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Wednesday, January 9, 2013
THE LAKE COWICHAN GAZETTE
www.lakecowichangazette.com
Town of Lake Cowichan Commission Membership Vacancies The Town of Lake Cowichan is seeking one additional member for the following Commission:
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Advisory Planning Commission
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Members of the Commission advise Council on all matters respecting land use, community planning or proposed bylaws and permits that are referred to it by Council. Membership is restricted to residents of the Town of Lake Cowichan and two members may be non-residents. Membership term is for a two year period, commencing January 1st, 2013. Further information regarding the above Commission is available by contacting the undersigned at 250.749.6681 during regular office hours, Monday through Friday. A brief letter outlining your interest in serving on the above should be directed to reach the Town by 3:00 p.m., January 25th, 2013 and submitted to the undersigned:
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Joseph A. Fernandez, Chief Administrative Officer Town of Lake Cowichan PO Box 860, 39 South Shore Road, Lake Cowichan, BC V0R 2G0 • No faxes or e-mails will be considered
Courtesy Kaatza Station Museum
Community Consultation Sessions School District 79 invites the public to attend one of two Community Consultation Sessions to discuss options being considered in an era of declining enrolment and increased costs. Saturday, January 12, 2013 from 9:30 am to 11:30 am at George Bonner Middle School Saturday, January 12, 2013 from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm at Quamichan Middle School To allow us to prepare for the session, you are encouraged to preregister at communityconsultation@sd79.bc.ca. Please don’t forget to tell us which session you plan to attend. Participants who preregister will receive a copy of presentation material in advance of the session.
Several cast members of one of the many plays performed by the Lake Cowichan Drama Club, (which operated from 1952-1983) shown in costume, for this group photo taken sometime after 1956. Seen in the photo are Len Plater No.1, Adrian Pecknold No.2, Addie Pecknold No.3. A few others who may be recognized by readers of this column include Trevor Green, Eva and Fred Wilson, Goldie Money, Elsie Kirby and Trudie Allan.
Whatever became of two men from Lake Cowichan, Plater and Pecknold?
Rolli Gunderson
PAGES OF HISTORY A look at the lives of two men from Lake Cowichan united by theatrical ties and who went off to carve out interesting careers in Canada.
Len Plater
Greetings from Los Cabos!
Dale and Norma O’Connell Dale and Norma O’Connell from Youbou took their hometown newspaper with them on holidays this fall. They are pictured here in Los Cabos. Just by booking their holiday with Sherri at Whittomes Travel they are now eligible to win $500 off the next trip they book with Whittomes Travel. AROU ND
T
RLD WO HE
“We love to travel!” Stay in Touch With Home www.lakecowichangazette.com
In 1968, almost 20 years after moving to Lake Cowichan where he spent a year teaching at the high school and the next 18 as principal of Stanley Gordon Elementary School, Len Plater (and family) left Lake Cowichan for greener pastures. His new position as associate of the Educational Foundation Centre at Simon Fraser University, North Burnaby, was defined as one that “assisted new teachers through their early teaching experience,” (Lake News May 8, 1968). It was with some regret that the Platers left the Lake where they had raised their three children, Ted, Marion and Roy. Leading an active community life, the Platers were founding members of the local square dance club and also belonged to the Lake Cowichan Drama Club, with Len taking part in amateur theatre productions. He had a keen interest in gardening
and found the Cowichan River “a constant source of pleasure,” (May 8, 1968 Lake News). Born in Lloydminster, Alberta in 1915, Len passed away in Richmond, B.C. in December of 2003, two years after his wife Mary. Adrian Pecknold The first eating establishment in the 1940s era in the Smith Block building here in town was called Adrian’s Fountain Lunch. Owner Adrian Pecknold, who sold the business a year later, served coffee, tea, sandwiches and light meals at the small café. The same location today, although eight times larger, has for several years been the home of the Shaker Mill Restaurant. Addie Pecknold, wife of Adrian, taught for many years at Stanley Gordon Elementary School in Lake Cowichan, most often sharing a class with principal, Len Plater. The Pecknold children, David, Adrian and Susan attended local schools and went on to have children of their own. Adrian’s greatest interest was the local amateur theatre group, then the Lake Cowichan Drama Club, where he and Addie were active. An accomplished actor, over the years he took part in numerous plays and drama festival events. In 1961 he was awarded an apprenticeship to the Stratford, Ontario
Shakespearean Festival. The prestigious award was the result of his performance as Arlecchino in the local drama club’s Italian comedy production, The Three Cuckolds. The highly acclaimed play, directed by Yvonne Green, was selected as British Columbia’s entry to the 1962 Dominion Drama Festival held back east. Eventually the family moved to Ontario where Adrian gained fame and a great degree of accomplishment in his chosen field of mime. He studied the art of mime in Paris, then later joined a mime company as actor and instructor. He founded a professional mime company and the first Canadian Mime School. In 1982 he authored a book entitled Mime, The Step Beyond Words and also taught at Ryerson (university) Theatre School. Of all his accomplishments, he was probably most well known for his creation and depiction of the mime character, Poco the Clown which, for many years appeared on the children’s Canadian television show, Mr. Dressup. After a long and illustrious career where he had “long (been) considered one of Canada’s leading mime artists and teacher,” (Canadian Theatre Review, No. 96, Fall 1988), Pecknold, born in 1920, succumbed to cancer. A service in his memory was held on Sept. 3, 1999 in Fonthill, Ontario (source Yvonne Green papers).