Al Cleaver was named a Surrey Civic Treasure in 2010, but he was much more than that. He was one of the key builders of the city over the past 50 years.
He died in hospital last week at the age of 88.
As the city’s fire chief for many years, he and several others of his fire department management team were instrumental in turning the department into a professional and extremely well-run organization. It continues to be one of B.C.’s best fire departments.
It has the respect of almost all Surrey citizens and a capacity to respond to almost anything. At the same time, the members of the department are heavily involved as volunteers in building the community and contributing to its success. That is a value that Cleaver greatly treasured, because it was in many ways the story of his life.
He came to Surrey in the 1930s. The Cleaver family lived on a five-acre property at 124 Street and 72 Avenue and grew as much of their food as they could.
The Surrey of that time was a community where neighbours co-operated and helped one another as much as possible. That was how the initial scattered fire departments in the city first came to be – they were made up of neighbours who often obtained used equipment and a hall to store it so they could respond at a time of crisis. Given that most buildings were built of and heated with wood, there were no shortage of fire calls.
Cleaver was one of the first students at Queen Elizabeth High School, shortly after it opened in 1939. A fellow student was Connie Shepherd. Her father Len was the MLA representing Surrey and other Fraser Valley communities in the provincial legislature from 1937 to 1945.
The Shepherds were all about giving back and several Shepherd brothers were involved in numerous businesses and community groups in both South and North Surrey and served on council and school board.
Al and Connie hit it off and she truly was the love of his life. They married and settled in the South Westminster area where Connie had grown up. For many years, they lived on 99 Avenue, just off Scott Road, near where a lovely little park named after Al is located today.
He was originally part of the South Westminster fire department (later Hall 1) and was one of the first of the volunteer firefighters to be hired as a full-time professional firefighter in Surrey. He and other pioneers are being honoured today at the International Association of Firefighters local 1271 Barge Inn because their efforts built the department.
Cleaver was a training officer and took over as fire chief, working closely with his deputy and good friend Lorne Pearson. They built the department to serve a rapidly growing community. Volunteer fire halls were gradually converted to full-time, Hall 1 and the headquarters were built, training and equipment was continually updated and the challenges facing firefighters grew increasingly complex.
Cleaver was responsible for one of the more unique aspects of Surrey fire department’s history – painting fire trucks a fluorescent green that made them stand out. He was relentlessly kidded about that decision, but stood by it.
On retiring in 1986, he and Connie became more involved with preserving Surrey history, through the museum and archives, the firefighters’ historical association and the Surrey Historical Society. He was a founder of the Friends of Surrey Museum and Archives Society, which was instrumental in raising funds for the new Surrey Museum on Highway 10 in Cloverdale.
He was a man with a heart of gold, and a love for the community that was as big as his infectious laugh. He will be greatly missed.
Frank Bucholtz is the editor of The Langley Times. He writes weekly for The Leader.