4 minute read
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? John Salvador, Notary Public (Retired), 92
In conversation with his daughter Laurie Salvador, Notary in Sidney, BC
LAURIE: Dad, please tell our readers when you became a BC Notary.
JOHN: I became a Notary in 1968. I first practised in Coquitlam with Jim Robinson Sr., father of current BC Notary Jim Robinson. I decided to move my family to Sidney By the Sea because a Notary Seal was open due to the death of Gordon Hulme. Sidney had that small-town feel like Creston, where I grew up. I practised in Sidney until 1986.
LAURIE: Please share some stories about your career.
JOHN: I had a client who was an oldtime fisherman with his own fishboat. He told me he had come past Ripple Rock after an extended fishing trip. It was stormy and his boat capsized. He was able to hang on to some debris and drifted in the choppy water all the way down to Campbell River. Later he invested his life savings with a fly-by-night outfit that promised him 14 percent return on his money. I always said that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. That client paid his bills in honey, fish, and garden produce.
I became friends with Notary Harry Noakes on Salt Spring Island. Harry had started his career up north, working for the US Government in Dawson Creek and Whitehorse when they were building the Alaska Highway. When he came back to Salt Spring, he became a Section 15 Notary who was able to witness signatures but he did not have the education for the other services that BC Notaries provide so he asked me for help. Whatever work he got, he would pass on to me—other than signatures.
For me, the most enjoyable aspect of being a Notary was helping clients with their problems. I also enjoyed going to the Notary Conferences. The most memorable Conference was when we all went to Dawson Creek. In those days, our Conferences were held in various places around the province, which gave members a chance to see the rest of the province. I guess these days the smaller towns cannot accommodate the number of members The Society has now.
BC Notaries’ Fall Conference in Dawson Creek, 1988
John Salvador
LAURIE: Please tell our readers how you arranged for Susan
(Davis) Mercer and me to take over your Notary practice. Big Truck vs. John Salvador
Susan was already working with you.
JOHN: I just told you two that you would be doing it and you did! The practice was renamed Salvador Davis and Co. The big surprise for me was that on the day you were sworn in, I had to give up my Notary Seal. I had planned to retire gradually but it didn’t happen that way. One day I was working; the next day became a permanent coffee break.
LAURIE: Dad, what happened between you and that big truck?
JOHN: I was just coming home on my scooter from shopping. The truck driver was blinded by the sun and did not see me in the crosswalk. It happened so fast. I looked up and started waving my arms. The driver didn’t see me. I was dragged under the truck and my scooter was squashed.
Passersby called 911 and the full force of Sidney’s emergency responders came to the scene. I was pulled out from under the truck and thought I was okay. I told them to just let me go home.
My niece saw it all happen. I was taken to the hospital with a fractured pelvis, then I recuperated in a care home for 6 weeks. With physiotherapy and lots of exercise, I have my strength back and am ready to go home.
January 2017 The first responders to this collision thought John was a man in his mid-60s, due to his incredible physical condition. He jumped up as they pulled him out from under the truck. He said he was fine and that everyone should go home!
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The men who own the truck came to visit me in the hospital the day after the accident, which was very thoughtful. I asked them to send the young driver to see me. I just wanted to assure him that accidents happen and he should not let this incident traumatize him or weaken his selfconfidence. I felt really sorry for him and wanted him to see I would be fine.
LAURIE: What hobbies do you enjoy?
JOHN: I still make wine. I used to make it from grapes but nowadays, I make it from concentrate because it saves time and you can drink it earlier!
LAURIE: Dad, what is most important to you?
JOHN: Most important to me in life? Longevity! At 92, I credit my longevity to my wine, gardening, fishing, a positive attitude, and exercise. Family and friends are important and keeping up social contacts helps keep me going! Words of advice for young Notaries: Find a senior Notary to be your mentor. And don’t be afraid to ask! s John and Laurie were interviewed in The Scrivener in Summer 1999. Here is the cover of that issue.
