In the fall of 2011, Greg Eymundson was kind enough to donate the prolific archive of Whistler-related photography from his company, Insight Visual Solutions, to the Whistler Museum and Archives Society (WMAS). Through the Young Canada Works program, I was recently given the opportunity to arrange and describe the materials in greater depth as part of a five-month internship.
I had recently returned to Whistler after graduating with my bachelor of fine arts from Emily Carr University of Art and Design, but found myself adrift and directionless after moving home. I was in desperate need of community and a sense of purpose. I found this and more during my time working at WMAS.
The material donated by Insight Visual Solutions primarily consists of more than 25,000 35mm photo slides created from 1996 through 2006. Content of the photo slides ranges from thrilling sports photography and documentation of nostalgic events and locations, to stunning aerial and landscape shots capturing the natural beauty of the valley. As the assistant archivist, I was tasked with preserving the original order imposed by Eymundson, while also making the collection intuitive for future researchers to navigate. This involved an extensive process of assigning codes, physically labelling materials, and recording transcriptions and descriptions in a digital database.
The Insight collection has now been comprehensively arranged and described, preserving the record of a time in Whistler history that was previously under-represented in our archive, and one that shall remain forever golden in my memories of an idyllic childhood in the mountains. As someone born and raised in Whistler, I’m embarrassed to admit how easy it was for me to take the life I’ve had to this point for granted.
When this lifestyle is all you’ve ever known, you don’t understand how exceptional it truly is. For example: “What do you mean other kids don’t go to ski school on Mondays?”
It was only upon leaving the bubble that I could truly appreciate the gift I had been given by my parents, and by notable Whistler citizens Jane and Paul Burrows.
When the Burrows listed their classic A-frame in Alpine Meadows for sale more than 20 years ago, they met a young couple expecting their first child. The Burrows told my family they wanted this baby to be brought up in their home and, rather than accepting a higher offer upfront, Jane and Paul waited for my parents to scrape together a down payment. If it weren’t for their selflessness, my family would likely have had no choice but to move elsewhere to raise me. It seems only fitting I now find myself devoted to the preservation of local history that Jane and Paul Burrows influenced so heavily, considering I would not be here without them.
Since completing the Insight Fonds, I have been cataloguing recent accruals from the estate of Jane and Paul Burrows. These include family scrapbooks, Myrtle Philip School photographs from Jane’s time as a teacher, and promotional posters from Paul’s election campaign.
My time at the Whistler Museum has given me a previously unprecedented level of gratitude for my home, my family, and those who have come before me.
Indigo Dipple was this winter’s Assistant Archivist at the Whistler Museum through the Young Canada Works in Heritage Organizations (YCWHO) program.
