THURSDAY May 29, 2014 Vol. 29• No. 43 ••• $1.25 inc. G.S.T.
THIS PUBLICATION AVAILABLE ONLINE AT comoxvalley record.com
COMOX VALLEY
Enter to Win!
ARTS
SPORTS
Talented sibling duo returns to Merville for two shows page B1
Isfeld teammates make U-17 girls’ provincial hoops squad page B9
RECORD
Your community. Your newspaper.
A division of
www.comoxvalleyrecord.com
comoxvalleyrecord.com/contests
Found, alive!
Search for missing Cumberland man has miraculous conclusion
Terry Farrell and Renee Andor Record Staff
Jamie Sproule has been found alive, five days after his disappearance. The 65-year-old Cumberland resident was discovered, unconscious, at a cairn, approximately 500 metres above Comox Lake Road, within a half kilometre of his home. Sproule, who is married to Cumberland Coun. Gwyn Sproule, went for a walk last Thursday afternoon and did not return. Concerns for his health were heightened, as he suffers from Parkinson’s and dementia. Residents of the village and surrounding communities in the Comox Valley joined forces in a massive manhunt. While the official Search and Rescue operation was suspended after the weekend, friends and family continued to look. Jamie’s nephew, Joseph Turner, was among a group of eight searchers who found Jamie, at approximately 5 p.m. Tuesday. “He was found where the cairn is, up there, just in the woods,” said Turner. “I think he must have just fallen backwards, over a log, and landed on his back. We found him laying on his back, in a little bit of a clearing but with bushes on both sides. Pretty much completely enveloped.” Jamie was unresponsive at the time of the discovery. “He was not conscious,” said Turner. “They (paramedics) had him on oxygen. We had to wheel him out for approximately 500 metres of some pretty dense bush. They checked his vitals about three-quarters of the way down and they said that (his vitals)
PHOTO COURTESY CTV VANCOUVER ISLAND
SOPHIE GILMORE, longtime family friend of the Sproules and the one of the group of eight who actually found Jamie, gets a hug at a celebration party at the Sproule residence on Tuesday evening. Jamie was found after being missing for five days. were getting quite a bit stronger from the oxygen.” The discovery ended an operation that involved numerous Search and Rescue teams from the Island, as well as hundreds of volunteers. “It was an incredibly enormous relief,” said an emotional Turner. “I mean, it was like he disappeared off the face of the earth. To see him and get a visual on him
❝
It was an incredibly enormous relief. I mean, it was like he disappeared off the face of the earth. To see him and get a visual on him was amazing.
❞
Joseph Turner, nephew was amazing. A great feeling.” “I am just over the moon – he’s alive and he’s in hospital, and I am about as happy as it gets,”
PRICED TO SELL LOWEST PRICE EVER
18995
$
MSRP $229.95
BG 55 Gas Blower 250.339.4518 662 Anderton Rd, Comox
250.331.0748
2981 Moray Ave., Courtenay
WesternOne.ca
$
40995 MSRP $459.95
MM 55 Yard Boss Cultivator
said Gwyn’s sister, Barbara Price. Turner thanked everyone involved in the exhaustive search. “Incredible amounts of help
Spring Stock Has Arrived!
MAKE YARD WORK Toyota
QUICK & EASY
from the community,” he said. “From people in Cumberland, from people all over the Comox Valley, all the Search and Rescue that came out, and helped out as well.” He said although the official search had ended, the tools the SAR teams had left behind were essential in finding Jamie.
GREAT SAVINGS
30995
$
MSRP $339.95
HS 45 Gas Hedge Trimmer
cmyk
#1 Selling Brand Ask our friendly staff for more product information or a in Canada!
FREE DEMONSTRATION
... see SPROULE ■ A7 LIMITED TIME ONLY
14995
$
MSRP $179.95
FS 38 Gas Trimmer