TAKE 5 July 2021 by Take 5 Print & Digital Media

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Letters A Quick Note From Ladysmith Eagles 2021 As COVID restrictions are slowly being lifted, we are gradually opening again. The lounge is open from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday to Monday. We have our meat draw every Saturday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., with 30 prizes to be won. We had the installations of the oﬃcers on June 16, 2021, and we are starting our first regular meeting on July 7, 2021. Meetings are held the first and third Wednesday of every month. The kitchen and hall will open, as COVID rules permit. The big news from the Eagles is we will be hosting the Provincial Convention in Ladysmith, June 2 to 5, 2022. — Brian Williams, Ladysmith Eagles

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Ranger), and I don’t know other fellow. Where? At a boxing match, probably in Vancouver. Danny was a young man from the Ladysmith First Nations boxed out of club in Ladysmith. I sparred with him in the ring in my younger days. - Dwight Smith

Thanks to readers! We must have a town of readers! We would like to thank everyone who donated books to the Ladysmith Museum Book Sale. And those book lovers who came out on the HomeTown Tourist Weekend to buy handfuls of books. It was a great success not only in the funds raised that will go to the Ladysmith & District Historical Society, but in the smiles of people enjoying the Prime Predators and Octopussy’s Garden ex-

LDHS volunteer Esther Sharp at the Ladysmith Museum Book Sale. Photo: Marina Sacht

hibits at the Ladysmith Museum. Thank you! – Lesley Moore, Museum Curator & Marina Sacht, LDHS Director

Tell Me More readers have their say Who? Danny Daniels, Jay Silverheels (Tonto), Clayton Moore (The Lone

This young man on the left is Danny Daniels Sr., who was a Golden Gloves boxer and also won the Buckskin Boy boxing competition. The fellow next to him is one of his trainers and so is the fellow at the far right. The man second from right is Jay Silverheels , the original Tonto in The Lone Ranger show. He was there to award Danny when he won Buckskin Trophy. One of the trainers might be Mickey Weatherbee, but I am not sure. The far right is Don Nelson, a Ladysmith trainer. – Arlene Daniels Letters to the editor on community topics and concerns are always welcome. Letters may be edited for length. Opinions represented here are not necessarily those of TAKE 5 or its agents. Email editor@take5.ca

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BY KERITH WADDINGTON Whether flip-flops, water shoes, sneakers or hiking boots are your preferred summer footwear, the heat is on and now’s the time to head outside for some seasonal fun! While it’s not exactly “business as usual” in terms of the return of beloved annual events, there’s absolutely no shortage of things to do or see this summer.

TRANSFER BEACH & LADYSMITH Transfer Beach is probably the most popular summertime destination in the Ladysmith area. With its large playground, water park, kayak and SUP rentals, sandy beach, majestic ocean views, picnic tables, beach volleyball court, covered pavilion, grassy expanses and fabulous food trucks, it’s a great place to while away a summer’s day. But that’s not where the fun ends! Right beside Transfer Beach is the Ladysmith Community Marina (LCM) with docks to walk, a small museum, a sea life centre and a heritage boat display, all free of charge. And if getting out on the water is what you want, the LCM oﬀers inexpensive Harbour Boat Tours twice a day, seven days a week during July and August. The Maritimer takes up to six people at a time, and those aboard are treated to tales of local history while enjoying the local wildlife and spectacular scenery. For more information or to book a Harbour Tour, call 250-245-1146 or visit lmsmarina. ca. Nestled among the fine shops of Ladysmith, at 721-1st Avenue, is the town’s own Museum. It is open Saturdays and Sundays during July and August from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and admission is free. Want to step back in time? Download the Ladysmith Heri-

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Brad Hillier and Emery Urquhart of Sealegs Kayaking. Photo: Kerith Waddington

tage Trails app onto your phone and enjoy an interactive, guided walking tour of the many heritage buildings and artifacts you’ll find in the area. The app can be found at tourismladysmith.ca.

HIKING AND CYCLING TRAILS Tourismladysmith.ca is also a great resource if you’re looking for places to hike or cycle. The website lists a number of popular trails and mentions the total distance, time and level of diﬃculty involved. Some of the most popular outdoor destinations in the Ladysmith area include Stocking Lake Trail, Holland Creek, the Heart Lake Loop and the Trans Canada Trail. Just north of Ladysmith in the rural community of Cedar, Cable Bay Trail is a beloved, popular spot where Rover can roam oﬀ-leash. Hemer Provincial Park, also in Cedar, is a beautiful walk through the woods, much of it overlooking Holden Lake. And in the Chemainus Area, Askew Creek Park, Chemainus Lake Park, the Cowichan Valley Trail and Stocking Creek Park and Falls are all popular destinations. Another great resource is the Explore 2021 Ladysmith, Cedar, Saltair and Chemainus Guide. Pick one up at Visitor Centres or read it online. There’s also a very active Facebook page you can find under the same name.

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Waterwheel Park. The market runs from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. and features clothing, bags, accessories, baskets, jewellery, local artwork, baked goods, fresh produce and more. The community of Cedar, just north of Ladysmith, also has a popular weekly market. Running from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Sunday at Woodbank School (1984 Woobank Road), the market oﬀers locally grown fruits and veggies, ethically raised meat, sustainable seafood, pottery, jewellery, food trucks, allnatural bath and beauty care and more. Dogs are welcome on a short leash.

PETTING FARM AND FARM STAND

Hike to Dodd Narrows. Photo Cindy Damphousee

CHEMAINUS The Chemainus Valley Museum is a lovely little building full of history and nostalgia. Admission is by donation and it is open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily during the summer. It is located beside lovely Waterwheel Park, which has a replica waterwheel, picnic tables, majestic trees and several sculptures to enjoy. From there, it is a quick walk to either the waterfront Kinsmen Beach Park and playground or to the quaint downtown area, which is replete with world-famous murals, curio shops and ice-cream. In Chemainus Village Square on Oak Street, Riot Brewing is not far from downtown Chemainus and is the perfect place to refresh on a hot afternoon or gentle summer’s eve. This award-winning craft brewery is kid-friendly and petfriendly, and oﬀers sleeves, sample flights and an outdoor patio. A great way to round out a visit to this quaint seaside village!

SPECIAL EVENTS Ladysmith Days is a go this year, although depending on public health orders and last-minute support it will be a scaledback version of the usual two to three-day event. Scheduled at this point for August 1, organizers are hoping for a return of the parade and fireworks, among other festivities. Check out the latest information at ladysmithdays.com. Ladysmith Show & Shine 2021 will be held on August 21 this year. On that day, hundreds of guests will bring their classic/ vintage/collector vehicles to historic downtown Ladysmith for this family-friendly community event. A concession will keep the hungry satisfied. No dogs are allowed at this event. Finally, there will be live music at Waterwheel Park in Chemainus this summer! On Tuesday, July 6, the great summer surf band Tropical Mayhem hits the outdoor stage from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. On Saturday, July 10, Hank Angel and his Island Devils bring some fantastic old-time rock during one-hour sets at 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. And on Saturday, August 21, the foot-stomping, country rock ’n’ roll explosion Black Moon Valley plays two sets as well. More information is available at islandrockabilly.com.

