Special Features - Tweed Magazine - Spring 2015

O A K B AY L I V I N G

TWEED SPRING 2015

Fabulous history detectives CHRONICLING THE PAST AT OAK BAY ARCHIVES

Boy Wonder THE STUNNING ONLINE WORLD OF JUSTIN TSE

Elements of colour

AN OAK BAY GARDEN THAT POPS I N S I D E › P E O P L E › T R AV E L › F O O D › H I S T O R Y › A R T S

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TWEED

inside Spring 2015

Volume 3 | Issue 1

13 Cover Story

Take a tour of Oak Bay’s archives and meet some amazing volunteers.

DEPARTMENTS

16

Historic Oak Bay

TELL

Writer Ivan Watson takes us to Oak Bay’s exotic Club Tango.

TWEED!

Tweed Magazine welcomes your Oak Bay suggestions for the next edition.

So, do tell!

Email editor Susan Lundy at: lundys@shaw.ca

25

Tea With

Tweed editor Susan Lundy chats with lover-of-life Mary Spilsbury Ross.

10

26

Dogs on the Avenue

Photographer Don Denton captures the cute, the cuddly and the gangly in Oak Bay canines.

22

28

Oak Bay Insider

Christopher Causton takes a walk on the Centennial Trail.

4

TWEED

SPRING 2015

18

A C C E L E R AT E D

Variable Cylinder Management ® to improve fuel economy and heated front seats, cold weather doesn’t stand a chance.

SALES EVENT

season in style.

VICTORIA’S TOP SELLING COMPACT LUXURY SUV for 2014 The 2015 AWD with Intelligent Control System, 2015 RDX. RDX. With With winter-ready AWD and Intelligent Control System, Variable VICTORIA’S TOP SELLING to improve fuel economy and front heated front Variable Management to improve fuel economy and heated seats, Cylinder Cylinder Management COMPACT LUXURY SUV seats, weather doesn’t stand a chance. ready cold for any adventure.

A C C E L E R AT E D SALES EVENT

Ta k e on on the Take

™

™

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A CACCECLEELRE A T ET EDD RA S ASLAELSE SE VE V EN E NT T

Ta k e o n t h e

for 2014

VICTORIA’S TOP SELLING VICTORIA’S TOP SELLING COMPACT LUXURY SUV COMPACT LUXURY SUV seats, cold weather doesn’t stand a chance.

The 2015 RDX. With winter-ready AWD with Intelligent Control System,™

Variable Cylinder Management ® to improve fuel economy and heated front

season in style.

forfor 2014 2014

A C C E L E R AT E D SALES EVENT

VICTORIA’S TOP SELLING COMPACT LUXURY SUV

The 2015 RDX. With winter-ready AWD with Intelligent Control System,™ Variable Cylinder Management ® to improve fuel economy and heated front

Ta k e o n t h e season in style.

seats, cold weather doesn’t stand a chance.

3,500 $ 1.9 %3,500

A C C E L E R AT E D SALES EVENT

$

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$198

*

Cash Purchase Credit on VICTORIA’S All New 2015 RDX TOP Models SELLING COMPACT LUXURY SUV

*

Bi-weekly 48-Month Model TB4H3FJN Payment Lease

Bi-weekly 3347 Oak 48-Month Street, Victoria Payment Model TB4H3FJN Lease

Acura, a division of Honda Canada Inc., extends congratulations and proud recognition to Campus Acura for their benchmark accomplishments in the Acura Client Excellence (ACE) Program.

(250) 383-0088

* $198 % Model TB4H3FJN 1.9 Campus Acura $ *

ACURA CLIENT EXCELLENCE

$4,200 Down Payment

DL#31106

$4,200 Down Payment

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Cash Purchase Credit on All New 2015 RDX Models

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ACURA CLIENT EXCELLENCE

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$

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Suggested selling price is $43,685 on a new 2015 Acura RDX (Model TB4H3FJN) including $1,995 freight and PDI. License, insurance, registration, options, applicable fees, duties and taxes (including PST/GST) are extra. *Limited time lease offer based on a new 2015 Acura RDX (Model TB4H3FJN) available through Acura Fina Services, on approved credit. 1.9% lease rate for 48 months. Bi-weekly payment is $198 (includes $1,995 freight and PDI) with $4,200 down payment. 16,000 km allowance/year; charge of $0.15/km for excess kilometres. Total lease obligation is $24,792. Offers include Federal Air Conditioner Fee ($100), Tire Duty ($25) and P ($26.50). License, insurance, registration, options and applicable fees, duties and taxes (includes PST/GST) are extra. †$3,500 cash purchase credit available on all new 2015 Acura RDX models. Cash purchase credit will be deducted from the negotiated selling price acurabc.ca of the vehicle before taxes. Cash purchase credit canno combined with lease, finance or other offers. Some terms/conditions apply. Model shown for illustration purposes only. Offer ends March 2, 2015 but is subject to change or cancellationwithout notice and is only valid for BC residents at BC Acura retailers. Retailer may sell/lease for less. Retailer order/trade may be necessary. W Acura,Acura a divisionretailer of Honda Canada Inc., extends quantities last. Seecongratulations your for details. and proud recognition to Campus Acura for their benchmark accomplishments in the Acura Client DL#31106 Excellence (ACE) Program.

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Payment 3347

OakLease Street, Victoria Model TB4H3FJN (250) 383-0088 * *

$4,200 Down Cash Purchase Credit on NOW Payment www.CampusAcura.com All New 2015 RDX Models acurabc.ca Including freight & PDI

Suggested selling price is $43,685 on a new 2015 Acura RDX (Model TB4H3FJN) including $1,995 freight and PDI. License, insurance, registration, options, applicable fees, duties and taxes (including PST/GST) are extra. *Limited time lease offer based on a new 2015 Acura RDX (Model TB4H3FJN) available through Acura Financial a division credit. of Honda Canada extends Services,congratulations onAcura, approved 1.9%Inc., lease rate for 48 months. Bi-weekly payment is $198 (includes $1,995 freight and PDI) with $4,200 down payment. 16,000 km allowance/year; charge of $0.15/km for excess kilometres. Total lease obligation is $24,792. Offers include Federal Air Conditioner Fee ($100), Tire Duty ($25) and PPSA and proud recognition to Campus Acura their benchmark accomplishments in the Acura options Client ($26.50).forLicense, insurance, registration, and applicable fees, duties and taxes (includes PST/GST) are extra. †$3,500 cash purchase credit available on all new 2015 Acura RDX models. Cash purchase credit will be deducted from the negotiated selling price of the vehicle before taxes. Cash purchase credit cannot be ACURA CLIENT EXCELLENCE DL#31106 Excellence (ACE) Program. combined with lease, finance or other offers. Some terms/conditions apply. Model shown for illustration purposes only. Offer ends March 2, 2015 but is subject to change or cancellationwithout notice and is only valid for BC residents at BC Acura retailers. Retailer may sell/lease for less. Retailer order/trade may be necessary. While quantities last. See your Acura retailer for details.

