June 26, 2019

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2019 CASUAL COUNTRY

EXPLORE A COLLECTION OF CULTURE, HISTORY AND LANDSCAPE

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OUR PAST:

WHERE TO GO:

WHO WE ARE :

TAKE A VISIT TO OCEAN FALLS

THE HISTORY OF SODA CREEK

TRAILS TO TRY IN THE CITY

FEEL OUR SENSE OF COMMUNITY

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Williams Lake Tribune

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CARIBOO CHEVROLET COMMUNITY IS OUR BUSINESS

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Wednesday, June 26, 2019 Page Z3

Index •

Itcha-Ilgachuz Mountain Outfitting ........ Page 4-5 BC Cowboy Hall of Fame inductees ................ Page 6 Stampede volunteers of the year .................... Page 6 The boom and bust of Soda Creek ................ Page 7-8 Low mobility trails in the Cariboo ............... Page 8 Cariboo Chilcotin Driving Tours .................. Page 9 The Tatlayoko Post Office ......................... Page 10-11 The Ringwood stage’s namesake ..................... Page 12 Top five birds of the cariboo .......................... Page 15 The Dean River Canoe Race ............................. Page 17 Welcome to Ocean Falls .............................. Page 18-19 Moffat Falls a pristine escape ....................... Page 21 Station House celebrates 100 years .............. Page 22 The Lac La Hache Art Gallery ....................... Page 23 Ice sailors enjoy Williams Lake ..................... Page 24 Bella Coola Valley Music festival ............... Page 25 Arts on the Fly entertains at Horsefly ...... Page 26 Lakecity a hiker’s paradise .................. Page 27, 32-33 Hip hop artist growing community ........ Page 28, 30 Watch for Wild Cowgirls Race at Stampede ... Page 31

Indigenous Games bring youth together .... Page 34-35 Art Walk gets fresh twist ................................ Page 36-37 Jack Peterson and his art gallery ...................... Page 38 Gertzens share love of community ............... Page 39-40 Students learn wilderness survival .................. Page 41 Robson competes at multisport Games .............. Page 42 Sharon Smith leads tour groups for all .......... Page 42 Love of pets focus of Pawsitively Purrfect ............ Page 43 Alphonses give bison a home on the range ... Page 44-45 McPhee brings energy to Studio Theatre .... Page 46-47 Mountain biking trails to ride ........... Page 49, 50, 52 Lifelong learning for seniors ......................... Page 53 Chad Webb makes splash with Blue Fins ............. Page 54 Laceese part of unfolding history ................ Page 55 Love of community grows harvest Fair ....... Page 56 Chelsea family focus of new book ................. Page 57 Dave Dickson dedicated to community ....... Page 58 Pinchbecks call Williams Lake home ........... Page 59 The Homathko River Inn .............................. Page 60-61 Turners driving force in Square Dancing ....... Page 62 Ivan Hardwick Photography

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Page Z4 Wednesday, June 26, 2019

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Family shares love of exploring Chilcotin on horseback Monica LAMB-YORSKI Casual Country 2019

Itcha-Ilgachuz Mountain Outfitting has been taking guests on horseback into the remote wilderness of the West Chilcotin for about 40 years.

Owners Roger and Wanda Williams, along with their daughter Terra Hatch, said what started as a few trips here and there in 1978 and 79 became a business by the mid 1980s.

They take guests into Itcha Ilgachuz Provincial Park where there are two mountain ranges — Itcha and Ilgachuz — that are remnants of ancient shield volcanoes.

“They are two very distinct mountain ranges, both beautiful and unique,” Terra explained. “Both are quite horse-friendly. While you still have the high country and the alpine, you can get pretty much anywhere you want to go on the back of a horse, especially in the Itchas. The Ilgachuz are tougher, but it’s still relatively easy horse country, compared to, say, the Rockies.”

Many of their guests come from the Williams Lake area, some from other places in B.C.

Itcha-Ilgachuz Mountain Outfitting leads a group of women riders into the remote wilderness of the Chilcotin, something the company has been doing since the late 1970s. and Canada, and they have a few foreign customers, Wanda said.

Trips average 10 days long, with the shortest ones being seven days. Often there is a fly in food drop part way through the trip, depending on the route. About every second year they do a 16-day

trip, which wanders through both the Itcha and Ilgachuz ranges, with a stopover at the Pan Phillips Fishing Resort in the Blackwater area.