MARKETS Markets are a great way to stock up on fresh produce, peruse the work of local artisans and connect with friends and family. Chemainus has an open-air market every Wednesday afternoon through the summer in the parking lot across from

Yellow Point Farms in Cedar is a great place to while away a summer’s afternoon. Their Farm Stand is opening on weekends starting in July; pre-booked Farm Tours are also available. Kids especially will love the huge pasture filled with miniature, friendly livestock, including Nigerian Dwarf Dairy goats, Olde English Southdown sheep and Kune Kune pigs. For a small admission fee you can pet and frolic with the animals in their pasture to your heart’s content. Visit yellowpointfarms. com for more information.

NO ADMISSION FEE Always free are your local museums and art galleries. Many of them oﬀer special programming for children and families as well as tours and workshops. Watch for extended hours. Trails, beaches, museums, petting farms, kayak rentals, boat tours, special events, ice cream and patios — summer fun doesn’t have to be expensive to be memorable!

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BC 150 celebrated with talk and open house The Ladysmith & District Historical Society is marking the 150th anniversary of British Columbia becoming the 6th province in the Canadian Confederation with a free talk and an Open House at the Ladysmith Railway Station. Volunteers have been cleaning up the long vacant station and are looking for public input in best community uses for the building. You are invited to tour the station, enjoy some light refreshments and learn a little about the history of the E & N Railway and the station which played a vital role in the early development of Ladysmith. The Open House is on Wednesday, July 21 from 4pm to 7 pm. The day before on Tuesday July 20, the actual anniversary date of confederation, the LDHS is hosting a virtual talk. ‘Historically Speaking’ talk titled “BC 150, Confederation and the Railway: How Ladysmith ties into the tricky tale of the E&N” will explore the promises, broken and fulfilled, leading to BC joining the Canadian Confederation in 1871 and the construction of the Esquimalt to Nanaimo railway between 1884-1886 with extensions to Wellington in 1887 and to downtown Victoria in 1888, and the original Ladysmith Station. The talk

An open house will be held at the Ladysmith Railway Station July 21, 2021. Extension Miners at Ladysmith Railway Station, 1902. Photo: Ladysmith Archives.

by LDHS President Dr. Quentin Goodbody will help put the present station building (constructed in 1943) in context for next day’s Open House at the Ladysmith Railway Station. A comprehensive history on this topic is available on the LDHS website. Ladysmithhistoricalsociety.ca Please phone 250-245-0423 or email museum@ladysmithhistoricalsociety.ca for your ZOOM link to the talk or for details on the Open House.

A New Life For South Wellington School The Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) and Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools (NLPS) are pleased to announce that the RDN has committed to a 25-year

lease for the South Wellington School and adjacent lands and recreational infrastructure. Upon all lease conditions being met, the RDN will be converting the former elementary school into a community centre. Once operational, Electoral Area A residents will have access to additional indoor community space, public meeting rooms, outdoor spaces and a variety of programming for all ages closer to home. In addition, individuals and groups will be able to rent the facility and grounds for private functions, sports tournaments and other activities. “Through recent stakeholder engagement, the local community has indicated that they are supportive of this project as indoor recreation opportunities are lim-

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ited and can be challenging for many individuals to access in this area. The new community centre will fill this need and be a welcome addition to South Wellington.” Keith Wilson, Electoral Area A Director – Regional District of Nanaimo “The Board of Education strives to be a leader in environmental stewardship and sustainability. This new project aligns directly with that goal,” said Charlene McKay, Board Chair – Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools. Upgrades to the building and surrounding grounds are anticipated to commence in late 2022 with a target opening date in 2023. Construction costs are estimated at just over $1.2 million and include seismic upgrades, a new roof, new fixtures and hazardous material abatement. These costs will be covered by reserves as well as Electoral Area A Community Works funding. Operational costs will fall under the Electoral Area A Recreation and Culture and Community Parks budgets. The preferred operational model for the facility is through a community association, such as the South Wellington and Area Community Association (SWACA). In depth discussions with SWACA will be undertaken in the coming months. As part of this operational model, a limited amount of RDN resources would be allocated to ensure successful and sustainable operations. Conditions of the lease include an Alternative Approval Process to obtain the approval of the residents in Electoral Area A (Cedar, South Wellington, Yellow Point, Cassidy) as well as public consultation required by the Board of Education and approval by the Minister of Education prior to repurposing of the lands. South Wellington School was constructed in 1969 and sits on approximately 3-acres immediately west of the Trans Canada Highway in Electoral Area A. The building was last used as an elementary school in 2013 and oﬀers 9,108 sq. ft. of functional, indoor space with an additional 5,932 sq. ft. lower level storage area and 2,207 sq. ft. of covered, outdoor space.

RDN Residents Invited To Help Shape The Future Of Transit Services The Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) invites residents to help improve and transform transit services in the region over the next five years by completing a survey on the RDN Get Involved website at getinvolved.rdn.ca/trs or in person at the RDN transit oﬃce from now until July 16, 2021. All aspects of the transit service are open for feedback including how to improve bus routes, schedules, service to new areas, connections, accessibility, design of the service and customer amenities at bus stops. The information and ideas collected through this round of engagement will be used to develop draft recommendations for the RDN Transit Redevelopment Strategy now underway. To complete the survey visit getinvolved.rdn.ca/trs.

RDN Board Announces New CAO The Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) is pleased to announce that Douglas Holmes will be joining the RDN as Chief Administrative Oﬃcer on August 23, 2021. Mr. Holmes was selected by the Board of Directors after a cross-Canada search. He brings over 25 years’ experience in the public sector including his current role as Chief Administrative Oﬃcer with the Alberni- Clayoquot Regional District.

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“As a long-time resident of Nanaimo, I am familiar with both the opportunities and challenges we face as a region and appreciate the opportunity to help shape the future of the RDN.”

Public Washroom Opening The Ladysmith Kinsmen turned over the keys and rolls of toilet paper to the Town of Ladysmith, for the new public washroom on Saturday, June 26, 2021. The Kinsmen are spearheading the project, but according to project chair Duck Paterson “as almost all other community projects this much needed amenity could not have been accomplished without the support from so many others. Service clubs and many local service businesses stepped up to make it all happen. Besides Ladysmith's new public washroom opens. Photo: Duck Paterson

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being a huge necessity for downtown Ladysmith one of the greatest things about this project is that there was no taxpayer dollars put into the construction of it. All the money was by donation and a very generous grant. The washrooms now are a Town of Ladysmith property and their staﬀ will be looking after opening and closing the facility and cleaning. The two washrooms’ “stalls” all have nontouch fixtures, everything is handicap accessible and a water bottle filler/drinking fountain is available. For visitors, there is an info street map. “Our members also wanted to recognize that we are living on the traditional lands of the Stz’uminus First Nation so we incorporated the Hul’quimin’um word for washroom into the signage of this community amenity.”

Announcing The 2021 Cowichan Grown Farm Map, With New Bike Routes! Hungry for adventure? Plan a tour of local food and drink producers with the newest Cowichan Grown Farm Map, presented by Cowichan Green Community Grown Farm Map. For 12 years, this free publication has helped visitors and local residents source Cowichan-grown vegetables, fruits, meat, drink, and specialty products throughout our beautiful Valley, from Shawnigan Lake to south of Nanaimo. Become familiar with the talented and hard-working producers behind this bounty this year, 55 unique farms and agri-businesses, all with something distinctive, fresh, and delicious to oﬀer. The 2021 map includes highlighted bicycle routes for pedal-powered farm gate cruising. Pick up a free copy of the map at reFRESH Marketplace, or visit: cowichangreencommunity.org/foodmap.

