Monday 28 December 2020

Dick Culbert - Bestselling Author

Fifty years ago, Dick Culbert made the Best Seller list...

The Province, 24 July 1970, page 38.
Three titles on this list prove that sex sells: 

The Sensuous Woman by "J".

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask) by David Reuben.

Human Sexual Inadequecies [sic] by Masters and Johnson.

So how did a book about mountain climbing manage to attract the attention of a nation obsessed with sex?

Dick Culbert's A Climber's Guide to the Coastal Ranges of British Columbia is considered a mountaineering classic. The book covers the entire Canadian west coast between the States of Washington and Alaska, an distance of 500 miles. Considered to be the authoritative guide to coastal mountaineering, the book had a tremendous influence on mountaineers. 

If you missed my post about legendary mountaineer, explorer, geographer, geophysicist, Doctor of Philosophy, author, poet, and photographer Richard Revis "Dick" Culbert, click here.  


Richard Revis "Dick" Culbert's Family Tree:
Ancestors:
John Culbert & Mary Ward (great-great-grandparents)
Richard Culbert & Jane Fairhall (great-grandparents)
George Arthur Culbert & Jean McLeod Campbell (grandparents)
Frederick Campbell Culbert & Margaret Rachel Sanders (parents)

Tuesday 22 December 2020

Sunday 13 December 2020

Greg Culbert (1943-2020)

Greg Culbert at the helm of his fishing boat, the Keitha M in the waters of the Georgia Straight, near Campbell River, British Columbia. Photo courtesy of Kate (Culbert) Kerr.

In the previous post, Mary-Lynn Culbert wrote a memorial tribute to her brother, Greg Culbert. Today, we continue our tribute to Greg with details about his life and adventures.

Greg Culbert was run over by a tractor when he was a baby, he lost the vision in one eye at age nine, he rescued climbers off mountainsides and dug out avalanche victims, he was thrown into jail in Spain, he had his throat slit by a psychotic slasher in Germany, and he had an altercation with Bruno Gerussi of The Beachcombers fame.

We’ll get to all that and more as we continue to celebrate the 77th anniversary of Greg Culbert’s birth.

Brian Gregory Culbert was born 10 December, 1943, in London, Ontario, Canada to Kenneth Arthur Culbert and Mary Helen Needham. Ken served in the Air Force during WWII from 1941-1945 but he must have been home on leave about nine months before Greg was born.

 

The Culberts at Poplar Farm in Biddulph Township near Lucan, Ontario, c1944. Back row, left to right: Greg’s grandfather, Myron Culbert; Greg’s young uncle, Earl Culbert, Greg’s great-grandmother, Jane (Fairhall) Culbert holding baby Greg. Middle row, left to right: Greg’s grandmother, Effie Pearl (Taylor) Culbert, and Greg’s mother, Helen (Needham) Culbert. Front row: Greg’s father, Ken Culbert holding Greg’s brother, Cam Culbert. Photo courtesy of Vicky (Culbert) Schloendorf.

When Greg was born, Ken and Helen already had welcomed one child into the world: Kenneth Campbell Culbert (born 1941). Another child, Mary-Lynn Culbert would join her brothers, Cam and Greg many years later in 1959.

 

Cam Culbert and his little brother, Greg, in 1943. Photo taken by their father, Ken Culbert.

It’s amazing that Greg survived his childhood. These next few stories from his sister, Mary-Lynn illustrate why it’s so amazing:

During a visit to the Culbert family farm (Poplar Farm) near Lucan, Ontario, Greg’s father, Ken, put baby Greg on the hood of the tractor. Ken put the tractor in gear and drove off with baby Greg on the hood. The tractor hit a rut, bouncing the baby off the tractor. Then Ken ran over the baby with the tractor. By pure chance, little Greg had landed in a furrow and the tractor passed over top of him.

Poplar Farm (the Culbert homestead) in 2013. Located on the Coursey Line near Lucan, Ontario.

Another narrow escape from death ensued when Greg climbed out of his crib and out the bedroom window onto the roof of the house. Baby Greg’s slide towards the edge of the roof was stopped when his heels hit the eavestrough. He sat there, happily enjoying the view, while his mother was drawn to the front door by the shrieks of passers-by. She looked up to see her baby perched on the edge of the roof! She proceeded to risk life and limb crawling out after him and hauling him back to safety by his diaper.

