Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Eyvon and Linda Townsend, murder

1959jul31TheCitizen
1959 July 31 The Citizen ( Prince George newspaper )

1959Sep4TheCitizen
1959 September 4 The Citizen
1959Oct27PGCitizen
1959 October 27 Prince George Citizen
So we have these horrific murders done by Richard Alexander Huculak  (b. 1924? )
Contrary to what the newspapers say, Richard was incarcerated on the 19th of August 1958 to 9 months in the Prince George goal, after being convicted of theft he was moved from there in October to Oakalla prison in Burnaby.
So not that long after his release the murders occurred.
He was remanded in September of 1959 to Oakalla; then in October 1959 taken to Essondale, for assessment. He was found to be insane and was to be kept under strict custody; by 1969 he was allowed to move between Colony Farm and Essondale; but in 1973 dismissed from working at Colony Farm, as incapable of work. In 1977 he was discharged, and in May of 1982 he was given an absolute discharge. I could find no trace of him, after he left the hospital. One of the reports though does list his name with the addition of HOLM in brackets on the end, so possibly he changed his name, which is a common practice

The murdered daughter:

Linda Gwendoline Townsend   29 March 1951 Westlock, Alberta - 30 July 1959
parents Claude Andrew Townsend, ( 1922 – 1996 ) and Violet Doris Eyvon Gower
Linda is buried at the Fruitvale Memorial cemetery

The murdered mother:
Eyvon Violet Doris Gower, Evyon Violet Doris Townsend
b. 23 January 1933 Westlock, Alberta   - 30 July 1959 ---  Parks, B.C.    [ Parks is known today as Parks Siding   ]
parents Edward James Gower, and Mildred Price( 1911 – 2006 )
Eyvon is buried at the Fruitvale Memorial cemetery with her daughter
c00c0651-3757-435f-b343-b162557c9dae
Fruitvale Memorial cemetery
54dc5153-8cda-446f-bba3-e53fac66d6ae
Memorial tree, at the Fruitvale Memorial cemetery
Evidently not forgotten after all these years, impossible to forget such a tragic event for all concerned.     The husband Claude Andrew Townsend,( 1922 – 1996 ) who appears to have used his middle name Andrew Townsend  throughout his life, must have faced a huge uphill battle to take care of the remaining three children.
The lady who is mentioned in the newspapers as being the first on the scene is Freda Margaret Anderson (unknown – unknown ) buried at the Fruitvale Memorial cemetery
Her husband: Elmer Roy Plested ( 1912 -  1992 ( a )-( b ) )  is also buried at the Fruitvale Memorial cemetery 
Freda must have carried the horrible scene she found in her head for the rest of her life.    Not helped by what the uncompassionate, incompetent bureaucracy did to her in her twilight years
Compassionate care can't be measured with money

         The recent situation regarding seniors' health care is indeed tragic, as demonstrated in the case of Fanny and Alfred Albo, but definitely not unique. My neighbour, whose mother Freda Plested was a lifelong resident of the Trail area, also died after much stress because of her continued relocation. The stress on Freda and on her family was very evident. Frail adults cannot physically handle such anxieties.

  FEBRUARY 27, 2006   DEBATES OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 
        It was a first-available-bed policy that was going to have Freda Plested moved from her home in Trail to Grand Forks. The family was so upset that they instead opted to pay $145 a day to have her cared for in a private facility near their home.
Rest in Peace

WorksafeBC fines the Forensic unit

WorkSafeBC fines psychiatric hospital

A WorksafeBC short report on the worst offense: Worker stabbed by patient during cooking activity

Dangerous place to work it appears; appalling that the bureaucrats running the place were not found partially responsible for not having in place the proper procedures.  So now we have one government department, paying a $75,000 fine to another government department, using OUR money of course.


Saturday, December 20, 2014

The downfall

1978Apr25TheCitizen-Colony-Slavery
1978 April 25 The Citizen
 Slavery act violated?
 
Vancouver --- A prisoner of the Forensic Psychiatric Institute claims in a Supreme Court writ that the government has violated Canada's 145-year-old anti-slavery law by forcing the institute's prisoners to work.