Chemainus Theatre Re-Opening Chemainus Theatre is thrilled with the announcement of the provincial re-opening plan and are busily preparing each step to welcome you back to the theatre. Right oﬀ the hop, the Playbill Presents Cabaret Series is coming back for socially distanced gatherings up to 50. Join them this summer for a wonderful three-course dinner, followed by entertainment from some of your favourite Chemainus stage artists. As the summer unfolds, they anticipate announcing details of a return to the stage this fall. The Summer Cabaret Series in July will feature live performances by Jonas Shandel and Joëlle Rabu and Nico Rhodes. Dinner and a live performance in the Playbill Dining Room, Wednesday to Saturday evenings. For more information, visit chemainustheatre.ca or call 1-800-565-7738 or 250-246-9820.

A CommUNITY eﬀort The information and ideas gathered throughout the CommUNITY Together to End Poverty - Hw-nuts’-ulwum (As One) project will lead to the creation of a local Poverty Reduction Plan that will identify strategies for tackling the underlying causes of poverty by engaging with those who have lived experiences as well as with those who have not. Everyone is encouraged to participate in the solutions. The project is guided by a working group of community-based organizations that are championing the engagement process. Members of the working group includes local representatives from the Ladysmith Resources Centre Association (LRCA), Stz’uminus Health,

Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Vancouver Island, First Nations Health Authority, Stz’uminus Primary School, Island Health, Our Cowichan Health Network, Nutsumaat Lelum Child Care Centre, School District 68, the Town and Social Planning Cowichan. For more information, to review the Summary and participate in the survey, go to www.communitytogethertoendpoverty.ca.

Town Of Ladysmith Introduces Sustainability Ambassadors Two Ambassadors will be leading community outreach initiatives this summer, including the launch of an initial survey to identify opportunities for meaningful change. Chloe Duﬀ and Gwen Janz are both University of Victoria students with a passion for the environment who will be implementing a new sustainability program in the coming months. The first phase in the program involves gathering feedback through a survey that will help guide future projects and public engagement reflecting the needs of residents, specifically around the themes of water conservation and contaminated recycling. The survey is available now until July 9, 2021 through SurveyMonkey and Town’s website. They want to know your feedback for how they can make Ladysmith a more green community to live, work and play. Chloe and Gwen will also be walking and biking around town, collecting survey responses and speaking with the public about all things sustainability. The sustainability program supports Council’s strategic goals for mitigating the impacts of climate change as we work together as stewards of our environment. A key focus of the program is partnering with the community to improve waste disposal education and recycling eﬃciency. Recent data showed 9% of the recycling collected in Ladysmith is contaminated, meaning non-recyclable items or garbage are ending up in recycling system. Additionally, the Ambassadors will use their knowledge of green initiatives to increase awareness among residents and businesses about water conservation and our distribution system. Gwen and Chloe are eager to make an impact and answer any questions you have as the program begins to take shape. Future projects may include, pop-up booths, virtual tours, and discussion groups, in accordance with the latest Provincial Health Orders. For the latest news and updates, visit the Town’s website at www.ladysmith.ca, as well as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

VIU Awards Honorary Degree To AwardWinning Medical Doctor And Actor If there is one thing about his story that Dr. Evan Tlesla II Adams hopes Vancouver Island University (VIU) graduates will take to heart – it’s that it’s never too late to change directions and pursue a different passion in life. Adams, who is now the Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Public Health with the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch of Indigenous Services Canada, is charged with looking after the health and well-being of Indigenous peoples across Canada. It’s a very different role from his first career in his 20s – as an internationally renowned, award-winning actor.

“What I want for VIU students is to inspire them to be brave enough to reach for things they think they want,” says Adams. “Achieving your own goals is so much better than achieving the goals of others, so make time for the things you love. And also – be a good person. There are lots of bright students, but you also need to be ethical. I admire bravery, conviction and the desire to do the right thing.” Adams grew up in Tla’amin First Nation territory near Powell River. His mother, a teacher’s aide, and father, a tugboat captain, always wanted him to do well in school – and he did. After graduation, Adams started a degree in biochemistry at McGill University in Montreal, where he was scouted by a talent agency. Over his acting career, Adams took on numerous roles in movies and television. He is best known for his iconic role of Thomas Builds-The-Fire in the award-winning movie Smoke Signals, for which he won Best Actor awards from the American Indian Film Festival and from First Americans Festival in the Arts, and a 1999 Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance. When Adams was 30, he made the decision to go back to school. “When I was a kid, I was aware of the suffering in my own family history, and that they needed people with real skills,” he says. “I just wanted to help people.” Adams was the Deputy Provincial Health Officer for BC from 2012 to 2014, then Chief Medical Officer of the First Nations Health Authority from 2014 to 2020. Over this time, he was also an Honorary Witness for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, and was part of the movie Indian Horse, which exposes some of the horrors of residential school. “As an Honorary Witness, I swore to tell the story of residential schools, as difficult as that is,” says Adams. “I was glad to be a part of an attempt to capture what residential schools were. On a personal level, it is reaffirming to be able to say that my parents went to residential school and that they deserved better.” His current role as Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Public Health with Indigenous Services Canada has been both challenging and exciting during COVID-19. “We have had to collaborate

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and co-operate more, and I am proud to have been a part of this enormous effort,” says Adams. Dr. Deborah Saucier, VIU President and Vice-Chancellor, has known Adams since they went to high school together at Pearson College. “He is an exemplary role model for Indigenous Peoples and Communities, demonstrating that the cultural values of kindness and generosity are keys to a good life.”

Ladysmith Rotary Interact Youth Club Raise Funds For Child Sponsorship BY KELLY DANIELS If you had been shopping at the 49th Parallel Grocery store in Ladysmith on Sunday, May 16, you probably would have noticed some very enthusiastic high school students raising money for a cause that is close to their hearts. Members of the Ladysmith Interact Club have made it their mission this year to sponsor a 10-year-old Ethiopian girl, Tigist, to attend school. Although Tigist is 10 years old, she is just starting in kindergarten. The reason for that is that Tigist and her mother have had a very diﬃcult life just surviving on the streets of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. Now they have found safety and support at the Muday Charity Association, a registered Ethiopian charity, and Tigist is settled enough to be able to attend school.

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Members of Ladysmith Rotary Interact Youth Club. Photo courtesy of G. Beltgens

The Ladysmith Interact Club is a group of young people who are supported by Ladysmith Rotary and the Ladysmith Secondary School with the object of doing community service in Ladysmith and internationally. They are involved in community activities including the Story Walk in Brown Drive Park, Soap for Hope, and at the Oyster Bay Senior Centre such as distributing decorated flower pots, seasonal videos, cards and video-taped readings. They have also raised fund for Emergency Preparedness kits for the Town of Ladysmith. International projects include supporting the renovation of a hospital room and sick children’s schoolroom in Malawi and their latest, sponsoring Tigist. On May 16, 2021 with the generous support of Ladysmith and area residents, the Ladysmith Rotary Interact Youth Club raised $1400 to support the Muday Charity Association and specifically Tigist. Many thanks to 49th Parallel Grocery for allowing the fundraiser to take place at their Ladysmith store. For more information, visit: https:// ladysmithrotary.org/. And to find out how you can help through the associated charity, Canadian Friends of Fresh and Green, visit: https://friendsoﬀreshandgreen.ca/.

