Killed in mountain fall

Photo: Phil Jackson

A Vancouver Island farmer and politician died in a mountaineering accident on Mount Donner in Strathcona Provincial Park.

Clarke Gourlay fell and was killed on Saturday while on a climbing trip with friends.

Gourlay settled outside Parksville to found Morningstar Farm and the Little Qualicum Cheeseworks. He was also a partner in Mooberry Winery.

Ontario-born Gourlay, 55, served on the Agricultural Land Commission and was elected for the first time in October as a director on the Regional District of Nanaimo.

Gourlay graduated from McGill University with a bachelor’s degree in political science and a minor in Islamic studies. He later completed a master’s degree in leadership and management. 

When the Gulf War broke out, Gourlay met Iraqi refugees in Turkey and joined Medair, a humanitarian aid organization, in administration. His young family then moved to Lausanne, Switzerland, and later Kabul, Afghanistan, where he represented Medair.

After returning to Canada, they launched their cheese-making business in 2001.

Little Qualicum Cheeseworks, which has 30 employees in the summer, is an Island success story.

Mountaineering was a constant thread through Gourlay’s life, turning into a serious passion in the past decade. “He always had a strong connection with the natural world,” his son Raymond said.

On Saturday, Gourlay was hiking with friends towards the summit of Mount Donner. The group split up to find the best route and Gourlay ended up on “dicey terrain,” Raymond said. Unable to go forward, it appears he decided to turn around and fell to his death.

Gourlay is survived by his wife Nancy, his mother Dorothy, sons Kevin, John and Raymond, Raymond’s wife Rebecca Gourlay, and grandchildren Kieran and Dahlia.