Loggers Wanted

Responding to a recruitment ad in the local newspaper back in 1954, this young but experienced logger embarked on the journey of a lifetime by Kenneth G. Thomas, Edmonton

- Kenneth G. Thomas, Edmonton

Irecall seeing the following headline in NewsChronicle of Port Arthur, Ont., back in 1954, but little did I know at the time just how much it would change my life: “The Largest Hand-Planted Forest in the World, Harvesting to Start With Canadian Loggers.”

Actually, it was the subheading afterwards that really caught my eye—“Experienced Loggers Wanted by the New Zealand Government.”

Having experience with several Canadian logging firms, I went to find out the details at the Port Arthur unemployment office in late November, and soon found myself hired to go work in New Zealand. I also discovered that there were a lot of things that had to get done to get there: obtain a passport, clear any outstanding debts, assemble the necessary personal effects, and bid farewell to family and friends. My parents were not too enthused about my plans, so my two brothers arranged a going-away party for me and invited almost 100 people.

The train to Vancouver left the Port Arthur station at five minutes after midnight on January 1, 1955, with stops in Winnipeg, Calgary, Hope and Kamloops, arriving in Vancouver early in the morning of January 3. I had time to enjoy a sightseeing bus tour of the city and Stanley Park.

As part of the travel arrangements, I spent the night in a hotel close to where I was to board the ship the following day. Excitement was running high as 125 Canadian loggers boarded the SS Orcades, the largest ship that had tied up in port at that time.

Departure was at 4 p.m., and it was smooth sailing under the Lions Gate Bridge and past Stanley Park. Lights were already twinkling in the growing darkness as we passed Victoria and, after the harbour pilot was taken off the ship, we soon started to gain speed, heading for the open ocean.