Special Features - Tweed Magazine - Winter 2016-17

O A K B AY L I V I N G

TWEED WINTER 2016/2017

Heritage re-imagined NEW LIFE FOR A ST. DAVID CENTURY HOUSE

Coastal explorations HIKING THE EAST COAST TRAIL I N S I D E › P EO P L E › H O M E S › H I STO RY › A RTS

OAK BAY VICTORIA NANAIMO VANCOUVER CALGARY TORONTO MONTREAL QUEBEC HONG KONG LONDON CALIFORNIA NEW YORK ARIZONA

The Shop is Now Open!

One of the most prestigious international names in real estate has opened its doors in Oak Bay. Engel & Völkers is an international brokerage focused on luxury residential sales, while offering premium service at every price point.

Engel and Völkers Vancouver Island now belongs to a truly connected network of more than 6,000 expert real estate advisors in 39 countries across six continents. Founded in 1977 in Hamburg Germany, Engel & Völkers has grown to more than 700 offices around the world.

Other Canadian locations include three offices in the Greater Toronto Area as well as Markham, and Collingwood, two Quebec locations, an office in Calgary, Vancouver, Nanaimo and downtown Victoria.

We are excited to announce the opening of our latest location in Oak Bay!

2249 Oak Bay Ave. 778-433-8885 www.Victoria.evcanada.com

©2016 Engel & Völkers. All right reserved. Each brokerage is independently owned and operated.

OAK BAY VICTORIA NANAIMO VANCOUVER CALGARY TORONTO MONTREAL QUEBEC HONG KONG LONDON CALIFORNIA NEW YORK ARIZONA

‘Tis the season…

to get cozy with family & friends

Oak Bay SeniorCare wishes you and your family all the best for a wonderful holiday season, and a happy and healthy New Year.

9752 Third Street, Sidney 250-656-7176 or 250-589-0010

#209 – 2250 Oak Bay Avenue 778-433-4784 or 250-589-0010

Salt Spring Island 250-538-7411 or 1-855-252-5641 (toll free)

TWEED 10 Winter 2016/2017

Volume 4 | Issue 4

inside

10 Feature Story Heritage re-imagined on St. David Street.

TELL

DEPARTMENTS

22

Oak Bay Insider

40

Historic Oak Bay

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

Christopher Causton explores Oak Bay’s tango with time.

24

Ivan Watson explores the storied history of the Victoria Sketch Club.

Dogs on the Avenue

31

TWEED!

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

So, do tell!

Email editor Jennifer Blyth at: editor@oakbaynews.com

Tea with

Editor Jennifer Blyth chats with Oak Bay BIA’s Elizabeth Smith.

On the Cover: Floral design by Thorn & Thistle at their Oak Bay store.

Photo by DON DENTON

16

24

Finding the best mortgage for you.

Debra Wright Mortgage Broker

Serving the Oak Bay community for over 20 years. debra@auxiliummortgage.com www.auxiliummortgage.com

250-920-5100

4

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WINTER 2016/2017

E The N GNewly I N E EResTyled R E D 2017 MdX TO E XC E E D E X P E C TAT I O N S .

2016

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Starting from $37,425 *

An available 3.5-litre, 290-hp V6 engine with a 9-speed automatic transmission. Available AcuraWatch ™ driver assist features. Available Super Handling All-Wheel Drive ™.

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Model Lease the 2016 TLX from

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1,000 3 ,500†† † 2.9% $2,500

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OR

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Customer Cash Rebate on other select 2016 TLX models

*Selling price is $37,425 on a new 2016 TLX (UB1F3GJ) Selling price includes $1,995 freight and PDI, EHF tires ($29), EHF filters ($1), air conditioning fee ($100) and OMVIC fee ($10). License, insurance, registration and taxes are extra. Limited time lease offer based on a new 2016 Acura TLX (UB1F3GJ) available through Acura Financial Services on approved credit. Representative lease example: 0.9% lease rate for 48 months (48 payments). Monthly payment is $368 with $2,650 down payme nt. 16,000 km allowance/year; charge of $0.15/km for excess kilometres. Total lease obligation is $20,314. Offer includes EHF tires ($29), EHF filters ($1), air conditioning fee ($100), OMVIC fee ($10), PPSA ($37) and Driving Perfection Event credit ($1,000). License, insurance, registration, options, duties and taxes are extra. PPSA lien registration fee and lien registering agent s fee are due at time of delivery. $1,000 Driving Perfection Event credit includes applicable sales taxes. $3,500 Customer Cash Rebate (CCR) is available on new 2016 Acura TLX SH-AWD® Tech V6 (UB3F5GKN), and SH-AWD ® Elite V6 (UB3F7GKN) models when registered and delivered before July 31, 2016. Total incentives consist of: (i) $2,000 that cannot be combined with lease/finance offers; and (ii) $1,500 that can be combined with lease/finance offers. All incentives will be deducted from the negotiated selling price after taxes. Some terms/conditions apply. Model shown for illustration purposes only. Certain features are only available on certain trims. Offers end July 31, 2016 and are subject to change or cancellation without notice. Dealer may sell/lease for less. Dealer order/trade may be necessary. While quantities last. Visit acuragta.ca or your Acura dealer for details. © 2016 Acura, a division of Honda Canada Inc.

Monthly payment $6,500 Down payment

48 - Month Lease

Customer Cash Rebate on other 2017 MDX models

3347 OAK STREET

250-383-0088 DL #31106 *Suggested selling price is $55,735 // $67,835 on a new 2017 Acura MDX (YD4H2HJNX) // model shown, a 2017 MDX Elite (YD4H8HKN) including $2,045 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 2017 Acura MDX (YD4H2HJNX) / / model shown, a 2017 MDX Elite (YD4H8HKN) available through Acura Financial Services, on approved credit. 2.9% lease rate for 48 months. Monthly payment is $578 // $748 (includes $2,045 freight and PDI) with $6,500 down payment. 16,000 k m allowance/year; charge of $0.17/km for excess kilometres.

TALK of the TOWN !

By the time you pick up this new edition of Tweed, Oak Bay will be all a-twinkle with the sights of the season.

Be sure to take time to stroll the Oak Bay Village where thousands of holiday lights and seasonal decorations create the backdrop for the BIA’s annual Christmas Festival.

Shop for the unordinary this Christmas—we offer a wide selection of local craft gin, vodka and beer as well as B.C. and Island wines.

We have stocking stuffer ideas too – Try Glenfarclas or Bowmore single malt infused marmalades for the scotch enthusiast!

Your community liquor store located in the Cadboro Bay Village.

3837 CADBORO BAY RD, VICTORIA BC

info@caddybayliquor.com • tel: (250) 384-2688

Recreation Oak Bay has a whole host of activities planned for the holiday season – a great way to keep the kids busy and active for at least part of their winter break. In addition to various swims and skates, Christmas Day brings free activities to the Oak Bay Recreation Centre. Burn off a few extra calories in advance of your delicious turkey dinner with an afternoon of swimming, skating, tennis and working out in the fitness studio – all are free with a non-perishable food item or donation for the food bank. Swimming and skating runs from 1 to 3:30 p.m. while tennis and fitness go to 3:45 p.m.

