The Beachcombers

I grew up in the Muskoka area in Ontario and remember watching The Beachcombers every Sunday evening. It was one of the last shows of the evening we were allowed to stay up and watch before bed time. It really is hard to believe "Nick" and "Relic" are both gone. They will be forever remembered with a fondness that a lot of Canadians felt for the show. So many of our Canadian icons have fallen the last few years that it serves to remind us how quickly time passes. Nick, Relic, Mr. Dressup, Friendly Giant all legends in their own right to a generation of thankful youngsters who are quickly entering into the final leg of their own journey through life. Let the younger "Boomers" reflect on their own childhood and bring The Beachcombers back to Mollys Reach and Edmonton and Bracebridge and Halifax...

There is not a Canadian over the age of 25 that is not familiar with Nick and his life in Gibson's Landing as portrayed on The Beachcombers. To me, there is no CBC series that has become an icon as The Beachcombers have. The strongest was the first 5 season, 1971-1976, before the show lost Hughie and Jesse. Of course, as any long running series (Canada's longest), many original cast members left and in the end, it was only Nick and Relic. A bit hokey, but that was the CBC back then. Filmed on location on the British Columbian coast.

I grew up watching the tv series. I used to go down to Lower Gibsons and watch them film some of the episodes when I was a kid. Now that I have moved to Ontario, I try to watch it whenever the reruns are on and even the tv movie "The New Beachcombers" I wish they would start up a new series like the old one.....I miss it so.

Wow. Until I stumbled across this entry on IMDB, I had no idea that 'Nick' and 'Relic' were both gone. That is sad. I watched this as a kid growing up in northern Maine, we got Channel 6 outta St John really clear, and of course this, 'Mr Dress Up' and 'the Friendly Giant' were staples of a kid's TV viewing at the time.

They don't make them like this anymore, 'Beachcombers' kinda fit in with the Waltons, Little House, Disney flix, all wholesome kinda family entertainments, nothing too scary or controversial. It was shot right there on location in Gibson's BC, it had many locals-Inuits, Japaneses, French, etc come and go too-which is Realistic for the BC Coast. Not tokenism, just-opening the window and showing what's out there.

Good show, good memories, 'Nick' vs. 'Relic' was always fun.

*** outta ****

My public school days come flooding back to me all over again. Every Sunday night, I would watch this show religiously when I was a little kid. I used to call it "The Boat Show" before I ever knew what the name of it was. I thought it was so cool to see these guys ride around in their little boats and collect logs, then go drink coffee at Molly's Reach. Instead of Canadians portraying themselves as hard-drinking hosers, this show was a positive role model for our country. These life-loving vital people have a lot of humour and really share the expansive land. Man, they don't make them like this anymore. Too bad. Its simple love of life and people is totally endearing; it still towers above most of the crapola that crowds most of the tube today. Every Sunday night after I watched this, I would go take a bath, and play with my boats in the tub. Sometimes art and life are connected more closely than we think.