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First Person, Thor Froslev

The Evolutionary Thor
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Thor Froslev holds Len Goldsmith’s tape measure in the eagle tower that is currently under construction. Photo by Bob Brant.
The 20 th annual Brackendale Eagle Count takes place this Sunday, Jan. 8, when trained volunteers will venture out from the Brackendale Art Gallery into the Brackendale Eagle Reserve and surrounding areas to count the majestic birds. One of the founders of the eagle count is Thor Froslev, owner of the Brackendale Art Gallery and one of the people instrumental in obtaining reserve status for the area, where a world record 3,769 eagles were recorded during the 1994 count.

In his 35 years in “The Republic of Brackendale,” the outspoken Froslev has helped put the community and its eagles on the map, making eagle watching a “national” pastime. He is currently building an eagle tower.

Bob Brant talked to Froslev last week, about how he came to Brackendale, how he built the BAG and where his fascination with eagles came from.

PIQUE: Thor, you grew up in Denmark, what led to what would become your fascination with eagles?

THOR FROSLEV: I've always liked animals. I collected bird eggs, snakes and fish, then put them in formaldehyde. I had a cupboard where I had all my stuff... I was a professional hookey player. I was always into the animals and the birds. And so when I came out here (to Canada) this interest never really left me.

PIQUE: Was there any indication in your youth that you would become a gallery owner?

TF: When I was growing up I always put on a little cabaret or a little circus in the back yard. I was the MC. I would get a couple of girls singing. We couldn't get a cannibal, so I would get this guy who would come in and eat spiders. And, of course I would have to do something, so I would put a bunch of lizards on me. I'd take my jacket off and have about 20 lizards all over me. But basically, I was the MC. And I walk round here (the Brackendale Art Gallery, or BAG) today and I'm thinking this is the same! It comes from a trait that I have from somewhere. I'm a natural. It didn't come easy, but I'm a natural.

PIQUE: What motivated you to move to Canada and to the West Coast?

TF: It was always a foregone conclusion (of mine) that I was not going to stay in Denmark. Ever since I was a kid of 12 years old... when we played games, my country was always Canada. It was like the big wilderness, the bears and the freedom to do what you wanted.

...Where do you go in Canada? Do you go to Quebec, or Winnipeg or Saskatoon?

Denmark's a seafaring nation, so I asked the local sailors... they all said you go to B.C., don't stop any place else. I took that as gospel. I moved to Canada in 1957.

I was going to get off in Victoria, but I only got as far as Vancouver and that's where I stayed. I got a job as a longshoreman.

PIQUE: How did you hear about Squamish? When did you move to Brackendale?

TF: I read in the paper in 1958 that there was a new road open up to Squamish. So, I thought this would be an adventure. I had a 1949 Pontiac — this was a great car, man — we drove up to Squamish. It was an all gravel road. It had just opened up. We got up the hill past Britannia, you get around the corner, there's only room for one car and we knew there was logging trucks... it was a scary trip actually. So we get up here to Brackendale, right by the store, and I said to my wife, "Hey, we are new Canadians, and this is a new part of the country that was being opened up more to the public... we should settle down here."

She said, "You moved me from Copenhagen to Vancouver, if you think we're moving to this remote area, no way."

That was too bad because an acre then was $250.

My longshoreman's work would bring me up to work in Woodfibre and Squamish. I had a couple of friends living up here. I had a house in Vancouver. They would come and stay with me in Vancouver, then I would come up to their apartment here and go fishing. So I got to know the area pretty well.

I bought the land (for the gallery) in 1970. I moved up here in May of 1972.

PIQUE: The Brackendale Art Gallery is now a long established entity. How did the gallery come to be?

TF: In 1967, when I became single, I ahhh, I think I spent eight months drinking pretty heavy and being by myself. Then I woke up in 1968 and I started thinking, "If you don't want to be where you are, because that's where your behavior tells you (you are), then what the heck is it you want to do?" Of course, I didn't have a clue, ’cause I worked all my life. What did I know?

I liked coffee... I had all kinds of painting and art around my house. It was already there... a teahouse. So, it came down to an art gallery.

I went to Gastown... talked to artists and listened — it's really important to listen. I hung out at the Classical Joint. I learned everything I know at the Classical Joint....

I would go there at eight o'clock and I'd stay there until one o'clock in the morning... I learned a lot there.

Then I met Michael Malcolm... one of my favorite people... Michael said build a model. Get your hands on it and build a model of the gallery that you want. Well, I didn't know what kind of building (I wanted). I read somewhere... I think it was Arthur Erickson that said when you build a house you should build it so it reflects the neighborhood.

In 1969 I went fishing to Quesnel with Jack Grundle. Jack had successfully started the Fish and Game magazine in Vancouver. I had great admiration for Jack Grundle... so I asked Jack, "where should I put this dream of mine?" He said, "It doesn't matter where you put it Thor, as long as you do a good job they'll find you."

I thought, "Wow, that's freedom, I can do it anywhere, I don't have to worry about that part of it."

In October 1969 I'm up here in Squamish fishing with my fishing partner Gary Weir. Gary says, “I'm sick and tired of you spouting off about what it is you're going to do. When are you going to shit or get off the pot!”

I said, "Well if you listen to Jack Grundle you can do it anywhere as long as you do a good job. I can do it right here."