The centre closes at 4 p.m.

Oak Bay’s continuing Live Music Series from Beaconridge Productions brings West Coast favourite Valdy to the Upstairs Lounge at Oak Bay Rec Centre Friday, Jan. 13. Doors open at 6 p.m. in advance of the 7:30

p.m. concert with the folk music legend, who through 40 years of recording and touring, remains at the heart of Canada’s musical landscape. Pick up tickets from rec centre reception, Ivy’s Bookshop or online at beaconridgeproductions.com.

Enjoy a hearty hot breakfast and support your community in the new year when the Kiwanis Club of Oak Bay returns with winter breakfasts, each Sunday from Jan. 8 to mid-April at the Kiwanis Tea Room at Willows Park. With volunteers at the grill and serving customers, and egg donations from Galey Farm, proceeds support the Oak Bay Kiwanis Pavilion, a complex care facility specializing in dementia care.

Cont. on page 9

Thinking of Selling? Contact me for a house evaluation.

Julie Rust REALTOR®

Office: 250.385.2033 julie@julierust.ca

www.julierust.ca

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TWEED

WINTER 2016/2017

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EDITOR'S LETTER

Looking forward

W

elcome to the winter issue of Tweed magazine. As we close out 2016, we celebrate Oak Bay’s rich past and look forward to the opportunities 2017 presents.

It’s a fitting time for such reflections, of course, but it’s a theme that resonates, regardless of the season.

Writer Ivan Watson shares his passion for history in the story of the grand dame of Oak Bay art groups, the Victoria Sketch Club. Home over the years to such illustrious names as Emily Carr, Jack Shadbolt and Ted Harrison, the club has reinvented itself several times over its 100-plus years, and today thrives into its next 100.

The theme of reinvention plays out in this issue’s home feature as well. Anna and Mike Arneja knew they wanted to settle in south Oak Bay, and knew they wanted a home with timeless character, but one that would serve their family life for years to come. They found it on St. David Street and share their vision for preserving the best of the past as we

move forward.

Barrie Moen and his Tankards explore what once was along Oak Bay Avenue, the gracious old homes that have given way to the shops and businesses of the village, but whose legacy lives in the history of the municipality.

In the kitchen of the reinvented Oak Bay Beach Hotel, Chef Kreg Graham creates new flavours fresh from local farms and fields, while from the historic Union Club, Lia Crowe showcases styles to take Oak Bay’s Charlotte A. Salomon from work to play.

Finally, Hazel Braithwaite shares her inspiring journey hiking the East Coast trail, shared with husband Rod and daughter Lauren, and now with us. The trio explored that storied coast, at once similar and yet so different from our own, in the family trip of a lifetime.

To all we have met this year, and our readers with whom we have shared their stories, thank you for a memorable 2016, and here’s to the stories to come in the year ahead.

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WINTER 2016/2017

B R EN D A @ B R EN D A R U S S EL L .C A

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208-2187 Oak Bay Avenue

more talk of the town Cont. from page 6 The Oak Bay Beach Hotel entertains audiences through winter with a different twist on the traditional “dinner show” evening. Taking the David Foster Theatre stage on select weekends in January and February is Keep The Magic Alive, featuring one of Canada’s top magicians, Eric Bedard. Following an inspiring threecourse dinner from executive chef Kreg Graham (see feature page 24) join the “noted magician to the stars” on a three-part magical journey and be amazed with a unique, humorous performance.

Publisher and advertising inquiries Janet Gairdner jgairdner@blackpress.ca 250-480-3251

Editor Jennifer Blyth editor@oakbaynews.com 250-480-3239

Group Publisher Penny Sakamoto

Creative Director Lily Chan

Advertising Janet Gairdner Sandy Henderson

Associate Editor Lia Crowe

Creative Services Lyn Quan Michelle Gjerde Claudia Gross

Photo Supervisor Don Denton Distribution 250-480-3285

www.oakbaynews.com 207A-2187 Oak Bay Ave. Victoria, BC V8R 1G1 Phone 250-598-4123

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.

Marc Owen-Flood Personal Real Estate Corporation

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Season’s Greetings and Thank You I would like to thank all those who allowed me to work on their behalf this past year.

It has a pleasure to work in Oak Bay and be of service in meeting your real estate needs.

If you are considering your real estate options in 2017 and would like a complimentary market evaluation, please call me at 250-920-8006.

Best wishes for the Season and for 2017!

Marc Owen-Flood

250-385-2033

www.owen-flood.com

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OAK BAY HOME

Traditional elements like wallpaper pair beautifully with contemporary fixtures in Michael and Anna Arneja’s St. David Street home

HERITAGE RE-IMAGINED

By JENNIFER BLYTH | DON DENTON photos

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Exquisite treasures for both you and your h�me.

W

hen Michael and Anna Arneja first set eyes on their future St. David Street home, Michael was sold immediately.

“We loved South Oak Bay, and we fell in love with the street. St. David to me is one of my favourite streets,” Anna says. However as someone who loves design, the 1911 home as it was then “wasn’t pretty at all.”

The ability to see past that was key.

“I remember walking in with Michael during an open house and he said, ‘This is beautiful.’ I just kind of shook my head but I had so much faith in him and had seen him do it before so I just followed his lead on this,” Anna recalls.

Today, “we’ve been here two years and we couldn’t be happier.”

Admittedly, the timing wasn’t ideal. The couple had moved to the Island from the lower Mainland and were renting a home in Fairfield while Michael started his business, Griffin Restoration Services. As they found the home and embarked on the renovation, Anna learned she was pregnant with their first child. “We started a businesses, we started a reno, we were renting and we had new a baby,” Michael says with a laugh.

His experience helping families recover from floods, fires, mould and other “disasters” gave him the know-how to take on his own to-the-bones restoration of a century-old house. Problems with previous renovations, deck rot and asbestos – typical of many homes of a similar vintage – were all issues with which Everything you touch Michael was well acquainted. daily, that’s what you Having learned the business put your money into.

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Large windows welcome natural light through both the upper and lower floors

from the ground-up from his family, advice shared long ago rang true when Michael saw the his future home: Look for the oldest house on the best block and go in knowing what to look for. “They taught me how to find the flaws in those buildings.”

At the same time, “I started falling in love with the architecture of these older buildings. I look for good bones – you can’t find bones like this anymore.”

“When we designed this we really looked at investments that were timeless,” Anna says. “We wanted a good fit for the neighbourhood.”

Michael points to the hand-crafted dentil moulding accenting long-lasting Hardi-shake siding and the painstakingly created West Coast micro-ledge stonework circling the veranda pillars. “I wanted to mimic history as much as I could,” he says.

Not that the process is easy. It costs more to renovate and takes longer than building new, he concedes, but at the same time, “you can’t get the look and you can’t get the same materials today,” he says. “I love the level of sophistication you can bring to these types of houses if you have the foresight.”

The return also comes in the appraised value of the restored home and the relationships built with the community, Michael says, noting the

municipality was helpful throughout the process.

“We had a lot of support from the neighbourhood because we were renovating and not tearing it down,” Anna adds.

