Thursday Feb. 16, 2012 (Vol. 37 No. 14))
V O I C E
O F
W H I T E
R O C K
A N D
S O U T H
S U R R E Y
w w w. p e a c e a r c h n e w s . c o m
A walk in the park: Randal Atkinson shares the history and showcases the rare and exotic treasures of Darts Hill Garden Park in the hopes of attracting more visitors to what he calls a “hidden gem” in South Surrey. � see page A11
White Rock tragedy claimed life of Marilyn Laursen last May
Hit-and-run driver remorseful: lawyer Tracy Holmes Staff Reporter
In a brief appearance in Surrey Provincial Court this week, Kyle Brandon Danyliuk took responsibility for the May 2011 hitand-run death of White Rock resident Marilyn Laursen. Danyliuk – who was arrested two months
later – pleaded guilty Wednesday afternoon to: dangerous driving causing death in the case of Laursen; dangerous driving causing bodily harm, in connection with a second victim who was injured in the same incident; and two counts of failure to stop at an accident scene causing death or bodily harm, with the intent to escape civil or criminal liability.
Hands grasped behind his back, Danyliuk, a slim, clean-shaven 20-year-old with closecropped dark hair, said “guilty” four times, after each charge was read. The plea made before Judge Michael Hicks is an admission that Danyliuk was behind the wheel of the car that struck and killed Laursen, 56, as she walked across Johnston
Road at Thrift Avenue on May 18. Surviving victim Solmaz Pourmohammmadbhagerna was in a vehicle not directly involved in the fatal crash. Outside court, Danyliuk – escorted at his request by a court sheriff – declined comment as he left with a woman and their young son. � see page A4
Guides help orphans
City program drops by
Residents keep an eye out for crime
Fashion sense Tracy Holmes Staff Reporter
Ugandan orphans who call Abetavu Children’s Village home are sporting new fashions these days, following a concerted effort by Peninsula Girl Guides to make a difference. Nearly two dozen colourful dresses were distributed last month to youngsters under the care of Coquitlam native Carli Travers. They were sewn over a two-week period by parents of 1st Kla How Ya Guides, using fabric donated by Laura’s Fashion Fabrics in White Rock and Surrey’s Wineberry Fabrics. “The dresses are amazing,” Travers said by email from Uganda Monday. “Our girls all felt like princesses.” The Guides hosted Travers and her husband, Robert Birungi, at the South Surrey home of Susan Richards de Wit on Dec. 5. Travers has lived in Uganda and taken in street children there since 2007. She and Birungi are currently ‘parents’ to 14 Ugandan children and three of their own. Their visit here was a highlight of the Guides’ work on an international community service project, and included a chance to hear from Travers herself all about the work she and Birungi are undertaking in an effort to change lives of young Ugandans. Among other things, they learned it’s not uncommon for
Dan Ferguson Staff Reporter
Contributed photos
girls their ages (9-12) to work all day with an infant on their backs – news they were “so surprised” by, Richards de Wit said. The Dec. 5 event included a sale of Ugandan crafts. In just two hours, the Guides raised $1,800, all of which will benefit the children’s village. In addition to baking, marketing and hosting, the Guides collected school supplies and gently used clothing for Travers and Birungi to take back to Uganda.
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Ugandan children (top) show off their new styles, sent by local Girl Guides and their families.
At 67 members, a City of Surrey program that fights crime in multiunit rental housing has now grown too big to hold its regular monthly meeting at RCMP headquarters. Which is why, on Tuesday, the Crime Free Multi-Housing Program meeting was held in the spacious amenities room of the Sunnyside Villas seniors’ housing complex at 151 Street and 26 Avenue. It marked the first time the participants have met in one of the building complexes participating in the crime-reduction program that launched in Surrey in 2004. Sunnyside building manager Joanne Menzies said the plan is to rotate the regular meeting among the members in the future. Sunnyside Villas joined the program two years ago. Menzies said the biggest physical change to the nine-acre site for security was landscaping, with greenery getting trimmed to eliminate potential places of concealment. Attitudes changed, too. Because the housing is in a quiet, relatively low-crime area, Menzies said some residents had become too nonchalant. “They left the front door open all the time,” Menzies recalled. “It was ridiculous.” � see page A4
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