FRAN DARLING

FRAN DARLING
Darling

I moved away (tragically) from Kelvin and Winnipeg in October of grade 12 when Dad was transferred to his Montreal head office. I did grade 12 at High School of Montreal, an inner city school built in 1862, and shock to my system. Since grade 12 was post-grad in Québec, I never really graduated from high school. In 1972, I left McGill with a B. Arts in English. After 3 years of learning how to dish out bullroar on short notice, I went into advertising ó working in Montreal department stores and radio stations.

I married starving medical student Pete Leckie from California in 1975, and in 1977 we moved to Vancouver where he did a residency in general surgery. Daughter Nancy was born in 1978, son Dave in 1981. We moved to the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island in January 1982 and weíve been here ever since. Iíve been writing since then ó stories, poetry, songs, chancel dramas for young people at Duncan United Church, ads and press releases for community groups, a one-act historical play for Chemainus Theatre, and I have a mystery novel on the back burner. Iíve been so involved with worship planning and teaching at church that Iíve started courses at Vancouver Theological School, aiming for a Masterís in something eventually. I do book-keeping and work in admin for a local accounting firm part-time. And my column Valley View appears once a week www.cowichannewsleader.com (hit “Opinion”).

So weíre still here in Duncan BC. Nancy lives in Kingston after a year acting in Toronto (meaning lots of jobs in bars and a Molsonís commercial), then returning to Queenís this year for her teacherís ticket. Dave has been at Simon Fraser for computer science but is currently taking a year out, which means heíll probably build more computers in his room. My mum retired in Vancouver and my siblings live across the continent. Peteís still practising in spite of people asking when heís going to retire (he just got his first job 20 years ago), probably because he golfs with passion. We have a house overlooking the Valley and an old cedar-shake logging camp cookhouse on the shore of Cowichan Lake. Come visit anytime: fdarling@island.net.

Note on the second picture above: I’m seated flanked by my kids Nancy and David. Standing are Nan’s sailor (Lt in the navy, weapons officer, ironic laughter allowed if you know my history in the peace movement protesting cruise missiles up-Island, which he fires) named Dan Charlebois, brother-in-law Joel Sheldon from Pasadena, Mum, Pete who rarely gets his photo taken, Jil his sister.)