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Charlie White
In May 2000, the Sanscha Community Cultural Centre Foundation’s Honouring the Past – Building for the Future Campaign received a generous gift from Charlie White, well known sports fisherman, author, television personality, entrepreneur and inventor.
To
those who know him, Charlie is a man with a twinkle in his eye, a clear
sign of the inspired genius and unbounded energy that has helped him to
build a remarkable personal history that goes far beyond North Saanich,
the community he and his wife Darlene call home. In his lifetime,
Charlie is no stranger to creating lasting legacies and his gift towards
the
Charlie
White Theatre at the Mary Winspear Centre fit right into his life long
pattern.
“In my life I have taken risks, faced many challenges and been fortunate to have been able to work and be successful in areas I’ve enjoyed – those closest to my heart. Throughout it all I’ve always felt it was important to contribute in a positive way to those around me and to give something back to the community that has been so supportive of me over the years. I think the Mary Winspear Centre at Sanscha is of critical importance for our area. The new Centre gives people of all ages a central place to come together to learn, to share experiences with one another and to grow as individuals. It is a privilege for my wife Darlene, and I, to help contribute to its success,” explained Charlie.
Throughout
his lifetime, Charlie White has created his own incredible legacy of
legendary accomplishments. Starting in the early 1950’s, Charlie
started a TV listings guide that later became TV GUIDE. Closer to
home, Charlie was the genius behind the establishment of CHEK TV and then
CHAN-TV, which eventually became BCTV. In the early 1960’s Charlie
owned and operated CFAX radio. Then, inspired by his love of the
underwater world, Charlie built Victoria’s Undersea Gardens and then
three more such attractions in Seattle Washington, Newport Oregon and
Santa Barbara California. Charlie went on to invent the Scotty
Downrigger, which has become the sports standard when trolling for
fish. More recently, Charlie’s work has focused on the production
of documentaries on the underwater life of salmon and other species of
fish and sea mammals – shot on location throughout the world, the
underwater fo
otage
with his remote controlled underwater camera. His 39 episode
television series, “Charlie White’s Underwater World”, has plated
across Canada, the USA, Europe and Japan.
Charlie’s support of community has been long and lasting and constant. In the mid 1960’s he served as co-chair of the North Saanich United Way Campaign and was a major supporter of the Pier on Bevan. He has been a United Way “Leader of the Way for over a decade. Charlie’s list of accomplishments and contributions to the community goes on and is undoubtedly, not yet complete.
Perhaps it is his special ability to see opportunities where others don’t and to create new frontiers of discovery from these glimpses of the future is what sets Charlie apart. “I believe the Mary Winspear Centre is critically important for our area and for Greater Victoria overall, now and for the future,” says Charlie, “I feel humbled just to be able to be a part of the ongoing history associated with the Sanscha site and in my way help protect and continue this community legacy for generations to come.”
Photo #1: Charlie White Fishing
Photo #2: Charlie & Darlene White With Richard Holmes, Chair Of Sanscha Community Cultural Centre Foundation, At The Event, 2006