by Kyle Wells [email protected] Heather Harbord, great chronicler of the seas and sea-soaked lands of the upper Sunshine Coast and beyond, has turned her pen to the history of Texada Island.
From her home in Westview, Harbord has a glorious view of Texada, a sight which, along with kayaking trips around its shores and an interest in mining and geology, inspired her to delve into its storied history for her fifth book, Texada Tapestry: A History published by Harbour Publishing.
“I wanted to make a really readable book on Texada that would summarize all the information that we can get,” said Harbord, “and also use some of the modern sources.”
Harbord drew much of her material from previous books on the island, including R.G. McConnell’s geological survey of Texada from 1912 and Bill Thompson’s seminal work on Texada Island, written in 1997. She has expanded on some of the more quirky and behind-the-scenes stories that don’t often make mainstream history.
“Some of the really good stories are in the miscellaneous at the back,” said Harbord. “I was hoping that we could get the miscellaneous into the centre of it.”
Through researching genealogical lines and emailing family members of historic Texada figures, Harbord obtained never before printed historical photos and stories from Texada.
Harbord will be hosting book release events for Texada Tapestry: A History starting from 1 to 4 pm, Saturday, November 26 at the Bonanza Museum on Texada, 7 to 9 pm on Thursday, December 1 at Breakwater Books and Coffee, and 2 to 4 pm, Friday, December 2 at Coles, The Book People.