As you can see from the photo below, Greg was full of energy. In the words of his second cousin, Dorothy (Kerslake) Coolman, “He had a twinkle in his eye that suggested some devilment!

 

Cousin Fest. Greg and his cousins at a picnic at Poplar Farm in 1951. Left to right: Greg’s 1st cousin Vicky Culbert; 1st cousin Marilyn Culbert behind 1st cousin, Ian Culbert; 1st cousin Terry Culbert with his arm around Greg (who is front and centre and all action); 1st cousin, Wayne Culbert barely visible behind Terry; Greg’s brother, Cam Culbert (the tallest kid in the photo); 2nd cousin, Dorothy Kerslake (standing); 2nd cousin, Marion Kerslake (in front of Dorothy); then 2nd cousins, Jim Kerslake and Ron Ryckman.


In the summer of 1952, nine-year-old Greg suffered a serious injury to his right eye, and eventually lost the eye. Here’s what happened, according to Greg’s brother, Cam:

The Culberts were living in London, Ontario. Right across the street from their house, there was a new home being built on an empty lot. Greg and his brother, Cam, were told to stay away from this construction site but, being kids (and boys!), they would sneak over to explore, along with a lot of other neighborhood kids. The site was dug up and covered in lumps of heavy, sharp-edged clay. One day they were over there messing about with a couple of other kids when one boy (the neighborhood troublemaker) grabbed a hunk of clay and whipped it at Greg, hitting him the eye. The boy’s parents refused to take any responsibility for his actions, and were quite belligerent about the whole thing. Greg had surgery to save the eye, but therapy and further treatment options were interrupted by a move to Quebec.

Greg adapted really well to his vision loss, playing competitive sports, becoming an expert hunter, marksman, and fisherman (he tied his own flies). He finally decided to have the eye removed later in life (guessing he would have been in his late 30’s or early 40’s) after he began to suffer pain and complete loss of vision.   

Greg, later in life in his fancy-dress "pirate" patch.

Mary-Lynn says, “Greg only wore an eye patch when attending events that required him to be around people he didn't know well. I think he did it more to make others comfortable. He did have a glass eye made, but found it extremely uncomfortable to wear. However, it did prove to be a great prop to entertain bar mates. He would wait until some unsuspecting patron would take a bathroom break, then pop out the eye and drop it in their drink. The discovery of his prosthetic floating in their beverage would, understandably, generate a strong reaction to which Greg would respond, ‘Just keeping an eye on your drink for you.’ Hours of fun for the whole family!”

When Greg was 10, the Culberts moved from London, Ontario to Granby, Quebec in 1953. Greg’s father Ken was appointed Assistant General Manager of the Protective Association of Canada, a general insurance company with their head office in Granby.

Greg (left) and his brother Cam in front of the family house on Vittie Street in Granby, Quebec.

Greg Culbert shoveling snow in 1959 outside the family’s house on Vittie Street in Granby, Quebec. The photo was taken shortly before his 16th birthday. That means they had this much snow even before December!  Greg had just returned from skiing when his father insisted that he shovel out the driveway, so he's still in his ski gear.

In the summer of 1961, the Culberts moved from Quebec to Toronto, Ontario. 17-year-old Greg enrolled in Earl Haig Secondary School for grade 12. It was at this time that Brian Culbert reinvented himself as Greg Culbért. The accent you see over the letter “e” in the Culbert surname supposedly gave the pronunciation a certain je ne sais quoi.

Greg’s sister, Mary-Lynn explains how this name change came to be:

“When Greg started going to Earl Haig Secondary School in Toronto, we suddenly began getting calls from young girls breathlessly asking ‘Is Greg there?’  My parents kept replying, ‘There's no one named Greg here, you have the wrong number.’ The calls kept coming. One day, one of the girls was enamored enough to pursue the conversation further:  ‘Greg - Greg Culbért?’ And the penny dropped for my mom. ‘Oh, you mean Brian!’  

Greg was called upon to explain the name change. He confessed that he'd told everyone at school to call him by his middle name of Greg, and given the much sexier pronunciation of our Culbert surname as the real thing. The change of first name was considered presumptuous but could have been forgiven in time. However, the “French-ifying” of our Anglo surname did NOT go over well, especially with our mother. But it was too late - Culbért stuck, to her everlasting ire. Weirdly, I think my dad thought it was kind of cool.

