1969: International Festival Closes

After 11 years, the Vancouver International Festival, debt-ridden, came to an end.

1969: Early Music Society Formed

The Vancouver Early Music Society was formed by Jon Washburn, Ray Nurse, David Skulsky, Hans-Karl Piltz and Cuyler Page. Its purpose was and is “to foster interest in medieval, renaissance, and baroque music.”

1969: The Poppy Family Reach No. 2

Terry Jacks and The Poppy Family had a smash hit (it reached #2 in the US) with Which Way You Goin' Billy?

The Poppy Family, made up of Susan and Terry Jacks, had a number of hits in the late 1960s and early 1970s, including Where Evil Grows, That's Where I Went Wrong and Which Way You Goin' Billy? The latter tune reached No. 1 in Canada and sold 2.5 million copies worldwide.

Susan (born 1948 nee Pesklevits - Saskatoon, Sask), eventually left Terry (Seasons in the Sun) and set off on a solo career that showed promise until problems arose with her record label. Jacks is now a businesswoman in Nashville.

1969: A Banner Year For Film In BC

Film production began here in earnest, with Robert Altman's That Cold Day in the Park. In director Altman's first Vancouver feature, a lonely, delusional spinster (Sandy Dennis) picks up a young drifter (Michael Burns) in Kitsilano's Tatlow Park. Another major production: Robert Rafelson's Five Easy Pieces with Jack Nicholson and Karen Black.
Other movies made locally this year included (comments are by Michael Walsh):
Great Coups of History
Written and directed by Ron Darcus, this told the story of a single mom (Delphine Harvey) who reminisces about a life spent trading on her female charms, while her teenaged daughter (Janie Cassie) struggles with her own budding sexuality.
The Mad Room
Directed by Bernard Girard, this was a remake of 1941's Ladies in Retirement, the story of a lady's companion (Stella Stevens) whose teenaged siblings are suspects in the murder of her employer (Shelley Winters).
The Plastic Mile (aka The Finishing Touch and She's a Woman). Directed by Morrie Ruvinsky. The story of an unhinged director (Jace Vander Veen) who raped his leading lady (Pia Shandel) during the making of his magnum opus, this controversial “art movie” added new sex scenes to each successive version.

1969: Pacific Ballet Established

The Pacific Ballet Theatre was established by Maria Lewis, after a career as a dancer in Montreal and Toronto. The company grew slowly to semi-professional regional status, with a repertoire of small works in classical style. Lewis would be succeeded in 1980 by Kamloops-born Renald Rabu. In 1985 the company would be renamed Ballet British Columbia.

1969: First Community Cable Channel

Vancouver Cablevision (later Rogers Cable) initiated the Lower Mainland's first community cable channel. Radio man Vic Waters, along with partners Dave Liddell and Gerry Rose, operated the service on a shoestring budget—and the attitude was rather casual. Martin Truax, who joined in 1970, recalls Waters getting calls from viewers who said they missed a show: “Vic would say, ‘No problem. I'll just run it again for you right now!’

1969: Promoter Lily Laverock Dies In Obscurity

Lily Laverock
December 2, 1969
Impresario Lily Laverock died in Duncan, about 89. She was born in Edinburgh, c. 1880. She came to Vancouver as a child with her parents. She was the first woman to graduate in moral philosophy from McGill. She was the first woman (1908) employed as a general reporter by a Vancouver newspaper (The World). On October 4, 1909, when the Vancouver branch of the Canadian Women’s Press Club was formed, she was the chief organizer and the first secretary-treasurer. She moved to the News-Advertiser in 1910 and became editor of the women’s page. “Her pen was ever ready in the cause of women's suffrage.” She never married. Quiet, shy, ethereally attractive, she made her greatest contribution to local fame when she became an impresario. An avid arts supporter, she promoted her first Celebrity Concert in 1921. The world-famous performers she brought to the city in the 1920s and 1930s make for an eye-popping list: Kreisler, Heifetz, Melba, Gigli, Casals, Chaliapin, Maurice Ravel at the piano . . . and on and on. She packed the Denman Arena with acts like the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and Belgian Royal Symphonic Band. WWII ended her impresario efforts. Today, despite her immense contribution to the city’s cultural life, she’s almost totally forgotten.