40,185

$

$4,200 www.CampusAcura.com Down Suggested selling price is $43,685 on a new 2015 Acura RDX (Model TB4H3FJN) including $1,995 freight and PDI. License, insurance, registration, options, applicable fees, duties and taxes (including PST/GST) are extra. *Limited time lease offer based on a new 2015 Acura RDX (Model TB4H3FJN) available through Acura Fina NOW Payment Services, on approved credit. 1.9% lease rate for 48 months. Bi-weekly payment is $198 (includes $1,995 freight and PDI) with $4,200 down payment. 16,000 km allowance/year; charge of $0.15/km for excess kilometres. Total lease obligation is $24,792. Offers include Federal Air Conditioner Fee ($100), Tire Duty ($25) and P 3347 Oak Street, Victoria Including ($26.50). License, insurance, registration, options andBi-weekly applicable fees, duties and taxes (includes 48-Month PST/GST) are extra. †$3,500 cash purchase credit available on all new 2015 Acura RDX models. Cash purchase credit will be deducted from the negotiated freight sellingacurabc.ca price of& the PDI vehicle before taxes. Cash purchase credit canno combined with lease, finance or other offers. Some terms/conditions apply. Model shown for illustrat ion purposes only.DL#31106 Offer ends March 2, 2015 but is subject to change or cancellationwithout notice and is only valid for BC residents at BC Acura retailers. Retailer may sell/lease for less. Retailer order/trade may be necessary. W (250) 383-0088 Payment Lease www.CampusAcura.com

Campus1.9 Acura% $198

Acura, a division of Honda Canada Inc., extends congratulations and proud recognition to Campus Acura for their benchmark accomplishments in the Acura Client ExcellenceEXCELLENCE (ACE) Program.

ACURA CLIENT

quantities last. See your Acura retailer for details.

ACURA CLIENT EXCELLENCE

Campus Acura

Campus 3347 OakAcura Street, Victoria

Suggested selling price is $43,685 on a new 2015 Acura RDX (Model TB4H3FJN) including $1,995 freight and PDI. License, insurance, registration, options, applicable fees, duties and taxes (including PST/GST) are extra. *Limited time lease offer based on a new 2015 Acura RDX (Model TB4H3FJN) available through Acura Financial Services, on approved credit. 1.9% lease rate for 48 months. Bi-weekly payment is $198 (includes $1,995 freight and PDI) with $4,200 down payment. 16,000 km allowance/year; charge of $0.15/km for excess kilometres. Total lease obligation is $24,792. Offers include Federal Air Conditioner Fee ($100), Tire Duty ($25) and PPSA ($26.50). License, Acura, insurance, options and applicable fees, duties and taxes (includes PST/GST) are extra. †$3,500 cash purchase credit available on all new 2015 Acura RDX models. Cash purchase credit will be deducted from the negotiated selling price of the vehicle before taxes. Cash purchase credit cannot be a division of registration, Honda Canada Inc., extends congratulations and proud recognition to Campus Acura for their benchmark accomplishments the combined with lease, finance or other offers.inSome terms/conditions apply. Model shown for illustration purposes only. Offer ends March 2, 2015 but is subject to change or cancellationwithout notice and is only valid for BC residents at BC Acura retailers. Retailer may sell/lease for less. Retailer order/trade may be necessary. While Acura Client Excellence (ACE) Program. quantities last. See your Acura retailer for details.

Acura, a division of Honda Canada Inc., extends congratulations and proud recognition to Campus Acura for their benchmark accomplishments in the Acura Client Excellence (ACE) Program.

3347 Oak Street, Victoria (250) 383-0088 DL#31106

• (250) 383-0088

www.CampusAcura.com

www.CampusAcura.com

DL #31106

Suggested selling price is $43,685 on a new 2015 Acura RDX (Model TB4H3FJN) including $1,995 freight and PDI. License, insurance, registration, options, applicable fees, duties and taxes (including PST/GST) are extra. *Limited time lease offer based on a new 2015 Acura RDX (Model TB4H3FJN) available through Acura Financial Services, on approved credit. 1.9% lease rate for 48 months. Bi-weekly payment is $198 (includes $1,995 freight and PDI) with $4,200 down payment. 16,000 km allowance/year; charge of $0.15/km for excess kilometres. Total lease obligation is $24,792. Offers include Federal Air Conditioner Fee ($100), Tire Duty ($25) and PPSA ($26.50). License, insurance, registration, options and applicable fees, duties and taxes (includes PST/GST) are extra. †$3,500 cash purchase credit available on all new 2015 Acura RDX models. Cash purchase credit will be deducted from the negotiated selling price of the vehicle before taxes. Cash purchase credit cannot be combined with lease, finance or other offers. Some terms/conditions apply. Model shown for illustration purposes only. Offer ends March 2, 2015 but is subject to change or cancellationwithout notice and is only valid for BC residents at BC Acura retailers. Retailer may sell/lease for less. Retailer order/trade may be necessary. While quantities last. See your Acura retailer for details.

TALK of the TOWN !

Fabrics & Interiors

Doing our part to make Oak Bay beautiful on the inside

RE-UPHOLSTERY • SLIPCOVERS • BLINDS & DRAPERIES 250-598-4011 | 2070 Cadboro Bay Road | morgansinteriors@shaw.ca

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SPRING 2015

John Taylor, a renowned Canadian photographer and the owner of Oak Bay’s Eclectic Gallery, is one of 12 artists across Canada to be inducted into the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) in Montreal this May. A retrospective of his work from 19752015 runs at Eclectic Gallery from May 4 to June 6, with an opening reception on Saturday, May 9, from 3-5 p.m.

Taylor’s photographic focus is architecture, and he has several notable accomplishments working on assignment for the chief architect of NASA Space Centre, BC Attorney General’s Office and Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee.

He divides his work into two main categories: conceptual images which describe new ways of perceiving existing spaces; and autobiographical work, which places personal experience into a highly symbolic context with surrealistic qualities.

Collections of his artwork have been purchased by the National Gallery of Canada, Canada Council Art Bank and the University of Texas. He has exhibited at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria; Vancouver Art Gallery; Winnipeg Art Gallery; the Contemporary Art Museum, Houston; Hamilton Art Gallery; NY University; Washington, D.C. Project for the Arts; and in London, Paris, Rome, Berlin and Tokyo.

