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The newspaper of record for Nanaimo and region since 1874 || Friday, April 17, 2015
» People
Special tradition nears an end After decades together, group of bocce players may lose their gathering spot to developers SPENCER ANDERSON DAILY NEWS
I
t isn’t much to look at — a small, white church on the corner of 104th Street and Apsley Avenue in Nanaimo’s north end. Behind the church is a small, leafy yard, and in the yard are two lanes with compacted sand and stout wooden walls. The church, formerly St. John’s, is boarded up now, but used to be the place of worship for many in Nanaimo’s Croatian community. Throngs of families would pour in and out of the building on Sundays, sometimes to have picnics. The congregations are gone, but most days you can still find 10 or so mostly Croatian men who gather behind the church to play bocce in the sandy lanes they built on the property decades ago. Most are in their 70s and 80s. Some of them have been playing bocce at “their spot” for close to four decades. Over the years they have maintained the site and done some general upkeep work on the church. But that may end soon. The crew learned last year that the property is slated for a small lot subdivision, which means a 40-year tradition is set to come to a halt. Vic Kutlesa has been coming to play bocce at the site for 20 years and was the first to arrive on Wednesday. He was soon joined by his friends Gabriel Keylaj and Ante Sertic, who have played at the site for roughly 36 years each. Branko Drazic arrived shortly after. “We hate to see it go,” Drazic said. Soon, others arrive on the site, until there are enough to form two teams of four players each. Keylaj empties a brown bag filled with faded, scarred red and green bocce balls. They land with muted thuds on the packed-down sand and dirt. Each player picks up two. One of the players picks up and tosses the jack, the small, white ball used for scoring. Points are racked up for each green or red ball that is closest to the jack. It takes a few minutes for the men to get started. Once they do, however, the chatting subsides and the serious play begins. “The loser buys a case of beer, and then we play again,” said Marko Vukelich. “We used to barbecue here,” he said. “Fifty to 100 people used to show up. But I guess it just has to come to an end.”
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Mainly sunny High 16, Low 6 Details A2
Above, Branko Drazic throws then reacts during a Wednesday afternoon match of bocce with friends in Nanaimo. Inset, the regular players shoot the breeze between matches. [AARON HINKS/DAILY NEWS PHOTOS]
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Speaking Croatian, the players mutter, shout and cry approval at a good shot and wince when a ball flies past its intended target. The men banter with one another with a certain familiarity that only people who have known one another for decades carry. “Maybe 10 of us (play) when everybody is together,” Keylaj said. “Before, it used to be both (lanes) full. There used to be 40 of us, plus women (who would play in the other lane). We used to barbecue lamb, pig, every Sunday, just about, in the summertime.” “The 1800s,” Drazic replies jokingly when asked of his earliest memory of the place. Laughter ensues. But there is a distinct note of resignation among the merriment. Keylaj says they know eventually bulldozers will come in to clear the site. “I hope it takes longer,” he said,
“so we got a place to come and play. Lose a few hours of the day.” Joe Markusic, 88, is one of the older players of the bunch and is sad that he and his friends are losing their bocce lanes. “It doesn’t feel very good,” he said. “We like to come and play for free here, have a beer.” He said and others in the group hope the city or some other party comes forward with an offer to let them play at another location. The church and land was originally owned by St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church, but was sold last year to MJP Homes Ltd. Michael Plavetic, who applied for rezoning of the site on behalf of the company, said the company is working on another set of plans for the site, after the rezoning was turned down after a public hearing. He said he’s told the bocce players they can use the site until construction starts, likely after this year. SPENCER.ANDERSON @NANAIMODAILYNEWS.COM 250-729-4255
Gabriel Keylaj launches a ball.
Nanaimo, other cities look at software deal
City contractor wants Site C project all union
Council asks staff to enter into a memorandum of understanding with Delta, which wants a multi-city bid on software for parks and recreation departments. » Nanaimo Region, A3
Jack Whittaker, who co-founded Nanaimo’s Hazelwood Construction, tells the province the project will go over budget if B.C. Hydro runs it as an open site. » British Columbia, A10
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