Many of you will know Walter Draycott as the bronze figure who sits on a bench in Triangle Park at the corner of Lynn Valley Road and Mountain Highway. That he deserved to be immortalized is without question. He was a veteran of the Boer War and WWI. But his work documenting the development of Lynn Valley is what amazes me. Using his education in topography, his experience as a sketcher during the war, his talent as a photographer, and his interest in natural and social history, he published a 140-page book called Early Days in Lynn Valley. This book has become a definitive historical record and probably his most important legacy. However, I recently discovered another amazing legacy in his annual Xmas cards, drawn and annotated by him and sent to his closest friends. Many of these cards are held by the Archives of North Vancouver. I spent an afternoon there, going through his cards, laughing out loud and uttering “wow” more times than the other users of the Archives probably wished to hear! His love of the natural world, gardening and the “good old days” is evident, documented in fine detail and with a great sense of humour. But what really impressed me was how his yearly themes are still relevant today – inflation, the “cost” of development, crazy weather, thievery and so much more. Read on as I share my favourites. And watch for his signature squirrel which is present on every single card!
Bronze Statue of Walter Draycott in Triangle Park. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Clay.
Christmas 1973 – Development vs Nature
“We like you little squirrel,
So agile, cute and spry,
Though fear for your safety,
As progress passes by”
His drawing compares the area in the 1870’s to the 1970’s with squirrels, birds, bears and slugs wondering “what about us”?
On the inside, he explains that he has intentionally exaggerated the proportions of the animals to highlight the importance of nature, which is a recurring theme in Walter’s cards.
Christmas 1975 – Two Types of Strikes
This very cute card depicts a “scurry” of squirrels (yes, I looked that up!) playing a rousing game of baseball with the caption “Some Strikes Provide Fun” and “May Nothing Interfere with your Pleasure during Christmas”. I am not sure which labour unions went on strike in 1975 but evidently, Walter found the strikes to be disruptive!
Addendum: A reader informed me of the following: A 42-day strike by CUPW in 1975 resulted in fairer disciplinary procedures, guarantees on employment, classification, pay, retraining and a clear definition of “technological change”. (Reference: CUPWVancouver.org) which is interesting, given we have just finished, in this year 2024, a month-long strike by Canada Post!
His commentary on the inside of the card is self-explanatory, but includes a personal note regarding his aching back, in that, his 93rd year. But clearly his mind was still sharp!
Christmas 1976 – Sharing our land with the forest critters
Clearly the pace of development bothered Walter. As someone who arrived in Vancouver in 1911 and bought three pieces of undeveloped land in Lynn Valley (on what is now known as Draycott Road), he watched as the forest all around him was cleared and replaced by homes, displacing animals in their wake. His caption, speaking to his backyard friends says: “We stole their land so they steal our fruit. Reciprocity”.
The inside of his 1976 cards speaks to a different species of thieves. This was one of my laugh-out-loud moments! It seems he felt strongly that one of the thieves was female based on his assessment of the crime scene. Read on and guaranteed, you too will laugh out loud, not just at the audacity of the crime but also at Walter’s assessment of perpetrators!
Christmas 1977 – Inflation
His 1977 card promotes vegetable gardening in light of the high cost of vegetables, and cleverly, on the inside, he comments; “Another Escalation” of both his age (95) and the cost of food.
Christmas 1981 – A Year of Discontent
“This is my year of discontent
Because slugs and bad weather
Reduced the crops to 50 percent
79 were killed
(no blood shed, just goo or slime)”
Although this card is marked up by Draycott, it was too good not to include in this article. As an ardent gardener and naturalist, he has painstakingly identified all three types of slugs which were eating his vegetable garden in 1981. As a gardener myself, and a member of several Facebook gardening sites, I understand his obsession. But look closely at this card for further comic relief as he depicts flying scalps/wigs and bears, due to a big wind! Clearly, he had a good imagination and a great sense of humour!
I hope you have enjoyed this peek into Walter Draycott’s Christmas cards and his enduring themes! Did you also find it amazing that his themes from 50 years ago are still relevant today? Perhaps the next time you are at the intersection of Lynn Valley and Mountain Highway, you can pay him a visit and thank him for his contribution to the history of Lynn Valley and for his unique sense of humour! It is tradition to dress him for the season so bring along weather-appropriate garb for him! And if I’ve piqued your interest in his book, “Early Days in Lynn Valley”, the Ecology Centre in Lynn Valley has copies.
Gratitude and References:
I would like to thank MONOVA: Archives of North Vancouver and specifically Georgia Twiss and Graeme Niedtner for their time patiently scanning copies of the cards from the Draycott-Timberlake Collection (Inventory Number 1168) which consists of 13 Christmas cards from Walter Draycott to Mr. and Mrs. Morley Timberlake, from 1969 to 1984.
Fast Facts
Draycott Road in Lynn Valley is named after Walter Draycott as he built the first house on that street
His house at 1521 Draycott Road was demolished in 1995
Walter Draycott died on October 21, 1985 at the age of 102 years old