Dick Clements, 88, has been described as a unique and genuine human being.
People have commented on his Zen-like lifestyle and told him no one has the right to be as happy as he is. He himself wears a t-shirt that reads, “I’m drinking from my saucer because my cup has overflowed.”
“That’s my life. It’s been like an unfolding,” explained Clements. “People talk about planning…I never planned a bloody thing. I think that was the air raid, World War II, influence. You didn’t make plans, you just tried to survive.”
Clements was born in Bournville, England. He was 12 when the war started. He recalls being issued gas masks and the three nights that Birmingham was bombed.
“That was like baptism by fire for my brother and sister and I. We were really scared,” said Clements.
At the age of 17, Clements joined the navy and once he got out he noticed an ad for young men to work on farms in western Canada. He remembered a teacher telling him, “If you boys survive this war you want to look to the Commonwealth countries. There will be more for you there.”
He was 21 when he came to Canada. Although he ended up working on farms in the Edmonton area, farming turned out to be only one of several careers for Clements.
After marrying his wife Jeanette in 1954 and starting a family in 1955, he wrote for paper and radio and did some broadcasting. He was an editor for a small magazine for a time.
Clements eventually followed his father’s footsteps and became a social worker.
He was assigned first to the Medicine Hat area and then became the district supervisor in Olds, Alberta. He eventually took over the regional office in Grand Prairie.
It was there that Clements joined a community theatre group and helped to form the Swan City Players.
As a centennial project he and a partner turned an old abandoned building into a small theatre called the Bitter Suite.
Clements invited George Ryga, whom he had met years earlier, to come to the Suite to read from his literary works.
“When he came up and saw it he said, ‘why don’t you come to Summerland and we’ll get something like this going there’,” said Clements.
In June 1967 Clements, his wife and four children moved here and leased a home in Lowertown.
The following year Clements and his wife separated and he moved to Nelson. There he was cast as Willy Loman in Arthur Miller’s play, Death of a Salesman, opposite Vickie Morris, who played Linda Loman. Subsequently they fell in love and moved to Vancouver together.
Once there, Clements auditioned and landed a number of leading roles in live theatre. He did a general audition for CBC television and was accepted and appeared in several episodes of the Beachcombers.
“I’d have to say this was some of my mom and dad’s richness that they gave me in boyhood coming out,” explained Clements.
“Dad use to recite poetry to me and mom took me to theatre.”
In addition to acting, Clements still worked as a social worker during these years. At the age of 60 he decided to retire. He moved into the Legion Village in 1988.
“From 1988 to the year 2000, I was basically helping my son and daughters with parenting,” Clements said. Clements has five granddaughters and four grandsons. He has two great grandchildren, a boy and a girl.
In the year 2002, Clements was the stand in photo double for Tim Allen in the movie Santa Clause II.
Inside his home he is surrounded by memorabilia.
“When you go in there, that’s me, in different phases of my life. I feel good in there. I can be alone but never feel lonely,” he said.
“If I’m honest I have to say I opted out of careerism and consumerism, but I’ve had this…unfolding…things just kept on happening. Now with the grandchildren too, well, what an incredible life.”