Family Reunion on Vancouver Island

**cessna152towser** · 16th May 11, 11:47 AM

Better late than never:-
53 of us gathered together for a family re-union at Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island in March 2011.

Here I am wearing my Wilson tartan kilt, accompanied by Phyllis' beautiful daughter-in-law Julia.

Me with Julia's husband Alan and their nephew Joel, who is a grandson of my friend Phyllis.

Here I am accompanied by Phyllis' first husband Bill who is my second cousin along with his new Spanish wife Therese. Bill and Phyllis came to Scotland in 1981 when they met me and my first wife Alison. Later Alison and I divorced as did Bill and Phyllis. I kept in contact with Phyllis over the years and she and her second husband Ron visited me and my second wife Ann in Scotland and Ann and I met her in Canada, By 2009, Ann and Ron were both living in full-time nursing care after a series of strokes and I had met up with Phyllis again at Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island for a lunch date when I'd promised to come back and spend more time with her. By early 2011 both our partners had died, but we were at the time dating new people closer to home so we agreed our meet up in 2011 would be of a platonic nature.

Phyllis and her daughter and granddaughter study the family tree at Phyllis' house in Courtenay the evening prior to the family gathering.

Phyllis and I visit the last of the older generation. My late mother's cousin Isobel is now 95 and lives in a care home at Sooke.

Now this is really exciting. Phyllis and I and my second cousin Edith meet in Victoria with Hilaire who has lived on the island all her life and who claims to be also related to us. Its a quirk of family history that while the three Scottish branches of my family died out due to only children and childless families, my Irish quarter went to Canada and multiplied. My Irish Grandpa's family all emigrated to Canada and multiplied with each generation while he settled in Scotland and produced five children, yet just two grandchildren and one great grand child. So I am a Scot yet all my known relatives (apart from my daughter from my first marriage whom I have not seen for seven years) are all Canadian. Now we find someone living in Victoria BC who appears to be descended from a brother of our Irish Great Grandfather and it looks as though we may have lots more relatives living on the island.

**cessna152towser** · 16th May 11, 11:57 AM

You could never wish for a better ambassador for the family than cousin Edith. Here she wears a hostess skirt in Robertson tartan, accompanied by her husband of 40 years, Victor, who is a Canadian native Kwakiutl tribesman who teaches native arts for his living.

**cessna152towser** · 16th May 11, 12:08 PM

But to our family gathering at Qualicum, here are a few of the lassies

Here in Scotland, we never have any new generation to continue the family, so it was nice to meet my second cousin once removed Misty with her niece Natalia.

and from another branch of the family young Ben, my second cousin twice removed.

And a promise of more to follow, my second cousin once removed Sabrina shows her bump, another addition to the family soon and another Canadian. Yay, my Canadian family will be increased by *** diuring 2011.

Cousin Gord has been a guid pal in recent years, he set up my trip to California, my first ever visit to the USA in 2009 when I stayed with his sister Diane whom I had not met before, her second husband Al is a 'merican and Gord and I met up in California and stayed with his sister and her husband immediately prior to my visit to the Ventura Seaside Games in 2009. Here he is with his new Fijian wife Doreen.

**Harold Cannon** · 16th May 11, 12:18 PM

"You could never wish for a better ambassador for the famil than cousin Edith. Here she wears a hostess skirt in Robertson tartan, accompanied by her husband of 40 years, Victor, who is a Canadian native Kwakiutl tribesman who teaches native arts for his living."

Ins't your cousin Edith wearing the Clan Macmillan tartan?