Ward Perrin 1964 - 2019

[Richard Ernst]

All,

Sad news to share for those who haven't already heard. Former Vancouver Sun staff photographer Ward Perrin passed away at the age of 55 earlier this week.

Ward was a good friend of mine. When I left the NOW Newspaper Group in 1988 to become an independent photographer after 3 years there, it was Ward who they hired to replace me. We got along great and he was the one that insisted I get involved with the Western Canadian News Photographers Association in the late 1980s. From there, I learned photographers had to stand up for themselves and be the ones who spoke for Canadian photojournalism. Because of this, several years later, I helped build NPAC. So it's Ward that deserves a lot of the credit for this organization's existence.

Ward loved being a newspaper photographer and his enthusiasm for the craft was contagious. He appreciated the old guard and all the nostalgic trappings of the business but he was always on the leading edge of the new digital technology that was beginning to nudge its way into the newsrooms. 

He was one of the first photographers in the Lower Mainland area to have a cell phone and not just a pager. He could see how the digital age was going to change us and I can remember him insisting we lease two Mac computers - one for each of us - at some company in Burnaby that did that sort of thing. We both got Macintosh Classics and they had 8 megabyte hard drives. I repeat, 8 MEGABYTE.  This of course changed our lives and put us ahead of the learning curve we later were all on as we switched from film to digital picture files. I don't think I would of secured a job at The Province or help started NPAC without Ward's encouragements.

Ward was a good man and was dealt a tough hand in 2014 when he had a stroke that left him with aphasia which impaired his ability to continue to work at the paper. It wasn't fair nor just but Ward's demeanour around people and his interest in others didn't change. Only we knew he missed working and being a staffer. And we missed him.

So raise a toast to Ward and give him a kind thought this weekend. I'm gonna miss him.

You can read more about Ward at the following link:

https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/beloved-sun-photographer-ward-perrin-dies-at-55

Ric Ernst

[Ken Gigliotti]

This is a really good send off for a friend.The origin stories of how photographers get started and are sustained to me are inspiring. Respectful, sad , inspiring -kg

[Jim Cochrane]

So Sorry to hear. As the original and long time president of the Western Canadian News photographers, I too knew and respected Ward. jc

[David Chidley]

Thanks for the posting Ric.  I only met Ward a handful of times, but have nothing but good memories of the kind person he was.  Sorry for you loss.  -Dave