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Ladysmith Heritage Boat Festival The Ladysmith Maritime Society’s HERITAGE BOAT FESTIVAL kicks oﬀ on Monday July 5, 2021, with a series of ten heritage videos showcasing various makes and styles of wooden boats, along with interviews, history and restoration stories from the Captains and Owners. Viewers can enjoy watching and learning about the progression of restoring, maintaining, and operating these magnificent vessels from the Ladysmith Maritime Society’s heritage fleet. Then you will get a chance to see the heritage boat fleet live on Sunday July 11, 2021 at the LMS HERITAGE BOAT PARADE at the Ladysmith Community Marina. The event begins with the heritage boat parade leaving the marina and motoring towards Transfer Beach for arrival around 10:30 am. Locals and visitors will have the viewing pleasure of seeing these magnificent, restored boats pass by with a local announcer describing the history of each. Afterwards everyone is invited to view the fleet on the docks at the marina from 12 noon to 4:00 pm. The Ladysmith & District Historical Society recently awarded the LMS with “long time dedication to the restoration of heritage vessels of local importance, most recent projects including the JOAN and the C.A. KIRKEGAARD”. These beautiful and well-maintained vessels, along with others are prime examples of our maritime history on the west coast and will be on display. We have invited our friends from the Cowichan Wooden Boat Society and other boats from the region to join us in the parade and for the display dockside – stay tuned to see how many can participate! Enjoy lunch at the Oyster Bay Café and music on the dock from 12 noon to

The award winning Saravan. Photo courtesy of LMS

4:00 pm. This event is open to the public and we will have free harbour tours on the MARITIMER. Join us to celebrate our maritime heritage! The LMS Harbour tours are operating again. Call the oﬃce to book your harbour boat tour.

The Fleet For many years volunteers have been busy restoring heritage vessels and now the LMS has quite a fleet. You’ll get a chance to see them all on July 11. Their best known boats are the Saravan, the Kirkegaard, and the Maritimer. The Saravan tug boat was built in 1938 for Harry Van Froome and named for his wife, Sara. In 1988 the boat was donated to LMS by Ken Mulholland, and refurbishment by our volunteers and trainees continued until 1991. This work was made possible through government lottery funds used for training young people in restoration skills. For many years, the Saravan was used by LMS as a passenger vessel for harbour tours, however was retired in 2009

due to Transport Canada regulations that would require a refit that would alter the vessel’s authenticity. For the next two years, LMS volunteers again worked to restore the Saravan to her original glory, in time for the 2012 Ladysmith Maritime Festival (now known as the Heritage Boat Festival). Great attention was paid to historical detail, for example, obtaining and using authentic old brass from a Vancouver foundry. The shipwright and caulker, along with many volunteers, worked steadily on Saravan. Some of the work included rewiring, building a new stern, replacing planks, making new deck planks, replacing caulking, removing varnish, installing the tow post, a new bronze propeller and a host of finishing work. C.A. Kirkegaard was originally built as a crew boat for C.I.L., moving men from sites around the Gulf Islands. Later in her life, this boat worked as a ferry in local waters. After C.A. Kirkegaard was donated to LMS, our expert craftsmen went to work to restore her, while providing vocational training to young people through the same government program as used with the Saravan. Today, the 29-foot C.A. Kirkegaard has gone through an extensive overhaul and is now back in the water ready to take passengers aboard. Maritimer, our tour boat, began Harbour tour boat the Maritimer Photo: Marina Sacht

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Tim Hornett with the Sudbury II workboat. (Below) Robert Lawson on the Song Bird. Photos: Marina Sacht

as a lifeboat with BC Ferries and has been lovingly restored. Today it is well known as the Harbour Tour boat where you can hear stories of our local history and culture while viewing marine life. Along with these boats and more, LMS has the Sudbury II Workboat from the famous tug of the same name, the Joan, a 1945 12’ clinker built rowboat, the Lesley, a 1940’s Spencer Craft, the Song Bird, a Columbia fishing boat with an original Easthope engine, and the historic Rainbow Skiﬀ located in the LMS Floating Museum.

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Slack Point Is Disappearing Slack Point has been a part of our waterfront for the past 120 years. Legally, Slack Point isn’t land at all. It is fill that is composed of “coal slack”. Slack is usually composed of the residue from “coal washing” and debris from the mining process. Coal came to the Ladysmith wharves by railcars from the mines at Extension. The coal was then washed and sorted before loading on to awaiting ships at the dock. This waste material (slack) was then disposed of. In the case of the wharves at Ladysmith, James Dunsmuir, owner of the Extension mines, was granted permission to dump this material into the ocean by the provincial government. For over 30 plus years, that coal was loaded at Ladysmith docks and more and more slack was dumped into the ocean adjacent to the wharves, thereby creating Slack Point. The slack pile grew larger and larger until it was about 1,200 feet out into the ocean, about 1400 feet along the shoreline, around 30 to 40 feet below the ocean level and another 30 feet above the water. As a child in the late 50s, I can vividly

Dan Spence standing by Slack's Point eroding bank. Photo: Rob Johnson

remember playing on the mounds of slack on the point. In those days, the piles were smoldering from the burning coal deep within the pile and clouds of smoke rose into the sky. Today, the piles and the fires are gone and the area is relatively flat. In fact, most of the area is less than five feet above high water and the surface area of the point has diminished by approximately 35 per cent, by my calculations. I estimate that the volume of the piles have been reduced by well over 65 per cent as the point eroded away. Since my return to Ladysmith some 32 years ago, I have watched as slowly more and more of Slack Point is being washed away by the ocean. I find it very disheartening to see the area being re-

duced to its present size. Today, it is not unusual to see three or more feet of the shoreline disappear each year. This is why I feel we have to address the problem of the disappearing of the point now before it is gone. It has been proposed in the Ladysmith Waterfront Plan that we can “cap and fill” this area and make it into parkland. In order to do this, we first have to find a way to stop this erosion. We can’t aﬀord to lose any more of the point. The disappearance of the land is not only aﬀected by the present rate of erosion and storms plus king tides, but we also have to concern ourselves now with the undisputed fact that sea levels are rising. In a recent report, quoted a government source, it is

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estimated that we will see a three to four feet rise in sea levels in the next 50 to 80 years. This estimate is confirmed by numerous other reports. If you stand on the shoreline at the high-water mark at the tip of the point and look toward town, you will be shocked to see how much of this area is less than five feet above the high-water mark. Winter storms and king tides, along with the projected sea level rise, will cause most of this land to be under water and unusable as parkland. The only way to prevent this is to stabilize the shoreline with sheet piling and raising the ground level. This would be a very expensive procedure. Unless the Town can find huge grants or rich partners to stabilize and raise the land at the point, it will be useless as parkland. The cost of protecting this site will likely run into the tens of millions of dollars; money we don’t have. It is imperative that the future of Slack Point be resolved before we ever think of selling any land that could be used to expand Transfer Beach Park to meet the needs and wishes of the community. At least, that’s as I see it.