“Our rides are set up so we travel for one day and then set up two nights at one camp,” Terra said, adding it’s a rhythm that makes it a lot more pleas-

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ant because it’s a lot of work for everyone to pack up. The day rides can be a bit shorter if the guests choose, or some even decide to stay in camp.

Riding time per day averages about five hours, with always a stop for lunch and a cup of coffee or tea.

“We need to get to the next

camp, but it’s not an endurance test,” Terra said, adding all the camps are based around available horse feed.

Wanda does not remember a time when she was not riding horses.

“I was being packed on the front of the saddle as a little person. It was the same for

Kris Andrews photo

our kids.”

It’s the personality of horses she likes, she added.

“You get attached to them.

They have certainly been a huge part of our lives and a tool for what we like to do.”

Her late father, Lester DorsContinued on Page Z5

Casual Country 2019

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Wednesday, June 26, 2019 Page Z5

Trail riding a rich part of family history Continued from Page Z4

rough country.”

All the food is provided on the trips, with meals prepared ahead of time as much as possible.

“I think we eat better in the mountains than we do at home,” Terra said, praising her mom’s abilities as a cook. “People are always surprised at how much food there is — mom’s a magician at pulling meals out of the pack boxes. Pretty much everything is fresh. The food is outstanding and I always look forward to eating in the mountains.”

Viewing wildlife on the trail is a given, they said.

“It’s almost a 100 per cent chance of seeing caribou,” Terra said.

“Definitely the numbers are less and less.

We don’t see moose because the pack train is too noisy. Occasionally the first two people will see one, but they don’t stick around.”

There’s a “healthy” herd of mountain goats in both mountain ranges, and always wolf tracks present in more recent times, Wanda added.

Caches aren’t needed to keep food away from bears, but it’s important to be careful.

“We see signs of bears, but rarely see them. Bears turn tails and go the other way when they smell us coming — knock on wood, it’s never ever

been a problem in these mountains,” Terra added.

Wanda said there is less traffic in the mountains now than there was in the past.

“I think mostly because people with their backyard horses don’t venture that far anymore,” she added.

“We used to run in to smaller outfits quite frequently, but rarely see anyone anymore.

People used to ride over from the Quesnel area for the rodeo every year, but that hasn’t happened for a long time either.

Kris Andrews, a retired pollution biologist from Williams Lake, first rode with Wanda in 1985.

“It was wonderful,” Andrews said, noting she has done so many rides since with Wanda that she has lost count.

“But I never tire of seeing this amazing country with its caribou herds and upland game birds, volcanic geology and much more. Wanda and her family are so familiar with these mountain parks and their outfit is the best. The food is wonderful as is the comradeship with other guests.”

Andrews likes the limited size of the trips and said the maximum number of seven or eight per trip is perfect for travelling, eating, riding and all the rest.

She also likes hearing

the family history in the Anahim Lake area that is shared to the delight of the guests around the campfires in the evening.

“Once on one of our early ladies trail rides we were amazed to see three different caribou herds come down off three separate mountain ridges with their new calves and feed and rest in a basin below our viewpoint,” Andrews said. “What a splendid sight to see.

We counted 600 animals that day.”

Sadly, Andrews said, on the last trip they saw a herd of 140 animals and no calves right when the females should have had their calves at their side.

“I don’t think there Horses not only take the riders into the area, but pack necessary supplies for the trip. are many other places in B.C. where one could see this many caribou, but the logging, climate warming, pine beetle, fires and changes to the ecosystem are impacting the population numbers here too.”

Andrews also took three BC Bird Atlas trips into the Itchas and Ilgachuz with Wanda and Terra, she said.

“We found and recorded many breeding birds in these mountains including the American Golden Plover and the Grey Cheeked Thrush, which had not been previously recorded breeding in the Cari- Taking a cat nap. boo Chilcotin.”

ey, moved to the Anahim Lake area in the 1920s from Washington.

Her mom, Mickey Tuck, was a teacher who worked throughout the Cariboo Chilcotin, including Williams Lake, so when Wanda needed to go in for high school, she was able to live with her mom.

