Frank Venables was born March 31 1899 in Walsall northwest of Birmingham in England and came to Canada when he was very young living in a number of provinces and settings until his parents found their way to Alberta.

Frank, then 6, received his education at Chinook and Coleman Alberta. During that period he entered the Canadian Army at Calgary going overseas at the age of 16 with the 175th Battalion. By the time the Great War was over he brought his bride, Vera, home to Canada settling first in Vancouver, then Merritt and eventually working for the South Okanagan Lands Project in 1920 building the irrigation ditch. He was a bugler in the army, a juggler, a painter, an interior designer before coming to the Okanagan taking up a farmer’s life complete with children – Bob, Norman, Vera, and Yvonne. In 1923 he bought 15 acres of land south of Road 9 and commenced to build a log home that sits on the same site 90 years later.

He was a member of the school board for 42 years – 37 of them as chairman of the board. He was instrumental in the building of the new SO High School which opened in 1948. He helped bring life to Okanagan College and was the first chairman. He served as the President of the BC School Trustees for 22 years. He helped get the Health Unit built in Oliver and the Fairview School for Challenged Individuals. He personally drove native children from the Indian Reserve to ensure they were introduced to modern schooling and played Santa Claus on the steps of the Village Hall for over 40 years.

This Good Citizen was also a member of the Oliver Elks and the Royal Canadian Legion.

The auditorium at SO Secondary School is named after Frank Venables – community leader.

Thanks the Oliver and District Heritage Society, The Oliver Chronicle and Yvonne Moore for help on this article.