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RDN Area A Cedar Do you drive on Cedar Road? Have you noticed people walking on the shoulders or crossing the road near the schools or shopping centres? I have had a lot of mail over the past two years about drivers on Cedar Road speeding, ignoring pedestrians (they have the right-of-way) or parking in areas that are dangerous to passersby. Unfortunately, there is little that the RDN can do to improve the traﬃc on our roads. We can and do connect with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) and the RCMP. In both cases, although the jurisdiction is theirs, there is too much work for those agencies to do and too few hands to do it. The one thing that I can do to alleviate these issues is to slow down when I’m driving, be aware of pedestrians and be extra cautious near schools and shopping areas. If everyone did this, there would be no need for MOTI or the RCMP. If we all paid a little more attention to our speed and gave the right-ofway to those on foot, and if we stopped at crosswalks when someone was waiting to cross and followed the rules of the road, there wouldn’t be a problem. To focus on one area, I have had many complaints about drivers coming into central Cedar from the south on Cedar Road. When cars approach Gould Road, they neglect to slow down (maximum

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speed is 60 kph) for that crosswalk. Kids are going to and from the nearby school on foot and bicycles. And sometimes kids do stupid things, so drivers should be paying lots of attention in that area. Also, if you are leaving “downtown” Cedar headed south, you should be careful as well when approaching that intersection. I know I would hate to face hitting a child and having to live with that for the rest of my life. At the other end of Gould, on Yellow Point Road, kids are headed to and from school as well. Other complaints centre on the crosswalk at the 49th Parallel grocery store. Traffic is routinely going at 10 kph or more over the speed limit, making it difficult for people to cross the street. As well, restaurant deliveries to Eataliano Kitchen (formerly Slice Resto) and Coco Café are often dropped from trucks parked on the street beside the restaurants. It becomes very difficult to see people in the crosswalk if they are waiting to cross Cedar Road at that location. Recently a car ended up in the ditch there — Were they trying to avoid pedestrians? I’ll get off my soapbox now and ask your patience with everyone on our roads over the summer. I support the Yellow Point Trail project and hope that you do as well. But once that project is completed, there will be a crisscrossing trail all around Cedar, even running from the airport to the ferry terminal,

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and it will bring more people to our roads. So, as they used to say on old police dramas, “Be careful out there.” Have a great, safe summer!

CVRD Area H North Oyster/ Diamond As summer comes along and we all embrace lessened restrictions, you might want to make an outing and drive along Bell McKinnon Road in North Cowichan to see the location of the new Cowichan District Hospital (CDH). You can’t miss it, as there is a large sign in front of the property. I mention the hospital, as one of the responsibilities of an electoral area director is being a member of the board for the CDH. The board gets regular updates on the progress of the replacement of the CDH. Some important milestones have been reached in recent months including the land transfer for the new hospital. And moving forward, the design and construction phase starts in 2022 and the anticipated opening is in 2026. The new hospital will be located on Bell McKinnon Road close to where it meets Herd Road. From where I’m located, in downtown Yellow Point, it is under 30 minutes (and by my count ten traﬃc lights) to drive there. That is about the same amount of time to drive to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, but with many less lights to get through if you go the downtown route. If you are

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a “light counter” like me, that is significant. Based on what I have read and heard, I believe the Cowichan District Hospital Replacement Project is going to provide more options for residents of the Diamond and North Oyster. What will be diﬀerent? According to the VIHA website: The new hospital will be three times larger than the current facility and have 201 beds (up from the current 134). The emergency department beds will essentially double (from 17 to 36) and operating rooms will increase (from three to seven). Mental health services will be brought up-todate, with a 17-bed inpatient psychiatry unit complete with access to secure outdoor space and a four-bed psychiatric intensive care unit. There will be a new birthing unit, with a capacity for ten obstetrics beds and a nursery for families and new moms. The new Labour, Delivery, Recovery and Postpartum maternity care model will provide mothers a place to give birth and to stay in the same room with their infants until they are discharged. The paediatric unit will have eight beds, four

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Current hospital in Duncan. Photo courtesy of CVRD

of which can be used to provide care to paediatric mental health and substance use patients. This is double the paediatric beds compared to the current hospital and will help families avoid a drive to Nanaimo or Victoria when they need access to these important services for children and youth. Culturally safe spaces will be part of the new hospital to accommodate traditional healing practices, cultural practices and room for loved ones to support patients during stays. The hospital will also be a training site for medical students in the University of British Columbia Island Medical Program. There

will be 800 parking spots available, an increase of 400 parking spots over the current facility, and parking will be free of charge. The new hospital leads me into the topic of local transit. Will a new hospital in five years be a compelling reason for the citizens of Area H to join the CVRD transit service? Currently Areas G and H are the only areas in the CVRD that do not have (nor pay) for transit. Funding is by tax requisition (net of any fare revenue of course). The estimated cost to join the CVRD transit service was reported in early this year as $12.06 per $100,000 of assessed property value, which works out to be $148,024 for Electoral Area H. An important aspect is, this is a CVRD transit network and would connect riders to locations in the CVRD (i.e., Ladysmith, Duncan). This means a connection to Nanaimo is not an option. However, there is an interregional service between the CVRD and RDN coming in 2022. Currently, there are no proposed bus stops in Area H. However, if Area H opted into a regional transit service, then it might be possible to pursue a

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link to the upcoming interregional service. The CVRD has told me if Area H wants to start the process of joining the CVRD transit system, they only need the approval of the area director. I am not planning on doing that without clear direction from the citizens — I hope to see this as a topic for a future townhall meeting. Until then, I am interested in what you think about joining the CVRD transit system. Send me an email with your thoughts on this or anything else that sparks your interest. Ben.maartman@cvrd.bc.ca 250-510-5930

CVRD Area G Saltair/Thetis Island Recycling Contamination At the June 15 Electoral Area Services Committee meeting, a staﬀ report about recycling contamination said Saltair had a ten to 15 per cent contamination rate in 2020. A clause in the CVRD’s contract with Recycle BC, requires the CVRD to maintain a contamination rate of three per cent or less. Unfortunately, the CVRD’s contamination rate is currently around 15 per cent. Per the agreement between the CVRD and Recycle BC, the CVRD can be fined $5000 per load of packaging and printed paper material that contains more than three per cent non-accepted material. How can Saltair become the recycling star we want it to be? If you are looking for the answer to a recycling question, contact the CVRD Recycling Hotline 1-800-665-665-3955 or 250-746-2540 or curbside@cvrd. bc.ca (visit https://www.cvrd.ca/78/Garbage-Recycling). Download the Cowichan Recycles mobile app to access your collection

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schedule, get reminders sent directly to your phone and learn how to dispose of items using the new Cowichan Recyclopedia! You can also use the CVRD video link to see what shouldn’t go into curbside recycling: https://youtu.be/rm9wjm9sFXo. Look for Recycle BC information at https://recyclebc.ca/. As a community, we can work for star status. When dropping an item into our blue tote for recycling, let’s always ask ourselves if this is where it goes. Saltair Community Parks and Trails The Centennial Park Revitalization Concept Plan Questionnaire/PlaceSpeak closed on June 30. CVRD Parks and Trails staﬀ will now correlate the information collected to inform future development within the Park. CVRD staﬀ have replaced most of the older garbage cans in Centennial Park with one located beside the washrooms. The new container is six feet deep and requires fewer pickups. Many residents have noticed two new Saltair Community Park signs. One, for Centennial Park, is located at the South Oyster School Road entrance. The other, for Stocking Creek Park, is located at the Finch Place entrance. It would be sad to see the earlier signs, which were made by Saltair residents, discarded. They are part of our history. Maybe we can find a way to create a “Saltair History Wall” in Centennial Park that would include items like these. Saltair Water System Grant Application We continue to wait for the provincial and federal governments to announce the allocation of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure — Green Infrastructure (Environmental Quality Program)