Inside, the question was how to retain the timeless feel of the home while creating the modern layout and features the young family wanted. Deemed “new construction” because of the magnitude of the work, the Arnejas created an open floorplan using a seismically stable steel superstructure. “We did all that in order to have no walls,” Michael explains.

While the walls were open, he also “smart wired” the house, allowing automation of features such as music, heating, lighting and security systems. Today the house is quiet and energy-efficient, with new windows, and walls and floors 14 and 12-inches thick respectively.

With an eye to the future, the home is roughed in for future upgrades as the family’s needs evolve. Planning, and not rushing, made that possible. “Taking as long as it did, it made it more usable forever,” Michael says.

With seemingly boundless energy, he reflects on the multiyear project over coffee at the dining table, 18-month-old son Lyndon on his knee, and daughter Victoria, 4, just steps away on the sofa. This is where the family spends a good deal of time, together, and that’s exactly how they wanted it.

“It’s really a family home,” Anna says. We entertain a lot and now we have not just couples, but also their kids.”

Accommodating those needs are the three kitchen islands, topped with white quartz, creating great storage and workspace for multiple cooks. A classic subway tile backsplash balances the modern feel of the islands’ waterfall edge design, WINTER 2016/2017

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Anna notes. A butler’s pantry leads off the “public space” and on to the walk-in pantry.

Lighting further helps delineate living spaces while beautifully textured but forgiving hand-scraped walnut floor flows throughout. A comfy window seat sits behind the family table, a favourite place for Victoria to read and display her artwork. No hands-off gallery approach to decorating here, “I think you have to actually use your space to live in,” Anna says.

The open layout and numerous windows have the added benefit of offering unimpeded views to the ever-changing garden. “The windows are lovely – every season it’s so different,” Anna says.

In a happy accident upstairs, the need for the new roof allowed for a vaulted second storey, creating visually interesting sloped ceilings reminiscent of an earlier time. Along with transom windows above the doors, this creates an airiness in the guest and children’s rooms, and on in to the master suite, where a quiet nursing area will soon become a comfortable reading nook, Anna predicts. A usable Juliet balcony welcomes a fresh breeze come spring.

The adjacent en suite repeats the classic-contemporary mix, with the roomy walk-in shower standing comfortably next to the original, refurbished clawfoot tub. The glass globe door handles are inspired by the those at the elegant Union Club downtown.

Looking ahead, the Arnejas have their eye on the basement, creating another gathering space appropriate for the grown-ups for now, but perfect for teens down the road, “so they don’t feel like they have to go anywhere else,” Anna notes with a smile.

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Seasons Greetings

T R A C EY L E I B E L

DRESSED TO CELEBRATE T R A C EY L E I B E L

By LIA CROWE

T

he lovely and stylish Charlotte A. Salomon celebrates the season at the Union Club in a range of holiday fashion that can easily take you from daytime to all of your evening holiday events.

Originally from Toronto, Charlotte, lawyer and partner at McConnan Bion O’Connor & Peterson, has lived in Oak Bay for most of the last 20 years. Charlotte grew up surrounded by beautiful fashion, having three older sisters and a mother who could duplicate anything they saw on the runway using her sewing machine.

At this point in her life she considers good style to be fashion that can go from work, to kids’ activities, to an evening out. Outside of her profession she’s passionate about family, fitness and food, in that order!

Makeup by Jen Clark Hair by Donald Krassman at Brün Body Bar Photographed by Lia Crowe at the Union Club

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OAK BAY FASHION

Fitted jacket ($425) and high-waisted pencil skirt ($185) by Iris Setlakwe and bangles ($55 each) by Karyn Chopik, all at Bagheera Boutique

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Top ($165) by Bandoleer and leggings ($150) by Lisette L MontrĂŠal, both at Tulipe Noire; black pumps ($220) by Hispanitas at Footloose Shoes

Wool and cashmere dress ($430) by Marc Cain at W&J Wilson

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OAK BAY INSIDER

A tango with time

S

everal people in Oak Bay were regulars at the Tango Nightclub on Oak Bay Avenue, and a few hundred more remember the “last tango in Oak

Christopher Causton was mayor of Oak Bay for 15 Years. He is now the Goodwill Ambassador and a captain with Victoria Harbour Ferries.

He is the former owner of Jason’s and Rattenbury’s (Old Spaghetti Factory) and is a classically trained hotelier. A member of Harbourside Rotary for 32 years, he flies flags in his spare time.

Bay.” Held in November 2005, the “Last Tango in Oak Bay” was a fundraiser hosted by Matt MacNeil at the Penny Farthing. With live music and an art auction, the objective was to raise money toward the 2006 centennial year projects, with two particular ones in mind: the Windsor Park Pavilion and a village clock.

Inspired by village clocks around the world, I had been looking for the perfect model for Oak Bay. On a chance visit to the Village of Edgemont in North Vancouver, I had, whilst enjoying a coffee at Delaney’s, spied what I thought would be perfect. With the aid of photographs, I was able to convince the Centennial Committee that it was worth checking out, and committee members made the trek to North Vancouver, and with coffees in hand, decided that with a few tweaks we could have the perfect village clock.

There were a few obstacles, however, including its place of construction – Medfield, Massachusetts – and its U.S. dollar price.

John Herbert, the able chair of the committee, researched clockmakers in British Columbia, and so it was that in September 2005, during a Union of BC Municipalities meeting in Vancouver, that a quorum of Oak Bay council met again outside Delaney’s in Edgemont with Langley, B.C.’s Vahid Yazdanmehr.

Vahid, the perfect character clockmaker, owns the company It’s About Time and he

said he could build or copy any clock. So we tweaked the Edgemont clock, gave Vahid the order, and his company set to work. John Herbert kept his eye on the progress, even making roadtrips to Langley along the way.

Then came the question of where in the village it should be placed.

Some members of council preferred it opposite municipal hall, but the prevailing wisdom was that it be placed outside Pharmasave so that it could be seen from both Hampshire and the Avenue. In the first week of August 2006, Vahid brought his family and the clock to Oak Bay. With excellent electrical help from Bill Cliff of the Public Works department, the clock was installed. The sidewalk was widened, benches were installed and flowers were displayed ... and the clock started.

In some towns around the world the town clock has to be wound on a regular basis.

However I couldn’t see adding that to the mayor’s job description, so we use global positioning technology to check with satellites three times a day to ensure the time is always correct. Hopefully it will continue to be maintenance-free.

Residents sitting next to the clock will see the list of members of the hard-working Centennial Committee who masterminded the 2006 celebrations. The plaque is not the original one as an error befell the first: MacNeil’s name was spelled wrong. The committee blamed the proofreader (yes that was in my job description!)

Next time the clocks go forward or back, check out the village clock, and with coffee in hand, say a little thanks to the last tango.

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HISTORIC OAK BAY

Artistic VISION

Victoria Sketch Club pushes creative boundaries for 100+ years

By IVAN WATSON Photos Courtesy Oak Bay Archives

F

or more than a century, the Victoria Sketch Club has been the driving force of artistic expression and achievement in Greater Victoria, developing and showcasing many of the region’s top artistic talents – from landscape traditionalists to abstract trailblazers.

