chilliwack Ag-Rec centre.

     Over the years since VPS was formed we have had many distinguished graduates who have gone on to many accomplishments in boating, however none have accomplished more than the 15 members who originally signed the VPS charter.

24/05/2006