Lance Carey had a long career as a field hockey player and coach, notably as a member of Canada’s team at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal in 1976. He was for many years instrumental in administering the affairs and coaching teams of the Richmond Field Hockey Club, established in 1970. Lance donated records of his own career and of the Club to the Richmond Archives in two lots in 2019 and 2023. At the latter time, he also donated a copy of his self-published Together Everyone Achieves More: A Memoir. It is not often that a community archives acquires either a rich body of records detailing events of a sporting career or of development of that sport in the community.

In writing his memoir, Lance relied on journals he kept of his international play. The following mines two of those journals and his memoir that together offer his observations on the places he visited and his reflections on matches he played and his development as a player, but concentrates on excerpts from his diaries reflecting his observations of the cultures of Mexico, where a University of British Columbia team visited in 1968 and where Mexico City was preparing to host the 1968 Summer Olympics, and an extensive tour of Australasian countries he visited during a two-months long tour of a Canadian team in 1969.

From his Journal of the University of British Columbia Men’s Team’s tour to Mexico City, May 12 -25, 1968:

May 12, “Up early. Had breakfast. Tremendous orange juice. Split up into groups and went downtown…. Dave’s and my shorts (cut-offs) very popular with the populous. Wolf whistles every where we go.”

May 16, “Saw Jai Alai last night. Tie and jacket necessary. Betting is done. Same as horse racing. Fantastic game. 3 walls about 50 yds long, hard ball, hollow sound to it. Walls 30 feet tall, marble floor. Uniform: white shirt, white long pants, white runners. Basket or instrument they use to throw ball. [Throwing] motion with whole arm not snapped from elbow as in baseball…. One man plays up, other back. Tremendously fast unorthodox movements. Betting very interesting. Can bet at wickets or with bookies who give odds as they pass among the crowd. Throw a sliced tennis ball to person in the crowd who wishes to place a bet, [who] throws it back to the bookie. Bookies wear red tams with white jackets, shouting odds which reflect the closeness of the game. Game stops when betting is intense.”

May 19, “This afternoon went to the bull fights. Great to see once for experience. The first part where the Toreadors showed their stuff was great. Colourful and interesting. The remainder, the process of killing the bull, was grim & to me disgusting. Two fellas on armoured horse with spears. Next the picadors. Short spears, 6 of them. Process of tiring the bull for the matador. Matador comes in. Very cocky attitude. Runs the bull around, taunts him with the cape, somewhat skilful then kills him with a long sword. Sometimes took four stabs. Very procedural. The bull falls and a fella kills with a short stab in the back of the neck. The whole affair is colorful, noisy but to a Canadian & American gruesome.

From his journal of the two-months long Hawks ’69 Australasian Tour, June 26^th – August 30^th. The Hawks were a team formed in 1965. Although Lance was not a member of the Hawks before the ‘69 Tour, many of the team members were from the Vancouver area and played, as did Lance, for teams of the University of British Columbia. On the tour the team played games in Japan, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore; then in the Northern Territory and every state in Australia; then in both the North and South Islands of New Zealand, and finally a single game in Fiji on the way home.

June 26, “Departure Japan Air … Stopped in Anchorage – unimpressive airport. Quite surprised when we walked into the terminal and were surrounded by Amer. soldiers returning from Viet Nam, in battle dress.”

June 29, “Tokyo: Up at 7:00 a.m. for breakfast. Off touring the city at 10:00 a.m. Did some washing today. Hope I don’t have to do much of this myself…. Personally I think the city is simply immense. Every inch of space is put to use. It strikes me that there are very few skyscrapers in Tokyo. Highest (in Asia) is 36 stories, new one of 40 stories is going up. It is Sunday and everything is open. The shopping areas are teeming with people + cars. I think what struck me most on this tour was the Emperor’s residence. It occupies 4 sq. miles. Lovely manicured grounds. But what struck me about it was the fact that amongst all the congestion & need for space was the residence with its large unoccupied grounds…. Lunch was terrific. Ate it all with chopsticks again.

