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Growing up
By Colin J Campbell
We got an email last week with a cartoon that said “if you haven’t grown up by 50 you don’t have to.” What a relief that is. It got me to thinking about the struggles we face when we first reach so called adulthood, to find careers, raise families and make something of ourselves. The old adage that the road to success is uphill all the way is absolutely true.
I love what I do for a living, I think it was the best career to suit my nature. As a financial advisor I get to help people take care of retirement, create wealth and retain it for generations and smooth out the rough seas of life. It is very rewarding, but it wasn’t my career goal when I graduated from high school. In fact like many I had no idea what my career path would be.
I studied forestry at college, not because I wanted to work in the forest industry, far from it, I spent a summer piling lumber and the last thing I wanted was to work in the industry. However, growing up in the Kootenays, having most of my family working in forestry and getting a scholarship to go to Selkirk College forestry seemed like the logical thing to do. I quickly discovered I really didn’t care if it was a fir, a pine or a larch; logic obviously had nothing to do with finding a career.
The next two or three years were spent in various jobs with no real goal in mind other than gas in the car and beer in the fridge. After working shift work at Cominco for a year I knew I had to get out of there or it would be 35 years on the hill. That might be stability but it wasn’t for me.
My one desire had always been to be a journalist, another illogical concept as I was a lousy speller, but why let logic enter into the picture, it certainly wasn’t part of my post secondary education. The editor at the Penticton Herald for some reason took to my suggestion that he needed a green-as-grass cub reporter and hired me at $85 a week. Maybe that was a clue that I was a better salesman than reporter.
My boss was the City Editor, a short chubby – I’m being polite – Frenchman who definitely thought of himself as the finest newspaperman in Canada. My assignment was the police department for the daily crime report and the convention center to cover all the conventions Penticton hosted.
The first problem was to regain access to the police department. Herald reporters were persona non grata at the Penticton detachment. The previous reporter didn’t understand that when the Staff Sergeant said it was off the record, it was off the record and you didn’t put it in that day’s paper. Once again my sales ability came to the fore and I was able to convince him that my word was worth something and if he said it was not to be printed, it would never get to the City Editor’s desk. Another lesson learned quickly if you didn’t want it in today’s paper, don’t tell the city editor.
The conventions were a blessing, not only did I get to meet and interview many interesting people, but I was assured of at least one or two free meals a day, as the conventions always wanted the luncheon speaker covered and even on occasion the breakfast and dinner speakers.
Over the next four months I got to interview some notable personalities such as the premier of B.C., Mr. W.A.C. Bennett, a legend in B.C. politics. Mr. Bennett had been Premier for over 20 years. He was often criticized and ridiculed by the Eastern Canadian politicians; they called him WACY Bennett. However, his vision for B.C. and Canada were forward thinking ideas, in many cases, ahead of his time. They should have paid more attention to him in Ottawa.
Unfortunately Mr. Bennett was not suited to television, which led to his defeat. He should really be considered the father of modern B.C., it was his ingenuity that gave us the roads, education system, and supply of clean hydro energy that have fuelled the province’s growth in the last 60 years.
Another personality I got to interview was Phil Gaglardi, the minister of highways and the builder of many of our highways. He generated lots of headlines whenever he spoke. Mr. Gaglardi was a favourite speaker at conventions in Penticton and always willing to be quoted.
One of the highlights for me that spring was the opportunity to cover the annual meeting of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. Dr. Whyte who was head of the Dominion Radio astrophysical telescope at White Lake, just a bit south of Penticton, was hosting the meeting. The Astronomical Society of the Pacific is the largest society of astronomers in the world, their convention is attended by all the really important and famous astronomers from around the world both as speakers and attendees.
I sat through the first session with anticipation of a great story. When the speaker finished, my note pad was blank; I had no clue what he was talking about. It was getting on to mid morning and the deadline for that day’s paper was noon. I was desperate. Fortunately Dr. Whyte introduced me to two astronomers from Berkley, California who were leading researchers in the search for evidence of extraterrestrial life on other planets.
They were both about six foot five and although they would have loved to chat they had to catch a plane to get back to California in time for their telescope schedule that evening. My solution was to drive them to the airport conducting the interview as we drove. Actually I asked maybe two questions and they just talked. As they waited for the plane I wrote the story and then drove madly back to the paper to meet the deadline. The story they gave me was terrific, the editor was happy and I got a by-line.
The best part of that encounter was their asking me, why was I interviewing them when one of the most famous and successful astronomers of the 20th Century was in my back yard, Dr. Whyte? Dr. Whyte avoided notoriety and it took some persuading to get him to agree to a more in-depth story after the convention was over.
In 1968, Dr. Whyte and his team using the 25.6-metre radio telescope at Penticton in conjunction with the 46-metre telescope at the Algonquin Radio Observatory in Ontario simulated the resolution of a giant radio telescope measuring 3,074 kilometres (the physical distance between the two instruments). It was the first successful long distance interferometry experiment ever conducted. They could measure a dime on the face of the moon.
In the world of Astronomy Dr. Whyte was more famous than most of the speakers at the convention. We did a full page story about the Observatory and Dr. Whyte’s accomplishments, it was a great learning experience for me and I think Dr. Whyte was glad to get a bit of publicity for what for the most part is an unknown Canadian research project. Typical of Canadians, there is little mention of Dr. Whyte’s accomplishments in the annuls of Canadian history and what is written on the Observatories website doesn’t make mention of his achievements.
My time as a reporter came to an end shortly after that. When the city editor instructs you to phone a lady and ask her if her daughter committed suicide and you have the temerity to suggest that is not news, your departure is imminent. I left with pink slip in hand and no real prospect of a career as a reporter. The fond memories of the people I met and had the privilege to interview will remain with me for my lifetime; it was worth every minute.
The one lesson learned, is to do what you love, do it because you do love it, not for the money. The money will come if you love what you do. Will you grow up? Not necessarily but that isn’t important, the key is to take responsibility for what you do and enjoy every minute of the uphill climb.
– Colin J. Campbell CFP, CLU, is managing partner of Guidance Planning Strategies Ltd. in Cranbrook, B.C. Guidance Planning Strategies Ltd. is an independent insurance and mutual fund broker that specializes in helping families and entrepreneurs create wealth and keep it for generations. [email protected]