I took me years to get used to calling him Greg instead of Brian. Sometimes I'd call him Brian just to be an annoying little sister. Mom called him Brian for decades. When she finally gave in and began calling him Greg, she always pronounced it with an emphasis that let you know she didn't like it but couldn't argue with it anymore. We jokingly used to call him Gregoire.”

Having survived his childhood and reinvented himself in his teens, Greg set out after high school to see the world. Adventure ensued!

While touring through Europe after high school, Greg and a friend got thrown into one of Franco’s prisons in Spain for carrying prohibited “contraband” - a copy of Life magazine that he’d purchased in another European country and stashed, forgotten, in his backpack. Instead of being beaten, shot, or left to rot, Greg and his friend were released when the friend’s well-connected parents pulled some strings.

Fast forward from Spain to Germany…

 

On that same trip, Greg was sitting at a bar in Germany when he was attacked from behind by an American serviceman who had a psychotic break and went on a slashing spree. He sliced Greg’s throat open just below the ear. Luckily this happened near an American army medical hospital and Greg got there in time for surgeons to save his life.

Greg married his first wife, Wendy Hamilton of Toronto on 3 June, 1967.

Greg spent the winter of 1968 working as a ski instructor at Mount Snow in Vermont, USA. Then he and Wendy moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Here, they welcomed their first child in 1969, Kimberley Tara Culbert (now Kim Small of Huntsville, Ontario.)

Shortly after Kim’s birth, Greg and his family moved back to Toronto where they remained for the next two years. But the marriage didn’t last.  Greg separated from Wendy and moved out west to Banff, Alberta, in 1972. They divorced in 1975.

In the 1970s, Greg worked at Banff National Park as Ranger support. It was Greg’s job to bring horses and supplies to the Ranger cabins throughout the backcountry in the park at the start of the summer season. He made sure each cabin was in good repair and fully stocked, ready for the Rangers to arrive. He would also make supply runs throughout the season, and bring tired horses back to basecamp for a rest or vet attention. And he would close up the cabins before the first snow in the autumn. He loved being in the backcountry with just the horses for company, and he grew to love the mountains.

During the winter, Greg was a member of the Ski Patrol, and was also on call as a member of the Mountain Rescue unit all year round in Banff National Park. Greg told his sister some hair-raising stories of rescuing climbers off of mountain sides, and digging for avalanche victims. This job gave him a healthy respect for the mountains, and a contempt for those who thought they were smarter than Mother Nature. He also gained some serious first aid skills that served him well on many a hunting/fishing expedition.

Greg married his second wife, Susan McCusker in the late ‘70s, and the couple relocated to her home town of Campbell River on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

He welcomed two more daughters: Katherine “Kate” Culbert (now Kate Kerr) and Elizabeth “Lizzie” Culbert (now Lizzie Turner), both of whom currently reside with their families in Campbell River, BC. 

In Campbell River, Greg began to learn the commercial fishing business; first as a deck hand on other people’s boats, then as the Captain of the fishing boat, the Keitha M.

Greg was the owner/operator of Shelter Point Seafood in Campbell River. His wife, Susan, managed the administrative part of the business. Greg established Shelter Point Seafood as a seafood brokerage; he purchased product directly from the fisherman and then sold it to retailers. For example, a boat captain might call him to say he had a load of crabs and was on his way in; Greg would then reach out to his contacts (e.g. restauranteurs, wholesalers, hotel managers, etc. who might need that sort of product) and broker a price for the catch.  Or, vice versa, he might get a call from someone looking to buy a particular kind of product (fresh oysters, frozen salmon, etc.) and then let the fisherman know the demand was there if they could get it to him in time.  Eventually, he expanded the business to include a small processing and cold storage facility. 

Greg Culbert in his “business attire” in Campbell River during the summer of 1981. Photo by Mary Jane Culbert.

He really found his niche with Shelter Point Seafood, and loved this work (he especially loved being self-employed, and being able to work with family members). It combined his many talents - a deep, first-hand knowledge of commercial fishing, business savvy, and his considerable personal charm.  He took huge satisfaction in brokering a deal that made everyone happy.

Greg developed a reputation in the community and the business as a fair dealer whose word was to be trusted. And he often gave jobs to folks who were having a hard time. He was happy to teach the business to anyone willing to put in the work, and was generous with his time and talents.