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down, 60LX. month lease.

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• 7” Display

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down, 60LX. month lease.

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Visit Campus today!

With available 7” Display, Honda LaneWatch Blind Spot Display, Satellite Navigation, Proximity Key with Push Button Start, Multi-Angle Rear ViewCampus Camera, Honda iPhone 506 mirroring and Street, much more!

Finlayson Victoria, BC V8T 5C8

250-388-6921 • www.CampusHonda.com

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EDITOR'S LETTER

Unwinding and unplugging — maybe

S

eems I’d just made the final mouse click booking a last minute trip to Mexico in February, when I glanced through the window and saw daffodils poking through the earth.

Outside, the sun was so warm I walked around in a sweater.

Never mind, said my husband, “In Mexico, we’ll get warm right to the core.”

I can do that in the tub, I thought, but said instead: “And it will be so good to unplug and unwind.”

Unwind, yes, but I doubted the “unplugging.” At first I declared, “I’m not taking my computer or my phone.”

Then I said, “I’ll take my phone — but just in case there’s an emergency.” But, now, as the date approaches, I’m pretty sure I’ll end up packing my phone and my computer, not — of course — because I’m afraid of unplugging, but because I’ll need it for leisurely things like … um … reading articles and playing scrabble. Well, perhaps I’ll check email — but just once. Maybe mid-holiday.

We’ve done several trips in the last few years, but most have been travel-writing excursions, which are wonderful, but not always relaxing. During our last trip to Puerto Escondido in Mexico, I took notes and planned paragraphs as we toured a turtle hatchery, a botanical garden and a lively local market; rode Mexican-style transport to a town in the mountains; ate cactus, drank tequila, listened to music; splashed in the nighttime phosphorescence, counted dolphins. Bruce also worked, tapping away on the computer, checking voicemail and talking on the phone.

But then I became mildly sick, so we just stopped. Sat poolside and read books, sipped Coronas under the palapas, walked the beach, played in the waves. It was divine.

So that’s the point of this year’s holiday. Our most press-

ing problem will be: “should we sit poolside or go to the beach?”

Hence the quandary about whether or not to truly unplug.

Unplugging is likely not something that Justin Tse considers often. Featured in this edition of Tweed on page 10, this 17-yearold is so plugged in, he’s making five figures from producing techie reviews online. As Tweed photographer Don Denton noted after meeting Tse, “You really see the future of media when you look at someone like him.”

“Media past” is also featured in these pages as Tweed history writer Ivan Watson introduces us to the beloved Oak Bay Archives and its amazing volunteers (page 13).

Writer Jen Blyth walks us through the bursting gardens of Gail Miller and Fred Pishalski (page 22); while writer Korina Miller shares the rich landscapes of painter Terry Fenton (page 18). In Tea With, we meet Mary Spilsbury Ross; and Oak Bay Insider Chris Causton takes us on a historical jog through Windsor Park.

By the time this edition of Tweed lands in Oak Bay mailboxes, I’ll be back from Mexico and “warm to the core.” The question is — will I have answered your emails?

Susan Lundy EDITOR

Born and raised in Victoria, Susan Lundy has worked as a journalist, editor and freelance writer for over 25 years. She is also editor of Boulevard Magazine and her columns on family life run in several Black Press newspapers. Her first book — Heritage Apples: A New Sensation — was published last spring.

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CONTRIBUTORS IVAN WATSON grew up in Oak Bay and is an alumnus of Glenlyon Norfolk School. He works as a freelance writer, historian and marketing and communications strategist. Follow him on Twitter: @watsonivan

DON DENTON has photographed numerous high-profile events, including the Olympics, World Hockey Championships, European Figure Skating Championships and a Royal wedding.

CHRIS CAUSTON is a former mayor, restaurateur and hotelier. Currently, he’s a Harbour Ferries Captain and Rotarian. He’s also a voracious reader who still enjoys a good game of tennis.

ARNOLD LIM is a longtime photojournalist and videographer whose credits include the Globe and Mail, Sports Illustrated, the Toronto Star and Black Press.

JENNIFER BLYTH is an award-winning writer, photographer and editor, whose stories have appeared in BC Business, BC Home, WestWorld and Yes Magazine.

KORINA MILLER writes freelance for publications including Lonely Planet, BBC and Globe & Mail, covering travel, art, culture, politics and cuisine.

Group Publisher Penny Sakamoto psakamoto@blackpress.ca Associate Group Publisher Oliver Sommer osommer@blackpress.ca Editor Susan Lundy lundys@shaw.ca

Creative Design Lily Chan Circulation Director Bruce Hogarth Cover Photo: Don Denton

www.blackpress.ca 818 Broughton Street, Victoria, BC V8W 1E4 Phone 250-381-3484 Fax 250-386-2624

TWEED magazine is published quarterly by Black Press. The points of view or opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher of Tweed. The contents of Tweed magazine are protected by copyright, including the designed advertising. Reproduction is prohibited without written consent of the publisher.

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March to May

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Rec’s upstairs lounge as part of the Live Music Series. Doors open at 6 p.m. (dinner available); concert is at 7:30 p.m.

March 31 to April 18

March 7-28

Artist DIANA DURRAND’S show, “Gallus Domesticus: We plein air paintings are featured are the Keepers,” runs at Cage Gallery. Opening reception, April at Winchester Gallery on Oak Bay Avenue. Opening reception 2, 7-9 p.m. is Saturday, March 14, 1 - 5 p.m.

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March 13 St. Patrick’s Day Celebration with CRICKEY MOR, Irish dancers and more. Upstairs lounge at Oak Bay Rec Centre.

March 14-15 THE BEST OF THE BEST: Monterey Recreation Centre Performing Arts. Enjoy the Monterey Noteables and assorted performing arts clubs in a grand stage production.

Oak Bay artists open their homes and studios to display products of their creativity in the annual OAK BAY

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BOY WONDER

Oak Bay’s Justin Tse is an online sensation

By KORINA MILLER Photos by DON DENTON

O

ak Bay’s Justin Tse is not your average boy-nextdoor. Not many 17-year-olds have a YouTube channel with over 100,000 subscribers. And few are managing to earn five figures while still attending high school. Justin’s ambition and drive is instantly apparent. So is his charm.

Justin has a passion for technology that has propelled him to stardom on YouTube. With his ever-growing knowledge, he reviews products and devices in short video clips, to the evident approval of the on-line tech community. But his obvious success hasn’t gone to his head.