Doug, Dave, Mort and myself went outside the hotel tonight for dinner Cost 430 [yen] & was terrific. Noodles – tempura — 1 quart or litre of beer. Thoroughly Japanese as the hostess didn’t understand any English. Very enjoyable indeed.”

July 3, “Up at 9:00 a.m. Rough night sleep on the floor. Had a bath after breakfast and lazed around until game time. Was a tremendous game which we won 6-3 after being down 3-1 at the half. Was vs. Osaka select. They are apparently the best team in Japan. Our second half was magnificent. Osaka has really put on a beautiful effort for us. The banquet tonight was excellent…. Drinks at the bar were all free. The pitch [for the game that day] was very hard, fast, sandy gravel. An excellent field hockey pitch actually. Wouldn’t be a bad idea for Vancouver if it were rolled properly. Very impressive opening ceremony. We played at a girl’s school. It was like a reception for the Beatles. Approximately 800 – 900 spectators. The Japanese played very good hockey. Today was our day. A beautiful game.”

July 3, “Arrived in Hong Kong. The view of H.K. from the plane is fantastic. A very beautiful city of thousands of white hi-rises set against a background of green with a harbour of very blue water. Magnificent. After gathering our baggage we were taken by taxi to the Kowloon Cricket Club. We are honorary members there for the duration of our stay in Hong Kong. From there we were distributed to our billets. Doug and I were billeted with a Mr. and Mrs. Mepham at Repulse Bay Villas. A 30 minute drive along a narrow road from the Vehicular ferry. They are excellent people (Canadians). That evening they took us to dinner at the Repulse Bay Hotel. During the 2^nd W.W, the hotel was the headquarters of the Japanese forces in Hong Kong.”

July 4, “… played our first game in H.K. against the 1^st division champions…. We defeated them 2-0 …. I was a bit dizzy in the 2^nd half and was the closest I have ever been to collapsing.… The next morning I had a not too severe case of dysentery but severe enough…. Luckily Mrs. Mepham had some Mexaform pills and I am now on these. I’ve had nothing to eat for 2 days now and won’t for another day. Strictly liquids. I will be very happy when we get to Australia.”

July 5, “As I mentioned I’m hung up with the trots…. We met at Blake Pier for a boat ride around Hong Kong Island. Really enjoyable. Very, very picturesque. Hi-rises all over the Island. H.K. is a very large island…. We passed through a fishing village, Aberdeen. Thousands of junks moored here. Facilities for repair, which to me appeared quite antiquated … very little mechanization [to haul the boats ashore]. The junks are all serviced by little sampan-type boats (food and drink). Apparently nearly all the junks have diesel motors in them now but we did see a few in full sail which I thought were quite spectacular. I’ve been amazed at the beauty of Hong Kong + the number of Hi Rises. On the other side of the coin the poverty is very evident. The place, particularly Kowloon, is teeming with people. To a North American the eating habits + the lack of care in which food is handled is frightening. The boat ride was extremely enjoyable + my health improved greatly….”

July 7, “On our way to Bangkok today. [Lance would later write in his diary that his favourite stop was Bangkok.] Baggage weight is mounting up for everyone. [Two team members] purchased a lot of stereo equipment. Beautiful stuff.

Arrived in Bangkok. Was 91 degrees but not as humid as Hong Kong + there was a breeze. We were driven to the Royal Bangkok Sports Club where we were made Temporary Members. Fantastic place. Horse track, golf course, Olympic size pool, grass tennis courts, pool room, reading room, dining area, bar, showers. They have facilities for everything…. I met my billet at the Club, Mr. Alan Brown, Scotsman, very nice. Shares a beautiful flat with an American fellow, who has returned to the U.S. for a few months. I am by myself, which I don’t particularly like, but [others of us] are quite close by. Have a beautiful stereo in my room. Slept well.”

