Overview

When a young black man named Seraphim ""Joe"" Fortes arrived in Vancouver in 1885, with little to his name, no one could possibly have suspected that one hundred years later he would be voted ""Citizen of the Century"". This is the first biography of the West Indian sailor who became a local legend, saving lives and teaching three generations of Vancouver children how to swim. Joe's rise to fame began in Liverpool, when a midnight race across the Mersey River with fellow members of the Secret Daredevil Club established his reputation as a swimmer of extraordinary talent. In the years ahead, he would sail around Cape Horn, shine shoes, tend bars, and rescue a mother and child from the Great Vancouver Fire. On a chance rowboat ride, he would find his ""perfect place"" in English Bay, where the untold story truly begins to evolve. In 1900, after years of volunteering, Joe was officially hired by the City of Vancouver as lifeguard, swimming instructor and special constable of English Bay beach. Colourful, often poignant details chronicle Joe's many adventures both on and off shore, along with his deeply personal relationship with the people of Vancouver. On 7 February 1922, after decades of Joe's exemplary service, thousands of mourners lined Vancouver streets to bid farewell to their friend Joe. His legacy continues today, with one of Vancouver's libraries named after him. Part of the proceeds from this biography are being donated to the Lifesaving Society/Societe de Sauvetage du Canada.

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9781553801467

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Lisa Anne Smith was born in Burnaby, B.C. and has been an avid fan of B.C. history for much of her life. She is a longtime education docent at the Museum of Vancouver and is a member of Native Daughters of B.C., owners/operators of Old Hastings Mill Store Museum, Vancouvers oldest building. Over the last five years, she has done extensive research in the archives on Vancouvers great fire of 1886, which is now seeing publication with Ronsdale Press as Vancouver Is Ashes in 2014. Her published books include Our Friend Joe: The Joe Fortes Story (Ronsdale Press, 2012) and Travels with St. Roch: A Book for Kids (2001). Lisa lives in Vancouver with her husband, two grown children, and Sunny, the worlds least intelligent but most loveable golden retriever.

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