    Anthony LeMay also claims that the prisoners should be paid the minimum wage. He is suing on his own behalf and on behalf of all other persons held in the institute at Colony Farm Road, Coquitlam, B.C.  Defendants in the action are the Crown, the institute, and the executive director Dr. John P. Duffie.

     The writ asks for a declaration that by forcing any of the plaintiffs to work, the defendants have "violated the Act for the Abolition of Slavery throughout the British colonies; for promoting the industry of manumitted slaves; and for compensating the persons hitherto entitled to the services of such slaves ( 28th August, 1833 )."

Anthony Joseph LeMay  was convicted on the 25th of June 1973 of being a common nuisance and mischief, and also insane , and sentenced to the Forensic Institute.
In 1978 he was released, but he violated his conditions by not taking his medications, and was brought back into the institution, they tried again to release him in 1979, and granted him another conditional discharge. And finally in September of 1983 he was granted an absolute discharge.

[  King William IV gave royal ascent to the act to abolish slavery in all dominions of the British Empire (except in territories of the east India Company, and the islands of Ceylon and Saint Helena). It came into effect on the 1st of August 1834, and this day became known as Emanicipation Day ]

I have no idea how the court case went, probably not very far.

          But it did bring up the valid point of equal pay, for equal work. since the patients worked for very little, and working with them were highly paid staff.
            It was the beginning of the end, soon the patients would not be working on the farm anymore, and everything was done by paid staff, which cascaded into a race to the bottom, and the eventual closure of the farming operations at Colony Farm.

As is detailed slightly more in the article below when the Government closed it down just four years later.

1983Aug8TheCitizen-Selling-Colony
1983  August 8 The Citizen
Not long after this all kinds of ideas sprang up ; turn it into a golf course, a race track… another time.. another story

Friday, December 19, 2014

Old escapes

1974Dec19TheCitizen-escapes

1974 December 19  The Citizen

      The institution appears to have been having some serious security issues at this time.

Rodney Allen Kirkpatrick   1949 - 9 February 1984 Victoria, B.C. ),  was killed 10 years later after being shot in the abdomen.   

Michael John Shilling

Searching through the old newspapers I found this:
1981Dec7TheCitizen-escape-to-Aus
1981 December 7 The Citizen ( A Prince George newspaper )

        It appears rather silly and harmless for the patient, and raises the eternal question of how did he escape?  That we may never know, he was only there a few months.  But I dug deeper and found a rather sad story, as most of my researches into Essondale, Colony Farm usually do.

1981Dec1-TheMontrealGazette
1981 December 1 The Montreal Gazette, tells slightly more of the story.

Michael "Mike" John Shilling, used his bother George Charles Shilling’s passport to go to Australia; unknown where he got the money to do so.

Michael’s parents were Raymond "Ray" Charles Shilling, and Sylvia Mae Barlow
Ray Charles Shilling
was born 8th of May 1930 Toronto, Ontario; his parents were: Grace Eleanor Shilling, and Lavern Shilling (b.1904, Ohio) they were married on the 15th of September 1928. In 1943 the family immigrated  to the U.S.A.    Raymond Charles Shilling apparently was married  to Mary ? on the 12th of December 1980 at Palm Beach, Florida; did not last very long, since a divorce was granted on the 1st of October 1981, at Palm Beach.


At least three brothers Gregory Charles Shilling mentioned above, also Mark Schilling and Derek Vern Shilling,( lives in Edmonton, Alberta ) and a sister Debbie Schilling.

Michael repeatedly stabbed his mother in the back at her home at 120-1870 McKenzie Avenue, Saanich, on her birthday.

 Sylvia Mae Barlow ( 23rd of  June 1934 – 23 June 1980 )  was a teacher at Camosun College, near Victoria, B.C. And was divorced at the time and was using her maiden name of Barlow.  Sylvia's parents were William Barlow and Nina Barlow, both of England.

       Michael was initially charged with 1st degree murder, and was later acquitted on the 10th of October 1980, after being found to be insane, and sent to the Forensic Institute.
Michael was eventually brought back to the Forensic Institute at Colony Farm, from Australia, and a few years later committed suicide by hanging himself.

Michael John Shilling   ( Vancouver, B.C. 21 July 1958 – 30 December 1985 Coquitlam, B.C. )
Just another sad story

UPDATE: anonymous left some more information about the family.  Thanx

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