Exposed to horses for as long as she can remember, Wanda said her dad loved horses and working with them.

“He spent a lot of time horseback. He guided surveyors, packed for the Hudson’s Bay Company, did big game guiding, and a small amount of trail riding. Of course back then horses were also the main means of transportation and putting up hay. He ran about 100 head. Roger and I got into the more straight trail riding.”

Originally from Illinois, Roger moved to the area in the early 1970s to work at the Tatla Lake Ranch and met Wanda.

Terra’s husband, Eli Hatch, grew up in Tatla Lake.

Usually they run about 50 head of horses, which Wanda said might seem like a lot, but they have to have 25 to 30 head available for each trip so they need the numbers to maintain that many working horses.

Predominantly they are Quarter Horses with some draft mixed in as well.

“For the most part, they are a cross. We do have a registered Quarter Horse stallion that we breed with our bigger mares, but we purchase a few outside horses too,” Terra said.

“There’s not a breed specifically, just a type of horse that is kind, strong, sure footed and level-headed. It’s more a type than a breed.

Being able to use the horses on the ranch really helps get them well use to working in the Wildlife such as these caribou seen along the journey is always a bonus.

Kris Andrews photos

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Casual Country 2019

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SHINING STARS Greg Sabatino photo

2019 BC Cowboy Hall of Fame Inductees Keray Camille (accepting on behalf of his dad, Phillip Camille, second from left), Willie Crosina and Lawrence Elkins received special recognition this past April during the Williams Lake Indoor Rodeo. Presenting them with the honour was BC Cowboy Heritage Society president Mark McMillan (left) and Museum of the Cariboo Chilcotin Society president Janice Sapp. Phillip Camille of Stswecem’c Xgat’tem (Dog Creek and Canoe Creek) was inducted as a working cowboy, Crosina in a new class — builder of western culture — and Elkins of Tl’etinqox (Anaham) in the competitive achievements wing.

Stampede volunteers honoured for hard work, dedication Lorne Doerkson recognized as volunteer of the year

Daryl and Bev Williamson named 2019 Lifetime Recipients

Community inspires Miranda Doerkson to volunteer

Greg SABATINO Casual Country 2019

Monica LAMB-YORSKI Casual Country 2019

Patrick DAVIES Casual Country 2019

Lorne Doerkson is passionate about the Williams Lake Stampede, and is humbled by being recognized as this year’s Volunteer of the Year for the Williams Lake Stampede Association.

The longtime volunteer and past Williams Lake Stampede Association director isn’t quite sure exactly when he threw his hat in the ring to help organize and get things ready for the lakecity’s biggest annual spectacle, but knows it’s been nothing but an enjoyable ride.

“I’ve seen our volunteers and how hard they all work,” Doerkson said.

“There are probably dozens who deserve it more than me, in my opinion, but it’s quite an honour to be picked out of that group.”

Doerkson was born in New Westminster, but grew up in Salmon Arm. He arrived in Williams Lake around 2005 to take over the position as publisher at the Williams Lake Tribune after working in the newspaper business in Salmon Arm, 100 Mile House and Prince George.

A bareback rider in the BC Rodeo Association in his formative years, it didn’t take Doerkson long to discover the family-like, welcoming atmosphere among those involved with organizing the Stampede.

“I love the rodeo,” he said. “I’m passionate about it, and I got pretty heavily involved right away when I came back here. I thought: ‘This is one of the biggest rodeos in Canada and I really want to be a part of it.’”

After working as a director with the WLSA for several years, Doerkson, under the tutelage of then Stampede Director Daryl Williamson and volunteer John Bullock, found his current ‘favourite thing to do during Stampede weekend’ among the hordes of rodeo fans looking to have a good time at the Let ‘R Buck Saloon following the

It is the ‘down-home’ non-commercialized feel of the rodeo that the 2019 Lifetime Pass Recipients love about the Williams Lake Stampede.

Bev and Daryl Williamson said they made good friends through volunteering at the Stampede.

“Every year people come back — some come from out of town to volunteer for the weekend,” Daryl said. “It’s kind of cool to see that.”

Their parents volunteered, and they both started volunteering when they were younger.

Their dads Kurt Gustafson and Harry Williamson were named lifetime pass recipients as well.