Established in 1909 as the Island Arts Club, it is the oldest art group in Western Canada. Its 56 charter members were a “who’s who” of Victoria society, including famous names such as Emily Carr and architect Samuel Maclure. The club’s initial aims were threefold: to bring together artists and art lovers; to host annual exhibitions; and to stimulate general interest in arts and crafts.

The club soon became the region’s new artistic centre of gravity. Gala garden parties at grand estates in the Uplands and Rockland were high society affairs – the places to see the latest paintings and to be seen as a member of Victoria’s elite.

When a school of handicraft and design was opened in 1913, the club changed its name to the Island Arts and Crafts Society. “They added a craft section and brought in instructors from England,” notes club historian John Lover, who published an excellent history of the club for its 2009 centennial. “They did all sorts of things – metal work, book binding, wood carving and more. It didn’t last long because the craft functions were absorbed by the new schools and colleges but the society always had a craft section in their annual exhibitions.”

Prior to the club’s founding, Victoria’s art scene consisted of informal gatherings of enthusiasts who would sketch and paint together at beauty spots including Beacon Hill Park and the Dallas Road beachfront. Organized by Josephine Crease, these casual “paint-ins” often included distinguished guests such as Sophie Pemberton – the first British Columbian to exhibit at the Royal Academy in London – and the irrepressible Emily Carr. Carr was a towering presence in the new club, constantly striving to break new frontiers in artistic achievement against a mainstream current of landscape traditionalist resistance.

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Oak Bay Village, by Victor Lotto

In the society’s heyday, public lectures fostered appreciation for art and annual exhibitions received widespread praise. “A fine exhibition of island art” heralded the Daily Colonist headline from Oct. 6, 1911. The newspaper described the club’s annual exhibition of 300 art works as “a wealth of romance, of poetic imagination and of executive ability that is joyous in the extreme.”

Lover describes the 1920s as the society’s golden age – a time when its exhibitions and public lectures were attended by hundreds of people. Members advocated for the creation of an art gallery and when intrepid Scot Una Uhthoff arrived during that decade, she made her presence felt immediately, founding an art school. Prudish Victoria did not know what to make of her, says Lover, noting that even in progressive Uhthoff’s classes, “nude models were purportedly required to wear bathing drawers reaching to their knees” to conform to social mores.

After years of determined advocacy, Uhthoff’s dream of a permanent gallery was achieved in 1951 with the opening of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. Club members were instrumental in this achievement as “all the leading advocates were from the club,” notes Lover.

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In the 1930s, a rebellious group of young artists (among them Max Maynard and Jack Shadbolt) who were keen to experiment and to break free from the shackles of the British watercolour tradition, formed around Emily Carr. Carr herself grew disillusioned with the society’s ignorance of international post-modernist trends. Exasperated, she referred to the society as “that millstone round the neck of art.” When her ally Maynard was elected vice-president in 1932, he used his influence to arrange for a “modern room” of abstract art to adjoin the society’s annual exhibition. It was a social disaster. Maynard recalled that many genteel ladies “sniffed and turned away” and both men and women “made sarcastic comments to each other in loud voices.”

There was even a mild case of sabotage. “Maynard produced 100 brochures on modern art and he put them on the table at the exhibition for people to help themselves,” recalls Lover. “After the first tea break, they’d all disappeared, never to be seen again.” The “modern room” experiment was not repeated and during the 1930s, the club entered a period of gradual decline with stalwarts such as Maynard and Shadbolt leaving the area and veteran members passing away.

During the Second World War, society activities were disrupted further and the glory days of posh garden parties became a distant memory. Dedicated president John Kyle kept things going, but with no permanent home, the group struggled to retain its prominence, especially as newer clubs sprung up. By the 1950s, the society was on life support. At the suggestion of the Art Gallery’s founding director Colin Graham, the group was renamed the Victoria Sketch Club and re-focussed its activities on sketching and painting which have to this day proven to be the most enduring components of the old society.

Gradually, a new generation of artists emerged and the club has enjoyed a long period of stability and success. “It’s endured in much the same form with summer en plein air painting, winter still life and model painting and annual exhibitions,” notes Lover. “One feature that was added in the 1960s was the annual summer paintout. In recent years we’ve gone to Cowichan, Tofino, Salt Spring Island, Hornby Island and Parksville-Qualicum.”

The club continues to attract the region’s best and brightest talents.

Oak Bay Beach Hotel, by Victor Lotto

“Ted Harrison was a member latterly,” says former club president Victor Lotto. “He was a very inspirational chap.

I remember him at Cowichan Bay, working on a new book.

He worked in his cabin turning out these magnificent acrylics with orcas painted in his special style. Each day, he’d produce another page and he’d use these melmac paper plates as a palate. Afterwards, he’d sign them and give them to one of our members who was delighted to end up with a huge stack of them.”

Today, the club is thriving with nearly 40 members from diverse professional backgrounds. For more than 40 years, regular meetings have taken place on Tuesdays at Oak Bay’s Windsor Park Pavilion. Since 1984, the club hosts its popular annual spring art show at Glenlyon-Norfolk School on Beach Drive.

Lotto is optimistic about the club’s future. “We have new members who are producing things that are really outstanding. There is a new spark of creativity coming into the organization that is encompassing new ideas and new approaches from people, some of whom are new to the art world. They’ve demonstrated a superb talent after leaving a job where they were working in non-creative endeavours and they’re discovering something latent that is now coming to the forefront.”

For more information, visit: victoriasketchclub.ca. Copies of John Lover’s book The Victoria Sketch Club: A Centennial Celebration, 1909 – 2009 are available for purchase online or at the annual art show which takes place at Glenlyon-Norfolk School on Beach Drive from March 14 to 20, 2017.

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Quality Time I Executive Chef Kreg Graham sets down roots at Oak Bay Beach Hotel

By ANGELA COWAN DON DENTON photos

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t’s been little over a year since Kreg Graham gave up his globe-trotting ways and took up his role as executive chef at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel, and he couldn’t be happier with his newfound “Island life.”

Since graduating from the Culinary Institute of Canada in Charlottetown, PEI, Graham has been on the move, working in Winnipeg, Toronto, Seychelles, Fiji, Thailand and Whistler. The accomplished chef has grown his experience and reputation with each destination, but the transient way of life began to lose a bit of its shine as the years passed.

When he and his wife celebrated the arrival of their first daughter while in Thailand, they both began to think about putting down roots somewhere.

But it wasn’t until Graham was at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler that a recruiter came calling with just the right opportunity, executive chef in picturesque Oak Bay. “It was the Island,” he says. “It was Victoria, the slower pace of life. I have two young daughters, and my wife and I wanted to settle down, and this seemed like a good place to do it. We want our kids to have the stability to grow up in one place.”

Graham made the move from the Fairmont Chateau Whistler in October, 2015, where he had spent a year and a half as executive chef overseeing more than 75 cooks and five restaurants.

Stepping into the same role at the smaller – but just as beautiful – Oak Bay Beach Hotel, Graham has been able to get back on the kitchen floor amidst his planning and administrative duties, and that’s something he thoroughly enjoys.