July 8, “Up at 9:00 + had breakfast. Walked over to the ‘Y’ to see a few of the guys + then went to the Club a little later. Spent most of the day around the Club. Robert and I met an Indian fellow at noon at the Club. He told us where we could get Thai silk & took us there. He seems quite nice but Alan says I should be careful. Mort and Rick got taken yesterday for $12 each by a couple of operators over a tour of some sort. So I’m on my guard. I almost bought a ruby tie tack yesterday. I think I am a walking mark. Will have to wisen up. I’m learning, I guess.”

July 9: I still have the trots. It’s a real hang-up. I don’t know if I’m going to have to live with it until I get to Australia or what. Still taking the Mexiform pills though. Went to the club and met Doug, Rigs and Eric. Went shopping for Thai silk. Got some great silk … [and] came back for dinner + we went out from there to Chris’s. Had a riot just BSing.

July 10:  Up at 6:00 a.m., about 3 hrs’ sleep. Off to the Floating Market. Was really interesting. Canal just packed with people, vendors of all types. Must have been 50 to 100 of these excursion boats on the canal. [Some of the team got a free ride.] I wonder what the people thought of us. It was like going to a zoo. They as the animals & we the viewers. I am really becoming a cynic. The kids swim in the canal. Absolutely filthy water. They use that water for everything. Stopped at the Temple of Dawn and at the garage for the 9 royal barges…. After lunch, [we] went to see the temple by the royal palace. Some emerald Buddha, fantastic. Their chapels are incredibly ornate, their temples as well. Too much in my opinion. They are beautiful as well. Took a few great shots I hope …. We couldn’t get in to see the palace. One must wear a jacket and tie to tour through those … we stopped at the Bangkok World office and picked up a few copies of the Tuesday supplement’s spread on our tour. [A copy of which is in his donation to the Richmond Archives, along with a large number of local newspaper reports of the games the Hawks played in other places on the trip.]

July 11: Up at 7:00 and left for the Bridge over the River Kwai [the movie of the same name was released in 1957] …. The Bridge itself was nothing but we did walk across it. Saw one of the graveyards. This one had 7000 men in it who had died working on the Railway or fighting. Must have been horrible …. Back in time for a short rest before the game. I was exhausted throughout the game. I scored a goal though …. Showered and dressed quickly and then went to a reception put on by the Canadian Ambassador, Mr. Britain. Was quite enjoyable.”

Because, as Lance reflects in the next excerpt from his diary, there were riots in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the team’s stay in Bangkok was extended. In his memoir, he sums up their stay in Bangkok: “All in all our extended stay in Bangkok worked out well as we were able to see more of Thailand and the activities of the people than we would have, and for me personally to recover from dysentery. I was actually down to 130 pounds from just over 150 pounds. I never did fully recover until several months after our return to Vancouver.”

July 12, “Off to Kuala Lumpur today. Really a delightful city (pop. 500,000.) Very modern, gov’t run + planned, Beautiful buildings. Saw a rubber plantation & were shown the method of tapping the tree. A good tree will last about 40 yrs. Before being cut down for lumber. Needed more time here. Soldiers everywhere after the resent disturbances. The trouble is religious & racial, and long-lasting. We were taken to an incredible cave [Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur]. Was immersive and very, very beautiful. We had to climb up 272 steps to it. It is a religious prayer area.  That evening we were provided with an excellent meal and then we were taken to a market.  We were stopped and checked for weapons. Soldiers on every corner as this sector of the town was very dangerous. Easily seen and felt. Young guys were walking about in groups obviously waiting for something to happen. Some soldiers were carrying machine guns, most rifles. Frightening. These people fought so long for independence, have and are building a beautiful, modern city and now could screw up the whole works.”

Arrived in Singapore. Dead beat. Flew in MSA, two engine prop. Nice flight. Were taken to the Seaman’s Club, kind of an 18^th rate place. I don’t mind poor places, but I hate ants everywhere (beds, floors) & little black bugs on the sheets plus musty smelling sheets.”

July 13, “Game at 5:15. We won 2-0…. My best so far. Awfully humid…. We justly deserved the two goal margin. Their hospitality is bad, rude as a matter of fact. There is no itinerary, they bombed out on our city tour without an explanation, took us to their department store…. We are left wholly on our own devices…. Not a suggestion of what to see, to do. And to top it off our hotel has only cold water & a 12:00 o’clock curfew.”