“We never watched many because we were busy working, but we’d run and check,” Daryl said. “My dad had a box in the VIP seating. He was the one that spearheaded building those box seats.”

Daryl’s dad would shut the business down for the weekend and tell everyone on Stampede Weekend “we don’t work, we go to the Stampede.”

When Bev became a director, Daryl became even more involved, running the beer garden with Lorne Doerkson.

“When you become a director, your spouse becomes part of it as well,” Bev said.

As a couple they continued to volunteer from 1980 up until 2017 and only ever missed one rodeo — that was in 1997 when one of their sons was in a serious accident.

In 1980, Harry bought the 150 Mile Ranch, Daryl said, noting his dad died in 1981 and they sold the ranch, but they still live near there.

“I am my own contractor,” he

The love for her community is what keeps Miranda Doerkson coming back to volunteer at the Williams Lake Stampede year after year.

For years now, Miranda has volunteered her time and energy come Stampede weekend to Williams Lake’s annual event.

Her efforts have not gone unnoticed as she has been named the Youth Volunteer of the Year for 2019 by the Williams Lake Stampede Association.

Miranda is a second year nursing student, studying at the College of New Caledonia in Prince George, which she said she absolutely loves.

When she becomes a full nurse she hopes to return to Williams Lake to better serve the community she loves and grew up in.

“I like the community because my dad always had me involved in the community and it just kind of stuck,” Miranda said. “It wasn’t just the Stampede it was everything.”

Her involvement with the Stampede started early through her father, former publisher of The Tribune and Stampede Director, Lorne Doerkson who got her involved shortly after he moved his family to the lakecity. He encouraged her to always be social and give back to the community, lessons that have become a part of who she is fundamentally.

When she would go and volunteer as a child with her sister she said she was always excited to go as “they always had fun jobs for us” like painting garbage cans or running food for the announcers.

To this day, the way the Williams Lake Stampede utilizes children and youth volunteers remains one

Lorne Doerkson daily rodeo action.

Williamson quickly showed Doerkson the ropes behind the bar at the Let ‘R Buck — and Doerkson has been a mainstay at the local watering hole annually ensuring everything runs smoothly as upwards of 1,500 people go through the gates each night.

Doerkson said while he is ‘second in command’ at the Let ‘R Buck behind WLSA director Cindy Brady, the pair both do their best to make sure everyone has a safe, fun weekend.

“The best thing about being up there at the Let ‘R Buck is it’s the gathering spot of the Cariboo,” Doerkson said. “You see 1,000s of people come through there on the weekend. The entertainment is second to none and that continues today. ” Asked what he enjoys most about Williams Lake Stampede weekend, Doerkson said it’s by far the people, and the level of competition on display at the rodeo.

“This is the pinnacle of the sport and it happens right here in our little city. It’s incredible to watch how it’s grown by way of visitors to the Stampede Park, whether it’s at the campground, all the log work done around the grounds, you name it — it’s staggering.”

Doerkson credits the success, and the growth, of the Stampede to the hundreds of residents and volunteers who pour their hearts and souls into the event each year.

Daryl and Bev Williamson added. “I have a small excavator and I just do private jobs. I call it semi-retired.”

They also lease out their property to a rancher who brings in cattle.

How did they meet?

“We met through our brothers — they went to university together for one year — and we went out for an evening,” Bev recalled.

They were married in 1980 and have three children: Jason lives in Kelowna, Jeremy in Vernon and Jennifer in Williams Lake.

By the time Stampede weekend rolls around they will have seven grandchildren.

“Our oldest son is expecting another one,” Daryl said.

These days they are spending more time with their grandchildren and 2019 will be the second year they have not signed up to be directors.

The Stampede has really grown, they added.

“When we started volunteering the attendance was 9,000 to 10,000 and now it is up to 16,000,” Bev said.

As for the Cariboo, it’s friends and family and quietness of the area that keeps them here.

“It’s a good place to be from,” Bev said.

“Our roots are here,” Daryl added.

Miranda Doerkson of her favourite aspects about the whole event, so much so she encourages those with children to bring them with them should they decide to volunteer.

What kept her involved past when her father made her go, however, was the people and the community that she found within the volunteers that make the Stampede happen year after year.

