It was 1978. I was in the Vancouver CBC cafeteria facing a beautiful woman.  She looked straight into my eyes and said, “I want a fuck and a hamburger in that order.”

I was an innocent and nerdish 36-year-old man. I was shocked. It is only after many years that I have come to understand. I fell hard for Evelyn Hart when I started taking her photographs. She was (and is) a heavenly white swan. Then I met Florida-born Laurie Stallings at Ballet BC about 28 years ago. She was not a swan. She was down-to-earth. I knew she could sweat and even have a monthly period. So I photographed her as a non-swan , as a woman perhaps?

With Jeff Hyslop

Without knowing that, I should have understood that Jackie Coleman (we all knew her by that name) was not a swan. She was earthy in her voluptuous way. It was that eye contact, that gaze, that face, that instantly made me a fan when I first saw her dance with the James Hibbard Dancers at the many CBC variety show I was hired to shoot. Watching her was like getting an electric shock.

In her obituary there is no mention of the fact that she was also an ecdysiast (look it up). 

Her obituary is below this blog.

After the CBC shows she would moonlight at places like the Number 5 Orange where they had strippers or, as they called them in Vancouver, exotic dancers. To me these exotics where not just that. They were dancers. 

Few might know that these strip clubs had DJs. One of them was James Hibbard. Another was Christopher Dafoe who after being one of the best arts reporters for the Globe and Mail became a lawyer.

James Hibbard was (he teaches tap dancing now) an excellent dancer and choreographer. He would give directions to the dancers at the Number 5. He convinced two of them, one was Jackie, to dance with ballerina slippers. The level of complex choreography, accompanied by stellar dancing, was one of the reasons why my friend Les Wiseman, Art Bergmann and I frequented The Five.

My career as a photographer, took me to report and photograph the first Golden G String Awards in Las Vegas years ago in 1983. I was made a judge and sat next to Tempest Storm. Of course our Vancouver Tarren won the first prize.

But I must a bar (my memory is fading as I am 81) performed a reverse strip. And yes, she started fully naked on stage and her prop was a chair. She then began to put her clothes on. It was perhaps one of the most erotic experiences of my life.

One up from bottom right

Petrichor is the name for dry earth that is being wetted by rain. Jackie Coleman had petrichor in spades. She was from the earth.

MACKENZIE, Jackie

May 25, 1950 - April 2, 2024

(Jacqueline Beryl Halliday)

 We are profoundly saddened to announce the very sudden passing of our sister Jackie.

Jackie MacKenzie (nee Halliday) died following a sudden brain aneurysm at her home on March 30, 2024. Born in England, Jackie and her three siblings moved to Canada with the family in 1952 and settled in the Port Coquitlam area. The family was joined by another sibling born in Canada. Jackie was the middle child of five, with two sisters and two brothers. Sisters Patricia (Trish) and Sally along with brothers Michael and Richard.

The family moved several times eventually settling in the Vancouver area where all attended high school. During this time, Jackie began her lifelong passion for dancing. She was enrolled with a ballet school under the direction of Mara McBirney and for several years competed in the classical ballet form. Later Jackie explored modern interpretive dance styles and as a young adult found opportunities to perform with dance troupes both locally and abroad. Jackie travelled to Spain and Japan with her dancing companions. While honing her dance chops, she added choreography to her skill set and in addition did some television work including with Tom Jones and Wolfman Jack on local CBC programs.

Predeceased by husband Richard Mackenzie, Jackie is survived by her son Aaron and spouse Jill along with her beloved dog Archie. Jackie was a champion of the underdog of the human form but also a great champion for the dog world. She always had a dog or two and found great company in a local group of dog owners that had ad-hoc get togethers at a local dog park in her Surrey neighbourhood.

Jackie was an excellent cook and enjoyed gardening. She had particular tastes and found great pleasure finding treasures at thrift shops that fit her art-nouveau parlour style furnishings.

Jackie was an independent spirit but loved people, was sometimes outspoken and at times strongly opinionated. She also had great compassion for others who were struggling, was very kind and non-judgmental. Jackie always gave off a cheery spirit and was a positive person. Jackie was a generous person noting that her ultimate final gift was to the organ donor program. Her passing was shockingly sudden but thankfully painless. Jackie was an integral part of the Halliday family and will be greatly missed. In lieu of flowers, it is suggested to donate to your local SPCA.

To send flowers to the family of Jackie MACKENZIE, please visit Tribute Store.

Published online April 27, 2024