“To be honest, I really don’t know why I have so many subscribers. I often wonder why people want to watch my videos instead of someone else’s,” he says, pulling up his channel’s current profile page, where stats show he has a total of 14,854,065 views and 108,523 subscribers.

“I’ve even had a viewer from 10

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North Korea and one minute watched from Antarctica,” he says, amazed.

The page calculates that Justin’s channel has been watched for the equivalent of 89 years and 102 days.

“It’s pretty crazy to look at that. I used to wonder what it would be like to have a video go viral. Then I got one million viewers in a week. Now I know what it feels like. It feels nuts.”

Where did his passion begin?

“I’ve always loved technology. I uploaded my first YouTube video when I was 13. It got five or six views. In those days, if one of my videos hit 100 views, I was pretty happy. At first I was reviewing phone cases. You could get them free of charge and do a product review on them.

As my channel grew, I moved away from cases to mobile phones.”

Previously, he recorded the video with the product he was reviewing, and used a garbage can as a tripod. . Now he has numerous specialized computers, high-tech cameras and a custom built frame and set for filming. His parents bought him his first laptop but since then, he’s bought everything with his own earnings.

“For the first two years, I didn’t get a single pay cheque.

I was earning one cent a month. I think my first pay cheque was for $2.60. Now it can go in the five-figure range. It depends on the season.”

By season, he doesn’t mean summer or Christmas. He means the iPhone season or the Samsung season.

“As more and more products have come out, I’ve developed a broader knowledge to compare different things. This year about 30 phones came through my office. Sometimes they’re loaned, but with the I did a 20-minute majority, I make an investment, paying more to get them the video comparing first day they’re out. I make the Samsung the videos to generate the Galaxy S4 and the income and sometimes sell the device later.” iPhone 5. It got When the iPhone 5 came 3.5 million views. out, Justin drove to Vancouver and lined up for 20 hours.

JUSTIN TSE “I got back at 5 p.m. and was editing and recording until 7:00 the next morning. I did a 20-minute video comparing the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the iPhone 5. It got 3.5 million views.”

Nevertheless, he claims to have issues looking at the camera, something viewers would never suspect after watching his upbeat, confident videos.

“I might record the same clip 60 times. In middle school, I was the worst at public speaking. But you get used to being filmed … I’ve done over 800 videos now, so I can come up with stuff to say.”

Justin now has sponsors as well as contracts with companies who have noticed his skills.

“I signed a contract with the Unlock Company last July that goes until 2017… Other competitors were trying to pull me over, so the Unlocked Company wanted a loyalty agreement.”

He gets commissions from Amazon and has also done ads for eBay and Squarespace.

“But I don’t do paid reviews where you have to guarantee a positive review. The review wouldn’t be as genuine. I wouldn’t be able to voice my opinion.”

Justin does run ads on his channel, but prefers to reach out to the advertisers and negotiate his own deals. It all seems very grown-up for a 17-year-old.

How does he manage all this alongside his school and a regular teenage life?

“Certain months of the year, school has to be the priority.

But I still try to stay consistent with video uploads as much as I can.”

As for his social life, “it depends on the phone and time of year. For New Years, well, I’d probably go out for that.”

He says his parents think it’s pretty cool: “At first they thought it was a hobby that I’d do for two weeks and never again.”

His mom, Monica, says, “He wanted more money to buy

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things, more allowance. I said ‘no, you have to learn how to make your own way.’ I had no idea just what he’d do.”

What keeps him motivated?

“It would be weird to say that it’s because it pays pretty well, but the money I generate allows me to buy all the tech I want, and I’m able to make videos on it, which is pretty cool. Being able to test out all the new products. Really, that’s my passion.”

He adds: “A lot of people do this as a career, but I have bigger goals. Lately I’ve been fascinated by stocks and anything to do with business ... Someday I want to invent a product or own a company. I’m also interested in app development; not doing it myself but coming up with the concept and being the owner.

He also wants to travel — “do a business trip and visit the YouTube people I’ve talked to for the last three years. I’d really have liked to go to the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas, but it was the first week of school and you have to be 18 years old to get in.”

And with that, one is suddenly reminded that this well-spoken, successful boy wonder is only 17 years old. The online world awaits his next move.

Justin Tse in his home office in Oak Bay.

AnythingButOrdinary.ca AnythingButOrdinary.ca AnythingButOrdinary.ca AnythingButOrdinary.ca

12

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Oak Bay Archives volunteers, from left: Don Reksten, Bronwyn Taylor, Alan McKinlay, Ann McKenzie, Cindy Oram and Fern Davidson.

OAK BAY’S FABULOUS

History Detectives Celebrating 20 years of the municipal archives

By IVAN WATSON Photos by DON DENTON

W

hen head archivist Jean Sparks describes her two decades of volunteer work at the Oak Bay Archives, her modesty conceals an incredible story of heroic perseverance that grew the organization from “two file cabinets full of old photographs” to a full service archives that is now a beloved Oak Bay institution.

Today, a visit to its comfy offices, nestled in the basement of the municipal hall, is a trip back in time. The walls are lined with photographs of grand old hotels — evidence of Oak Bay’s earlier role as a fashionable beach resort, as well as unique artifacts, such as the original lobby card holder from the Oak Bay cinema, whose iconic 1936 blue neon sign on the avenue remains one of Oak Bay’s defining symbols long after the theatre screened its final film in 1986.

The archives is decades younger than the heritage it preserves. In 1994, Sparks was serving on the Oak Bay Heritage Commission and taking courses in art history at the University of Victoria.

“I knew nothing about archives, but I realized the value of historical documents” she says.

At that time, heritage advocates such as Mayor Diana Butler, Councillor Sherry Irvine and archivist Geoff Castle were concerned that Oak Bay’s unique history would be lost without concerted action. Sparks decided to accept their challenge.

“I was the rookie on the committee and I said I’d help. But within a year I became the archivist in charge.”

Later that year, a press advertisement caught the eye of Ann MacKenzie, who, after Sparks, is the archives’ longestserving volunteer.

“Jean needed some help, so we started to work together.

There wasn’t much to start with, just some photographs that someone had saved, and from that we gradually built up quite a collection of all sorts of interesting material.”

“For the first two years, Ann and I were the only volunteers,” recalls Sparks. “We were making an inventory. There are some lockers in the basement near the back stairway. Well, that’s where we could store our stuff, and then we got a card table, and if people wanted to come in, we got out the foldSPRING 2015

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13

ing table and either there or on the floor got to work.”

The archives soon outgrew its limited space as the public embraced the accessible research services. As a millennium project, it received a permanent office, storage space and an annual operating budget from the municipality. Sparks is grateful for the ongoing support of council and the advocacy of past and present Heritage Commissions and council liaisons.