Miranda said that she’s made friends “forever now” within the volunteers and views many of them as family. By her rough estimate, since the age of eight, she’s been involved in well over seven Stampedes and does her best to help out in some way every year.

She found out she’d been recognized for her commitment in April and said she couldn’t stop thanking the WLSA member who told her.

“I never even expected it. You’re not there with this goal of you getting something, you’re there because you just love everybody there, you love the event and you the love the town itself,” Miranda said. “I was just so happy, it felt good.”

Getting involved with something like the Stampede, for her, Miranda said gives her a sense of fulfillment and volunteerism is something she encourages anyone with the smalltown-blues to give it a try.

Casual Country 2019

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Historic picture shows the Sternwheeler Enterprise, Exchange Hotel, Colonial Hotel and Dunlevy’s Store at the once-booming town of Soda Creek along the Fraser River.

Wednesday, June 26, 2019 Page Z7

Images courtesy of the BC Provincial Archives

Sternwheeler gives rise to community of Soda Creek Barry Sale Casual Country 2019

By the spring of 1862, the great Cariboo Gold Rush was in full swing, and the government in Victoria had made the decision to build a road to the goldfields.

The road contractor, who was chosen to construct the section from Lillooet to Alexandria, was Gustavus Blin Wright, a proven road builder, and also an astute entrepreneur.

Even while he was negotiating the terms of his road contract with government officials, Wright and a group of investor friends were also working on a plan to build a sternwheeler riverboat to carry passengers and freight up the Fraser River from where the planned road would end to Quesnellemouth (now known as Quesnel). Shipping by riverboat would save time, money and wear and tear on animals and equipment, not to mention providing a lucrative source of income.

Wright’s plans to add this riverboat component were reported in the Victoria newspaper, and were regarded with much interests by merchants and investors in both Victoria and New Westminster.

While the southern part of the Cariboo Wagon Road was under construction, so was a brand new sternwheeler.

It was built just upriver from Fort Alexandria, and launched in May, 1863. Very shortly afterward, a site was chosen

for a terminus on the Fraser where the Cariboo Wagon Road would end.

That site was a small bench of land near the mouth of Soda Creek, south of the Hudson’s Bay Company Fort.

This area was considered to be “a feasible place for the approach of mule trains” and provided access to a point on the river from which the sternwheeler could safely navigate its way north.

That first riverboat was the SS Enterprise. It began operations in July of 1863, when the wagon road was completed down to the landing site.

Within two years it had earned its investors three times the $75,000 it cost to build.

Most of the travellers on their way to the goldfields by foot, horseback or wagon took the Enterprise, since the Cariboo Wagon Road extension to Quesnellemouth would not be completed until 1865. With Soda Creek as the southern terminus, passengers leaving on the evening boat from Quesnellemouth had just enough time to reach the roadhouse at Deep Creek, in which, not surprisingly, G.B. Wright held a half interest.

So, with the launching of the Enterprise and the construction of the Cariboo Wagon Road, the government placed a land reserve on the bench area immediately above the river (a second, smaller bench down closer to the river and prone to seasonal flooding was designated for the Chinese prospectors and merchants).

Very quickly, lots were sold We know this farm today as and excellent quality crops spring up at Soda Creek. and a small town named Soda the Dunlevy Ranch. and beef.

By 1868, there were hotels, It still remains in operation Creek sprang up.

It did not take long for a stores, blacksmith shops, saRobert McLeese (after whom and still produces plentiful good-sized community to loons, a post office, a flour McLeese Lake is named, although he never lived there) and his partner Joseph Senay were two of the first to recognize the potential business opportunity.

That summer (1863) they obtained property close to the riverboat landing area and constructed the Colonial Hotel — a two storey log building with rooms, a saloon and a store.

By August of 1863, a second hotel, the Exchange, which also featured a saloon and a store, was constructed right next to the Colonial.

The owners of this establishment were Peter Dunlevy and his four partners, the same group of men who found gold Soda Creek in 1914. on the Horsefly River in 1859, thus starting the Cariboo Gold Rush.

At the Exchange Hotel’s store, they specialized in outfitting goldseekers with mining tools and equipment.

They also did a brisk business trading furs with the local Indigenous people.

Peter Dunlevy had also preempted and purchased a large area of land about two miles north of the Soda Creek town site.

