Still Standing (2015) s01e01 Episode Script

1
Bamfield is seeking a new
identity and most people
are seeking a second bar
of cell phone reception.
[laughter]
I thought you meant we
were going to "see lions".
[Cannon Fires]
Good one
People use bear bells,
which tell the bear
ring-a-ding-ding
dinner is served.
When you grow up in a
small town in Newfoundland
you see the people have a sense
of humour about hard times.
Check Check
I turned that into a
career and hit the road.
M.C.: Mr. Jonny Harris!
Now I'm on a mission to
find the funny in the
places you'd least expect:
Canada's struggling small towns.
Towns that are against
the ropes but hanging in there.
Still laughing in the
face of adversity.
Welcome to Bamfield,
British Columbia.
It's Canada's rugged
little secret.
150 people hanging onto
the ragged western edge of
Vancouver Island, in a
once thriving fishing
village called Bamfield.
It's about as far as far
West as you can get from
Newfoundland without getting
your socks wet.
[applause]
People here like to
say when folks come to
Bamfield they never
want to leave.
I think that's true.
I think it is due in some
degree to your
absolutely beautiful town.
It is also due in some
degree to your piece of
crap logging road
coming in here.
[laughter]
The road is brutal and
you've got the logging
trucks coming out,
carrying the trees.
Tractor trailer,
after tractor trailer.
In fact when I got here I
was expecting fewer trees.
[laughter]
That's right folks, reaching
paradise isn't easy.
There's no public
road into town.
And no road from one side to
the other once you get here.
Because Bamfield is
seperated by an inlet.
Off we go.
So you ferry them from the
east side to the west side? -Ya.
And the taxi app here
works very well if you
have a smartphone just go
down by the water,
put it away and yell, Mark!
[laughter]
It's beautiful out here Mark.
It's not much of a busy
day in Bamfield.
You know your commute is
great if the worst road rage
that you are ever subjected
to is somebody yelling
coming up on your starboard
side friend.
[laughter]
Mark when you first got
here the population was
more than it is here now?
So many things have changed.
What's drawn people out
here is fishing right.
We've had a downturn in
the local fish stocks and
now we're in not such an
economical great place.
You have to make your
primary income during the
summer that's like
everybody else here.
I mean I guess a lot of
your business are tourists?
Mostly yeah.
So does it get lean?
Is it hard to keep the
wolves at bay over the winter?
Oh you bet, literally.
Mark is a sailor from
Montana who washed up here
more than a decade ago.
I ended up hurting myself.
How did you manage that?
Saving my ass from
falling overboard.
So you got laid up
here for a while?
Yeah, fourteen years.
There was only one other boat in
the whole inlet
coming the other way.
It's rush hour.
And Mark said something
about it being rush hour.
[laughter]
Ya I thought that was
a pretty good joke.
Turns out the name of
the boat is rush hour.
[laughter]
Fishing was the financial
backbone of Bamfield
until the eighties.
Local stocks dwindled,
population followed and
now this isolated town has
no bank no restaurant,
and kids have to move away
to go to high school.
The only real employer in
these parts is the world
famous Bamfield marine research
centre, with a staff of 30
and hundreds of visiting
students and academics.
Do I have any mariny
weenies in the house?
Any mariny weenies?
Yes, the students at the
marine science centre have
dubbed themselves
the mariny weenies.
The cool thing about the
grey whale skeleton is
it's actually just a
baby a grey whale is much
larger when they're full grown.
Kelly Clement here
lovely young lady
she let me tag along on
a student orientation.
Why is there this thing?
What is it doing?
What does it want?
I had a bit of a weird
experience with
the sea cucumber.
This big, firm sea cucumber,
and while it was in my hand,
[laughter]
it went soft.
[laughter]
Yeah when they start
to get floppy that means
they're a little unhappy.
Kelly tried to
tell me don't worry
that happens to a lot of people.
[laughter]
I said not me it doesn't.
Kelly began as a student
here and never left,
another captive of this place.
I was supposed to be
here for four months.
Yeah -And I'm still
here six years later.
I can see how Bamfield would
have that effect on people,
I mean it's
just, it's beautiful.