In 2000, Fern Davidson retired as the manager of the home nursing care program in Oak Bay and was looking for a new challenge.

“I came in one day and said, ‘oh, here’s my old office, now it’s the archive space.’”

She and Sparks were childhood Pulling together friends in Oak Bay so working to the story is the preserve local history was a natural fit. Also joining around that time thing I really love were volunteers Phebe Chartrand, about archives.

Allan McKinlay and Cindy Oram.

Oak Bay’s centennial in 2006 JEAN SPARKS was a turning point and the team faced its greatest challenge to date.

“We were tasked with writing the centennial book and that’s all we did for two years. Loyal Allan held the fort with the public,” recalls Sparks. “None of us had written a book before. It was stressful, but it proved the strength of our connection. Everyone played a part.”

The initial print run of 3,000 copies sold out quickly, so they ordered an additional 1,000.

“Our publisher said that in Canadian terms, that’s a bestseller. We got an award for it. Fern and I went to New York to receive the award at a big book fair.”

The book cemented the team’s reputation for professionalism. Donations of historic material, including rare family photo albums, poured in. To this day, the mayor delivers their book as part of the welcome package to new Oak Bay residents.

The volunteers are united by their love of a good detective story.

“Sometimes people have treasures and they don’t realize it,” observes Sparks. “A woman gave us photographs from 1916 when her grandparents lived in the Oak Bay boat house, where the marina is now. Some showed activity with police, a man being carried on a stretcher, but it was all a mystery. I knew we had the police logs, so I looked into it, and it was all documented. That man had stolen a boat, and he was discovered bleeding from a wound on Jimmy Chicken Island. There were reports from the constable from the man’s hospital bed and the judge who gave him a conditional discharge. This all came together because we were given the pictures; otherwise, that police log entry would mean nothing. Pulling together the story is the thing I really love about archives.”

Now a team of 11, the volunteers have diverse skills and take turns developing the themed display case in the municipal hall lobby.

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Above: Longtime Oak Bay Archives volunteer Jean Sparks inside the archives offices. At right: Part of the collection — an old shovel from Tod House.

Oram is a whiz at scanning photographs for the website.

“One of our filing topics is streetscapes,” she says. “As houses disappear, it’s amazing how quickly you forget what was there.”

The website allows people to peer into the history of their neighbourhood, comparing historic photographs with the view from their windows.

“We have lots of records of demolished homes,” adds Davidson. “We’re trying to start a file on every home in Oak Bay, past and present. It’s ambitious, but you know, archives are forever.”

The volunteers unanimously praise Sparks’ leadership.

“It’s about her energy and her passion,” says MacKenzie.

“She’s put in thousands of hours. We wouldn’t be able to do this without her. She has contributed so much by reminding people of the value of heritage, by reminding people to bear us in mind when they’re cleaning up their family estates.”

The archive team is as excited about the future as they are about the past and several projects are in the works.

“There’s real team spirit,” says Chartrand. “Seeing people using time, effort and intellect to bring order out of chaos

— we’re creating something that’s lasting and that bodes well for the future.”

Freshly printed banners showcase Oak Bay families, Oak Bay’s role as a beach resort and the evolution of businesses on Oak Bay Avenue. Current efforts are focussed on a very special project — a roll of honour to recognize all Oak Bay residents who served in the First World War. As the archives evolve, one thing is unlikely to change — friendly and skilled volunteers will always be on hand to guide visitors researching their genealogy, the history of their homes or class assignments about local heritage.

Oak Bay Archives collects and preserves material of significance to Oak Bay and makes this material available to the public for reference and research. Donations of photographs and documents are gratefully accepted. High quality scans of photos will be provided to donors. Please contact the archives by email: obarchives@oakbay.ca or telephone: 250-598-3290. Located in the basement of the Municipal Hall at 2167 Oak Bay Avenue, office hours are COSM_8919_COSMXXX_Tweed_X1a.pdf 1 2015-02-20 Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m. - 12 noon and Thursdays, 1-3 p.m. 4:47 PM

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HISTORIC OAK BAY

CLUB TANGO Dancing the night away at Oak Bay’s exotic cabaret

Story by IVAN WATSON

S

ince 1936, the impressive, Tudor-style “Castle Block” has anchored Oak Bay Avenue and housed a variety of boutiques and restaurants.

Currently, it’s home to Starbucks and Ivy’s Bookshop, as well as several professional offices on the upper floor.

Towering above the complex is the iconic illuminated Oak Bay sign, which in years past drew in visitors to the Little Theatre cinema on the ground floor. Many businesses have come and gone over nearly eight decades, but one intriguing chapter in the building’s history continues to evoke fond memories from those who danced the night away at the former Club Tango cabaret, which occupied the top floor from 1954 to 1966.

When the Oak Bay cinema opened in 1936, guests were treated to a gala screening of A Midsummer’s Night Dream, starring Dick Powell and James Cagney. As time 16

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went on, the theatre specialized in screening British films, perennially popular in Oak Bay. In 1942, The Goblin (Oak Bay Avenue’s first coffee shop) opened beside the theatre, providing audiences with a natural place to drop by for refreshments before and after the show.

Richard Goodall, Oak Bay high school class of 1960, recalled the Goblin as “a greasy spoon with wallpaper decorated with pictures of goblins and fantasy creatures.”

He added: “A pre-war jukebox moaned the hits of the day while the men in the area would drop in to chat with Buxom Betty, who provided service with a smile.”

Jean Sparks, now Oak Bay archivist, remembered that people would watch a movie and afterwards, “have a milkshake or root beer float at the Goblin Cafe.”

The owners of the Goblin rented out a large space directly above their shop, previously home to a photographer’s studio, for banquets and special functions. After the Goblin closed in the early 1950s, it was replaced by the Golden Galleon as the Avenue’s only restaurant. Billing itself as the place to go for “food at moderate prices,” the Galleon featured a long counter with a dozen stools for patrons. Many older Oak Bay residents remember stopping by for delicious fish and chips, and buying stamps and smoking supplies at the back counter. In 1954, affable entrepreneur and man about the town Ian Diment saw an opportunity to bring live music and dancing to Oak Bay

and refashioned the former Goblin’s banquet space into an exotic new cabaret called the Club Tango.

“Ian was just the kind of guy you’d expect to meet as manager of a night club,” recalled Sparks.

He knew everyone and everyone knew him.

