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Sunshine and shadow found in Desolation Sound
By Gerry Gray
She was attacked by a rhino, was run out of Kenya by marauding Mau Mau's, survived a couple of plane crashes, suffered through malaria fever and survived pneumonia. Along with an emergency landing on the Nile River and a few other catastrophic events, the lady with the unlikely name of Rosemarie Primrose, now comfortably ensconced in her Kiwanis Manor apartment, looks back on those death defying "near misses" as adventures.
Her name is a misnomer; Wonder Woman would better describe the life she has lived. Powell Riverites know her as the Savary Island Candy Store Lady, which she says was one of her tougher jobs but the one she most enjoyed. Along with a B&B over the hill from Primrose Lane and part time nursing, her life was a busy one.
However one more near tragedy came her way whilst flying with a patient to Powell River General Hospital. "Over Harwood Island the motor suddenly stopped. I said this is it as the plane lost altitude. The pilot managed to haul the nose up and the motor resumed. It happened three more times before we got to the Powell River airport. Veteran pilots said the heat of the day settled and took away the stability of the air. I guess someone was looking after me again."
Early days
Rosemarie Primrose started her long journey through life in Lethbridge, Alberta during the Great Depression. "Ever since I was four years of age I wanted to be a nurse. Fifteen years later my dream came true when I was accepted as a nursing student at Vancouver General Hospital. "I had no money so I got a night job at the Cave Nightclub as a cigarette girl," she said. "Selling cigarettes, cigars and such table to table. After I got my degree I worked for a while in a Vancouver clinic. I then got an opportunity to work in Africa and quickly accepted and soon was flying out to Kenya.
Africa
"The plane, a Flying Boat, couldn't land on the lake near where we were to work but because of rhinos, elephants and a huge flock of flamingos clogging the lake so we flew back to Alexandra, where we had to put down on the Nile. Looking at that filthy river perished all thoughts I ever had of a beautiful Blue Nile. Then it was off to Sicily, for a short call to get some minor repairs then we moved on to East Africa. We landed at Mombasa and on to Kenya. I nursed for a while in the local hospital but soon realized that no one was interested in keeping equipment sterile (even the doctors) so I packed up and went to the country and set up outdoor clinics.
"Kenya was in a turmoil because of the Mau Mau attacks on white settlers. The tribe wanted to settle land claims and the government ignored them. Even though the warriors had threatened us I could still have empathy for their cause. Developers, mining companies and the like just moved in on their tribal land. They were being squeezed out of their heritage.
"My marriage broke up at that point and I went to work in a hospital situated on the Ugandan-Kenyan border."
By this time Rosemarie was getting tired of Africa so she wired her son Gary who was managing an inn (Yewfield) in the Lake Countries to help her get back to Canada.
Life on the ranch
"In 1959 I was back where I started (Lethbridge) working in a Calgary Hospital. About this time I took an interest in horse and cattle shows and met Bob Primrose, a writer and editor of show events. We hit it off good and were soon married. We bought a ranch outside Calgary and Bob started publishing Western Canada Outdoors and Field Horse and Rodeo. I still worked at the Calgary Hospital so we had a busy time of it."
Eight years into the marriage tragedy struck again. Bob died suddenly of a heart attack and Rosemarie was on her own again.
Savary days
"My son was a great help at this time. I had purchased three lots on Savary Island in 1972 (for $19,000) so he suggested I start a bed and breakfast. I did as he suggested and spent the happiest days of my life managing my B&B (on Primrose Lane) and The Candy Shop. The people there were like family. Everyone got along."
Penny candy
"The Candy Shop was popular because I had 11 kinds of penny candy and was the only shop on the Island. In the summer time I had to limit entrance to the shop to three kids at a time. There'd be up to 20 waiting on some days. I loved the people that came and lived on Savary. During my time there I would spend some time being the Island nurse and would cycle around visiting people who were ailing."
In 2004 another disaster struck her. She had recently bought a house in Powell River with the idea of wintering in the city and spending summers on Savary. Unfortunately she had a life threatening reaction to her annual flu shot and was hospitalized immediately.
Life at Kiwanis
When she finally was discharged from the hospital she realized that she needed to live in an assisted living environment. She chose Kiwanis Manor but the waiting list was a year long. "The wait was worth it," she said. "My son comes over from England to see me every six months and he takes care of my needs. I'm comfortable here and the people in Kiwanis are excellent companions. Maybe I finally landed on my feet," she joked.