It's a great spot.
It's a good way to live.
I also got to meet a
world-class kelp expert.
Louis Dreuhl.
[applause]
In fact I've been honored
to have a kelp named after me.
Oh really?
Yeah it's called
Dreuhlea Vistolosa.
How much do you need to
know about kelp to be
the number one guy in the world?
What's the difference
between kelp and seaweed?
A kelp is a type of seaweed.
I spoke to him for about half
an hour and I think now
I'm in the top ten.
[laughter]
Now that's kind of my motto
and that is find your thing.
You look in the mirror
and there it is,
I am a unique person,
I know more
about that one thing than
anybody else in the world.
That makes me who I am.
That would be pretty rewarding.
Would be.
So if finding your "thing"
is the road to identity.
Maybe this town in
transition needs to figure
out its thing
or at the very least its name.
Bamfield is named after
some fellow by the name of
Banfield - it's not quite
right but no biggie right,
no biggie, n and m they're
pretty close to each other.
As far as I can surmise it
might have been a mistake
made by somebody at
the postal service.
Maybe somebody had been
smoking too much marijuama.
[laughter]
♪
Back in 1902, thanks
to its cutting edge
transatlantic cable
station, Bamfield was the
beginning of the line,
linking Canada to
the rest of the world.
Bamfield was a landmark in
communication technology.
I was very excited
to find that out.
I was calling my
friends telling them.
I was like listen
I'm in Bamfield,
it is a la..ma communi
tion ology.
[laughter]
Not so much anymore,
not so much anymore.
Bamfield is seeking a new
identity and most people
are seeking a second bar
of cell phone reception.
[laughter]
♪
You get people that move
here from the city and
they go, what an incredibly
quaint little place,
too bad it's not a
little closer to the
city and that just
about says it all.
You know?
- Yeah I hear ya.
I went and visited over
on the west side with
Rose Janelle here and her
fella Ken Skarland.
Well I never dreamed I'd
have an office of my own
with this view but I got one.
When she first came
she was teaching art and
now she's a postmistress
but also farms oysters.
You'll do anything to
stay here pretty
much once you get hooked.
Rose is a really lovely,
well-spoken person
and Ken well Ken's Ken.
[laughter]
But Kens a great guy he
has a great laugh it
carries across the water.
If the lighthouses ever go down,
Ken can guide ships in
from the ocean.
With his laugh,
just with his laugh!
How do you enjoy spending
your days out here?
Hmm, how do I answer that one?
Why don't you just
raise your beer?
There you go.
[laughter]
We went down to the wharf.
It was boat day.
The boat's here.
Finally, the Frances Barkley.
The Frances, it's a
big deal right?
Boat day is a big deal.
It's the lifeline of the town.
Well it comes three
times a week.
It brings business,
it brings food,
it brings friends.
Hey you guys made it!
Good to see you Rose.
- Good to see you Mike.
- And
the guys on the
Frances Barkley will
also take things away.
You can make a bank deposit.
Oh really?
Well we don't have a bank here.
You can give them a bag
load of anything.
You can hand them
a bag of anything.
[laughter]
I get it.
Welcome to British Columbia.
[laughter]
Despite the kumbaya vibe
down here, depending on a
boat for everything
is a hard way to live!
And believe it or not,
the town's divided on
whether or not to make
things easier.
Bamfield is a town
divided, am I right?
Bamfield is a town divided
by something far more
dire than race or religion.
Bamfield is divided by an inlet.
Who here is from the east side?
Yes, who here
is from the west side?
Why can't we all just
get along?!
[laughter]
The issue now is whether
or not to pave the logging
road into town and then
extend it around the inlet
opening Bamfield up
to the outside world.
Well you had your pro
roaders and your no roaders.
Most of the people on the
west side were no road
because you know when you
come to a place like this,
you know you're going
to have challenges.
Ken: You almost got to
be crazy to live here.
But apparently we're crazy.
If it was really easy to
get to it wouldn't have
that sweet taste,
it's like the highest
apple in the tree.
♪
I went out to meet the
man they call the
governor of Bamfield.
