I am in with fish

Growing up in Chilliwack...............Cultus Lake.........1943


Mum had me learning to swim by the time I was 5 ...I can certainly remember my early lesson ( chasing the Minnows and the water over my head )...anyway....Mum and I were at the boathouse at Cultus lake....there was a chain of logs creating a big swimming area with a floating 3 meter tower and slide out in the lake from the logs....I was in the water at the little kids shallow end ,Mum was sitting on the wharf ,watching and enjoying the afternoon.....lots of people and the loud sounds of kids swimming and shrieking...I did not want to go in the water even with mum sitting there...I guess I protested loudly but after I was set in one foot of water, I discovered minnows swimming by...wow...what's this....I am in with fish......Hey, what cool little critters...Mum could enjoy the day with her pals and I could watch these facinating little creatures ...but those rascals would not stay in one place so I had to follow them...well....I guess I followed them out over my head..and this I can remember ...Mum hollering when I bobbed to the top and then me looking at the distorted light above the surface over my head ..I was taking on water in my nose and mouth ....the next thing I knew I was being picked up by strong arms and carried, gasping and coughing back to my grateful mother.. .. My resuer had seen Mum calling to me to come back and made a dive off the pier getting to me before any damage was done...I was scared silly and hollered blue murder........Mum thanked and double thanked that young man... Then I sat there huddled close to mum while a few ladies gathered and talked , pointed fingers out and at me....big eyes peering down close to my face....smiling red lips and teeth saying how lucky I was....my hair going one way ..then the other....I just buried under mum's arm even further....after a while things calmed down and she suggested I go in the water again....I protested at first but then decided that was okay.....I headed back but kept my minnow hunting to shallow water.............A lesson of life I suppose...


Before the new wharf with the 10 meter tower was built....about 1950.....there was just a rectangle string of logs attached to the wharf at the boathouse.....there was a slide and dive board floating out from the logs....beginning swimmers spent lots of time agonizing on whether to swim out there or not...it was always an achievement with bragging rights when it was accomplished..I was only swimming to it a short while..then the new wharves were built....and they were and still are really something......to this day I have never seen a better wharf set up for the public ....In my growing up days their was wonderful 10 meter tower and slide, with platforms at 3,5 and 10 meters and a diving board at 3 meters....it was a great bit of a competition for everyone to master diving or jumping at these heights...Cultus was/is a jewel....we were fortunate to have it as our playground.