Comments on: A Short History of Cates Park

By: Lisa Josephine Clark

Lisa Josephine Clark — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 06:05:06 +0000

My Mom grew up in Deep Cove in the 1920’s and attended the one room schoolhouse in Dollarton. Lots of stories of her life in their tiny house, surrounded by forest. As children in the 1950’s and 60’s, our family often picnicked at Roche Point. Wonderful memories indeed!

By: Nick

Nick — Mon, 10 Apr 2023 13:08:51 +0000

In reply to Crawford Kilian.

Actually…

“If one has to be threatened with eviction, to be threatened for the sake of a park is perhaps best.”

-Lowry’s resigned endorsement of a future Cates Park.

By: Richard Boulton

Richard Boulton — Sat, 25 Jun 2022 15:50:37 +0000

In reply to Eve Lazarus. Re: “Plaque on Malcolm Laurie Trail should of been posted on his shack “ There is a smaller plaque on a very large rock on the beach at the bottom of the bank in the exact location of his shack. It’s very near East Cates on the trail that spills out into the playground area and there are wooden stairs to get down to it. No signage on the trail to reference the location — you must search for it. The bronze plaque just simply states: “Malcolm Laurie Shack”.

By: Janet

Janet — Sat, 14 Apr 2018 17:05:05 +0000

I also grew up playing in Cates as we lived a block away on Roslyn Blvd. I remember when the district cleared away some of the beautiful bush at the far end nearest my home to plant grass and install playground equipment. The big swings are still there. My friends and I used to refer to the two grassy ends of the park in our conversations, as Big Cates and Little Cates and these names have been passed down and still being used today or so I have noticed. What we called The Alamo, became The Castle for my children. My friends and I spent many happy days watching the seasons and exploring every inch of the park. We were so fortunate to spend our summer days sunbathing on it’s beaches, swimming in the icy waters and running barefoot over the rocks and barnicles. I still love to spend time there…so many vivid memories. In reference to an earlier comment, Malcolm Lowry’s plaque is still cemented onto a big boulder, there on the beach where stood his beloved shack…it has fallen over, the plaque now lays underneath and still there the last time I had a look.

By: richard foreman

richard foreman — Sat, 14 Apr 2018 14:48:00 +0000

my mother’s family, the Craigs, were amonst those that lived in the squatters cabins along the beach.one of my great aunts, my great grandfather, my great grandmother,[ they were separated, so, separate dwellings as well], and my grandfather, all had houses next to each other. nestled in the middle was the boat house, and wharf. I have many pictures of my mother, and her sisters, various cousins, etc., as kids, swimming , boating ,fishing, and playing on the wharf, and the raised wooden walkways along the waterfront. my grandfather, jimi, and his brother, kept their fishboat there. the family would row across from Burnaby, in small dingys that my greatgrandfather built.
both my great grandfather, and grandfather, were quite good friends with Malcolm lowry, who, a notorious drunk, would often tip a few together.
when I can, I love to go to cates and reminisce.i actually lived in a squatters shack myself for a short time in the ’70;s. at the other end of cates, a couple of hundred feet from al neil

By: Malcolm James

Malcolm James — Sat, 14 Apr 2018 04:51:30 +0000

I have been visiting the park since 1955. Remnants of the shacks remained until the early 60’s. Every major storm would reduced the numbers. One of the last to go was the superstructure of a large tug on pilings. I grew up in that park, sleeping at our house on Beachview but spending every unstructured minute (of which there were lots for kids back then) in the park. There was an ancient (in my eyes) native man who lived in a large hollowed cedar stump above the drinking steps, who would regale us with stories of times long lost. He was just not there one day when I was about 4. The trails were just forest mulch and forgiving to knees when falling from racing bikes. Little Cates was just the base of the beehive burner ( the Alamo to us) surrounded by blackberry and maple. Big Cates was a little grassy area no more than a couple of hundred metres square leading up to the Roche Point lighthouse. To honour this nurturing forest, a few of us old Covers, resurrected the Village Faire of 1970 with a Village Faire II in 2012. Whenever I am in the Lower Mainland, I try to find whatever time I can to visit Cates – it’s a homecoming.

By: Shelley Kean

Shelley Kean — Fri, 13 Apr 2018 02:55:52 +0000

For years there was a wonderful small plaque on a big rock down on the shore, which gave the exact location of Lowry’s “beloved shack.” Unfortunately, the sign went awol. Shortly after its disappearance, another plaque appeared above on a tree stump along a nearby trail, not in the shack’s exact spot, but close. Don’t know if it’s still there. Al Neil and Carol Itter’s little blue cabin is being restored by the Grunt Gallery: http://grunt.ca/the-blue-cabin/

By: Crawford Kilian

Crawford Kilian — Wed, 11 Apr 2018 22:28:26 +0000

In reply to Val Jacober. Get hold of Lowry's short-story collection Hear Us Oh Lord From Heaven Thy Dwelling Place. Stories like Gin and Goldenrod describe "Dark Roslyn" (as he called the Cove) very vividly.

By: Val Jacober

Val Jacober — Wed, 11 Apr 2018 20:49:41 +0000

In reply to Crawford Kilian. Hey Crawford. This is all great information for me. I first lived in Deep Cove upon moving to Canada and know little about its history. Val Jacober

By: Jennifer Cl

Jennifer Cl — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 03:46:17 +0000

So you are talking about Little Cates Park then? I think that is where the cement structure is? Also you said that all traces of the shacks were destroyed in 1957 but wasn’t the last one (the turquoise one) just removed a few years ago? I think that was the one where Lowry and his wife lived and it is currently being restored, I think? Not sure where they intend to put it though.

By: Crawford Kilian

Crawford Kilian — Sun, 08 Apr 2018 16:35:04 +0000

Lowry would have hated “Lowry Lane” and its multimillion-dollar (pun intended) houses. He didn’t even like the development of Dollarton/Deep Cove in the 1940s.

By: Doug Parks

Doug Parks — Sun, 08 Apr 2018 01:24:54 +0000

I drive truck for a living . For about 20 years I owned the truck and any time I delivered a load to the North Shore I would try to escape work and go to Cates Park. Ill send you a photo of my hound sitting on a genuine Cates Park tree stump. What a great place to spend (waste) time