“It’s definitely a lot smaller than what I’m used to,” he says. “It’s allowed me to be a lot more hands-on, which is fun. I actually get to cook every day, and in a role like my previous one, that wasn’t something I could do.”

Having a culinary team of 22 means he has more one-on-one time, he adds.

“I get to work a lot closer to the staff. It’s nice to be able to train hands-on,” he says, and mentions he has three apprentices in his kitchen right now.

“You get to know everybody a bit better. It’s nice to have those closer relationships.”

Although the Oak Bay Beach Hotel is smaller than the Fairmont Chateau Whistler, it holds its own challenges. Graham oversees the menus for the hotel’s six food and beverage outlets: in-room dining, The Snug Pub, the Dining Room, Oceanside dining at the Boathouse Spa & Baths, Kate’s Café

CUSTOM CREATION Sticky Toffee Pudding

and the David Foster Foundation Theatre.

“Chef Graham brings a wealth of experience from highpaced resort environments,” says Michelle Le Sage, general manager of the Oak Bay Beach Hotel. “His combined hotel and kitchen experience is an excellent fit for our property and its high-volume and high-quality dining spaces.”

High quality is certainly the key phrase, as Graham works tirelessly to source the best quality ingredients for his menus, often from local suppliers he’s gotten to know personally. He’s forged relationships with many local farmers and producers, including Saanich Organics, Tree Island Yogurt and local farmer Jesse Crawford at Woodgate Farms.

A chef’s job is to make “A lot of our chicken on the most memorable our menu is from him,” says meals by taking great Graham. “They’re free range products, treating them and organic, and it’s neat, you with respect, knowledge can actually see the marbling in and accentuating their the chicken breast. It’s a sign of how their feed and their ability best qualities. to roam and range free affects the quality of their meat.”

His commitment to using the highest quality ingredients is a common thread throughout the conversation, especially when he starts talking about his favourite dishes to cook.

For example, his Cottage Pie, served in the aptly named Snug Pub, is made with a slow-roasted and pulled barbecue beef brisket, soaked in a dark ale gravy, loaded with creamy mashed potatoes and cheddar. It’s his take on a traditional Shepherd’s pie, and it’s one of the most popular dishes through the dreary winter months, he says.

Graham’s Chicken Penne Alfredo is a bowl of heaven topped with asparagus and mushrooms, and uses the sumptuous Woodgate Farms chicken he’s so fond of.

“Because the chickens are so large, the breasts are 12

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Chef Kreg Graham’s Cottage Pie

ounces, that would be too much for one serving,” he says.

“So we trim the breasts, and we use that for our Alfredo. I like that, because we utilize the bird a little bit more.”

It’s an attitude of both quality and sustainability that he’s fostered since his early days.

“A chef’s job is to make the most memorable meals by taking great products, treating them with respect, knowledge and accentuating their best qualities,” he says.

He appreciates the availability of such high-quality supplies so close to town as well, he says.

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“I like the local little shops. The Whole Beast and The Village Butcher,” he says of the meat experts on the Avenue.

“It’s nice to have those food-focused shops.”

But aside from the fantastic food scene, it’s the whole package of Island life – the slower pace, the people, the natural beauty – that sold Graham on his new neighbourhood.

“When I drive to work, I drive along Beach Drive, and that’s a pretty nice street,” he says with a laugh. “The landscape is amazing. The views are amazing.”

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TALES FROM THE TRAIL Hazel Braithwaite and family hike the East Coast Trail

By ANGELA COWAN Photos courtesy HAZEL BRAITHWAITE

W

ith state-of-the-art gear and waterproof map in hand, Oak Bay councillor and veteran hiker Hazel Braithwaite took on the East Coast Trail in Newfoundland this June with her husband and daughter, experiencing first-hand the rough-hewn beauty and temperamental nature of the Atlantic coast.

“Temperamental would be an understatement,” she laughs as she tells me about her trip over a cup of coffee. The first night on the trail carried a frost warning, and the next day brought the warmest day of the year to that point, setting up the day’s hike with a bitterly cold wind blowing off the water and a heat wave rolling over land.

Hazel and husband Rod kicked off the first leg of their trip as a duo from Bauline East, approximately 50 kilometres south of St. John’s. Though the pair have years of hiking experience between them – with previous trips to the West Coast Trail, North Coast Trail, Nootka Island, Haida Gwaii,

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jungle hikes in Papua New Guinea and the extreme elevation in Peru – the Atlantic coast offered a new experience for them both.

Many of the trails in B.C. – though still challenging – are relatively flat and generally have great access to sandy beaches (and beach fires), Hazel says, but the East Coast Trail kept them high and dry on rocky landscape.

But even without the beach fires, “there is nothing quite like the shoreline of Newfoundland for beautiful eye candy,” she says.

Over the first six days, they powered through rocky terrain, near-1,000-foot climbs and descents, voracious bugs and an almost disastrous encounter with stinging nettles as they made their way back north along the trail.

The pair stopped to camp in Brigus South, Cape Broyle, Lance Cove and Calvert before learning of a bed and breakfast from a local woman hanging her washing on the line. They were soon happily ensconced in the cosy Inn on

Arch at Berry Head

Day six – hiking at Gallows Cove

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“It was total bliss,” said Hazel in her daily Facebook update. “All in all a fabulous way to end our day!”

Capping off the first half of their hike, Hazel and Rod stopped at Berry Head, a naturally occurring and monumental rock archway appropriate to an epic tale of Lord of the Rings proportions.

After regrouping in St. John’s and meeting their daughter, Lauren, the trio hit the trail at Blackhead, just south of the capital, and took the trail past Cape Spear, the most eastern point of North America.

Trekking through Herring Cove and Motion Head, the

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Varied geological formations are found along the trail

Rod, Hazel and Lauren mark the end of the trail.

three intrepid hikers traversed exposed rock with sparse vegetation and little to break the glaring sun or biting winds. As the weather lived up to its capricious reputation, they hiked through days of rainy sunrises, hot and sunburned afternoons and deep fog.

“There’s nothing like an East Coast fog bank,” says Hazel with a wistful hint to her voice. Capturing hundreds of photos as they continued on, the family made their way through Miner Point, and came upon one of Hazel’s favourite spots of the entire trip: The Spout.

A fresh-water and wave-powered geyser that can be seen from up to 10 kilometres away on clear days, The Spout attracts hiker-tourists from all over, and is most spectacular after a good amount of rainfall. “(It) truly lived up to all the hype that we had read about (it), which often doesn’t happen,” says Hazel. “Plus, it was on our bucket list of things to see, so that also made it very special.”

Their last days of the hike brought sweeping ocean vistas at Little Bald Head and the incredible towering sea stacks, seemingly precarious in their slenderness. Exploring around Bull Head lighthouse brought the unexpected discovery of three humpback whales playing just off the point, identified

by Lauren (“our whale expert,” says Hazel).

And on their final day, after a short “community link” on the trail through the town of Bay Bulls, the Braithwaites ended their journey at Witless Bay in typical East Coast fashion.