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grant, which is the grant the CVRD applied for that might assist us with the cost of providing a filtration system for the Saltair Water System. COVID grants have created a backlog for provincial and federal staff and officials dealing with grant applications. Saltair Water Works Office Property Before the CVRD assumed responsibility for the Saltair Water System in 1986, the Saltair Water Works (SWW) office was located on the east side of Chemainus Road, close to Saltair Road. Saltair residents would go there to pay their water bills. The SWW property has since been used by the CVRD to store inventory and machinery, so the CVRD is no longer using the property for this purpose. The SWW parcel is zoned P2 (Institutional). It is in a residential neighbourhood. The CVRD Board has deemed this property surplus and a decision has been made to re-zone the parcel as residential. The parcel will be sold. The proceeds will be allocated to the Saltair Water System Reserve Fund for distribution system upgrades and/or the filtration system. Thetis Island’s New Forbes Hall On June 13, I toured Thetis Island’s new Forbes Hall. Kudos to all those involved in creating such a lovely community hall. Fundraising and volunteers made this new community centre a shining example of what can be accomplished by a dedicated community without taxpayer dollars. OCPs, the MOCP, the DPA, and LAPs There is confusion regarding potential changes to our current Official Community Plan (OCP) and where the CVRD is in its harmonization, modernization and local area plan process. This is understandable. It is a complex process, which has consumed a tremendous amount of staff time during the past few years. On July 7, CVRD staff will present their tentative plan for public consultation to the Electoral Area CVRD directors during the Special Electoral Area Services Committee meeting on this date. I look forward to this update and will keep you posted. Please watch for the HTML agenda regarding this meeting on the CVRD website and read the documents attached to this agenda item. If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at lynne.smith@cvrd. bc.ca or 250-701-1407. Additional articles and information may be found at SaltairNews.ca.

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The Joy of Wetlands BY CARRIE-LYN ROBINSON Do you ever really look at the landscape as you ride in your car, peddle your bike or just walk down the road? We live in an amazing place that contains secret worlds around every corner. When you look at swamps or marshes, do mosquitoes pop into your head? You are not wrong, but there is so much more to these wondrous places. These sensitive ecosystems are essential habitats for amphibians, insects, all types of birds and even mammals. The creatures that inhabit wetlands are not the only beneficiaries of a healthy wetland; we humans also have a lot to

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gain. They are referred to as earth’s kidneys, because they remove harmful elements from the hydrological system. They absorb excess amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen that enter waterways, most often as a result from human actions. When these naturally occurring or introduced nutrients are overabundant, they can cause algae blooms, hypoxia and fish kills. When wetlands function properly, they help to clean the fresh water systems, protecting our drinking water and the ocean. During March 2021, I was fortunate enough to be able to study ten wetlands in the Yellow Point area. I gained permission from the landowners to access them and proceeded to map their perimeters, record scientific measurements and note ecological observations. The ground truthing was most enjoyable aspect of my work, especially when my husband joined me in our canoe to map two of the wetlands. The project was part of my Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Master’s Program at Vancouver Island University. You may be asking yourself, what is GIS? The most basic explanation is the use of highly sophisticated software where data is entered and analysed. The results are transformed and used to create a map with several data layers, each represented as a feature on the map and in the legend. The map I created for the Yellow Point wetlands project includes lakes, CVRD study sites addresses, CVRD study sites parcels, and the wetlands layer I mapped in the field and developed in the software. I photographed many creatures and types of vegetation while conducting the fieldwork, including some of my favourites: western skunk cabbage, green tree frog, red-breasted sapsucker, common garter snake (this particular specimen in the photo below is female; she is large, over eight centimetres in girth and more than a metre long) During June, I was able to participate in a Wetland Keepers course hosted by NALT, led by Ryan Durand of Ecologic Environmental Consulting. He inspired us to learn about the various indicators that can be used to identify and classify wetlands, based on hydrology, dominant vegetation, soil type and composition. Once you have learned to appreciate the beauty and benefits of wetlands,

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Clockwise: Map of Wetlands, Wetlands play a critical role in the ecosystem Common Garter Snake. Photos & Map: Carrie-lyn Robinson

wanting to preserve and restore them is the next step. You possess the power to contribute to the protection of such places. The British Columbia Wildlife Federation (BCWF) runs a program enabling ordinary people to become Wetland Keepers. If you are interested, their

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website (bcwf.bc.ca) includes their Wetland Keepers handbook, course registration and information on protecting these vital sensitive ecosystems. Not yet ready to commit? You can still go out and listen to the sounds of the wetlands, appreciate their vegetation and discover their many creatures.

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Little Brown Bats (Little Brown Myotis) BY K. BRAUCKMANN Have you ever heard the faint squeak and chatter of a critter hiding in the thick bark of an old-growth Douglas fir? Or looked out at a lake after sunset or street light and been dazzled by the mid-air acrobatics of small winged creatures? Those are bats, and most likely our native little brown bat, also known as little brown myotis, which is likely our most common bat on Vancouver Island out of ten species. Some people refer to bats as flying rats, which is a complete misunderstanding of their genetics. Bats are more closely related to primates than rodents and have complicated social systems similar to whales, dolphins and primates. They are the only mammal capable of sustained flight and are more maneuverable in the air than birds! Bats have similar bone structures to humans — that is their hands and arms. The only diﬀerence is that their “fingers” are elongated and have thin membranes

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over their bone. These small mammals have a body about the length of your thumb and a wingspan of six to nine inches. Although these critters are relatively small, they are the longest lived mammal in relation to their body size. In the wild, little brown myotis have been documented at ages of 40 years old. This is partially due to their ability to reach a state called torpor, where they can slow their heart rate, metabolism and body temperature down to a minimum. Torpor usually occurs when bats are in hibernation, and if this state is interrupted, it can be disastrous. If disturbed while in hibernation, most bat species have a zero per cent chance of survival. A disruption during hibernation occurs when bats are evicted from people’s homes during winter months or when there are human disturbances in their roosting areas. The best time to evict bats from your home are during the spring and summer months, but make sure to do a bit of research before taking on this task. Winter roosting habitats, or hibernacula, for little brown myotis are usually quite large, given there are thousands of them hibernating together. A deep cave or abandoned mine is the perfect place to stay during the colder months. Even when bats are in hibernation, they play a critical role in their environment — so critical that they are considered the primary producers of cave ecosystems, the same way plants are on the surface. Not only are they a key species in underground ecosystems, but scientists are studying bat enzymes found in caves that could detoxify dangerous chemicals. Bats are scientifically fascinating, but they are also important allies for insect management. Little brown myotis and other insectivorous bats can eat over 1000 insects in the span of a few hours, controlling the mosquito population for the average person and saving Canada’s agriculture industry $3.7 billion annually and America’s, $23 billion in a single summer. This money isn’t saved solely through insect control, but through pollination as well. Although little brown myotis isn’t a natural born pollinator, many bat species are and without them we wouldn’t have products like chocolate from cocoa trees or tequila from agave plants. Throughout the world, bats play a significant role in their environment. And although there is fear surrounding this critter, because of diseases like rabies or they have been portrayed as vicious blood suckers, many bats are completely harmless. Only 1.5 people contract rabies annually and there are only three bat species in the world that survive on blood, all of which live in South America. There is no reason to fear such fuzzy creatures, but a dozen reasons to create a friendly environment to invite them around your house and neighbourhood.