We packed up our fishing gear and went up to the Alpine Cafe (located on the lot immediately south of the current Gallery location). Mr. Boomer was famous for his pumpkin pie. We went in and had pumpkin pie with lots of whipped cream... we're sitting right by the window. I looked out the window and see a sign that says "Half-acre, highway commercial property for sale, phone number, Harry Simms…" It was $5,500 a half-acre, with $1,000 down and $75 a month at 6 per cent. He said, "And that's good." I didn't have a clue. I didn't have the $1,000. I borrowed it from Gary. So, I was then a property owner.

I sold my house (in Vancouver). I bought a one ton truck — flat deck. I started looking for material. I had lots of friends (to help me out). I am blessed.

Next door was the Alpine Cafe. That's where the craftsman would have their coffee every morning. They would come there at seven and we would be building.... We would be singing opera at the top of our lungs at seven o'clock in the morning. The guys were going in for coffee and thinking, "What the hell is the matter with these people singing this early in the morning at work?"

Well it got to a point where I needed to know something more about carpentry and I knew Ollie was having coffee at seven in the morning, so that's where I was, asking Ollie about these questions. Most of the time he'd come and look at it and maybe even give me a hand.

That was sort of my work pool. We were going to raise rafters and needed four or five people... and we were only three and we needed two... we would go to the Alpine and say, "Hey listen, I'm doing this (construction) next door and we need a hand of a couple of people for about 20 minutes." So help would come, I was never turned down.

I opened on August 15th, 1973.

PIQUE: How did you get the entertainers and artists who commonly perform and show?

TF: Well, they (artists) walked through the door. We were the only place where that was happening on the West Coast. They came from Delorme, Minnesota, Hawaii, Denmark... they just walked in and said they heard through the grapevine about what we were doing and they would like to give us a hand... I'm not kidding you... it was the network.

With the entertainers, having been involved with the Classical Joint, I already knew what was happening... it was like my university. I paid attention. I was there to learn. I hung paintings there. I hung sculptures there. I got to know the musicians who played regularly.

PIQUE: What's the story behind the unicorn?

TF: I noticed Jim Cummins paintings (in a Vancouver show). He was very innovative. I asked him to come up. It was in the fall of 1973. I said to him, "In May I want to have a show with you." He lived in residence and came up with an amazing 50 paintings. He also did very good clay sculptures of horses... Jim wanted to build a monolith on the gallery grounds... I said to him "How about building a horse?"

I put up the armature and railway ties, stood them up, stapled and reinforcement rod over the back. So, we have many layers of reinforced rod and chicken wire. Mixing cement... Jim did all that with two helpers.

Half-way there, Florian Sydow came for a visit from Hawaii. He had a drawing of a unicorn — the head — in one of his books.

Well, we were innovative people. The project took on a whole new dimension. So it became a unicorn — in six weeks. No help from grants or anything. We just did it on our own.

PIQUE: Can you recall your first eagle experience in Squamish?

TF: Florian... was visiting one time (25 years ago) and said, "I stood in one place and counted 80 eagles." That's a lot of eagles. Florian was not a guy that would fib or lie to you about that. But I went down to check it out — that's what you do. I stood in one place and counted 200 eagles, to my amazement. How did that happen all around me… "Can't see the forest for the trees."

PIQUE: How did the Eagle Count start?

TF: Twenty-one years ago I read in the paper that B.C. Wildlife Federation had been up here counting eagles. I remember the Sunday they were up here. They met in a parking lot downtown. It was raining cats and dogs. So, I phoned them up and said, "Don't you guys know enough to get out of the rain? Next time you come up here you should start at the Brackendale Art Gallery — it's warm and dry — and you should come back here — it's warm and dry." They agreed. We got the Squamish Environmental Conservation Society involved. That's what it's all about... friends and neighborhoods. That was the start of it.

This coming January 8th will be our 20th count.

PIQUE: You were instrumental in the creation of the Brackendale Eagle Reserve. What is the significance of this park?

TF: We now know that it's a place only designated for eagles .

Lefty (Len Goldsmith), who died two weeks ago and for whom we had a memorial for Dec. 28 th , came in here while I was hanging Carl Chapman paintings and said, "Have you heard about Pacific Area Strategies? It's the B.C. government and they want to put 12 per cent of B.C. into parkland. We're thinking about doing something for the estuary."

I stopped hammering and I got this flash and I said, “how about doing something for the eagles?” Lefty said, "good idea." So we sat down and mapped it out, 1,100 acres... we wanted it to be right from the beginning... no people, no logging, no mining, no houses — a sanctuary. I had all the NDP and Liberal meetings here for fireside chats and I pitched the idea about the eagle reserve and they all agreed. In 1996 Glen Clark stood at Canada Place and said the Brackendale Eagle Reserve was a reality. I tell you that was such a high! We (Lefty and Thor) knew by just looking at one another how important this was.

Glen Clark comes up here every January. I wasn't too happy with only the eagle reserve and I knew that the craft paper (industry) wanted the cottonwood trees (from the reserve area) for making paper. I asked the Premier (in 1999) to make it a sanctuary. Glen Clark contacted me back and said, "They couldn't get sanctuary status because it doesn't exist in our Parks legislation, but we have made it a Class A Brackendale Eagle Park. It's the best we can do, but not only that we've expanded the park by 400 acres." Glen Clark is very much a friend of the eagles and Brackendale.

PIQUE: What is the most striking response you've encountered in people's reaction to viewing eagles?

TF: I took Michael, a professional tennis player from Boston, down to the dike. We walk up the dike, around a corner and see the trees exposed with 150 eagles — he weeps. Michael came to Brackendale as a result of seeing one eagle on the front page of a Boston newspaper. I then really got the understanding of how important eagles are to people, especially Americans.