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Henry van der Wiel first came to Prince Rupert in 1963 to work on a fish boat, and relocated permanently in 1966. He eventually bought his own gillnetter. When he became a member of the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union (UFAWU) he had never belonged to a union before. He had been fired from a job in Houston, B.C. for trying to organize a union at the sawmill where he worked. Henry sat on the UFAWU General Executive Board for many years, and was also an organizer for the union for a…

In this 1.5 hr conversation, Rod Mickleburgh and Donna Sacuta interview Joy Thorkelson. Joy is a resident of Prince Rupert and held positions as organizer and president of the UFAWU (United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union). Joy describes how she came to Prince Rupert, some of what she experienced as a shoreworker doing multiple types of jobs in the canneries and her evolution as a labour activist. Throughout, her love of the fishing industry comes through clearly as she recounts wonderful…