79 Visit Protection Island
W
hen the Protection Island’s ladies auxiliary group knocked on Danny Muhi’s door, they had one demand: cover the carving. An appromixately fourmetre high, endowed statue of a naked man stood on his yard, in the middle of the island, one of dozens of carvings he’d become known for. Once the ladies left, he set out to cover it, nailing a piece of plywood on the statue’s head. The group returned a few days later and said no, they wanted him to cover all of it. So he painted the man red. The tale is tied to a red statue, nicknamed Charlie, that’s now been decommissioned because of rot. “That’s the kind of stuff that happens here more than not,” said Protection Island museum curator Rick Scott, a Juno Award-nominated songwriter. The pirate-themed residential neighbourhood is just a 10-minute ferry ride from downtown Nanaimo, and home to about 350
year-round residents. The population swells in the summertime. It’s best known for the Dinghy Dock Pub and Restaurant, a floating eatery that’s become a destination for people who want to listen to live music, or dine with a panorama of the harbour. Kayakers paddle up to Dinghy Dock in the summertime and passengers can have a meal before hopping back on the ferry. But the Island is also a hub of history and character. Twenty museum exhibits have come from community residents, like Muhi, Scott said. The 73-hectare island is a neighbourhood of Nanaimo, and if not for its moat, Scott says it might be like any other community in the city. But it’s not. People drive electric golf carts around the island and there’s no public transportation, garbage collection or public washrooms. The island has its share of history, as the site where two aboriginal men were hung after the first jury
Ted Kuzemski/Tourism Nanaimo
trial under English law on the West Coast, a coal mine accident where 16 men died, and the explosion of the SS Oscar. It’s still a mystery where the ship, carrying explosives, ran aground. Protection Island was home to Happyland, a family-run resort, that offered cabins, a store and pavilion, before it got its pirate character. In 1959, the island was purchased for development by Nanaimo Realty Limited and Nanaimo Properties Ltd., headed by late Nanaimo mayor Frank Ney. It took on a Treasure-Island theme, with Billy Bones and
Long John Silver bays and streets like Captain Morgan’s Boulevard and Captain Kidds Terrace. “We still have the posters that advertise $8 down and $8 a month you could have a property and for I think $800 they’d put a house on it for ya,” said Scott. Locals don’t consider the island a tourist attraction, because of the lack of public washrooms, but there’s a heron colony close to Pirates Park and near the pub, and a museum and library on the southern tip. It takes 45 minutes to walk around Protection Island.
Value Lodge Motel www.vancouverislandsymphony.com
10 Concert Season!
Queen Sized Bed Unit Two Double Beds Unit Kitchenette Available Pet Friendly Weekly Rate Available Fridge • Microwave • Cable TV • Free Wifi • Newly Renovated 736 Nicol St. Nanaimo
Call 250.754.2328
100 Events! Including PirateFest! www.festivalnanaimo.com
34 34
• • • •
101 Things to See and Do THROUGH 2016 - Nanaimo and Region BETTER COMMUNITY BETTER BUSINESS