John Evans is an old
Welsh charmer living
in a stone cottage.
He's a real character,
he's a great guy,
still has a way with the
ladies I'm told.
Good God I've had a
couple of wives,
they're both dead.
I didn't actually kill them but-
For any of the men in
the audience here
who are wondering how he
stills manages to woo
the ladies at his age,
the answer is simple, he's
way cooler than you or me.
I think we're lucky to live
here and of course the air
is so clean and full of
oxygen, you have to smoke
otherwise you could die!
I'm told that
you're a socialite John.
Do you still host parties here?
As you know there's
restaurant or anything,
so there's a lot of going
for dinner with friends.
I mean this is a great
place for a party.
John has a house made
out of stone.
It's his third one.
First he had one
made out of straw.
[laughs]
And of course the
locals thought I'm mad.
All the rock came
from the beach.
- No.
- I didn't even
have a cement mixer.
I mean it was all hand done.
God knows I must have
been out of my mind.
But it was actually
I had a lot of fun.
I could imagine.
People here love the
hardcore life and for many the
road would bring change.
It's such a small, in a
way delicate place,
if the road goes in from
Albernie and the place fills
up with RVs and things,
it will be finished.
I want my ashes fired out
to sea in the cannon.
Right I didn't mention
he has a cannon!
Yes I fire it on important
occasions like armistice
day, birthdays.
If I get an erection which
is an annual event.
It's a little souvenir he kept
from the war of 1812.
There you go.
Jonny and John light cannon
cannon fires
Good one.
Sweet mother of God that was,
that was more of a
spectacle than I thought.
But John you know he gave me
a great quote, he said.
Bamfield is not perfect
but it's as close to
perfection as I need.
But it's as close to
perfection as you need.
[applause]
♪
Bamfield still has a few
claims to fame and one of
them is the west coast trail.
The trail is a 75km hike.
One of the go to hiking
destinations in the world.
Corey and Brian singing
The trail's origin was
they were trading paths
for the first nations.
I got to spend some time
with Cory and Brian.
They are guardians of
the West coast trail.
You know is there wildlife
they've got to look out for?
Oh yeah there's the
wolves, sometimes we see
cougars and lots of bears.
Lots of bears.
People use bear bells.
These are little bells
that you clip onto your
pack which tell the bear,
ring-a-ding-ding,
dinner is served.
[laughter]
Are you anxious about it at all?
Nervous or?
Ah maybe a little
bit but we're looking
forward to it as well.
You've got to be a
serious hiker to do
the west coast trail.
You just can't be any
hippie poser looking
for a nature walk.
You'll find yourself out
there without any food,
chewing on your
Birkenstocks, trying to
drink your own urine.
[laughter]
I don't know if I'd be
able to do it myself.
Given their cultural ties
to this pristine place
it's surprising these
two are pro development.
I think in order for
Bamfield to really pick up
on tourism is to
get that road paved.
More tourism would mean a
lot more business for the
last person who needs it.
Donna Dunn.
Donna Dunn is the
only registered nurse
for miles around.
Donna led us through a
tsunami drill that was intense.
[siren]
I'm getting news
that this is a tsunami
earthquake and we will
need to anticipate that
the wave could be
here in 20 minutes.
If suddenly the water
sucks out, if the water
suddenly disappears,
it's coming back.
It's coming back with
its friends and
you've got to scurry up
a Tsunami ladder!
You know the surge of
adrenaline that you get
when somebody chases you
up a flight of stairs.
Can you imagine being chased
up a ladder by an ocean?
[laughter]
She gets a bunch of volunteers.
We all wear a sign saying
what our condition is
One at a time.
I have severe chest pain.
The rest of the are
not even that bad.
So you know it could be
internal bleeding or dead.
I don't know if Donna Dunn was
ready for a Gemini winning
actor, Gemini nominated actor.
Can you tell us
your name please?
Johnny Harris -Ok are you
allergic to anything?
Just house dust.
I can barely breath I think
I'm having a heart attack.
This is what's called a
12 lead, it looks at your
heart from all different
angles to see
if there's any blockages.
It's not just gas.
Don't tell me that
it's just gas.
