Events - Event View

Philip Hankin was at the centre of the colonial government of British Columbia during the turbulent years before it joined Canada in 1871. He served as the chief of police for the colony of Vancouver Island but lost that job when the colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia merged in 1866. He became colonial secretary of British Honduras and, in late 1868, colonial secretary of British Columbia.  Still only thirty-three years old, he was now the second most senior government official in the colony. He again lost his job when British Columbia joined Canada in 1871. After five years in India, he spent much of the rest of his life travelling. 

Geoff Mynett has been a member of Brock House for many years and is a best-selling author and historian. The Eventful Life of Philip Hankin, Worldwide Traveller & Witness of British Columbia’s Early History, (Caitlin Press), (2023) is his most recent publication. In September 2024, Caitlin Press will publish his next book, Forts and Furs: William Brown and the Hudson’s Bay Company, 1811–1827.