William Lyon Mackenzie King was our Prime Minister, Canada was at war and the average house cost just under $7,000.
It was 1942 and 麻豆社国产still had no direct road to the Lower Mainland, but in that year one club formed that is still alive and well in the town today - the 麻豆社国产Valley Rod and Gun Club.
"It was the first club in 麻豆社国产and we've been in that same location since 1942," said club president Mike Wallace. "When it was formed it was out in the middle of nowhere, but since then, nowhere has moved closer."
Gaining road access to Vancouver in 1958 created an increase in membership for the club and in the early days it was more focused on trap shooting, hunting and fishing.
"The club was very much more conservation-oriented in the early days," Wallace said. "We still are today but in those early days there was a lot more interaction between the local conservation officer and the club. We were a source for local knowledge and worked very closely with them."
Wallace said trap-shooting facilities were built in the 1950s, the clubhouse was constructed in the 1970s, the rifle range in the 1980s and archery became a part of the club's portfolio in the early 1990s. From the '90s on, the club continued to grow but that momentum stalled with the construction of the newly expanded Sea to Sky Highway several years back.
"The construction of the highway negatively impacted our club due to the gravel pit right beside our range," he said. "Our shooting ability was taken away while they were operating in the pit, but since then we've been rebuilding. Today we have over 400 members and have improved on all of our facilities in the past few years."
The future looks bright for the club, as there are plans to work with the Winter Sports Legacy Park, which is set to become the club's new neighbour in the coming years.
"Three years ago we came out in full support of the new legacy park," he said. "Especially with the biathlon because they could share our facilities without duplicating them."
While the club always looks to the future, it also honours its past. Wallace pointed out that Dale Rockwell is the longest-serving member. Rockwell joined the club in 1965 and is lifetime member No. 2. Wallace added that Rockwell still helps out with volunteer duties to this day.
In honour of the club's 70th anniversary, Wallace and his members are inviting the community to an open house to come check out their facilities.
"We're just going to showcase all that we do," said vice-president Peter Lewis. "We're going to be showing people our trap shooting range, handgun range, archery and biathlon facilities. It's to everyone's benefit to show what we do and gives us some exposure."
"The basic idea is that we're here and we don't intend to leave," added Wallace. "Not everyone likes guns but that's fine because I don't like a lot of things too. It's important that people know what we do here and that we teach people the safe handling of firearms. Safety is our number one concern in everything we do."
The 70th anniversary gathering will take place on Sunday (April 29) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information on the club, visit www.svrgc.org.