Apparently my nothing less then
inspired panic attack was less
worthy than Jerry's way
overdramatized hypothermia.
What happened to you Jerry?
I fell in the water.
I'm calling for
an air ambulance.
How long will it take
them to get here?
It's about an hour.
I don't know if
Jerry has that long. -Ohhh
I was pretty impressed.
In a town this size I
was sort of expecting
to see people you know
chewing on sticks,
as they had leeches applied
to their skin.
So how ya doing Bob?
I think I've broken my ankle.
At a point survival
of the fittest right?
Bob I mean he's a great
guy but his leg is already
broken and Jerry also
lovely gentleman but
he's I don't know
the hypothermia.
We'll just leave those guys
No we would never do that.
If a tsunami hits while
I'm here, I'm grabbing a
life jacket and clinging
onto Donna Dunn,
like grim death, that's
your best bet.
So I hadn't discovered
anything, or hiked anything,
but I survived a fake tsunami,
and that counts for something
amoung the Bamfield hardcore.
Bob!
♪
I got to hang out
with Brian Mckay.
Brian is proof that if you
work hard the sky is the
limit here in Bamfield.
He was here with the coast
guard and in his spare
time he started building this
big beautiful fishing lodge.
This was actually
I believe it was my great
grandmother's potato patch.
Is that right?
A couple of young biologists
came out with me on
Brian's Marine safari.
Turns out, Brian's hosted some
real celebrities.
We had Tom Selleck.
Magnum P.I was
at your lodge?
Yeah Tom yeah.
And that was
the day Brian realized
he could never really
grow a moustache.
[laughter]
Ok, there should
be some Sea Lions
in this little bay here.
There's a big male,
do you see his head?
Oh sea lions.
I thought you meant
we were going to see lions.
And now he's doing
very well, he's,
he took Magnum P.I fishing
for God's sake!
That counts for something,
that counts.
♪
Here we go.
Brian figured out
Bamfield's thing
Oh Tom Selleck eat
your heart out.
Invite people in who'll add
to love of the place
What?
It's a Sculpin!
And won't take away anything
more than a great story.
You caught a fish.
I think I could
find that in myself.
If I wanted to stay in
Bamfield I got things
to offer you know?
I could boiler wieners,
say the alphabet backwards
and take my thumb off.
Would you have me Bamfield?
Would you have me?
The end of my journey in
Bamfield was, well unexpected.
I was invited to a
ceremony on Brady's beach
which was very gracious of
the community because
it was well it wasn't a
funeral but it was a
celebration of life for
a prominent member
of the community
Archie McMillan.
♪
To be invited you know
I didn't know the man
personally and the family
didn't know me from adam,
so that was very sweet and
it was invaluable for me to
see that sense of community.
People young and old
paying tribute to one of
their own who had reached
his own end of the line.
♪
So you guys knew archie?
I knew him since
probably the 50s.
Family friend.
He was kind of a mentor
to me really.
Coming here to the edge
of the continent I
expected to find rugged
independent individuals,
real go-it-alone types.
Hello, good to see you.
So many old friends and
faces that came back.
But I also found a strong
sense of community.
We love everybody in the
community like family.
So everybody is
included for everything.
Once you're here as
isolated as it is people
have a real connection
with each other.
People sort of depend on
each other in a way.
[applause]
Right before I came over to
the hall here my mom
called me for the first
time since I got to BC.
She said how's it
going out there?
And I said great!
I had a beer on the pier,
did a tsunami drill,
shot a golf ball out of a canon!
But well, my cucumber went soft.
She said Jonathan what
are you talking about?
I said mom I'm talking about
Bamfield, British Columbia,
thanks very much everybody,
you've been absolutely great.
Too kind, too kind.
Thanks for taking it easy on us.
I think you had a
lot more material.
He really captured the
quintessential abstract
parts about Bamfield
beautifully.
I loved it before.
I love it more.
And he came here and he
saw it, he discovered it.
It was fun being
in the room with the rest
of the community just
laughing at ourselves.
It was fantastic my
stomach is killing me.
My contact lenses are
stuck to my eyeballs and
my mascaras all gone.