| biography | Kyusuke and Sada Oike immigrated to Canada from Moji, Fukuoka, Japan about 1906. They worked in the sugar cane fields in Hawaii until his cousin who lived in Santa Cruz, California invited him down. However, the Oriental Exclusion act diverted his trip and he ended up in Canada. During the early years Douglas Oike's father worked in a sawmill in Marpole, and also in Tynehead in Surrey cutting shingle bolts. His wife also helped cut shingles. Douglas Oike was born in Haney, which was later called Maple Ridge. His father worked in a sawmill in Haney and his mother a cook in the sawmill. His parents invested in a small farm (about 7 acres) on the Townline Road. While Doug was a young boy, he helped his parents on the farm. His parents bought a larger farm about 22 acres on Blackstock Road in the 30's. They grew strawberries, raspberries and later rhubarb. Doug went to Haney Central School. He was at the top of the class but he quit school in grade 10. In 1933 he worked in Port Alice in the pulp mill and in 1933 he worked for the Howe Sound Fish Co. in Alert Bay (salting salmon). In 1934 he worked for Hammond Cedar and just before evacuation, he worked for Yabuki shingle bolt camp. When war started he tried to enlist but was refused. His farm was sold to the custodians so his family moved to Kamloops. Doug went east with his own family where he was auctioned off to a sugar beet farmer in Portage la Prairie near Winnipeg. In 1947 to 1950 Douglas worked in Port Arthur. In 1950-1961, he lived in Sechelt, Jervis Inlet and worked in the areas around Gibsons Landing. He worked as a tree faller at Jackson Bros. at Wilson Creek. From 1965 to 1980, Douglas then worked in Squamish for McMillan Bloedel as a tree faller. Douglas Oike was marrried November 8, 1941 to Yaye Tanemoto. |