Brian Francis Talbot

It is with great sadness that we announce that Brian passed away in North Shore Hospice on March 1, 2022. He is survived by his wife Ray, sons Robert (John) and Richard (Nicole) and grandchildren Austin, Courtney and Janine.

Brian was the only child of Frank and Hilda (nee Smith) Talbot and was born in Melbourne, Australia. When he was 3 years old, the family returned to his parent's home of Sheffield, England where Frank became a successful house builder. In 1939, Frank (who had fought in WW l), decided to move his family away from the war in Europe. They settled in Victoria B.C. When Brian decided to study Engineering at UBC, the whole family made the move to Vancouver. In 1949 he graduated as a Civil Engineer. His university summer job as a surveyor, took him around the Province of BC and the Yukon Territory. He used to tell stories of surveying in the Yukon by steam paddle wheeler and pack horses. Later he spent a lot of time working on the BC coast on survey ships and then designing wharves and other infrastructure for the Public Works Office.

In 1957 he joined the Greater Vancouver Water District (which later became GVRD). He was involved with many water and sewer projects in his 33 years at GVRD, perhaps his greatest was the Iona Island sewage treatment plant.

Brian loved the great outdoors and enjoyed hiking, sailing and probably most of all, skiing. While on a ski club weekend at Mount Baker, he met Margaret Ray Bourneman. In July of 1964 they were married. They settled in West Vancouver and in 1967 their first son Robert Michael arrived followed by their second son Richard Charles in 1969.

In the early 1970's a boat was purchased for family summer holidays and he was able to show his family the BC coast that he loved so much.

Brian retired from GVRD in 1990 and was able to devote even more time to boating and skiing. Like many engineers, his home became his project. Appropriately enough, one of his first projects was an irrigation system for Ray's treasured Rhododendron collection. Even in his early eighties he would tackle wooden decking repairs.

When age made more vigorous activities difficult, he carried on walking and became an avid bird watcher. A notebook, a birding guide,and a pair of binoculars lived in the door pocket of his van next to the ever present measuring tape.