Showcasing local community members who have captured their stories in written form.
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Takeo Ujo Nakano
Doris Suarez
Federico Angel
Alpha Villanea
Takeo Ujo Nakano with his wife and daughter, Yukie and Toshimi, before he was forced to leave the Woodfilbre pulp mill.
UBC Archives Collection
In the 1940s, around 500 Japanese men lived at Woodfibre (a small town 7km from Squamish and accessible only by boat), but they were forced to leave for internment camps in the BC interior in 1942 following the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, which meant Canada was at war with Japan.
According to Takeo Ujo Nakano’s memoir, 'Within the barbed wire fence: a Japanese man’s account of his internment in Canada' (1980), half of the population of Woodfibre was Japanese, and majority of them were single men. Every month, the Japanese employees gathered and listened to the latest news about their home country when a Japanese freighter docked at the port.
If you wish to read Takeo's memoir, capturing his experiences from his own perspective, you can either purchase his book or inquire with us about borrowing a hard copy.
Doris Suarez, originally from the Philippines, immigrated to Canada in 2010. She has captured not only their family story, but also stories of other Filipino community members in Squamish. You will find some interesting and captivating anecdotes, pictures and memories in her book.
You can borrow a copy at the local Squamish Public Library or purchase a hard copy from Doris directly at drbsuarez@yahoo.com.
Robert and Doris Suarez
Federico's story started in 1998 when he immigrated to Canada with his family from Colombia to look for a safe place away from home.
He captured his 3-generation family story(-ies) in his memoir published in 2024 called The Memory of a Name. To learn more about Federico, and to get a copy of his book, click here.
"I was born and raised in the Philippines and came to Canada in 2009. Four of us were sponsored by a hospitality company here in Whistler.
After getting connected to the community I embarked on a journey of self-discovery, navigating various organizations and encountering diverse individuals from around the globe has profoundly shaped me into the best version of myself.
Connecting with the community has enabled me to discover and hone my writing skills. And after I had published my first children’s book I embarked on the journey of becoming an art collector. Unleashing my creative potential here in sea-to-sky corridors.
I was inspired by the first published children’s book I jumped into writing a novel a memoir. Hoping to inspire others through my journey." says Alpha Villanea in her story with us. Watch this space to read her full story. To order a copy of her children's book, click here.
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