This became one of the most successful and valuable farms in the central Cariboo, providing all sorts of fruit, vegetables, meats and grains to the goldfields.

Continued on Page Z8 BX under construction (1910)

Page Z8 Wednesday, June 26, 2019

Casual Country 2019

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Low mobility trails throughout the region opens up nature for everyone to enjoy The Cariboo Regional District has created a network of low mobility wilderness trails throughout the region. These wheelchair accessible trails are beautiful spots for a variety of activities, like walks or bike rides, for people of all abilities.

There are currently 22 trails in the network and trails continue to be added as funding allows.

In the South Cariboo explore the trails at 108 Lake and Sepa Lake (108 Mile Heritage Site), Lac La Hache (Felker homestead), Interlakes Community Complex, 99 Mile, Exeter Valley (South Cariboo Rec Centre) and Churn Creek Protected Area.

In the Central Cariboo, there are accessible trails at Gavin Lake Rec Site, Horsefly, Quesnelle Forks, Dugan Lake, Moffat Falls and Big Lake Community Hall.

There are seven trails

throughout the North Cariboo. Find them at Cottonwood House, Barkerville Cemetery, Sisters Creek Recreation Site, Hallis Lake Cross Country Ski Centre, Claymine (Bouchie Lake area), Stanley Cemetery and Kosta’s Cove (Ten Mile Lake).

If you’re exploring the Chilcotin, you can find low mobility trails at Bull Canyon Provincial Park and Tatloyoko Lake Community Park.

For directions and details about the low mobility trail network, use an interactive story map or download a brochure at www.cariboord. ca/accessible-trails.

The trails have been made possible with funding from the Province of B.C., Northern Development Initiative Trust and the Cariboo Chilcotin Beetle Action Coalition CRD photo CRD photo and through partnerships Gavin Lake Rec Site, located about 75 kilometres east of Williams Lake, The Kosta’s Cove Accessible Trail is located on Bjornson Road, about 12 km with local community groups. offers well-maintained trails along the lake for everyone to enjoy. north of Quesnel, at the north end of Ten Mile Lake.

The boom and bust of a Cariboo Gold Rush town Continued from Page Z7

promptly spent on a binge at the local saloons.

He became so drunk and disorderly that he became the new jail’s first occupant.

After a couple of days of sobering up, he was released to return home broke to an angry wife.

A second population boom of sorts began in 1909, when the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway announced its plans to build a route from Prince George to Eastern Canada.

To connect that route with the Lower Mainland of B.C., the Pacific Great Eastern Railway decided to

mill, boarding houses and private residences.

The town had an estimated 300 permanent residents, which hundreds more passing through.

In 1869, Wright added a second sternwheeler, the SS Victoria, to increase the flow of traffic and goods.

Even though the Cariboo Gold Rush had subsided, in the late 1860s the town experienced a mini-boom as gold was discovered in the Omineca region of B.C. As word spread of this new strike, hundreds more goldseekers and opportunists arrived.

Men, supplies, equipment and produce were shipped upriver to the new and expanding goldfields.

In 1871, the numbers of men who were leaving the Cariboo area to take part in this new gold rush were so high that local farmers feared they would not have enough help to plant their crops for the coming season.

By 1872, the Omineca rush was over, and much of the population of Soda Creek had moved on.

The town remained as a service centre for the riverboats and for the many farms and ranches in the area.

A jailhouse was built in 1903.

A local mill operator, Billy Lyne, got the contract to build it. He milled BC Provincial Archives photo the lumber, constructed the building and received his payment, which he BX Office at Soda Creek (1911)

build a line from north Vancouver to Prince George.

Soda Creek was uniquely situated to ship supplies, men and equipment upriver to the railway construction sites.

The B.C. Express Company built an office and construction yard at Soda Creek, and in the winter of 1909/10 they built their own sternwheeler, the SS BX. The following winter, they built a sister ship, the SS B.C. Express.

The PGE rail route was postponed because of the First World War, but after the war, from 1919 and into the early 1920s, there was a huge push to complete that line, and Soda Creek was right in the middle of the action.

During those years of railway construction, the town prospered as a major supply and shipping centre.

But the riverboats began to be a money-losing proposition.

Cars and trucks and an improved highway system made the riverboats obsolete.

The BS BC Express finished out the 1920 season, and then was beached at Quesnel.