Cooking for Television Now that I’m retired from the restaurant business and have some nights free, it’s time to live a normal life. For this story, a normal life means watching cooking shows, the number and variety of which are startling. Who would have thought having an unsuccessful restaurant would get you on television? And how can you match the gut-wrenching drama of Cupcake Wars, where four women battle it out, spoon and spatula, to win an allpaid weekend in Des Moines, in addition to valuable prizes like a monogrammed piping bag? But it gets better. Yes, I’m talking about the Naked Chef, the guy who works wearing only an apron, nothing else. I can see the show’s producer explaining the concept to his wife: “At least three times every show, we have the guy turn his back on the camera, walk over to the fridge behind him, bend over, and reach into the chiller. We call this ‘The Thrillah in the Chillah,’ and it always comes with our biggest

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drumroll.” His wife reaches for her cast iron frying pan, laying a couple of shots to his head. Basically, the cooking shows can be broken down into two groups: the fine dining, vertical food guys; and the downhome, smoke-them-ribs flavour fanatics. Maybe it’s a TV thing - if a little conflict is good, a whole lot is even better - but the fine dining chefs appear to pattern their public personas after even more egregious TV political commentators. They’re angry, arrogant, belligerent, trash-talking twits. Hell, even the ferocious boxer Roberto Duran would occasionally touch gloves between rounds. Not these guys. Their food? Stacked, styled, sourced locally, occasionally brilliant, but not always edible. Fine-dining chefs are masters at getting over-height structures past the Board of Variance. Their creations are known in the trade as vertical food. As the district planning officer commented, “These chefs only think of themselves. They don’t care if these structures block the neighbour’s sun, nor are they concerned about the wind tunnel effect created by their structures.” News Update from Gourmet magazine, 6 minutes ago: chef François Foygraw, originally from some unpronounceable village in Quebec, now holds the Canadian record for highest stacked entrée: Leaning Tower of Pork Loin, a stretched and teased piece of pork held up by an elaborate system of guy-

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wires formed from reef-knotted chives towering to a height of 37.2 inches. Receiving almost equal billing for this culinary miracle is the waiter Jimmy “Magic Man” Wilson from Niagara Falls who successfully delivered it to the table without incident. Wilson trained for the event by walking three times daily across a tightrope stretched over the Falls, a feat even more impressive when you consider he was juggling five medium-sized bok choy at the time. Unfortunately, after successfully delivering the pork loin to the table, a gust of wind from a passing busboy caused it to topple like a stricken Douglas fir in a windstorm. The man who ordered the meal scampered out of the way in the nick of time, but his date in the low-cut top found the upper floors of the structure wedged in her cleavage. But as Wilson, who was at the table, can attest, “As far as final resting places go, that’s as good as it gets.” With this style of cuisine, the waiter’s main job is to explain the food. Given the number of ingredients, this can be more complicated than explaining the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. For some unknown reason, these explanations are always delivered in an affected voice: Customer: “Excuse me, what’s that green thing on my plate?” Waiter: “Good question. Let me just refer to my notes.” (Pulls notepad as big as a Chicago phonebook out of his pocket.) “That would be stinging nettle.”

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Customer: “Stinging nettle?” Waiter: “Don’t worry. It’s been disarmed in the kitchen.” Customer: “And this long tubular structure with the two brussels sprouts nestled at its base?” Waiter: “That would be a sea cucumber, also known as a saltwater penis. Hey! Where are you going? I’m not finished yet.” To me, the most interesting people found on the cooking channel are the Dives-and-Diners boys. Their primary concern is flavour; their holy trinity is fat, salt and sugar. Their God is the deep fryer and their star ingredient is pork, a protein they’re not afraid to deep fry. That noise? Just your arteries banging. What follows is the standard diner cooking technique used to pack tons of flavour into anything, including the hockey puck we’ve chosen for this demonstration: 1. Season the hell out of hockey pucks purchased fresh from Canadian Tire, using about half a cup of salt per puck along with seasonings already laden with salt. Throw pucks in preheated pan awash in oil, brown both sides, reserve pucks. 2. Deglaze pan with a mirepoix of onion, celery and green pepper, cook over medium heat until cooked through. Add enough chicken stock to cover the pucks. Braise until tender: about seven days for pucks. Shred pucks, mix with onion and one cup of mayonnaise per puck. Stuff mixture into sausage casings, which you will now deep fry. Place pan liquid in blender and drop in two pounds of butter, one cube at a time, until “puck essence” has firmed up. 3. Brown both sides of hot dog buns in bacon fat, or duck fat if you have it. Spread flavoured mayonnaise one-quarter inch thick on both sides, and add puck sausages. 4. Prepare accompaniments of potato salad (double mayo), coleslaw (yep, still more mayo), then artistically squirt sweet red pepper oil over everything including your dining companion’s napkin. Serve puck essence, which has now hardened to the consistency of solid butter, on the side. 5. Have ambulance on speed dial, insurance paid up, and glycerin tablets beside the salt and pepper. Sprinkle meal with additional salt and Bon Appetite! Or, for those with weak hearts, Bon Voyage! Finally, we have the “Restaurant Make Over” shows. That’s where people who lack business skills, common sense, cooking ability, or any people skills sign up to have a bully chef, usually with a British accent, tell them how stupid they are. Which is why, more often as not, you’ll find me on YouTube watching Have Gun Will Travel reruns. Two beat the heat wines. One rose and one Sauvignon blanc. one litre bottles both by Cono Sur Bicicleta from Chili. Price ranges from $10.95 to $12.95. You can follow Delbert at Slightl y c o r k e d a n d m o r e .w o r d p r e s s . com or pick up his book at Mahle House, Co-Co Cafe, TAKE 5 oﬃce or throughout the community for just $20.

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EMPLOYMENT TWO SUMMER STUDENT POSITIONS – The Ladysmith & District Historical Society has two summer positions - Curatorial Assistant and Heritage Researcher. The curatorial assistant will learn about care and organization of the Ladysmith Museum’s collection to preserve it, for online and in-museum exhibits and programs, and the public’s enjoyment. Research Assistant a research assistant with post graduate University to do research at the Ladysmith Archives, Ladysmith Museum and Heritage Rail includes hands-on work at the Heritage Railway buildings. The successful applicants will have completed some post-secondary education in a related area of museum studies/heritage conservation/history/ anthropology, and have excellent computer skills 35 hour work week for eight weeks. Hourly wage: $15.20 We acknowledge Canada Summer Jobs funding. Send resume by June 15, 2021 to: museum@ladysmithhistoricalsociety.ca. FOR SALE FARM FRESH Indian Runner duck eggs. Tastes richer, more nutritious than chicken eggs. Great for eating or baking. $8/doz. Pick up Cedar area. Text Eric 604-649-3780. 4 LAWN or SUNDECK CHAIRS, never used, all white, hard gloss painted metal with backs, no cushions. $140. Cash OBO Contact Arvo 250758-5816 GAS COOKING PICNIC/CAMPING STOVE with sides, as-is, in cover. Two sided Coleman unit with built-in gas tank green. $75. Contact Arvo 250-758-5816 LARGE GLASS JARS with handles, 25 gallon size, plus 3 gallon jars (2) $30. OBO Contact Arvo 250-758-5816 CREAMER Dispenser for whip cream for sundaes, floats & cups. Whippets chargers shake before usage comes with charge for cream-charger and spare. Stainless unit

supplied by National Sanitation tested USA, use in restaurants & ice cream parlours. $25. Each Contact Arvo 250-758-5816 MINI-CARS Assorted Collections. All steel units: 1933 Cadillac Fleetwood 4 door, 1933 Cadillac Town Car, Auburn 851 2 door, 1935 Duesenberg SSJ Signature Models. Still in boxes. $25. Each cash contact Arvo 250-758-5816 CLASS HO TWO-TRUCK CLIMAX LOCOMOTIVE NEW item 82802 New Price sale at $125. Cash OBO, original price $375. Never used, only show. Contact Arvo 250-758-5816

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KB HANDYMAN AND YARDWORKS SERVICES. Minor carpentry work, decks, fences, gutter cleaning, power washing, tree pruning, yard clean up, lawn fertilizing, mowing. Seniors discount. Contact Karl kbhandymanandyardworks@gmail.com or 250-714-2738. HEART LAKE ROOFING for all your roofing repairs 250-668-9195. ALL ACRES TREE SERVICE providing all aspects of tree work. Pruning, falling, hedging, dangerous tree removal. Fully insured. Professional work at reasonable rates. Call 250-246-1265.