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Rod has fun with one of the many trail markers along the East Coast Trail.

“We had a constant shift between warm and frigid winds, sun and fog, cliff vistas and fern gullies,” wrote Hazel in her last online update. “It was a lovely end to a fabulous hike.”

“The experience of hiking East versus West is a bit like choosing your favourite child,” she says. “Each has its pros and cons. Both have stunningly spectacular landscapes and gorgeous ocean vistas.

West Coast trails tend to be isolated – which we quite like and don’t avoid – and the East Coast Trail was a real cardio workout – which we don’t avoid either.”

West Coast trails have an abundance of sea lions, wolves, bears and other wildlife, where the East Coast has amazingly authentic and friendly folks along the way, she says.

“And while the West Coast has a fascinating history with an emphasis on coastal indigenous conflicts and cultures, the East Coast has a fascinating history with an emphasis on European conflicts and cultures. So really, they are two very different but equally rewarding experiences.”

While the scenery, the physical challenge and the novelty of a new experience were high points of the trip, the opportunity to ‘get away’ with her family is something she most treasures.

“He loves hiking, and I love him, so I love hiking,” she says of her husband, a smile stealing over her face. “But I have to be honest, I do truly enjoy being out there. It’s so peaceful, and we’re so fortunate that we can walk them. That we have the capacity.”

Escaping into the wilderness also gave mom and dad an opportunity to spend quality time with their 27-year-old daughter, who currently lives in San Jose.

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“She’s been out of the house since she was 17,” says Hazel. “It’s a good time to connect. I truly feel fortunate that Lauren was able to join us for part two of the hike.”

Unplugged, with no distractions, the family trio enjoyed each other’s company with conversation and in silence, as they breathed in the spectacular scenery around them. That kind of shared isolation brings you closer in a unique way, says Hazel.

“You’re out there on your own, and you have to depend on each other. It’s really lovely that (Lauren) has the same desire to hike.” She even asks for hiking equipment for Christmas now, Hazel adds with a laugh.

Overall, the trip was a complete success, with the Braithwaites adding one more stunning locale to their hiking history. From the deliciously melancholy fog and unpredictable weather to the ever-generous and friendly locals and breathtaking scenery, the East Coast Trail proved to be one of Hazel’s favourite hiking experiences.

“I would go back in a heartbeat.”

Rod and Hazel Braithwaite at Cape Spear Lighthouse, the most easterly point in North America

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INSIGHT VACATIONS

TEA WITH

Elizabeth Smith What are you most wellknown for in Oak Bay? I have been with Athlone Travel for 31 years and I am also known for my work with the Business Improvement Association. We proudly bring Christmas Light-Up, the Summer Markets and the Halloween Festival to the community. The BIA consists of more than 100 members. With services, shops, galleries and restaurants we believe that Oak Bay village delivers…Everything you need all in one place!

Photo DON DENTON

Tweed editor Jennifer Blyth enjoys tea with Elizabeth Smith at Vis-a-Vis in Oak Bay village. Smith is co-owner of Athlone Travel with Jane Purdie and Loraine Curtis and president of the Oak Bay Business Improvement Association.

How long have you live in Oak Bay? I have lived in Oak Bay for 39 years. I was born in London, UK and came to Canada when I was 10. We came to the West Coast in 1975.

Who is your family?

Bill and I have four children. Two of my children were actually born right here in Oak Bay, which is listed as place of birth on my daughters’ Canadian passports. It was not planned that way but I did not have much notice of their arrival!

What else have you been involved in?

The Athlone Travel team and I recently had the opportunity to raise funds for Oak Bay Fire Department non-essential equipment. We raised enough to purchase an infra-red camera, special lighting and a gas detector.

The department had these items but they were not upto-date. The most important item that we helped fund, along with Kiwanis, was the Jaws of Life. The equipment was a lighter, portable model, making it easier for the fire personnel to handle. I was excited to have a chance to be part of a training demonstration at the fire hall. I told my grandson that I went to Firefighter School!

Tell us about your work and/or hobbies?

I work with an amazing team of people at Athlone Travel. They have all been in the travel industry for a long time and are incredibly knowledgeable. We have more than 400 years experience collectively! We enjoy each other’s company and we love sharing tales of travelling to fabulous destinations that we can pass on to our clients.

I also adore cooking, especially with all the wonderful fresh local ingredients we have available on the Island.

What brings you joy?

My parents each had several siblings so I have a large extended family. I am fortunate that we all get along and share many common interests. On a recent family reunion in Ireland we had to hire a 54-passenger bus...and that was just my dad’s side! Nothing brings me more joy than my family.

Who are some of the most interesting people you have met?

One of the most interesting people I have met is a local resident who is now in her 90s. She came to Canada as a war bride. She is an accomplished author.

She has a wicked sense of humour and can regale you with stories about her fascinating life for hours!

Who is your hero?

My hero is Tony Joe, a local realtor who inspires many people to do good works. He contributes to the community in so many meaningful ways. He is a dedicated family man who truly cares about the world that we live in…making it a better place for everyone.

What is your greatest accomplishment?

My greatest accomplishment is my children. They are lovely people who work hard and enjoy a good work/life balance. I love spending time with them and their families. We try to all get together for a travel adventure every year or so.

Anything else you would like to share?

I have been very fortunate in my life and I firmly believe being kind is the best thing that you can do.

So remember, be kind!

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Kimbolton

Strolling through history Avenue’s homes have vanished but their stories remain

I

By BARRIE MOEN Photos courtesy of the Oak Bay Archives

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t’s difficult to have lived in Oak Bay very long without becoming aware of the haunting presence of two notable mansions that once occupied the corner of Oak Bay and Monterey avenues. An exploration of that presence was just the ticket for a blustery October afternoon.

“C’mon Pal,” I said, “let’s go look at beautiful houses that don’t Slingsby House exist anymore.” Pal yawned. No Oak Bay Archives 2010-010-148 problem, like most of Oak Bay’s four-legged friends, she is faithful “Look, if you stand here in front of the to a fault, Einstein sharp, and never doubts Penny Farthing and look across Oak Bay the wisdom of my decisions ... when a treat Avenue at the alley to the library, one can is involved. almost imagine the grand old mansion that “Pal,” I said, “This stretch on the south coal baron Bill Fernie built here in early side of Oak Bay Avenue used to be lined 1905. He called it ‘Kimbolton’ after his with remarkably beautiful old houses. On birthplace in England. the corner of Hampshire and Oak Bay “The house sat on three acres that Avenue where Athlone Court now stands, wrapped around to Monterey Avenue. In there used to be a beautiful old steepled its time it was as magnificent as Craigdarhouse, referred to as the ‘Slingsby home.’ roch castle. Coal money. And yes, Fernie, Beautiful, right?”

B.C. is named after him. Bill and brother Pal flopped onto the sidewalk.

Peter were known as the ‘The Bachelor “Here’s the best part: This block was Brothers.’” made up primarily of two parcels of land “Bachelor Brothers?” the Tankards asked. and their stately houses. One was a palace.