Diment’s flair for entertainment was put to good use at the new Club Tango. The interior was designed to create a romantic mood and featured a large, polished hardwood dance floor, elevated stage area, Hollywoodstyle lighting, tables with white tablecloths, a jukebox, and wall panels with larger than life paintings of glamorous dancing ladies in brightly coloured ball gowns.

Club Tango soon lived up to its billing as “The Home of the In Crowd” for Oak Bay youth. Diment brought in bands from all over Vancouver Island and from nightspots as far away as Vancouver, including popular acts such as Bobby Faulds and the Strangers, The Motifs, and The Continentals.

From 1959 to 1962, the club boasted its own house band, with leader George Porter on drums and vocals. One memorable evening featured famous guest Bill Kenny, lead singer of the Ink Spots, who wowed the crowd with a dynamic performance of the group’s number one hits.

“It was an exciting place to hang out that my parents didn’t let me go to,” recalled Bronwyn Taylor, now chair of Oak Bay Volunteer Services. “Everyone there was under 21, the drinking age at the time.”

The club did not have a liquor license, and only served soft drinks (10 cents) and light fare such as hamburgers (30 cents) and fries (25 cents), with “ice, water and glasses” provided at no charge. According to Sparks, the local youth were quick to improvise their own solution to the lack of more enticing drink options: “the deal was you’d have a brown paper bag, and there was a mickey of maybe Canadian Club whisky in it, which the girlfriend took upstairs in her handbag, and you bought Coke or ginger ale at the counter.

You’d then pour the drinks under the table. The lights were always kept low and it was dark because the owners didn’t want to see anything.”

The owners — and the police for many years — turned a blind eye to underage drinking as long as everyone behaved and no one got into any fights.

“About as much as I can

Above: The famous Bill Kenny, of the Ink Spots — ­ a huge star of the 1940-50s. At right: Golden Galleon. Below: The Motifs at Club Tango. remember was the odd person having a bit too much to drink and falling down the long flight of stairs,” recalled Sparks. “There are lots of stories about that. The only other thing I remember is one time a young man coming across the street from the parking lot where Athlone Court is now. He had a bottle in his brown paper bag and he dropped it in the middle of the street.”

The legend is that he was quickly down on his hands and knees cupping up the precious contents before it disappeared down the storm drain.

At some point in the early 1960s, Oak Bay’s new police chief, a devoutly religious man, was adamant that he did not want young people drinking on his watch.

The shift in attitude began to take its toll on business.

Additionally, as pop music transitioned away from jazz standards to the thunderous rhythms of rock ‘n’ roll, the dancing became more vigorous and the music louder. Soon, theatregoers downstairs were having a hard time hearing the movie and after many complaints, Diment decided to move the club to a more suitable location downtown on View Street, where it remained a popular nightspot and live music venue until closing for good in the late 1970s.

The last hurrah for the Club Tango in Oak Bay was a stylish New Year’s Eve party in 1965, before the club officially closed the morning of January 1, 1966. It concluded the chapter on Oak Bay’s first and only cabaret that continues to live on in the memories of those who once danced the night away during its glamorous heyday.

Do you have special memories, photographs or mementoes of Oak Bay’s Club Tango? If so, we’d love to hear from you. Email: watsoni@yahoo.com / Twitter: @watsonivan / Call: 250-418-0700 SPRING 2015

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“I

was painting the prairies yesterday,” says landscape artist Terry Fenton. It’s a comment that piques my curiosity since he has a splendid view of the sea from his Oak Bay home.

“Why not the ocean?”

In fact, he does paint the ocean, he says, and I can see proof of this in the little seascapes drying on the floor of his studio. But it seems the prairies are his first love.

His studio is at once calm and chaotic, with hundreds of brushes and tins of paint. There are shelves and shelves of paintings in various stages of completion.

From here, he produces the latest pieces from a body of work that has been shown in almost 30 solo exhibitions across Canada, and two dozen group exhibitions. It can be found in numerous private collections, and locally, he exhibits at Winchester Galleries.

Terry and his wife moved from Saskatoon to Oak Bay last year, following a particularly “long and difficult winter.”

They had visited Victoria in the past, and out here for a show in 2013, realized: “It’s so nice, we … just had to stay.”

But being here hasn’t stopped him from painting the prairies.

“Painting them takes me back. They’re so incredibly beautiful. I wish I could drive a few miles from here and run into prairie.” Thankfully, he adds, he has a huge inventory of prairie photos.

As I gaze at one of his prairie paintings — an early morning near Saskatoon — I realize the more I look, the more

life

I see, and the more I’m drawn in. The blue sky isn’t blue: it’s innumerable shades melting into one another, creating a feeling of movement and depth.

“The prairies are a land of colour,” he explains, “both in the sky and on the ground. Grassland is so much lighter than the sea. Not many people paint the open prairie. They just see empty fields. But it’s not empty. It’s full of light and colour.”

His seascapes are also beautiful, making me feel as though I could step right into the scene.

“The sea, on the other hand, mirrors the sky. It picks up colour from the sky. The prairie has its own colour, a contrast between warm and cool. Here it’s all cool colour.”

Fenton has been painting since he was a child — “I guess I had a knack for it,” he says. He started art lessons at age 13 and later studied art at the University of Saskatchewan.

“I’ve always been drawn to landscape painting — absolutely. But in art school, I wanted to be an abstract painter,” he recalls.

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In 1965, Fenton became assistant to the director of the Mackenzie Art Gallery in Regina, launching a career as a gallery curator and director.

His connections with the New York and London art scenes – mostly with abstract painters and sculptors — has influenced his work in subtle ways, he says. His paintings are representational, but all about light and colour.

“I call myself a post-abstract landscape painter,” he laughs, indicating a recent painting of a farm near Outlook, Saskatchewan. It features a brilliant field saturated in colour.

“In the past, I was influenced by Monet, Cézanne — the French impressionists. Later, it was more by abstract painters like Kenneth Noland and Jules Olitski, with whom I became good friends.”

I look around at the paintings spread throughout the tworoom studio, wondering how many pieces he has on the go at one time.

“Oh, God only knows! Usually, in a day, I’ll work on two or three different paintings. I’ll root through older paintings and work on something that I don’t think is quite finished.

There’s no set plan … the little paintings tend to be done quickly; the larger ones, I paint and repaint and repaint.

Some are finished after a couple of sessions, some not until

a year or two later. I know I’m finished when the painting talks back to me.”

Fenton, who is also a writer, adds: “Sometimes when you read something you wrote a while ago, it’s almost as if someone else wrote it. You see it with new eyes. Painting is like that too. You need to have time from it. You’re often too close earlier on.”

Fenton’s writing has helped propel him as an arts advocate. He was twice president of the Saskatchewan Arts Alliance, an advocacy group campaigning the provincial government for funding and support for the arts.