TRAILER EQUALIZER for pulling-hitch ball roller, low hitch that’s close to ground will lift vehicle higher would not drag bumper. $25. OBO, Arvo 250-758-5816

DARRELL ESSAR RENOVATIONS. Over 30 years’ experience, certified journeyman carpenter. No job is too small, from fences, decks, tile work, hardwood flooring, painting, drywall, etc. For free estimate, call Darrell 250-714-3823.

FISH FISH FISH. Buy direct from the guy who caught it! High quality salmon, lingcod, rockfish. All fish blast frozen at sea. Satisfaction guaranteed! Contact Jim at oceandancer.wallace@gmail.com or 250-245-5957 / 250-739-1123.

ISLAND PRUNING. Professional tree care from large scale orchards to budding new trees. I can meet any pruning need. Shrubs, vines and ornamental. Large and small clean ups. Call Darcy Belcourt 250-323-1260. TAKE 5 CLASSIFIEDS work. 250-245-7015

BUSINESS EXPERIENCED HOUSESITTER. Now offering senior companionship, respite care and concierge services. Peaceofmindcare. wordpress.com. Contact Kathleen at kgrcoaching@gmail.com or 250-619-0786. I CAN EDIT. Copy editing, proofreading, structural editing and more. Fiction or nonfiction, web content and eBook prep. For more information, email editican@gmail. com. HEALTH & WELLNESS TAI CHI for mental & physical health. Beginner classes start Sept. & Jan., Mondays; ongoing class Wednesdays. Both classes 10am–noon at the Cedar Hall, 2388 Cedar Road. More information: www.taichinanaimo.org or call Sara 250-245-1466. HOME & YARD INTO THE POND – MAINTENANCE & REVITALIZATION, division of Into the Garden Landscaping Services. Cleaning, maintenance, consultations. Really love your pond! Call for free estimate, 250-466-9339. QUALITY RENOVATIONS. Big or small. 25 years’ exp/journeyman, affordable. For free estimate, call Lars 250-616-1800.

PETS PROFESSIONAL PET CARE SERVICE “leash ’em & walk ’em” with Marlena & Babs. I am bonded, have Animal First Aid and CPR. My service for all pet includes dog walking, home care visits, overnight in your home and much more. As my love is yours! Call 250-246-3394. SENIORS HIRED HAND for Independent Elder. Odd jobs, companionship, meal prep, etc.! Valid First Aid/ CPR, clean driver’s record, Level 2 FOODSAFE, gardener and handywoman. Call Marilyn at 250606-7069. GRANNY’S ON THE GO COMPANION SERVICES covering Cedar, Ladysmith, Chemainus. Clean driver’s abstract, FOODSAFE, First Aid/CPR Gerontology Based Therapeutic Recreation Certificate Kwantlen University, Osteo Fit, Pool Assist & JAVA programs certificates. Working with active seniors that are not quite ready to stop the adventures. COVID-19 guidelines in place when out and about in public. At your service, Janet Bowman at janetmb@shaw.ca or 250-924-1515. LEAVE A LEGACY. Memoirs, family cookbooks, personal histories, we can help get your project ready to press or in production. Available in print, eBook and video format. Professional publishing services for corporates or individuals. editor@take5. ca or call 250-245-7015.

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Gift Horse If a window of opportunity appears, don’t pull down the shade - Tom Peters,management guru Shirley’s oﬀer of strawberry plants, free to a good home, was met with this response: “Well, it’s almost time to submit my piece for the TAKE 5, and I’ve been playing with several ideas. Your email has definitely confirmed my June subject! It’s about my inability to ‘look a gift horse in the mouth.’ Like those old ads cautioned teens tempted to experiment with mind-altering substances: ‘Just say no.’ But I can’t. I never could, and fear I never will. When opportunity comes a-knockin’, I’m right there at the door with open arms. So, yes please. Thank you so much for the plants.” Now let’s get the plot weeded, dug and manured, and ready for all 39 of the beauty berries. For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a problem saying no. For the most part, this has been a good thing. But is there such a beast as too much of a good thing? I’m pretty sure the training started in early childhood. Being the third of three girls, all one year apart in age, meant that I didn’t just get hand-me-downs, I got hand-me-hand-me downs. When I would moan and complain, my mom was often heard repeating that gifthorse line, followed by her interpretation: “When someone oﬀers or gifts you ANYTHING, you say, ‘Yes, thank you.’” I was thoroughly indoctrinated by the time I hit teenagehood. Then things took a real positive spin. You see, my sisters Sharon and Sandy were not only up on the fashion trends, but also had a few earned shekels to spend. I veritably drooled whenever they went clothes

Garden of Eden - Akane apple tree - half-picked. Photo: Jackie Moad

shopping, knowing that I would be the sole recipient of their sweet hand-medowns! The trend continued after leaving home to go to university. I loved bulk trash day — some people’s garbage is indeed another person’s treasure! Fast forward to 17 years ago when we bought the farm: 20 acres, with some lovely big storage barns (oh no!), and acres of soil that just begged to be used. And the opportunities were endless. Folks were more than willing to help us city rubes out with sage advice and as many horticultural delights as we could handle ... or not handle. I was so used to saying yes to what became my favourite four-letter word that starts with “f” — FREE — that things, well, they just snowballed. I started to realize this when my good friend Denise said her boss was trying to get rid of a bunch of fruit trees. They had been around for a few years, and the ID tags on them had washed/rubbed oﬀ. So they were “mystery” apples, cherries, plums, pears and quince. Not free, but so inexpensive — at $10 instead of $50, we took the 15 oﬀered us. At the time, I remember thinking that in a few years there would be lots of fruit. Yes, please. Time for a well-placed quote on opportunities by Thomas Edison: “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” Big lesson here. Never been afraid of hard work. Those trees needed holes dug to house them, amendments to make their roots jump for joy, a good pruning, watering and coddling. Two weeks later,

the nursery oﬀered us all their old stock of fruit and nut trees. Were we interested? It was at this point that I purely blame my upbringing. We should have said no. But, but ... yes, please, and thank you. I counted the number of fruit trees here at Thistledown this spring when I (and my trusty buddy Denise) pruned every one of those “gifts”... 78! Some were here when we arrived, but 70 are, as ancient Greek orator Demosthenes would put it, “small opportunities [that] are often the beginning of great enterprises.” Sure

’nough. Epilogue: Last fall, we pressed 83 quarts of apple juice, gave fruit boxes to friends and processed the rest. Whew.

Jackie Moad has always been a slow learner when it comes to opportunityresistance, especially while farming that 20 acres of organic paradise, all the while dreaming of next year’s strawberry delights.