From Hippie to Peace Officer, a.k.a Police Officer

STORY BY: Bruce Ballingall
YEAR: 1967
LOCATION: Vancouver, BC

Bruce lived in West Vancouver in the 60s, and wanted to be a hippie. He grew his hair longer, went downtown to sell the Georgia Straight for a dime, panhandled in front of the Bay, and took the Blue Bus back to West Van. Eventually, he ended up living on a commune in Banff, Alberta. "It was a lot of fun, but then… I made another left turn" and ended up as a police officer. But in his mind, he was a "peace officer". He did that for 40 years, and likes to think that he might have helped make a bit of change in the world. Thanks for sharing, Bruce.