In 1926 at the age of 13, Rene Gamache moved from Manitoba to Maillardville with his parents. He attended Millside Elementary School. He was 15 when he went to work at Fraser Mills, working on the log booms. He later transferred to the Planer Mill and was promoted to Foreman. He worked there until his retirement in 1973.
Rene and Alice were married in 1937 and raised their family in Coquitlam. In 1944 he joined the Navy and served in the North Atlantic until the end of the war.
Community Service & Achievements
In the fall of 1948 Rene was first elected as a member of Council and he served on Council continuously for 21 years to the end of 1969.
In 1953, Rene was responsible for establishing the Recreation Commission in Coquitlam, a system that followed the Provincial Recreation Program (PRO REC).
While on Council he served on many other Council Committees as well - Water, Public Works, Civil Defence, Sewer, Sanitation and probably the one closest to Rene’s heart - the Burke Mountain Committee. In 1949 he tried to get Burke Mountain developed as a Regional Park and succeeded in getting the Provincial Government to stop logging on a portion of the area around Dennet and Monroe lanes.
He was instrumental in developing the Burke Mountain Ski Village and owned and maintained a cabin in the village on Burke Mountain. He encouraged Bert Ball to build a ski lodge and ski tow which existed until it burnt to the ground in the late 1970s.
His energy and enthusiasm shone through in whatever task he took on. Over the years he worked tirelessly for the citizens of Coquitlam.