Gojko Bosnic [the original spelling of the family name] came to Canada in 1926 from the Balkans and settled in Northern Ontario. He purchased a quarter section of land for $500 and sold enough timber to double his investment. Clearing the land was very labor intensive as all he had to work with were horses and his own strength and ambition.
In 1930 he felt it was time to settle down, so he sent money to his folks in the old country and asked them to send the "right one" for him. His wife was a mail-order bride and it must have been very frightening for her travelling to a strange country not knowing a word of English. She was shocked to see the primitive conditions she was going to have to endure. Her new home was a log shack complete with coal oil lamps, a well from which water was hauled, a wood heater that served as a cook stove and bathroom facilities out behind the trees commonly known as the outhouse. One year later they started building a new home and they started their family of twelve children. One of these twelve children was Bill Bosnich who was born in 1936 and the subject of this column.
Bill reflected back and said, "I can remember the winters being extremely cold especially as we walked over three miles to school. Our path to school was down an old bush road and then down the CN tracks into town. Occasionally we would have to let a freight or passenger train go by which would leave a trail of black cinders that belched from the engine stack. The snow was always dirty along the tracks and it was obvious the word pollution was still somewhere in the future."
At the age of 20 and with two suitcases of his worldly belongings in hand, Bill said a big goodbye to his family and northern Ontario and headed west. He got a job at the Canfor Plywood Mill in New Westminster in 1958 and started a new chapter in his life. A few years later he met Donna MacMillan - soon to be his future wife - at the Crystal Palace; a quaint tavern in Blaine, Washington where he and a bunch of his friends would go on a Saturday evening for entertainment.
Donna was born in High River, Alberta in 1942. She was one of five children and their early years were a struggle like many others in that era! Bill said, "Donna knew what hard work was and never backed away from a challenge. I was impressed with her sense of humor and her personality so I was on my best behavior as we danced the evening away. I made sure that no one else asked to dance with her. The first time Donna invited me to their home in White Rock for supper I couldn't stop eating, everything was so delicious and Donna had put it all together. She is a fantastic cook without a doubt. Her sisters still joke about that evening when I literally cleaned the table.
"We were married in White Rock in 1964, rented a house in Port Coquitlam and a few years later our children started to arrive. In 1970 we bought a home on acreage in Maple Ridge and resided there for four years. Then we packed up once more and moved to Pineview, near Prince George, into an old shack on 15 acres. The building used to be a cook shack used by one of the old bush camps years ago; it was moved in two sections and reassembled on the property. Donna was not happy with the abode as we had to haul our water from the community well and an outhouse was our plumbing. However, before the cold weather set in we put plumbing into the home, added an addition for a second bedroom, buried a 1,000 gallon tank for water and installed a pump in the bathroom as well as a hot water tank. Talk about ambition!"
In the early years, Pineview was a big farming community with dirt roads and very few amenities. Gradually more people moved into the area and a school was built followed by a corner store and a volunteer fire department. The Pineview Community Hall was built by the members of the Farmers Institute and many other volunteers.
The hall was being remodeled in 2005 when an electrical short started a fire and overnight the hall was destroyed by fire. A new hall was built on the same site complete with a full basement, an elevator and a chair lift particularly to accommodate senior gatherings thanks to the efforts of Syl and Linda Meise.
The week long and popular Pineview Snow Frolics put on by the Pineview Recreation Commission still take place each February and attracts close to 500 participants and 1,000 spectators who come out to enjoy the event. Events include snopitch ball, outhouse races, logger sports and snowshoe volleyball, which was invented in Pineview in the 1970s.
Pineview can also boast of an excellent equestrian centre which is very popular in the summer.
Together Bill and Donna raised two children who attended schools in Pineview and Blackburn followed by Prince George Senior Secondary after which they ventured out into the working world.
Bill retired in 2001 from many years as a carpenter. Since his retirement both Bill and Donna have been enjoying their volunteer work at the Pineview Hall and by entertaining the community through their involvement with the Forever Young Chorus, the Country Cuzzins and the drama club at the Elder Citizens Recreation Centre.
They both conclude by saying, "We have made many lasting friends and hope to continue the joy and fun our friends and family bring us while we continue growing older together."
