Joan Ward Harris 1916-2011 - An Appreciation

I must start by saying why I am here as I am sure that few if any of you will have any idea as to who I am. Well, my name is Martin Ough Dealy and I am here because I was privileged to come to know Joan in the latter stages of her long and adventurous life. I have been most fortunate in being able to count her as a friend and mentor.

I was also related to Joan. My father Walter was Joan's first cousin and I guess that made me Joan's first cousin once removed. My Grandfather Sydney was the younger brother of Joan's father.

My side of the family had first contact with Joan when she was still only a young girl in England in the years following the Great War. Dad knew her when her family lived in Dawlish whilst he was at school in Exeter in Devon. He, like Joan, was greatly interested in swimming and diving and I know that they did a lot of that in the seas off Dawlish and Torquay and off the cliffs nearby where they practiced the high diving through which Joan later was able to earn a living of sorts when in the South of France

There was a gap of over 30 years during which my father returned to Mexico where his side of the family had lived since 1903. He never saw Joan again, but by a happy turn of fate they somehow had kept in contact through the years of WW2 and started to correspond by mail again after Joan had married Edward and migrated to Vancouver in the late 40s. Dad by 1970 had migrated to New Zealand with the rest of his family and continued to keep in touch with Joan until he died in October 2001.

My daughter Helen was the first of my side of the family to make actual contact with Joan. She stopped by in 1984 on her way to England for her traditional "OE" (most New Zealanders go abroad to get their overseas experience at some time or another before returning like migratory birds to settle again). Helen had got herself a job in Vancouver as a nanny and so took the opportunity to visit Joan and Edward at their home then at Ravenshill. It was only a short visit, but it served to strengthen the link with my family and provided me later with the incentive to visit Joan and Edward.

So I was lucky to have an opportunity to meet with Joan and Edward for the first time in 1994. By then they had moved to 789 Harding Lane. I had read two of Joan's books that she had sent to my father. I had also developed an interest in family history and had discovered much of about Joan's incredible life. I was fascinated by how much adventure she had packed into her life as well as by what she had accomplished. I was lucky to have been able to see Joan on three more occasions in 2002, 2007 and 2009. She was always most generous, good humoured and wanting to "have a good talk" I think she enjoyed nothing more than discussing things of great moment and of a "serious" nature.

I was amazed at the range and depth of Joan's various interests. Her knowledge was vast especially in things about plants and animals and, of course, her art. Her memory too was phenomenal. For me, of greatest interest was her knowledge of family genealogy. I suppose she acquired that from her father Arthur who had spent much time in researching early history and left Joan with a fascinating collection of old photographs, notes and memorabilia.

Joan was a most intense and energetic person. If she decided to do something it would be for her a full commitment, no nonsense and unwavering. An example is the many letters she sent to me over the 17 years that I knew her. It is an amazing collection. There were only 2 or 3 that were less than 3 pages long. They were all full of opinion, advice, good humour and some diatribes. She had a lot to say about things that annoyed her and her comments were "full on" as I think the saying is nowadays ..... much of what she said was in "black and white" terms and, when in the mood, she did not mince her words!

She was particularly generous of her time and knowledge when I asked her to comment on some of my very amateur attempts at writing. I would send her a draft of something and back it would come with advice, comments, and much editing.....she did not spare me, but on the odd occasion I did write something she liked she said so with equal generosity. I learnt much from Joan.
In the words of another friend, Joan was indeed an amazing and most accomplished person.
 
Joan's ventures included going to France on her own at the age of 14 to live first with a French family in Paris, then having to leave them at the age of 15 to earn her living as a teacher of English, whilst still learning French. Falling seriously ill whilst still on her own and travelling to Monte Carlo on a whim to find a better climate in which to recover. Arriving there, still ill, she spent nearly all her money to pay for a single night in a hotel, then having to spend three nights on the beach having pawned her remaining resources a ring. and a watch Luckily for her she found the local C of E Pastor whose wife took her in and nursed her back to health and put her back in contact with her family in England.
Joan continued to survive in the South of France but on the smell of an oily rag. She earned a living somehow by giving exhibitions as a high diver, teaching English and professional dancing. Her high diving act was ended by an accident that injured her spine .... a problem that she carried with her for the rest of her life.
She returned to England before the war. I am not sure how she kept body and soul together but she did mention that she worked as a secretary and "Girl Friday "for various people including Sir Lawrence Olivier. She had some involvement in the world of cinema and film production.
Her marriage to Edward  brought huge changes in her life. They came to Canada in the 40s as immigrants and had a tough time getting started. But once they got to Victoria things really changed for the better. Edward found his niche as a professional newspaper columnist, critic and author. Joan rediscovered her ability to paint, to write and developed her passionate interests in animals and botany. Her many interests included:

Setting up and managing a dog kennel.
Raising and keeping an enormous hound.
Gardening including that time consuming all absorbing activity of Bonsai, examples of which remain to this day in her garden.
Nurturing and looking after local wildlife, especially where she set up the sanctuary at Ravenshill
Writing, of which she did an enormous amount both on her own account and in support of Edward in his literary endeavours. She kept up this activity right to the end including quite voluminous correspondence.
Mastering modern gadgets including the arcane mysteries of the computer. She managed this in her eighties, a time when most sane people would have left that o the younger generations and retired gracefully.
Caring for Edward for whom she was a most loyal and devoted wife.
Her art. However and sadly by the time I met her she had with great regret been forced to give up her professional work. Once or twice I found her playing longingly with pencils and paper or brushes and paint, but unable to do much because of her increasing disability.
Her several cats for which she had an almost obsessive love but found in their company great consolation and a source of solace.