Hornby Island Community Archives
R.G. 26
Acc. No.: 2018-05-22/54
Finding aid created by Regan Fahey
Last updated:November 21, 2018
Title: Irene Walton Collection
Level of description: collection
General material designation: textual records
Extent: 4 cm
Creator(s): Irene Walton (1905- March 1, 1983)
Dates of creation: 1942-1972
Biographical sketch:
Irene Walton was born in 1905 in the Fraser Valley community of Chilliwack, where she graduated from Chilliwack high school with honours, earning the Govenor-Generals Silver medal. She was also a student of the Chilliwack School of Music and graduated from the Academy with honours, earning her a place playing violin with the Chilliwack Symphony Orchestra. Following this Irene entered the Vancouver School of Nursing, completing her courses in 1919. At this point in her life Irene’s focus became that of a wife and mother, marrying Harold Walton and having a son William (Bill) and a daughter Patricia (Pat).
In 1946 Irene and her family moved to Whaling Station Bay on Hornby Island, taking over the Slades farmhouse from Harold’s mother Mrs. Carling. Mr Tom Carling and Mrs.Carling had purchased 40 acres in Whaling Station Bay in 1943. In 1956 Harold and Irene started a small summer resort named Whaling Station Bay Resort, building 5 cabins for renting out in June, July and August to summer visitors. In 1966 Mrs. Carling deeded 20 acres to each of her sons, Harold and Norman Walton, and in 1969 Harold sold his 20 acres to the developers Nanaimo Realty. This caused great discord between the brothers and changed the nature of the Whaling Station Bay area – the Whaling Staton Bay Estates Limited subdivision was plotted and registered very quickly, just before the deadline of a cap put on division of land parcels by the Islands Trust.
Irene was very active in the Hornby Island community, she was a founding member of the Hornby Island Co-op store and served as President of the Board, as well as the Secretary for the Hornby Island Residents and Ratepayers Association for many years. Irene was called upon as a nurse in emergencies, as there was no doctor on the Island she was the sole medical representative for nearly 23 years. In 1969 Irene moved to Denman Island where she once again was very active in community life, being a founding member of the New Horizons group and acting as the Director of the Denman Seniors and Museum Society at the time of her death in 1983.
Scope and content: The records pertain to some of Irene’s personal life, with the majority being related to her interest in weather observation and meteorological record keeping.
Source of supplied title: Title is based on the creator of the collection.
Immediate source of aquuisition: The collection contains previously accessioned files : one file collected by archivist/committee members (985.79) and one file donated by Phillip Statham in 1992 (992.199). All other original accession date(s) and donor(s) are unknown as the Hornby Island Community Archives acquired the records several years prior to their being accessioned in 2018.
Arrangement: The original order of the materials has been retained in the archival arrangement.
Language of materials: English
Record no.: R.G. 26
Repository: Hornby Island Cmmunity Archives
Finding aids: Finding aid available with file level control.
Accurals: Further accruarls are not expected.
File Inventory
Box 1
1-1 Correspondance and map, 1957, 1962.
Re:Pound district petition, foreshore lease in Tribune Bay
1-2 Credit Union account book, 1949-1963.
1-3 Motor Vehicle Regulations booklets, 1955 & 1956.
1-4 Correspondance, Reports and ephemera related to meteorological observation, 1964, 1967, 1969.
1-5 Precipitation Station Register, April 1964-March 1969.
1-6 Climatological Station Register, May 1967-August 1970.
1-7 Correspondance, writings and ephemara : Geoffrey Phipps and the history of HMS Tribune, 1960-1968