Identity area
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
Hetherington, John "Bushrat"
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
fl. 1950s-
History
John "Bushrat" Hetherington is a heli-ski guide, former owner of Whistler Heli-Skiing, former Whistler Mountain ski patroller, and a former alderman of the first Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) Council. He is originally from the Toronto area in Ontario. He studied economics and political science at the University of Toronto and graduated in 1966 before moving to Whistler. He was involved in the "ski bum" scene of the late 1960s and early 1970s in Whistler, having lived at both Tokum Corners and Toad Hall - infamous squatters cabins in the Whistler area. Hetherington joined Whistler Mountain's ski patrol during the 1967/1968 winter season, and eventually became head patroller. Among others at the time, he pioneered early avalanche control on the mountain, including the use of explosives to pre-empt avalanches and the use of the Avalauncher (an avalanche control gun). In 1978, Hetherington and Chris Stehem, a former patroller then working as Whistler Mountain’s Safety Supervisor, wrote “Whistler Mountain Avalanche Control Programme,” a technical memorandum describing the methods then used by Whistler patrollers. In 1975, John was among the first RMOW councillors to be elected when Whistler was incorporated as a municipality by the Province of British Columbia. On August 6, 1976, he married Joyce Hetherington (nee Neilsen), with whom he has several children. In 1987, he began working for Whistler Heli-Skiing. He retired from Whistler Heli-Skiing in 2012. On May 16, 2017, he was awarded the Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers by the Governor General of Canada for his work volunteering for Whistler Search & Rescue (which he has done since 1988), chairing the board of the Whistler Museum & Archives Society, and being a member of the board of the Canadian Avalanche Association (CAA). The ski run "Bushrat", a technical chute off Chainsaw Ridge on Blackcomb Mountain, was named in his honour.
Places
Toronto, ON
Whistler
Legal status
Functions, occupations and activities
Alderman
Heli-ski guide
Ski patroller
Mountain staff
Mandates/sources of authority
Internal structures/genealogy
General context
Relationships area
Related entity
Identifier of related entity
Category of relationship
Type of relationship
Dates of relationship
Description of relationship
Access points area
Subject access points
Place access points
Occupations
Control area
Authority record identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
RAD, July 2008 version. Canadian Council of Archives.
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
Catalogued October 2022.
Language(s)
Script(s)
Sources
1) Archival material
2) https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-hetherington-4439a613/?originalSubdomain=ca
3) https://www.facebook.com/john.hetherington.545
4) https://www.gg.ca/en/honours/recipients/342-77808
5) https://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/whistler-news/avalanche-2457789
6) https://whistlersar.com/members/
7) https://whistlertraveller.com/in-this-issue/whys-it-called-that/
8) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7U9RsTT3zv4
9) https://blog.whistlermuseum.org/tag/john-hetherington/page/2/
10) https://squamishlibrary.digitalcollections.ca/uploads/r/squamish-public-library/1/6/16541/19760812_Squamish_Times.pdf