“Ah, that explanation requires time and The owners were prominent Oak Bay citicoffee,” I replied, and Pal sat up. zens and if you use your imagination one The lot east from Fernie’s stretched all can almost…” the way to the corner. In its midst sat a And that’s when the Tankards arrived. stately house called “Summerdyne,” built “I was just showing Pal the stately old in 1894 as the principal residence of the homes here before the Village developed.

Burrell family.

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Oak Bay Archives 2010-010-150

Frank Burrell, pronounced “Burl,” was born in Beverly, Yorkshire, England, and came to Victoria to work with Pemberton and Sons. He married Miss Kate A. Berry from Deptford, England and eventually became a notary public and the office manager. Active in the community, Burrell served on the first Oak Bay council, was the rector’s warden at Christ Church Cathedral, and prominent on the board of the Oak Bay Improvement Company. He and Kate raised six children. Summerdyne was not only considered a lovely house but the sparkle that emanated from the family made it a lovely home.

Frank Burrell’s passion for photography chronicled the activities of the Burrell household, leaving wonderful images of life during the course of early 20th century Oak Bay. He photographed jaunting cart trips, children in pinafores, birthday parties and family beach outings.

A governess, Miss Royal, educated the children, and the household included a nurse, maid and a cook. Just like the Darling family in Peter Pan. Burrell lobbied for a streetcar connection to the Victoria system, insisting it was essential for Oak Bay’s development. He rode his horse, everyday, to what is now the Oak Bay Archives 2010-010-023

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arrived in Victoria in 1860 and age five corners at Fort and Oak Summerdyne 23 that the city was considering inBay Avenue, tethering it in the corporation. He came to Canada to natural stable created by the make his fortune in the province’s large rocks and pasture, which frontier, not a city, so he struck presented the most formidable off for the wilderness of B.C., his obstacle for any direct rail line friends laughing at his folly. He ininto Oak Bay. He then scramsisted that one day he would return bled over the rocks and caught rich, with a wife, and build a grand the streetcar into town. The home, with a topknot on the roof, Oak Bay Improvement Comto settle down in. pany was determined that track “With his brother Peter, a veteran would continue into Oak Bay; of the Crimean War, they prostherefore, drastic action was required. Out came the dynamite, Oak Bay Archives 2010-010-002 pected all over B.C., insisting they would both settle down and find steam shovels and gangs of lawives, when they made their nest-egg. bourers. Rock walls were erected to terrace the land around the junction, and the railway became a reality.

Bill worked all over the Kootenays as a customs collector, a In 1914, Frank and Kate sold “Summerdyne” and built coroner and an assistant commissioner. His former associates a new house just off Oak Bay Avenue they called “Beverly in Victoria reckoned he must be pretty hard-up and would return any day. He was in his 40s by then, but he insisted he Place.” Kate passed in 1925. When Frank died in 1928 his wasn’t old enough to settle down and get married. death was marked as the passing of a true pioneer of the Victoria region.

In 1887, Bill Fernie hit it rich. After investigating reports of coal found near the Elk River in 1845 by Jesuit missionary Pierre Jean DeSmet, and then later reports of coal findings ***

by Crow’s Nest pass explorer Michael Phillips and geologist “Coffee time,” I suggested.

Dr. George Dawson, he decided to get directly involved.

“So,” Tankard Reg insisted, “Tell us about those ‘BachSeeing an opportunity, Bill joined in a controversial tripartite elor Brothers.’” agreement in 1887 with Phillips, and speculator Capt. James “Bill Fernie,” I began, “was appalled to learn when he

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Baker. Pushing his bet, Bill Fernie hired 12 Cape Breton miners and began digging into a coal seem of “considerable magnitude,” with the largest deposit right where the Kootenay Valley Railway was expected to pass.

His wealth established, his associates smiled and expected his quick return to Victoria. Bill, however, had unfinished business and though he probably visited Victoria occasionally, ignoring the growing village of Vancouver, he didn’t settle in Oak Bay until 1901, announcing that now he was 66, it was time to retire. “What about a wife?” he was asked.

But, like his brother Peter, he remained single for the rest of his life.

In 1905, Fernie’s home was complete and became known as “Kimbolton.” Gradually he Summerdyne settled into his palatial home and became a prominent was not only member of the Oak Bay comconsidered a munity, sitting on Oak Bay’s first council in 1907. He was a lovely house but good neighbour and encourthe sparkle that aged the fun and antics of the Burrell children and their emanated from many friends, occasionally the family made allowing them, accompanied it a lovely home. by a governess and nanny of course, full access to his three acres of cultivated grounds.

He had a housekeeper and a gardener to help in the yard where his neighbours fondly remembered Bill working in his orchard, pruning his roses, and dozing in the sun.

He died at age 84 in 1921. His philanthropy was legendary. He said “he was satisfied in doing ‘good’ for its own sake.” He left an estate of $258,000, an estimated $3,500,000 in today’s funds, bequeathed to friends, the Jubilee Hospital, the orphanage, an aged ladies home, and relatives in England.

“What about the house?’ Tankard Ken asked.

“Unfortunately, in those days before heritage grants, it fell into disrepair. The house portion of the estate was quicksand, and the grand old home couldn’t find a legitimate buyer until 1950. The registered occupant, a Mr. J.W. Carr, agreed to purchase it on the condition he could renovate it into a five-suite apartment. Oak Bay Council hesitantly agreed after Carr promised no commercial enterprise and that he’d accept only quiet, elderly tenants. The result resembled a shoe box, was dubbed “Fairhurst” and the address changed from 2227 Oak Bay Ave. to 1442 Monterey Ave. Compared to the original structure it looked pretty insignificant. Oak Bay purchased it in 1968, and in 1971 it made way for the seniors’ centre, library and parking lot.

The gang rustled up one more dog biscuit, to Pal’s delight, and we stepped from beneath the awning into the October wind and rain.

– In memory of Ty and all our former four-legged Pals.

Acknowledgment to Eric Earl. barriemoen@gmail.com

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DOGS ON THE AVENUE

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Far page, clockwise from top left: Finnigan, an 8-year-old Irish terrier; Wee Lass, a 4-year-old border collie, by Don Denton; Tasha, a 5-year-old poodle/bichon cross, submitted by Gloria Brown; Emma, a 14-year-old Labrador; and Olive, a 7-yearold mixed breed, by Don Denton. This page: Ceilidh, a 14-year-old bearded collie; Stella, submitted by Teresa Junker; and Salish, a two-year-old English golden retriever, by Don Denton.

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MEET OUR ADVERTISERS MARC OWEN-FLOOD PREC – Marc is a long-time Oak Bay resident and an award winning realtor.

As an Oak Bay specialist Marc enjoys sharing his knowledge and expertise with each new client who chooses to make Oak Bay their home.

See ad on page 9.

ATHLONE TRAVEL

OAK BAY VOLUNTEER SERVICES.

We provide one-to-one direct volunteer support to individuals of all ages in Oak Bay. Drives, visits, repairs, etc. See ad on page 45.

OAK BAY HEARING CLINIC

MILES TAKACS has called

Victoria home for more than 30 years.

He knows the city well; from sought after waterfront luxury to quaint English charm he will find the right home for you. When time & money matter call Miles! See ad on page 20.

