My father was a columnist in Port Alberni for several years and created a column called This was Then. It featured reflections on the heritage and history of Port Alberni. It was always his dream to publish a book. Unfortunately he passed away in May 2011 and was unable to fulfill his dream. I edited and reworked a selection of his columns and then published them into a book format. I launched the first volume in August 2012. It was so popular it lead to a second volume which was launched in May 2013. These columns became a community record which helped preserve our heritage and presents it in a way which makes it accessible to the general public.