As a side business, Greg and Susan opened The Fish Monger, a successful retail seafood shop offering fresh-caught seafood. The Fish Monger was located in an outbuilding next to their house in Campbell River just off the Island Highway, across from the harbour where the Keitha M was docked. 

 

This is a recent photo of the building where Greg once lived and worked at 660 Island Highway in Campbell River. Greg’s “Fish Monger” shop was located in the left side of the building, where Dick’s Fish & Chips now stands. Greg’s residence was on the right side of the building, where you see the Canadian flag. Photo by Mary-Lynn Culbert.

Greg also won the local oyster shucking championship several times, and Susan made an incredible seafood chowder that was sometimes on offer.  The Fish Monger is now run by Dick's Fish and Chips, and the adjoining home is now an office space.

Greg was so successful that he was offered and accepted the job of Operations Manager for Billingsgate Fish Co., Ltd. at their head office in Calgary, Alberta, and that's how he ended up leaving Campbell River and relocating to Calgary in 1992. But Greg missed being self-employed and eventually left Billingsgate.  He returned to being an independent broker (of seafood and other food products) for several years, until the onset of short-term memory loss forced him to retire around 2006. Daughters Lizzie and Kate had returned to Campbell River some years earlier.  And Greg and Susan missed the coast, and their children and grandchildren.  So they decided to return to Campbell River in the summer of 2015.

Greg had a trailer permanently parked at Vulcan, Alberta near McGregor Lake. He used the trailer as a base camp for his Prairie fishing excursions while he was living in Calgary. Greg’s sister, Mary-Lynn shares some photos.

McGregor Lake Reservoir. Mary-Lynn says, “I went on several memorable fishing trips with Greg here. It's hard to tell from these photos just how huge this reservoir is, especially as the topography is so flat, but it's a very large body of water and stretches for kilometers.”

Mary-Lynn says, “Greg helps me land my prize. Taken from one the irrigation canals in the summer of 2017. Notice our ensembles - what all the fishing fashionistas were wearing. My wardrobe (head to toe) courtesy of Value Village, Calgary.”
The interior of Chez Culbért, the fishing camp. Greg kept this place absolutely spick and span, and was very particular about the housekeeping. What you can't see from this angle is a container of Jiffy Pop nailed to the wall just inside the door with a sign above it reading, "Red Neck Fire Alarm".

Brother Cam Culbert took this photo of Greg and a pike on McGregor Lake Reservoir.

Greg Culbert died 16 September, 2020, at his home in Campbell River after a short struggle with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

He is survived by his wife, Susan; his older brother, Cam Culbert; his younger sister, Mary-Lynn Culbert; his three daughters (Kim, Kate and Lizzie), six grandchildren, and his faithful dog, Annie.

Greg suffered a long list of serious injuries, accidents, and mishaps over the course of his life that would have been the end of a lesser (or less lucky) man twenty times over. In addition to being run over by a tractor when he was a baby, climbing out of his crib and through the window onto the roof of the house, an injury that eventually resulted in the loss of his right eye, being unjustly thrown into a Spanish prison, and having his throat slashed in Germany, the list also includes:

Spending a very cold and uncomfortable night up a tree in northern Ontario thanks to a very angry moose.

Coming over the top of a ridge at the same time as an enormous grizzly bear; he managed to get his rifle up just in time as the bear charged.

Asleep in his bunk one night on the Keitha M, Greg was jolted awake by a huge crash and realized the boat was listing and taking on water. The boat sank in only a matter of minutes, but Greg and his crew managed to make it into a life boat.

Totalling his motorcycle when he rounded a corner and hit a patch of oil on the road. He walked away without a scratch.

Totalling his Triumph convertible sports car when a tire off a semi truck ahead of him came loose, flew through the air, and landed directly on the hood of his car as he was travelling down Highway 401 outside of Toronto. Again, he walked away without a scratch.

And then there was “The Bruno Gerussi Incident.”

Actor, Bruno Gerussi of The Beachcombers fame.

Mary-Lynn says, “Greg was the best story teller I’ve ever known, and was always ready to regale a room with a tale or two. Here’s one of my favorites told, as best I can recreate it, in Greg’s own voice:”

GREG: The crew was out fishing on the Keitha M, and I get a call on the radio letting me know that they’re on their way into port. So I go down to the dock to meet them. I’m standing there, having a chat with a buddy of mine, when we see this strange boat coming in.

