Mark Bate: Nanaimo’s First Mayor
By Jan Peterson
Heritage House, 280 pages, $19.95
Jan Peterson has done an amazing job of shining a light on Nanaimo’s history — and with this book, her sixth on the city’s past, she has turned her attention to one of the most influential men of the 19th century.
Mark Bate was Nanaimo’s first mayor when the city was established in 1875. He served as mayor for 16 years of the next 25, completing his run of civic duty in 1900.
Bate was also the manager of Nanaimo’s first coal company, an important position in a city built on the success of its coal mines.
He was born in 1837 in Dudley, England, near Wolverhampton and Birmingham. It was an area known as the Black Country because of the extreme air pollution from the heavy industry there. Black soot covered buildings, but at the time it was seen as a positive reminder of the economic success of the region.
Bate’s father Thomas was killed in a traffic accident when Mark was eight years old. He went to school for a few years, but by the time he was 14, he had to go work to help the family survive. He worked 12-hours days as a labourer in a coal mine.
His uncle, George Robinson, came to Vancouver Island and was named manager of the Hudson Bay Co.’s Nanaimo coal business. He recruited young men from Dudley to work in the mines and as clerical help on the surface.
One of the young recruits was Mark Bate, who at the age of 19 was ready for adventure halfway around the world from his home.
He arrived at Fort Victoria in January 1857, and saw Nanaimo for the first time on Feb. 1. He had been accompanied by other family members, and still others were already there, but Nanaimo seemed isolated compared to Dudley, back in England.
The countryside was gorgeous, however, so Bate explored the area to get a sense of what the area offered. He began to love his new home, and chose to spend the rest of his working days there.
Bate was active in almost every aspect of life in the new community. In 1862, he was one of the founders of the Nanaimo Literary Institute, which served as the first library. It was an important institution, supported by the major employers, because workmen who spent their free time reading were more likely to show up for work the next day than those who had been carousing.
He also helped found a newspaper in 1865. He became manager of the coal company in 1867, an important role that helped establish Bate as one of the most influential men in Nanaimo.
It was natural, then, that when Nanaimo became an incorporated city, Bate would be involved — and he was the natural choice to become mayor.
Peterson’s book covers Bate’s years as mayor in great detail. It is hard to separate his story from that of the community as a whole, since the stories are so intertwined.
Bate was a remarkable man whose vision helped shape Nanaimo, and his influence is still felt today. His records are invaluable in discovering and understanding Nanaimo’s history.
Mark Bate: Nanaimo’s First Mayor, which features on its over a classic portrait by George Henry Southwell, is a valuable addition to Peterson’s works on the city.
It adds a personal touch to the story of the city’s early years, and is a reminder of a very important fact: The difference that one person with vision can make.
The reviewer is the editor-in-chief of the Times Colonist.