As the City of Kelowna negotiates through a period of profound growth and change, honouring the heritage left behind and the contributions of those who came before becomes an important touchstone in retaining the city's sense of community.
That was a driving impetus behind Kelowna historian Sharron Simpson's first edition of The Kelowna Story - An Okanagan History published in 2011.
"I wanted to capture the personal stories of the people who first came here and over the years contributed to building Kelowna to what it is today before those stories vanished," said Simpson.
"Cities change dramatically over time and the collective memory of those who come here now is different...if we don't understand and recognize our heritage, how are we ever going to preserve it, to understand what it is and why it matters?
"We lose our sense of community when that happens."
Simpson's first edition of her book proved to be popular, selling 4,000-plus copies and giving her publisher Harbour Publishing the incentive to approach her years later about producing a second edition, updated with another chapter on Kelowna's history since 2011.
She has previously published a myriad of books and articles about Kelowna's history, including Kelowna General Hospital: the First 100 Years, 1908-2008, and Boards, Boxes and Bins: Stanley M. Simpson and the Okanagan Lumber Industry.
"My publisher suggested to me a lot has happened in Kelowna since the first book was published so why not update it as a second edition, that is what we've done," she said.
Simpson will do a book signing and history presentation at the Okanagan Heritage Museum, 470 Queensway Ave., on Saturday, May 10, from 2-4 p.m.
One aspect of the first book she was able to update was identifying who the member of the Kamloops Sky Diving Club was who died while performing at the tumultuous Kelowna Regatta in 1969.
"I could not track down who the person was that died as it was not reported in the local newspapers I think because they did not want to report more bad news about Regatta that year," Simpson recalled.
"But after the first book came out, a member of that person's family got in touch with me and confirmed yes a skydiver did die and he was the president of the Kamloops Sky Diving Club."
That individual's name was Ken Ferrier, who had his parachute become tangled on the Regatta jump and plunged to his death.
The outdoor aquatic centre adjacent to City Park, a focal point of Regatta, also burned to the ground that year, while the US Navy Blue Angels precision flying team during an afternoon practice run saw one of the planes exceed the speed of sound, blowing out 75 per cent of the windows in an eight-block radius of the downtown and injuring six people.
Simpson's family is an integral part of Kelowna's history, as her father Stan Simpson operated a sawmill in downtown Kelowna and after it burned down in 1944, he sold 11.5 acres of land to the city below market value on the covenant provision it not be used for commercial or industrial purposes.
Today, that land is the site for the Memorial Arena, Kelowna City Hall, Kelowna Community Theatre and Stuart Park.
The city challenged the covenant's legality in court in 2002 in response to a developer who proposed a cluster of high-rise condos on the waterfront at the foot of Queensway Avenue, but the covenant's legal status was upheld in a B.C. Supreme Court decision.
But for Simpson, she says the real history behind Kelowna is told through the stories of the adventurers who came to this city from around the world in the late 1800s and early 1900s with barely a penny to their name and staked out a new life, raised their families, earned a living, in some cases made a fortune.
"These people we don't often hear about were pioneers, adventurers, fearless people who took risks...ordinary people who did extraordinary things," Simpson said.
"That is where the good stories come from, not just from the leaders and people with a public profile. But people like the Italian shoemaker who built a remarkable business. He came here from Italy and he and his wife built a thriving business...what if these people did not come here and if you look at what they added to our community, where would we be today without them?
"It sort of reflects that adage that you never know the burden someone is carrying so be kind to them."
While Kelowna has undergone a profound change in the last decade, Simpson says that change is somewhat chaotic but will eventually slow down.
"We will work through this period of profound change and find ourselves again. I really believe that strongly because I don't want to shut the gates and keep everyone out. That is stale and boring.
"It was kind of like that in the 1950s. I left Kelowna for nearly 30 years – I lived in Toronto for 20 years and elsewhere for another 10 – and I would never have come back if not for the change that has occurred while I was gone.
"The importance of the place of where you were raised is one of the most important places forever in your life, and if you have an opportunity to return to it if you are fortunate enough to be able to do that, you should go back."
