Great piece John. I was particularly interested in his comments about the Clifford Olson murders. I was a relatively new reporter at The Surrey Leader at that time, and much of Olson’s activity was taking place in Surrey. (I later found out that Olson had been on Surrey RCMP’s radar for close to 20 years). Something that most people today probably don’t remember from that time is that children and young people kept disappearing, almost on a weekly basis. The level of anxiety in the community was growing at a phenomenal rate. George’s radio reports were the only real information being offered. Because of his excellent sources, people (including reporters like myself) knew it was accurate and felt reassured by the progress reports, which were very important at that time. His book is a terrific book. I knew George personally and had the greatest respect for him. He will be greatly missed, and I doubt there will ever be a reporter in B.C. able to do the groundbreaking work that he did.
Great piece John. I was particularly interested in his comments about the Clifford Olson murders. I was a relatively new reporter at The Surrey Leader at that time, and much of Olson’s activity was taking place in Surrey. (I later found out that Olson had been on Surrey RCMP’s radar for close to 20 years). Something that most people today probably don’t remember from that time is that children and young people kept disappearing, almost on a weekly basis. The level of anxiety in the community was growing at a phenomenal rate. George’s radio reports were the only real information being offered. Because of his excellent sources, people (including reporters like myself) knew it was accurate and felt reassured by the progress reports, which were very important at that time. His book is a terrific book. I knew George personally and had the greatest respect for him. He will be greatly missed, and I doubt there will ever be a reporter in B.C. able to do the groundbreaking work that he did.