After its disappointing stay in Singapore, the team was off to Darwin Australia. In Australia and New Zealand the team found itself in more familiar cultural circumstances. The following excerpts touch on some of Lance’s more interesting observations on people and places.

July 15, “The hard hockey road lies ahead. On the whole our tour through the Far East was terrific, particularly Bangkok…. Our welcome to Darwin was terrific. All our billets were there and they had huge banners announcing the game.

July 16, “Up about 9:00. Terrific first Australian breakfast of juice, corn flakes with peach on top, steak & eggs, toast, and coffee. Fantastic.

Went to a reception at Darwin Town Hall at 11:00 where we met the mayor and were given pins and a book of the history of Darwin. All the organizers of our stay in Darwin were there…Our billet’s name was Don Brink. He drove us all over Darwin and out to Yarrawonga Zoo where we saw some snakes, crocodiles, emus, and wallaby … was very hot and dry … houses built on stilts for coolness. Quite a small place (30,000) but growing very rapidly. Construction everywhere. Apparently during WW II it was quite severely bombed by the Japanese. Played the Northern Territory side at 5:15. About 1000 spectators. Was a fast, hard-hitting game… but I think we had accustomed ourselves somewhat to the short pass walking the ball type of game played in the Far East. Took us the whole first half to get our fingers out.

Party later at the Penthouse. Dance and excellent food. Darwinians really extended themselves to give us a terrific time. The Northern Territory Team gave us a beautiful set of buffalo horns.”

After a flight to Geraldton, Western Australia where they lost their only game 2-1 and Lance was injured, they were on to Perth. Australia was at that time something of a leader in world field hockey circles, the caliber of play the Hawks first met in spades in Perth. In a page from a Kerrisdale Cameras notebook affixed to a page in his diary, Lance gave an explanation of how Australian field hockey flourished after World War II.

“The famous Pearce hockey family made a huge impact on the game in Australia. Together with other Anglo Indian players who migrated mostly to Western Australia after Indian Independence in 1947, they revolutionized the game as a result of their wonderful skills developed in the world’s hot-bed of hockey. WA dominated the National Championships for a couple of decades and these players formed the nucleus of Australian teams from 1955 at least until the late 1960’s. Their local Perth Team was the famous Hotspurs.”

July 20, “Game vs Hotspurs. I was scheduled to play but the injury I sustained in Geraldton has ruined me for awhile.  We lost 5-2. For older men they’re awfully fast. Beautiful control. Eric Pearce in the centre was fantastic. More Pearces on the half-line. Apparently, there are five of them. Our play improved 100% in the second half. We had had a hard time settling down…. Hotspurs entertained us after the game.”

July 21, “Up about 9:00. Had breakfast then went to a civic reception. Terrific when you consider the size of Perth. Saw the astronauts step out on the moon. Absolutely fantastic. Terrific T.V. coverage. Later on John Wright, referee, took us out for a Cessna flight over Perth. Only cost $2.00 for 30 minutes. Returned to King’s Park for the game against the W.A. team. We played very well I thought…. Score was 2-0 for them. After the game the Hockey Association put on a very nice dinner for us…. [Then we were] taken on a short drive. City very beautiful at night. Miss the mountains though.”

July 23, “Adelaide. In the afternoon we were able to walk downtown + have a boo. Very old town. Girls wear far shorter skirts than ours…. School boys wear beanies. That evening we were entertained by the Sportsman’s Association of Australia. Good dinner, but am eating too much. Must cut down.”

The Hawks then flew via Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane to Marillumbah in Queensland.