Some are finished “I’ve retired from that — mostly,” he says, and then admits: “I after a couple of was writing a letter to the National sessions, some not Gallery a couple of days ago and my wife said, ‘Don’t do that. until a year or You’ll just get yourself in troutwo later. ble!’” He smiles.

“The arts are always the first to get cut and last to get supported.

But the arts are very important — it’s important to have museums and orchestras that are not just part of the entertainment industry, even though they have to be subsidized to some extent. It makes the community richer. A good museum awakens people’s desire to own art themselves, which has an economic benefit to artists and art dealers. Having artists in the community is a good thing, even if they’re not all recognized artists. All art enhances life.”

Fenton adds that he is mostly interested in “personal responses to art.”

“I like people to see my pictures and buy them and hang them in their homes. My friend, the critic Clement Greenburg, insisted that ‘good art is the stuff you want to live with.’ Art that’s intriguing and interesting doesn’t always wear well. When the intrigue goes away, what’s left is sometimes mediocre. The best way to decide what’s good is to choose the work you’d like to take home with you. I hope to make art that people want to live with.”

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Ele Year-round garden provides a visual feast of foliage and flowers

By JENNIFER BLYTH Profile photo by DON DENTON

D

espite their star billing, flowers aren’t necessarily the crowning jewels of the finest gardens, and the south Oak Bay oasis Gail Miller and Fred Pishalski provides the perfect example.

Certainly there’s an abundance of beautiful blooms here, from cheery, sun-loving yellow roses to long-flowering fuchsias, but what works here so well is how the foliage — tall evergreens, flowing grasses, distinctive shrubs and gnarly old 22

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fruit trees, grounded with lush ferns and hostas — provides the perfect backdrop for the hits of colour.

The first hint of this balance comes in the front garden where a riot of rhododendrons stretches up the steps to the front door. While this grouping greets spring with a succession of blooms, variegated leaves provide visual interest no matter the season.

In the back garden, past tall deer fencing, Gail and Fred have really let their creativity blossom. Through the lattice gate, which supports an ancient lilac, the view opens onto

OAK BAY GARDEN

ements of colour to a central focal point: two ponds, linked by a waterfall and using the natural slope to full advantage. Soft swaths of lawn lead the way between curving perimeter beds and the water feature to a rear veggie garden and “working area.”

What a transformation the area has undergone by the couple during their 25 years here. In fact, today’s wonderful mix of foliage, colour and structure bears little resemblance to the rectangle of grass dotted with a few fruit trees, evergreens and a lilac or two that they bought back in 1989.

Like most outdoor spaces, this too is a garden evolving.

“When I met Gail, I didn’t know a petunia from a pansy,” Fred says with a laugh, while Gail, admiring the large water feature, says, “the ponds are Fred’s.”

As the couple enthusiastically dug into the pond project, they put the excavated soil to good use as a berm, aiding the sloping yard. Deep enough to hold goldfish, along with

Fred Pishalski and Gail Miller in their Oak Bay garden.

“In the spring, it just erupts with colour.”

— GAIL MILLER

assorted water and perimeter plants, the ponds have become a haven for wildlife — including hummingbirds, dragonflies, robins and songbirds, along with a few less desirable, but still interesting visitors. Each year, for example, Fred does his best to discourage the ducks that stop by, and a local kingfisher “is like a bolt from the sky” when it spies something interesting. Majestic eagles keep watch from the nearby cottonwoods, and raccoons have been known to upend a pot or two in their hunt for an evening snack.

Because this is a full-season garden, cheery snowdrops are used to advantage to lighten the darker days; and heathers and hellebores lead into the season of the lilac and rhododendron.

“In the spring, it just erupts with colour,” says Gail, who comes by her green thumb by way of her mom, whose weathered pink flamingos stand watch over the veggie garden.

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Through late summer and fall, sedums, fuchsias and Michaelmas daisies contribute their interesting shapes and textures, not to mention long-blooming flowers.

Enjoying a sunny, south-facing exposure, climbing roses stretch up the side of the house past the windows, showing off their blooms to those inside. At their feet sit strawberries, snapdragons, nasturtiums and sun-loving red global geraniums tucked here and there in terra cotta pots.

Even the fruit and vegetable garden supports this year-round philosophy.

Fronted by fragrant herbs — including sage, rosemary, thyme and oregano — assorted produce, rhubarb and berries thrive long into the season.

During the first week of December, Fred says, “we’re still getting raspberries.”

As Gail sought places for new plant specimens, including many shared by friends and family, “the beds just kept expanding and expanding and expanding,” says the Oak Bay native.

“The plants here have come from many people,” she reflects, pointing out anemones and astilbes from her mother’s garden and a lilac from her grandfather. Alongside the pond, a maple stands in memory of a grandchild who passed away too soon.

Strolling past the familiar — heathers, hydrangeas and Japanese maples — the eye is here and there captured by something a little different. There’s a lace leaf black elderberry that delights with pink flowers each spring, and a California tree poppy that boasts massive flowers. Are there still plants to be added?

“I’m sure I’ll find something that’s irresistible, but I am trying to make it more low-maintenance,” Gail reflects, noting that now retired, the two of them enjoy a variety of other outdoor activities when they’re not in the garden.

“Most things do what they want to; if plants aren’t happy, I’m not going to fuss about it.”

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Mary Spilsbury Ross

TEA WITH MARY SPILSBURY ROSS

CLAIM TO FAME:

In May 1941, I was born in the old East Block of the Royal Jubilee Hospital, now a parking lot. I was delivered by my godfather, Dr. Lloyd Bassett of Beach Drive in Oak Bay, who claimed to have delivered 10,000 wartime babies. My parents, Richard and Eleanore Spilsbury, had three redheaded daughters and we grew up terrorizing the stately Uplands in a house just inside the gates.

Photo DON DENTON

Tweed editor Susan Lundy enjoys tea with Mary Spilsbury Ross at the Victoria Golf Club on Beach Drive in Oak Bay.

What brings you joy?

Sitting in bed at dawn before my day begins, sipping tea — Murchie’s Wedding Blend — brought by my husband, Michael, makes me glad to be alive.

What are some of your vivid childhood memories?