Within a couple of years, the two sister ships were dismantled.

Their engines and equipment were shipped (by rail on the lines they helped to build) to Alberta for use in the steamboats on the Mackenzie River.

After the completion of the PGE,

the fortunes of the town of Soda Creek also went into a steep decline.

During the late 1920s, many of the old buildings, including the two original hotels, were torn down.

Gradually the town site was abandoned and left to the elements.

Today, the only old building still standing is Billy Lyne’s jail.

If you know where to look, you

can still find the branch road down to the river where the paddlewheelers docked, the main street of the town, the remains of the flour mill and a couple of old residences.

Otherwise, the once vibrant town has been turned into a small, sleepy rural subdivision nestled alongside the Fraser River, visited by only a few, and its history forgotten by most.

The jail at Soda Creek is the only old building still standing.

Image courtesy of UNBC archives

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Casual Country 2019

Wednesday, June 26, 2019 Page Z9

Cariboo Chilcotin Heritage Driving Tours Thinking about taking a stay-cation this summer? Why not go on a historical adventure this year and visit some of the Cariboo Chilcotin’s local heritage sites. These driving routes are just a sampling of the many adventures featured in the Cariboo Chilcotin Historic Driving Tour Guide and Map. Plan your tour with a mobile-friendly driving tour guide available at cariboord.ca/heritage. This interactive guide and map includes images, descriptions and Google Maps directions for each heritage site.

As you travel, follow along with the print brochure to learn more about the sites you visit. Download the brochure at cariboord.ca/heritage or find copies at local tourism centres or the Cariboo Regional District’s offices in 100 Mile House, Williams Lake and Quesnel.

Thanks to the volunteers of the CRD’s Heritage Steering Committee who have compiled the Historic Driving Tour and are working hard to preserve the heritage of our region so that its history can live on.

Heritage Tour: Highway 97 North This tour begins in Clinton, originally known as 47 Mile House, with a visit at the museum built in 1892. Continue north to 100 Mile House and experience local history with a tour of the murals throughout town. As you make your way to Williams Lake, stop at the 108 Mile Heritage Site, the Felker Homestead (in Lac La Hache, 28 km north of 100 Mile House) and 150 Mile House to see the historic Little Red Schoolhouse. You can also take a detour along Mission Road through the original Onward Mission Ranch and the village of Sugarcane, home of the Williams Lake Indian Band. On this road, take a moment to reflect at St. Joseph’s cemetery and the memorial for St. Joseph’s Mission residential school. In Williams Lake, stop at the Tourism Discovery Centre, Xat’sull Heritage Village photo which is also home to the Museum of the Cariboo Chilcotin. Xat’sull HeritageVillage Continuing northward, you will pass through Soda Creek and can visit Xat’sull Heritage Village, an award-winning traditional First Nations village with tours and cultural workshops. As you near Quesnel, you’ll pass through Alexandria and Kersley and you can stop at the Quesnel Antique Machinery Park. Quesnel is the last stop in this tour – drop by the Quesnel Museum and Visitor Centre to learn about all the historic places in the city.

Heritage Tour: Likely Road The Likely Road tour takes you from 150 Mile out to Quesnelle Forks, where it connects with the Keithley Creek Road tour.

Heading east of 150 Mile House on the Likely Road, your first stop will be at the Big Lake Heritage Site to see the remnants of the Big Lake Ranch, including a saddle shop, blacksmith shop and Mrs. Lee’s chicken house.

Continue on to Morehead Lake, a man-made lake created to provide water to the local Bullion Pit mine, which will be your next stop as you view it from the Bullion Pit rest stop. The community of Likely is next on Lisa Halamic/CRD photo the tour. Visit the Likely Visitor Quesnelle Forks near Likely Information Centre for details about all the historic sites in the area. You’ll end your tour at Quesnelle Forks, a ghost town heritage site harking from the gold rush days. From here you can come back from where you came or continue on the Keithley Creek Road tour, which links up to Barkerville, Wells and the Highway 26 heritage tour.

Heritage Tour: Horsefly Road For an alternate route east of 150 Mile House, take the Horsefly Road to the community of Horsefly. Peter Dunlevy discovered gold here in 1859 and some say it’s where the gold rush began.

