David C.

Hazelton, British Columbia

Northwest Regional Heritage Fair

Life of Charles M. Hays

This project on the “Life of Charles M. Hays” was created by both David and Robert, who are twins. It was done originally as part of a French Socials class. The video summarizes the main ideas of the display board project and looks deeper into Mr. Hays’ relationship to our community and Canada.

 

 

What was the most interesting thing you learned about your topic?

Like us, Charles Hays was an American immigrant who came to Canada for work. But, now, he is well known across Canada. He has a statue in Prince Rupert, on the west coast, and is buried in Montreal. Also, the Emperor of Japan wanted to knight him, but he declined the offer because he would have had to give up his American citizenship.

What important lessons have you learned that you want to share with other Canadians?

As we saw with Mr. Hays, even if you have trouble, keep pursuing your dreams. Share your ideas and work within a team, so if something happens to you, someone can carry on your work and ideas. Work hard so you can improve the lives of others, within your life time and afterwards.

How would you compare your life today to the lives of those studied in your project?

Back then, they were building roads and railways through wild areas in the middle of nowhere. We, now, build trails to hike and mountain bike on, in places no one has ever been. But, Charles Hays' projects were on a much larger scale.