Oak Bay was my home, my playground, my school yard and my world. It was an innocent time when cows pastured in the Uplands, market gardens covered the slope from Lansdowne Road to Carley’s Riding Stables on Cadboro Bay Road and children rode buses alone. I dreamed of joining a circus, practiced “stunts” at every opportunity and had a trapeze in a tree by the bus stop. Once, I rode my two-wheeler down Burdick to Musgrave with one leg in the air. Someone squealed, I got spanked and was enrolled in ballet classes with the fearsome, no-nonsense dance teacher, Wynne Shaw (who lived for some time in Oak Bay). After that, dancing became my life and although I didn’t join a circus, I did the next best thing: I joined an avant-garde dance troupe and toured from 1963-65 like a gypsy throughout Europe and the Middle East.

What has been your work over the years?

At 15, I lied about my age and got a job selling men’s socks in Eaton’s basement. Working as a professional dancer, my salary was $10 a day, but I would have danced for nothing. Returning to Oak Bay in 1967, I married Michael Ross who lived in a rose-covered cottage on Lafayette Street. For five years, I wrote for the Oak Bay News. My column “A Matter of Taste” taught me valuable lessons about deadlines.

Frugal Feasts, my cookbook for singles, became a bestseller,

but my husband still jokes that we barely broke even. With an English friend, I have recently self-published the backstage story of life in a madcap dance troupe in the swinging 60s.

Leotard: The Story of Jazz Ballet Rodney is available at Ivy’s Books, and on Amazon.com, Kindle, and in paperback.

Who are some of the interesting people you’ve met?

August 1964, in the south of France, I danced in a charity Gala with Dionne Warwick as the headliner. In Switzerland, I met the Rolling Stones, but had never heard of them and thought them horrible. It was a heady time. More recently I’ve met interesting artists who gather at Painters at Painters, in Campbell River, organized by Oak Bay Marine Group. Carol Sabiston Munro, who creates amazing textile art comes to mind. A former student of Wynne Shaw, she and her husband, Jim Munro, are boldly articulate. David Goatley, my art teacher, Andy Wooldridge and Arthur Vickers have all opened new avenues of interest.

What do you see as your greatest accomplishment?

I like to think that I am funny, a terrific mother and I make people happy. Is that an accomplishment? Years ago, my daughter announced, “All my friends want you to be their mother.” That is the greatest compliment I ever received.

Anything else you’d like us to know?

My bucket list is not about places to visit but things to be accomplished. Our national treasure, Emily Carr, was wise when she wrote, “I don’t want to trickle out. I want to pour till my bucket is empty, the last bit going out in a gush, not drops.” Me too, I’ll dance till the end.

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DOGS ON THE AVENUE

LOVE MY DOG! Photos BY DON DENTON

Dogs [dawgs, dogs] 1. The best friend of men, women and children, bred in many sizes and shapes.

The Avenue [thuh av-uh-nyoo, -noo] 1. A popular destination for those seeking funky eateries, awesome art galleries and trendy stores in Oak Bay.

Clockwise from top: Chief, a 2-year-old Havanese Maltese mix; Beowulf, a 3-year-old Coonhound Lab cross; Smudge, a 2-yearold Collie; and Ernie Gregory, a 7-year-old Dane Mastiff cross.

Opposite: (Top) Siblings Lola and Milo, 9-month-old Australian Labradoodles; and Tashi, a 5-year-old Jack Russell.

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OAK BAY INSIDER

Windsor Park

Cold showers, All Blacks rugby and a long public hearing

By CHRISTOPHER CAUSTON

Christopher Causton was mayor of Oak Bay for 15 years, and now works as a Harbour Ferries Captain. He is the founder and former owner of Jason’s (Camilles) and Rattenbury’s (Spaghetti Factory), and is a classically trained hotelier. He is a keen tennis player, and member of the Harbourside Rotary for 29 years. He now works as the Goodwill Ambassador and captain at Victoria Harbour Ferries.

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or Rent: “Two bedroom suite in older building, set in Windsor Park, with views to Mount Baker and the Olympics. Reduced rent in exchange for light caretaking duties.”

Anyone looking to rent in Oak Bay would have jumped in anticipation on reading the above, and this wasn’t the only rental suite available in a park. Henderson Park’s Muffin Nook was formerly the caretaker’s suite, and the spot where children happily play at daycare in Carnarvon Park was once the watchman’s home. It made sense for the municipality to build small suites in its parks, and offer reduced rent to those who would steward the assets.

The suite at Windsor was closed in 2005 when the 1967 clubhouse was demolished.

The first clubhouse was built in 1944 and had a wood heater that had to be stoked to provide hot water for the showers. Inevitably, the majority of athletes got used to cold showers.

The stewards of Windsor Park were witnesses to the maturing of this gem for the last 50 years, but it was thanks to the early residents of the community that this green space came into the municipality’s hands.

In 1890, the BC Electric Company decided to build the park to attract families out to Oak Bay from the city. The electric trams terminated at Windsor and alighting families could either go to the beach or to the park. With cycle racing, cricket, soccer and rugby to watch, plus 2,000 spectator seats, families loved coming by tram to the park whenever they could. In due course, the BC Electric Company offered to sell the park to the municipality and, predictably, the residents rejected it. (Oak Bay has a history of initial referendum rejections.

For example, recreation centre at Bee Street was initially rejected). But several years later, a referendum passed, and for $10,000, the

SPRING 2015

municipality owned Windsor Park.

The park has witnessed many wonderful events over the years, but two in particular stand out.

In the earlier part of the 1900s, every 10 years, the feared All Blacks rugby team from New Zealand made a pilgrimage across Canada. Arriving by steamship in Victoria’s Inner Harbour in the 1920s, they took on the Victoria Crimson Tide at Windsor. Our boys managed to put three points on the board, thanks to a drop kick by H. Brynjolfsen, principal of Monterey School. I will not reveal how many points the All Blacks scored. Leaving Victoria, they travelled and played across the country, and then took a steamship from Halifax to England. Word is they never forgot that drop kick.

The other event was witnessed in 2006 when the Victoria Symphony — directed by Brian Jackson — played for Oak Bay’s Centennial birthday, July 2, in front of Lieutenant Governor Iona Campagnola and thousands of residents. It was an awe-inspiring event.

The park got a very important new neighbour in 1990 when the Currie Road Pump Station replaced two houses. This occurred after one of the longest (until 2 a.m.) and most divisive public hearings in Oak Bay’s history. One of the original plans amid the controversy was to build the pumping station in the middle of the park and construct a new pavillion on top. Strange now to think that we could have had a new pavillion in 1990.

Windsor Park has seen a lot of history in its time, and the caretakers have been a part of it.

Today, to get a sense of place and time, check out the photo wrap at the corner of St. James and Long Branch Avenue. There you can see the first clubhouse … and think of cold showers.

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Photo by Gordon Pritchard

Parting Shot

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right — as they were this past September when I took this photo just after sunset during a momentary clearing away of clouds.”

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