July 25, “Marillumbah. Up at 7:45. Had breakfast. Then we all met downtown for a tour of the area. We visited a lookout. Took pics of Mt. Waring (first sighted by Cook) then visited a sugar cane farm. Tasted some. Sort of sweet, pulpy. Then drove into the hills to the banana farms. Are on steep hillsides. Would be hell to pick. Talked to an owner who was packing them. Pack them green. Hard work. Tweed Valley very attractive, green. Sort of mountainous. Went to Kingscliff for lunch. One street beach town. Towns [here] remind me of [those] around 1900 in North America. Lots of sugar cane fields. Sugar refining nearby. Return to our billets to change for game…. We were up 3-0 at the half and eventually won 4-3…. Second half we could do no right…. Best forgotten.”

July 26, ”[At 10:00 a.m.,] we left Murrillumbah for the coast. Taken up to a lookout overlooking the whole area. Saw pelicans. Saw surfers on the Gold Coast. Went up to Surfer’s Paradise, tourist area … were taken to a bird sanctuary. Hundreds of parakeets, fantastic. Feed then bread and honey. Free, run by donations…. Went to Brisbane = to the trots. Were entertained there by the Ipswich people. Trots were great. Lost a buck on Melinda, but it was fun. Nice track, lots of people. Left after the 5th race for Ipswich, an industrial town about 20 miles west of Brisbane.”

July 27, “Play Ipswich today. Apparently a really good side. We defeated Ipswich 2-0 in front of about 400 – 500 people…. The two goal margin was deserved, I think. All the Brisbane officials were up to see the game so it made the victory that much sweeter.”

July 29, “Maryborough: Met by our billets (Alan Locke, son Jim, daughter Joan.) Taken to their home and given lunch. Alan took me around Maryborough, took a few pictures. M. has about 20,000 people. Alan has a telescope and showed how it works. Terrific hobby… went to a barbeque put on by the Hockey Assoc. where we met the mayor… went to an excellent barbeque, steak, burgers & beer. Dance afterward, bad band for us. I returned home with Alan and Joan and viewed the stars through the telescope. Was able to see Mars and take a photo of the moon. Fantastic.”

July 31, “Brisbane: We lost to the Queensland State side 1-0. We were very unfortunate not to win …. We had 11 short corners. The first half was entirely ours. Amazing actually. Got into the grog after the game. Returned home to dinner then to practice. To the pub then home to the sack. Awful lot of drinking lately.”

August 4, “Up at 6:30 and on our way to Canberra … From the airport we were taken on a drive around the city. First up Mount Aislie, then down to the Parliament Buildings via Anzac Parade. Were taken on a tour of the Parliament buildings. Really interesting. We saw the models of Canberra, totally planned city. A very attractive city. The architect is an American, Burly Griffin … [there is] a man-made lake around which the city is built.”

August 5, [After lunch at the Canberra Club] “then off to a tour of the City… viewed the Governor General’s home. Lovely rolling countryside. The forests are planted. Went up Black Mountain. From there to the War Memorial. Would take a week to go through it thoroughly. Big Lancaster in there. A real brute of an airplane. That evening we were entertained at a reception put on by the Minister of the Interior. Met Canadian High Commissioner Mr. Menzies. Fascinating man.”

August 12, “We leave Tasmania and Australia tomorrow for New Zealand. Perth and W.A. my favourite spot in Australia. Melbourne my second favourite city. M. a very British city. Very attractive, lots of parks, nice large downtown area…. They still have trams in Melbourne. Play havoc with the roads. Overall Australia seems around 20 years behind North America but moving up very quickly. It’s a beautiful country, huge terrific variation in topography, climate and vegetation. Desert in the west to rolling hills in the east, with more mountainous terrain in the southeast. Cities cling to the coast and are very spread out. We only got the out of city limits, country flavour in Queensland. Very quiet, slow life. Looking at the people, I get the impression that the climate can be very hard on them. They have a very outdoorsy look about them. Money is not plentiful in Australia, but the people live well. Much more easy-going than Canadians. They seem to enjoy life much more, i.e., sports, pubs. Our stay in Australia has been terrific. Everywhere we have stayed people have put themselves out to make us welcome. I only hope that we can return their hospitality some day.” [The Hawks record in Australia was: won 5, drew 2, lost 10, 26 goals for, 36 goals against.]

