It was a poignant moment for one member of the Prince George Secondary School Class of ’74 as he listened to graduate Emily Parker, 17, speak with The Citizen on Thursday morning about her big plans for the future.
Emily is the first recipient of the Willow River Eight Memorial Fund bursary.
The Class of ’74 created the fund during their 50th reunion last year, in honour of the eight Prince George Senior Secondary School students who died in a tragic canoeing accident on the Willow River on May 10, 1974.
Alumnus Gerry Van Caeseele said he couldn’t help but think of the bright future Emily has — a future that was taken from the eight young men five decades ago.
“It was so great to get to know Emily through this interview,” he said.
And this is what he heard.
Not only is Emily a strong student, but she’s also a leader at her school and in the community through sport and volunteerism. She’s the captain of her ringette team, has taken leadership classes, helped organize a food hamper program for families in need, all while holding down a part-time job. In her spare time, she explores her creativity through piano, painting and soap making.
This fall, Emily will attend UNBC to study environmental science, specializing in restoration science — with the goal of revitalizing damaged ecosystems, particularly those affected by wildfires.
“That’s what I’m most interested in — being a restoration scientist,” Emily said.
“I’ve been interested in this for a long time. I really like hiking and being out in nature. Both my parents are very outdoorsy, and I was in Mr. Thomson’s outdoor recreation class — that really brought out my love of the outdoors.
"I’ve also seen the impact forest fires have had on us, and it’s sad to see how everything got wrecked. So for a very long time, I’ve wanted to do everything I can to fix that.”
Emily said she plans to return to Prince George after her studies — even if her dream school, the University of Victoria, pulls her away for a while.
“I really like it up here,” she said. “So I might just come back and work here because forestry is something I especially want to do — and we’ve got lots of that up here.”
Deeply committed to community work, Emily got involved in the Youth Community Action Network, a program offered through the YMCA and her project-based learning group at PGSS.
“We got to pick what we wanted to do and decided we wanted to create food hampers,” she explained. “We thought we’d do them for St. Vincent de Paul or something, but then we thought, why don’t we just keep it in the school?”
PGSS has a Wellness Centre that helps students feel connected to the school community, supports life skill development, and offers extracurricular programming in collaboration with community agencies.
“The Wellness Centre supports people while they’re in school,” Emily said. “But when they leave for spring break, winter break or summer break, they have no support. So we decided to help. We budgeted, made hampers, fundraised in the front lobby, and took donations of non-perishable food items. I think that supported them a lot over the break.”
Emily also found a creative outlet through soap making — a hobby she started with her mother while preparing Christmas gifts.
“I thought it was really fun,” she said.
She now experiments with different recipes, but her signature touch remains the same.
“I do different scents, but there’s always got to be glitter in the soaps — because it’s so pretty,” she said with a smile.
PGSS principal Randy Halpape said Emily was selected by the School District 57 Awards Committee because she surpassed the bursary’s criteria for exemplary school and community leadership.
“Emily managed a heavy course load this year while also playing ringette, participating in recreation and leadership classes, and holding down a part-time job,” Halpape said. “She exceeded expectations across the board.”
“I like to be busy,” Emily added.
The Willow River Eight Memorial Bursary Fund raised more than $21,000 last year and recently received contributions from the PGSS Class of ’75, who also marked their 50th reunion.
Van Caeseele said the fund now holds about $30,000, and each year a bursary of $674 will be awarded to a deserving student like Emily.
“I’m hoping the money will cover some of my textbooks and maybe even some of my tuition — every little bit helps, and I’m so very grateful,” Emily said.
“I want to say thank you. I’m honoured to be the first recipient of the memorial fund. I know that loss impacted so many people, because people still talk about it today — it obviously made a huge impact on the community. I’m honoured to receive this bursary in their memory.”
The eight boys who lost their lives in the 1974 accident were Robert Haney, Dwight McFarland, Ian Rice, Murray Sales, Brian Weaver, David Walker, Jeff Pick and Paul Trudeau.
“I always think of the families and the loved ones they lost,” Van Caeseele said.
“We had the biggest graduating class in Canada in 1974 — and probably the same in 1975. So you’re looking at 1,600 to 1,700 people who lost them all — boom — in one weekend.”
Van Caeseele said the pain of that loss has never gone away.
“They weren’t just people — they were our friends,” he said. “I made models with Murray Sales in his basement. I played lacrosse with Ian Rice. They never had a chance to go to college or university, or have families of their own.”
Then, turning to Emily with a smile, he added: “We’re so happy to help you, Emily.”
The Willow River Eight Memorial Bursary is a memorial endowment fund held in trust with the Prince George Community Foundation. Donations can be made at www.pgcf.ca/fund/The-Willow-River-8-Memorial-Bursary.
