Jim Weed was born in Greenwood in 1945 and moved to Grand Forks in 1949.
He was just out of high school when Jim and a couple of his friends decided to head north and look for work.
They ended up in the Yukon working for Keno Hill Silver Mines in Keno City where Jim worked as a crusher machine operator.
Keno City is at the end of the Silver Trail highway near Elsa, Yukon and 330 kilometres north of Whitehorse. The small community was the site of a former silver and lead mining area also known as the Keno Hill Silver District; an area with a history as one of the world's highest grade of silver mining areas.
Keno City was named after the gambling game Keno which was a popular game in the mining camps at the time.
The silver and lead was mined, sent by train to Skagway and eventually ended up in the Tech Cominco smelter in Trail.
Around 1966, Jim returned to Grand Forks, attended school in Nelson and successfully got his heavy duty mechanics ticket.
In 1970, he decided to head to Prince George where jobs were plentiful and there would be lots of work in his field. He has been here ever since.
Over the years he worked for the John Deere equipment dealership during the winter months and built houses and log houses in the summer. He did this for about 20 years.
Val Dodds was born in Montreal in 1944, attended the University of Toronto and received her bachelor of arts in 1966. She moved to Vancouver, attended UBC and earned her master of social work degree in 1968.
She worked in Victoria and Vancouver in mental health services and worked mainly with children.
Time went by and her department in Vancouver was being eliminated. She was given a choice of working in Kamloops, Cranbrook or Prince George. To make a long story short she chose Prince George and arrived here in 1974 and like Jim she been here ever since.
She worked for Mental Health Services mainly in counseling and developed various successful programs throughout her career.
She worked in the hospital psychiatric outpatient's services department as a counselor for five years.
In the 1980s, the University of B.C. and the University of Victoria began offering social work courses at the College of New Caledonia (CNC).
Val said, "I worked at CNC as an instructor of the Social Services Diploma program and taught communication skills, social policy and supervised the student practicum."
She taught at CNC for 18 years and during that time she started her own private counseling practice.
She retired from CNC in 2004 and kept her private practitioner credentials until 2014.
During all this time, Jim was involved with the Northwest Brigade Canoe Club and enjoyed canoe racing and canoe tripping while Val was enjoying skiing and being on the ski patrol at Purden Ski Resort.
It was in 1975 that the couple met on a ski trip; they got married in 1976 and the rest is history.
The source of that first attraction between Jim and Val has become their way of life.
Val said, "Together we share a passion for many outdoor activities including skiing, canoeing, bicycling and hiking. We have gone with many of our friends on over 30 wilderness canoe trips in BC, Alberta, Alaska, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories.
"We have both been involved with the Tabor Mountain Recreation Society for the past ten years with Jim clearing recreational and ski trails and building shelters for the use and enjoyment by the general public.
"We both work as needed all summer and enjoy skiing in the winter. We help put on various fundraising and recreational events that take place out at the recreation trails site at Tabor Mountain.
"We are members, officials and volunteers of the not-for-profit Caledonia Nordic Ski Club.
"In 1983 when the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club moved from Tabor to Otway Jim and Nilo Itkonen took time off work to build the original log club house. The original ski trails were developed with the help of many dedicated volunteers including Jim."
The Otway Nordic Centre is located west of Prince George and boasts 55 km of groomed trails that include dog friendly and snowshoe trails as well as night skiing trails. Otway is also home to a world class biathlon facility.
Val has been a ski instructor for 15 years while Jim was busy working as the chief track setter for 12 years.
The years flew by and now Val is busy with Explore More; a new program for seniors 55 and older that includes ski lessons, snowshoe lessons and guided tours. Jim is busy with the ongoing needs for maintenance with the trails at Tabor.
Val concluded by saying, "Jim and I both love Prince George and everything that it has to offer. We have enjoyed it all for these past 42 years.
"We watched CNC expand to the great college and trade school that it is now and we watched UNBC come to our city. We marvel at the monumental changes that these two institutions have made to the City of Prince George and the great reputation we have here for our education opportunities."
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October Birthdays that I know about: Emma Mauro, Kelly Flath, Dave Mazurak, Helen Green, Mike Green, Barbara Chartrand, Lindy Barnes, Magdalene Pudlas, Alda Russman, Pam Boulding, Don Thompson, Minnie Meier, Janice Taylor, John Broderick, Adene Clay, Pietje Kragt, Joe Chartrand, Frank Sarrazin, Myra Nadeau, Wilf Peckham, Victor Bowman, Josie Miles, Eileen Hoagland, Syl Meise, Art Reynolds, Judy Shul, Barb Sandberg, Bill Mintenko, Cameron Sutherland, Cathy Bilbrough, Robbyn Unruh, Sally Rosevear, Yvonne Rowe, Pat Husberg, Helen Webber, Ann Miller, Henry Engelsjord, Harvey Clark, Donna Roach, Larry Rowe, Ute Schuler, Margaret Smith, Don Wilson,
Tony Carpino, Christa Hughes, Hope Humm, Denice Gudlaugson, Bill Jones, Garry Watson, Manuel Borthelo, Gerald Bjorgaard, Ann Fitzsimmons, Steve Marynovich, Ida Nikkel, Marie Prentice, Violet Symon, Annette Yarama, Claudette Beauchamp, Ralph Fetterly, Doris Little, Irene Hnathshen, Richard Arnett, Otto Kedl, Dayle McKendrick and Agnes Leslie (97).
October Anniversaries that I know about: 68 years for George and Freda Greenlees, 64 years for John and Ethel Esler, 63 years for Swede and Amelia Peterson, 63 years for Allan and Gladys Thorp, 57 years for Hugo and Ursula Riske, 55 years for Bob and Ruth Reid and 55 years for John and Judy Elmquist.