August 17, “Christchurch, New Zealand: Game at 3:00 p.m. We lost 6-2. The best side that I have ever played against. [At the Olympics in Montreal in 1976, New Zealand won the gold medal.] Terrific control, pinpoint passing…. I think we played as well as we could, and performed creditably. Sure points up our need of practice on the basic skills: hitting, stopping, passing. I missed a sure goal.”

In his memoir, Lance reflected on how this game made him think of how he needed to develop his skills.

“The game against Canterbury spoke to me on many levels. My description of the steady travel, by bus, train, car, and plane almost daily game play and regular wonderful receptions by our hosts, eventually tested my stamina and ability to focus in a really tough game. For me, I learned that I would have to be much fitter in order to compete with a high level of consistency in a full, daily, demanding tournament. I realized that my basic skills needed much refining and new skills needed to be developed. I also learned I had a solid work ethic, an ability to accept advice …and the willingness to do the work to improve to be able to compete at a higher standard…. This tour opportunity really opened my eyes as to how much more challenging this game was, how much I enjoyed to play and wanted to practice to become a much better player.”

August 18, “Up about 7:45… flight for Wellington. Saw a bit of the Alps on the way up. Wellington very impressive from the air. On arrival met by Canadian Embassy officials and were taken [to a building] where we had a team meeting. Discussed tactics. Hope the meeting brings a more fruitful rapport between our players and our leaders. City streets very narrow. Sharp contrast between the very old and very new. A terrific amount of construction going on, hi-rise type. Wellington reminds me in many ways of Hong Kong. Large harbour area, built on surrounding hillsides…. Went to a reception in the evening. On arriving home was able to watch the last half of the Maoris vs. Tonga (Fiji) Figi won. Was good fast rugby.”

August 27, “I really enjoyed New Zealand. Made a lot of lasting friendships. Met more girls than I had to date. Pip was no. 1. I’d like to see her again. I think I shall. I hope so. New Zealand is much like B.C. Very green, mountainous (South Is.). Never seen so many sheep in my life. As for the cities I enjoyed Auckland the most… built around a sort of isthmus + amongst a group of extinct volcanoes. It has a lovely harbour, marvellous for boating…. Well, we’re almost home now & all that will be left are fond memories.”

In his memoir Lance offered these reflections on the tour.

“I realized what an incredible tour this was. The preparation that had to have taken place was phenomenal. Throughout my journal I have written of travelling and then being met at our destination by welcoming billets. Toured around by these people. Banqueted and honoured after many, many games by the Clubs from Japan, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, all throughout Australia and now New Zealand. We were treated very specially by leaders of many of these communities. We [were] hosted by Mayors, Australian Ministry officials, Canadian diplomats working abroad, hockey Clubs and their Associations and billets. I can’t imagine the stresses on [our leaders] in addition to the playing of the games. I also became keenly aware of how they set us up to say “Thank you.” We were provided with a personal gift to give to each billet. This was a 4.5.-inch tall totem pole with an engraved silver piece on the base that said Hawks ’69… At the beginning of every game the teams playing lined up and exchanged a special HAWKS 69 Australasian Tour triangular shaped banner. Our attire was: crested sports jacket, Club tie, grey slacks, black leather shoes… We looked smart, presented well, and I realized, showed respect to the people who welcomed and supported this Canadian Field Hockey team. I am so pleased that I took the time to write daily, for memory only works to a degree. And, I am incredibly grateful at having been given the opportunity to participate in this Hawks ’69 Tour.”

Team members dressed in their uniform, likely somewhere overlooking Christchurch, New Zealand, photo taken by Lance Carey. August is wintertime in New Zealand.

To access the online finding aid for the Lance Carey fonds, see: https://archives.richmond.ca/archives/permalink/56383/. To access a listing of all the records, use the Advanced Search screen (https://archives.richmond.ca/archives/descriptions/advanced-search.aspx) and type Lance Carey fonds in the “Fonds / Collection / Municipal Record Series field.”