HISTORY: Families and People: H | HEPTON

The Heptons were Irish. Ernest had been a policeman in England. He had gone to Ulster with the ‘Black and Tans’ after World War I and from there had decided to come to Canada with his family in 1928. He was eligible for help from the Soldier’s Settlement Board and also had a small pension from his time in the Black and Tans. In Kelowna, he worked a year in orchards and then was hired by the Black Mountain Irrigation District. He was the ditch walker for the lower section of the irrigation ditch and did the same job there that Mr. Charlie Philpott did for the upper end of the ditch. The lengths of ditch for which they were responsible met at Eight Mile Creek. For two years, the Hepton family lived in Joe Rich; for a year with Mr. John Findlay and then in the cabin belonging to George Patterson. Later, they moved to the Eight Mile Creek area where they had a small home just to the northeast of the present highway, on the right side as one drives to town, and near the top of the Clever’s Hill.

Betty born in 1923, Jack born in 1925 and Ernest born in 1926 attended the Joe Rich School in 1931. Vera was born in 1927. In 1934, Jack, Betty and Ernie were in the first class at the Black Mountain School which opened that year. They were travelling to school in a two-wheeled cart in summer and a cutter in winter down the big hill from Eight Mile where they lived. The school had a shed where their horse could wait for the trip back up the hill when school got out.

 

1933 Jack Hepton, Stuart Weddell, Pat Weddell, Jim Weddell, Betty Hepton, Ernie Hepton, Vera Hepton

 

1934 1 st Black Mountain School Class 1) Jack Hepton 2) Betty Hepton 3) Ernie Hepton

Vera remembers walking the ditch with her father carrying his .22, one Sunday morning. The gophers sometimes dug holes in the bottom of the ditch and their burrows could create a water leak or even a wash out. When they came to a gopher, Mr. Hepton told Vera to shoot it, but she said, “Dad, I can’t do that. It looks like an old woman”. The gopher survived, and Vera never walked the ditch again with her father.

Gert remembers the New Year’s Eve parties which Inez Philpott used to put on. The guests dressed up for the occasion. Gert went in high heeled shoes and a stylish short dress which was in fashion then. During the evening, she noticed that Betty was looking very sad and asked her why. Betty said it was because no one would ride with her. To cheer Betty up, Gert offered to go for a ride, but neglected to ask what the ride would involve. Betty led her outside to her skidoo and in their party dresses and shoes they roared off into the snowy night.

On September 8, 1950 when Ernie was 23, he, Allan Frost and young Jacky Frost went fishing in the Greystokes. Ernie and Allan made a log raft and pushed off the shore of one of the small lakes to fish. While Jacky watched from the shore, Allan who couldn’t swim well because of a polio damaged leg fell into the lake. Ernie jumped in to save him and both were drowned.

Mr. Hepton lived in Kelowna until his death in 1982 at the age of 81. His wife, Jane died at the age of 78 in 1977.