My buddy says, ‘That boat looks like it’s heading into your berth, Greg.’  And, sure enough, it pulls right into my spot, and over the rail hops this short little twerp who proceeds to strut up the dock as if he owns the place.

So I walk down the dock to meet him and I say to the guy, ‘Excuse me fella, but you just docked your boat in my berth.’  

He puffs himself up like an irate pigeon and says, ‘What’s your problem?’  

I said, ‘The problem is that I’ve got a boat full of fish coming in, and I need you to get back on your boat and move it out of here.’  

He takes exception to my tone, pulls himself up on his tippy toes and says, ‘I can dock my boat wherever I damn well please.  Don’t you know who I am?’

I’ve had just about enough of this show, so I tell him, ‘I know you’re the guy who’s going to move his boat.’  

Well, he turns five shades of purple and splutters, ‘I’ll have you know that I’m Bruno Gerussi. I’m the star of The Beachcombers!”  

So I picked him up by the front of his designer ski vest and told him, ‘Beachcomb THIS, Gerussi!’ and I dropped him off the dock into the water.

Once his crew fished him out, he moved his boat.  I’m surprised all those gold chains he was wearing around his neck didn’t drag him to the bottom.”

 End of Bruno Gerussi story, as told in Greg’s voice. 

 

This harbour is located directly across from Greg’s house. This is where Greg (allegedly) threw Bruno Gerussi off the dock. Photo by Mary-Lynn Culbert.

And those are just the incidents Mary-Lynn knows about. She says, “It seems somehow anticlimactic (and definitely unfair) that Greg was felled by something as mundane as cancer. He should have gone out in a blaze of glory.

Note from the creator of the Culbert Family History blog, Mary Jane Culbert: Thanks to Greg’s sister, Mary-Lynn Culbert for providing information and stories about Greg. This tribute blog post wouldn’t have been possible without Mary-Lynn. Thanks also to Greg’s brother, Cam Culbert, and to other members of Greg’s family for verifying information.

And now, more photos…

Annie the black English Labrador stayed by Greg’s side to the end, a faithful friend giving love and comfort. This photo was taken in January, 2013 in Calgary, Alberta, at Greg’s mother Helen's apartment. Greg brought his new pup, Annie, over to visit Helen for the first time. Helen was very impressed by how calm, gentle, and well-behaved Annie was, especially for such a young dog. Greg glowed with the pride of any new parent.   

This is Mike. Mike was the first in a long line of Greg’s four-footed, much beloved companions. Mike and Greg explored London, Ontario together from a young age. Mike was Greg's first love, and there were many more hounds that held special places in his heart. Greg felt a home wasn't complete without a dog in it. Greg’s sister, Mary-Lynn says she had the pleasure of knowing Rusty, master of the ball; Mac and Pearl, the pit bulls (and heard tales of Tigger the Terrible); and Greg's hunting dogs: Rosy, the yellow lab, Murphy and Lex, the German short-haired pointers, and Annie, the black English lab. I know, wherever Greg's spirit now roams, he's at the head of a devoted pack.

The three children of Ken Culbert & Helen Needham. Left to right: Cam Culbert, Mary-Lynn Culbert, and Greg Culbert. Photo taken 9 July, 1999, at the home of their cousin, Terry Culbert near Stouffville, Ontario.

Left to right: Greg’s brother, Cam Culbert; Greg’s 1st cousin, Terry Culbert; Greg’s father, Ken Culbert; and Greg Culbert. Photo taken 9 July, 1999, at the home of their cousin, Terry Culbert near Stouffville, Ontario. Note the Culbert noses. Photo by Mary-Lynn Culbert.

 

Greg with his mother, Helen (Needham) Culbert in Kananaskis Country, Alberta on a road trip in the 1980s.

Here's to ya, Greg! Photo of Greg Culbert from the summer of 1981 in Campbell River, BC. Photo by Greg’s 1ST cousin, Mary Jane Culbert.

BRIAN GREGORY CULBERT’S FAMILY TREE:

Ancestors:

John Culbert & Mary Ward (great-great-grandparents)

Richard Culbert & Jane Eleanor Fairhall (great-grandparents)

Myron Manford Culbert & Effie Pearl Taylor (grandparents)

Kenneth Arthur Culbert & Mary Helen Needham (parents)

Descendants (Children):

Kimberley Tara (Culbert) Small

Katherine (Culbert) Kerr

Elizabeth (Culbert) Turner