The Boy From Booth Bay

Quite often alumni or former staff of GNS that includes Norfolk House and Glenlyon Schools stay in contact with their alma mater, offering reflections or memorabilia, gifts of financial support, and occasionally a gift of their own making, of which they are especially proud. Such a gift was presented to the Gudewill Learning Commons by Barnaby Fairbairn Guthrie.

Barnaby Fairbairn Guthrie was born November 15th 1937, attending Glenlyon Preparatory School from September 1946 to June 1950. He was a classmate of Hamish Simpson and a member of White House in the days when there were only White and Blue Houses. 

Barnaby Guthrie is the son of Ionne “Nonie” Vivienne Acland who attended NHS 1924-27. She would marry Charles Clement Guthrie in 1936. Her parents were Marge and Bevill Acland, who purchased the Booth Bay lodge from Henry Croft, lumber and mining magnate, who was elected to the B.C. Legislature, and Crofton was named after him. Marge was a member of the Guernsey family who came out from London, England, apparently living at “Schuhuum” (Windy Spot) in the Rockland area. A sister, Gladys “Tid” Guernsey, was one of possibly as many as twenty young boys and girls attending school with Miss McDermott [NHS founder], most likely in the Parish Church Hall on Quadra Street before the official start of NHS in September 1913.

“Nonie” started school as a boarder at St. Margaret’s School in Duncan, then attending Norfolk House School as a day student for two years before being the first student enrolled in 1927 at the new Strathcona Lodge School, on Shawnigan Lake. (That school later closed down but was reopened in 1959 by “Nonie” herself, who remained Headmistress for ten years.)

A little while ago, Barnaby was proud to present to the Gudewill Learning Commons a copy of his autobiography titled Booth Bay Boys, a place and time where he spent many wonderful days enjoying summer holidays and many family celebrations. He presented it with these words. “I’ve written a memoir called The Booth Bay Boys: Lively Holidays on Salt Spring Island. It’s about my idyllic childhood spent on Salt Spring Island in the late 1940’s, early 1950s. It was a time of great freedom, but always under the watchful eyes of my elegant and eccentric British grandparents who operated a successful guesthouse on 120 acres of waterfront property, over a mile of which was situated on Booth Bay and its beautiful tidal canal.”

He also wrote a short synopsis of his life, which appeared in the 2022 edition of Traditions in the Alumni News section. He now lives in Squamish and at his winter home in Mexico. Barnaby, thank you for your thoughtful gift, as we also thank all who present gifts of any type or size to GNS.