Bill's Poppies B


ill Yirrell was born 80 years ago in the old log home on Ward Road in Coombs. It is just down the road from where Yirrell lives now. He recalls seeing photos of it being built years earlier. He tells


me, “ They had an old tarp over it.” That stuck me funny as I wouldn’t have thought tarps would have been around, and so handy in 1906. I asked him, “Are you sure it was a tarp?” He shook his head and laughed. “Well it sure looked like one.” Last year (2010), Yirrell decided to throw down some poppy seeds


into his vegetable garden to see what would happen. He had planted this patch of garden for 24 years now and was thinking about moving it. Some blooms came up then, but this year, he had an abundant crop of bouncing poppies, blowing above the cabbage and potatoes and smothering the carrots and beets with their whimsical joy.


Tall


fireweed stands against the fence like guards dropping and watching over the crop. I love that Yirrell honours the fireweed, known for its importance to honey bees.


They were volunteers but he watered


them and that seemed to make them want to stay and make a permanent home. Yirrell is full of wonderful stories. Like the time they went out


hunting and friends were having a nap back at the cabin while the clam chowder boiled on the camp stove. It was a great oppourtunity for the black bear to pick up the burning pot and carry it off for a feast. Or the bear sitting on the stump and as soon as they weren’t looking he scooted into the cabin and grabbed the ham and took off with it into the bush, drooling I am sure. Mostly Yirrell recalls how much fun they had as kids. Even when


they were young they explored the woods and followed the creek all the way up to its source on the mountain. They knew Dudley Marsh intimately and skated there often. Cascara tree bark was picked by everyone and sold for it’s medicinal properties. 26 | islandtimesmagazine.ca


by Dona Naylor Photos courtesy of Dona Naylor


One of the big differences of then and now, Yirrell says, “There was


always work.” He made 50 cents an hour and worked ten- hour days in the bush. Often Yirrell drove the team of workhorses hauling out logs. Yirrell has a couple beauties hiding in his shed.


I have to say, I love


old machines and vehicles but prefer them before they have been restored, when the rust is gritty and paint peels off like arbutus bark. Well my eyes lit upon the old Willies Jeep and also a tractor. Both were built in 1947. And the piano Bill Yirrell keeps at the Coombs Country Market? Well, apparently, there is a story about that, how it came down from the Klondike and is dated 1899. But nobody seems to know the story, or if they do, maybe they don’t want to share it? Yirrell was once a member of the Velvetones, a band that played


dances at the Errington Hall and other venues around the community. He played guitar and drums. He loved to tell me about how he had two hours of high school


education. Once he had graduated from French Creek Elementary School he had to attend grade eight in Qualicum. He had rides apparently but the first day when school finished the ride wasn’t there. So he walked all the way back to Coombs and called up work to tell them he wanted a job. And the train was a daily visit. He would ride his bike down and pick up the mail every day off the train. “Yeah, the train was great.” Yirrel is still active with his visits to the Coombs Country Market daily,


as well as working his portable sawmill. His eyes sparkled with pride and delight as I gingerly stepped among tender, whimsical poppies taking photos, but they really lit up when I suggested a portrait of Bill!


IT


Read this article and more at www.islandtimesmagazine.ca Send your comments to comments@islandtimesmagazine.ca


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36