My maternal grandfather Alvari Kotilla immigrated to sa国际传媒 from Kiviari, Finland, in 1898. He first went to the Klondike, where he transported gold seekers鈥� belongings over the Chilco Pass. It was hard arduous work. The men who did this were called mules.
In 1902, he moved to Ladysmith, where there was lots of work in the coal mines and a large Finnish population.
After he became established, he sent for his wife Amalia, still waiting in Finland. When she arrived they lived in a boarding house, where Amalia worked as a housekeeper. They eventually built their own home with the help of their neighbours.
This was the custom in those days. People helped each other in order to make a good life for everybody, which benefited the community.
Their four children were born in this home, three boys and a girl, Eino, George, Mauri and Helvi (my mother).
Alvari was an active participant in organizing the United Mineworkers of America in the central Island area.
During the upheaval of the 1913-14 strike, he and many of his fellow workers were jailed for striking. Northfield jail in Nanaimo was a makeshift prison constructed for the internment of strikers.
Conditions there were grim. The scarcity and poor quality of the food made it necessary for the prisoners鈥� wives and families to bring in food fom their homes. They came once a week by train to provide sustenance for their loved ones.
My grandparents were active in the community. They helped establish a local chapter of the Kaliva Lodge, whose headquarters were in Finland.
This benevolent society helped Finnish residents and new immigrants get established in sa国际传媒. This group built a large hall (known as the Finn Hall) erected entirely with volunteer labour. Most of the Finnish people lived in close proximity to it, so this area of Ladysmith became known as Finn Town.
The hall was a busy place, with many community activities such as dances, concerts, live theatre, English classes, gymnastic and dance classes, church services, weddings and funerals.
In those days, every backyard had a cow and chickens, large gardens, fruit trees, a sauna and a wash house, where the miners would wash off the coal dust after their shift in the mines. An early memory I have is of my grandfather covered in coal dust, the whites of his eyes glowing bright in his sooty face.
Alvari was killed in a mine cave-in at South Wellington in 1943. He was 66 years old, and two months from retirement.
My grandmother died
10 years later at 74.
Most of their decendants live on Vancouver Island, with three in Ladysmith.
The sacrifices my grandparents鈥� generation made and the efforts involved in making life better for them and their fellow citizens helped to make sa国际传媒 great. Many of my family, past and present, were and are union members.
They and their countrymen have enjoyed the benefits they have today because of the valiant efforts of the previous generations. 鈥� Linda Smith