OAK BAY BEACH HOTEL

is a full service locally owned travel agency – serving the community since 1986. Our experienced team would be delighted to assist with all of your travel needs. See our ad on page 34.

With her doctorate in audiology & 17 years’ experience, Dr. Wright is well suited to improve your hearing, even in the most difficult listening situations. See ad on page 12.

Don Wuest, owner at WILD BIRDS UNLIMITED, wants you to have the best bird feeding experience possible. After all, it’s the most relaxing, fulfilling, educational & exciting hobby that everyone can enjoy. See our ad on page 40.

THE AVENUE GALLERY

A premiere boutique gallery in Victoria, The Avenue Gallery has been showcasing contemporary Canadian paintings, sculpture, ceramics, glass, and jewellery since 2002. See ad on page 16.

The island’s favourite destination for quality home furnishings and unique home decor items for over forty years.

See ad on page 7.

Mandu Goebl has worked in the Victoria auto industry for over 10 years & is proud to raise his family here. He is delighted to offer quality vehicles to CAMPUS ACURA customers. See ad on page 5.

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Dr. Michael is passionate about giving people healthy, beautiful smiles with the use of innovative techniques and the latest technology and training.

See ad on page 9.

CASSIE KANGAS

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BARCLAYS carries a range of exclusive & fine pieces of beautiful jewellery as well as specializing in both creating custom pieces & re-designs.

See ad on page 25.

Celebrating 50 years in the community!

See ad on page 48.

VICTORIA HOSPITALS FOUNDATION Driven by the

generosity of donors, the Victoria Hospitals Foundation has raised nearly $121 million for Royal Jubilee and Victoria General hospitals since 1989. See ad on page 25.

is a realtor at Newport Realty, born and raised in Victoria, and specializes in the Oak Bay, Victoria, Eaanich Reast Real Estate Market. If you are considering buying or selling, contact her for competent and trusted real estate service. See ad on page 6.

As a lifetime resident of Oak Bay, I am your neighbour & an sell your home. See ad on page 4.

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BARCLAY’S FINE CUSTOM JEWELLERS for the past 15 years.

COSMEDICA is one of Canada’s foremost dermatology & cosmetic laser clinics, offering a comprehensive range of treatments for skin & body rejuvenation.

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“Our award-winning home support services are customized to fit your needs at any time.”

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specialty Matcha store. We are a local family operated business, started right here in Oak Bay, BC. See ad on page 20.

the designers to create the kitchen of your dreams. We are full of great ideas to inspire your kitchen or bath renovation. See ad on page 46-47.

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JASON BINAB Understands

people and Real Estate. He enjoys working with his wife Amber at the Binab Group. Together they have two sons, Benson and Jamison and one dog Lily. Jason has lived in Oak Bay for over 25 years and specializes in Oak Bay. See ad on page 11.

FOUL BAY PHYSIOTHERAPY has been serving Oak Bay for over 25 years. The team includes Ian Catchpole & Gerry Illmayer with over 35 years combined experience, joined

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CALLA DESIGNS

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See ad on page 11.

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MEET OUR ADVERTISERS SAVE ON FOODS is open

7am to 12 am 7 days a week and provides our neighbourhood with a full service food shopping experience. See ad on page 9.

PAWS ON COOK

Locally-owned pet supply spot in Cook Street Village, where urban meets west coast. Our focus is on providing healthy diet solutions for cats and dogs as well as finding unique apparel, toys, and supplies.

See ad on page 41.

RESTHOUSE SLEEP

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Resthouse, in Duncan, BC, offers customizable natural and organic sleep solutions for all.

See ad on page 38.

AUXILIUM MORTGAGE CORPORATION

Debra Wright delivers exceptional service and mortgage expertise.

With personalized mortgage planning she can help you realize your dreams of home ownership.

See ad on page 4.

PHOTO HERO

Raised in Oak Bay, Ian Mathieson is passionate about bringing families closer together. By converting old family photos to digital, families can enjoy them on their TV, computer or smartphone!

See ad on page 30.

McCONNAN BION O’CONNOR & PETERSON

FORT ROYAL PHARMACY Season’s Greetings and a Happy New Year from our team (Selena, Vik, Kaeli and Dipen) at Fort Royal Pharmacy. See ad on page 39.

ENGEL & VÖLKERS

Engel & Völkers, a global company and lifestyle brand providing high quality services for those seeking to buy and sell real estate properties.

See ad on page 2.

GRIFFIN RESTORATION Canadian-owned and operated company offering property restoration, 24/7 emergency service and free hazardous material inspection. See ad on page 33.

McCONNAN BION O’CONNOR & PETERSON

As one of Victoria’s leading law firms, we proudly provide a wide range of legal services to residents in Victoria and all over southern Vancouver Island. See ad on page 25.

PAW SPACE PET BOUTIQUE & SPA

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CADDY BAY LIQUOR

A community liquor store in the Cadboro Bay Village that carries a wide selection of BC and International wines, craft beers, and spirits. See ad on page 6.

TULIPE NOIRE

Kari McLay, owner of Tulipe Noire Clothing is proud to provide quality lifestyle apparel for women of all ages. Step inside and find premium denim, luscious cashmere, designer tees, classic dresses for day or evening … casual elegance for all occasions.

See ad on page 14.

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- 2187 Oak Bay Avenue, Victoria • Phone 250•595•2220

Photo by Steve Smith

Parting Shot

THE GOLDEN HOUR Golden light from the sun, 147 million kilometres away from Oak Bay, illuminates the surface of the ocean in this image from Steve Smith, photographed at McMicking Point, Nov. 9, 2015, about 20 minutes before sunset. This is the Golden Hour before sunset.

The sea is silky calm and the big kelp heads rise and fall gently in the ebbing tide. Below on the sea floor, the kelp is anchored by a root-like mass. Leaf-like blades grow and extend into the water all along the stalk that extends to the surface. Here, a gas-filled bladder located at the base of some fronds acts as a float, keeping the kelp stalk upright.

At some point, the dull greenish brown kelp heads are

transformed into an armada of golden ship-like structures by the low angled sunlight. Smith had been patiently waiting for this moment and took the photo you see above.

“Parting Shot” welcomes photo submissions of places, people and things in Oak Bay. We’ll consider all submissions for publication and invite you to “give us your best shot.”

Contributors should keep in mind the seasonal aspect of this feature and be prepared to tell us a little about the photograph – the where, when, what and/or who. Please ensure the resolution is high enough for publication.

Send your image to Tweed editor Jennifer Blyth at editor@ oakbaynews.com for consideration in a coming issue.

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A Feast to Remember – Family Traditions For Generations – When the leaves have fallen and the ground is frosty, it’s time to bring the entertaining indoors. Time for cozy fires and gathering the family around the table. Here at Pepper’s we have personal ties to local farmers and artisans, enabling us to bring you a larger selection of unique carefully crafted goods. Fresh made trays are hand made with care in our deli ready for your table. Make the most of your quality time with family this holiday season and let Pepper’s fill your table with delicious holiday treats.

From our table to yours, we wish you the very best this holiday season.

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