Saturday, February 5, 2011

Continued interest in Oakalla Prison and the documentary

One of the Burnaby newspapers has decided that the 20th anniversary of the closing of Oakalla Prison was worth a story. Wanda Chow, staff reporter with THE NEWSLEADER phoned last week and asked me for names and numbers of ex-staff and ex-inmates who might be willing to discuss their time at Oakalla prison during its last decade of operations. I was happy to oblige. Ms. Chow's article, OAKALLA MEMORIES, graces the front page of the February 4, 2011 edition of the paper is [here].
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J. Michael "Mikey" Yates, author of LINE SCREW (McClelland & Stewart) 1993, strikes a pose for photographer Mario Bartel, near Deer Lake, Burnaby. The old prison was completely demolished 20 years ago, to make way for a massive condominium development.

I was pleased that J. Michael Yates made the front page. Mikey is not only my favorite "Oakie" but his book LINE SCREW, written after leaving B.C. Corrections, is the best account of the prison published so far. That comment is not meant to in any way diminish other books, such as Earl Andersen's narrative history of the prison (which is indispensable), but simply to acknowledge that Yates is a cut above in terms of his prose and analysis of the Oakalla experience - on both sides of the bars. Of course most of the names in LINE SCREW are pseudonyms, but let's lay the blame at the feet of M&S's lawyers, where it belongs.

Ms. Chow also included a few paragraphs on our ongoing project. The Oakalla documentary is a labour of love, like child rearing, but I trust will not consume so many of my remaining years. One final note, as I am a stickler for accuracy. I am quoted as saying "300,000" inmates and staff worked inside of Oakalla fences during its nearly 80 years of operation. Yes, I said it. Ms. Chow is accurate, as usual. But the number was 130,000 according to a 1991 press handout. My only excuse is that my poor brain was still befuddled by Kinmen Kaoliang, a fiery Taiwanese liquor. I made merry the night before the interview at a late-night Chinese New Year party. The stuff is very potent, and I still recall a few parties in Taiwan where I consumed a litre or more of it, combined with Shaoshing Wine. It usually took 10 - 12 hours to recover, and my throat always felt like it had been cut.