The Vanishing Station: Gerald and Spencer

Canadian Love Map

This love story belongs to Gerald Knowlton of Calgary, Alberta and Spencer Purdy of Vancouver, British Columbia.

These two men share a strange bond that binds them together across three generations: a decommissioned railway station. Gerald is part of a rare breed of Canadians who actually lived in the railway stations that used to dot the prairies. His father was the railway agent and was the one responsible for connecting the small rural town of Standard, Alberta, to the rest of the country and beyond. Memories from Gerald's unique formative years came to shape the man he would become, and form the foundation of the values he would go on to share to his own children and, eventually, grandchildren.

One of those grandchildren is Spencer Purdy, a visual artist, designer, and architect. When Gerald was approached by the town of Standard to erect a monument to the long-since demolished station, he knew that his grandson was the one for the job. And just like that, grandfather and grandson became partners in this project.

The resulting structure is a love letter not only to a way of life that has vanished across the country, but also to a father from a son, and to a grandfather from a grandson.

Presented by Charm Diamond Centres

Hosted by Nancy Regan

Produced by Podstarter

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