Visit the Horsefly Museum and Visitor Information Centre to learn more about the historical treasures in the area. You can follow the Beaver Valley Road to form a circle tour with Likely and Big Lake.

Angie Mindus photo Heritage Tour: Keithley Creek Horsefly River Road

Note: The Keithley Creek tour is a more remote tour along a gravel forest service road (8400 Road from Likely or the 3100 Road from Wells-Barkerville). Check in Likely or Barkerville for road availability and conditions, make sure to have enough gas, and follow the driving directions in the interactive map at cariboord.ca/heritage. If you’ve just completed the Likely Road tour, your first stop will be Keithley Creek, which is about 14 kilometres east of Likely on Keithley Creek Road. This ghost town was once a bustling mining community. In another 100 kilometres, you’ll visit Antler Creek where gold was discovered in 1860. Cunningham Creek is just a bit farther and is another former gold rush site. Whiskey Flats is the last stop before you reach Barkerville on the Highway 26 tour. Here the remains of a gold dredging operation are still visible.

Heritage Tour: Barkerville Highway (Hwy 26) This tour starts in Quesnel or can be connected with Keithley Creek and Likely Road tours for a multi-day trip. The Cottonwood House is the first stop, 29 kilometres east of Quesnel. This heritage site offers tours and is housed in one of the last remaining roadhouses from the B.C. gold rush. As you continue your drive, stop at the Mexican Hill/Lover’s Leap rest stop. This point was one of the steepest grades on the Cariboo Wagon Road used during the gold rush. Blessings Grave is your next stop; this is the final resting place of Charles Blessing who was murdered in 1863 for his gold. Stanley is now a ghost town, but you can visit the cemetery and view the Stanley Hotel, which is still standing but is on private property. Then take some time to explore Wells, which was established in 1930 as a gold-mining town. Visit the Wells Museum or pick up a walking tour brochure from the Visitor Information Centre.

Your final stop is Barkerville Historic Town and Park, a national historic site lovingly preserved as a living museum and staffed year-round.

Angie Mindus photo Heritage Tour: Dog Creek Road Barkerville Starting from Williams Lake, you can take a day trip circle tour, mostly on gravel roads, along Dog Creek Road and connecting back to Highway 20 near Riske Creek to return to Williams Lake. You will first pass through Springhouse and then Alkali Lake Ranch and the Esk’etemc First Nations community. Meandering along the Fraser River, you’ll past the former Dog Creek airport, built during World War II by the Royal Canadian Air Force but abandoned when the Williams Lake airport was opened in 1961. Once you cross the Gang Ranch Bridge, you can stop at the kiosk marking the gateway to Churn Creek Protected Area and view the petroglyph which was taken to Vancouver in 1926 and recently repatriated by local First Nations. As you continue back on Dog Creek Road, you will drive through the Gang Ranch, an operational ranch founded in 1863 and Farwell Canyon, which is a favourite local hiking spot.

Heritage Tour: Highway 20 Heading east from Williams Lake, there are plenty of historic sites along Highway 20 as you head to Bella Coola. The first stop is Lee’s Corner in Hanceville, where several historic buildings were located but unfortunately were destroyed by wildfire in 2017.

Angie Mindus photo Alexis Creek is next, named The vista from Dog Creek Road after Chief Alexis of the Tsilhqot’in Nation, who was chief during the time of the Chilcotin War of 1864. Stop at the Visitor Information Centre and nearby Bull Canyon Provincial Park and walk the interpretive trails. Puntzi Lake is about 185 kilometres west of Williams Lake.

The Puntzi Lake Airport and radar station were established in WWII as part of the Pinetree Line and the air strip is still operational. In Tatla Lake, visit the Graham Inn, built in the late 1920s by Robert Graham as a mansion for his wife, and tour the historic cemetery. Past Anahim Lake, you will arrive at the famous “Freedom Hill” which leads down to Bella Coola. Once in Bella Coola, visit the Museum and Visitor Information Centre to learn about the First Nations history of this area and to learn more about Freedom Hill.

Thank you to Emily Epp and the Cariboo Regional District for Angie Mindus photo providing the Cariboo Chilcotin The Alexis Creek Visitor Information Centre Heritage Driving Tours.

Page Z10 Wednesday, June 26, 2019

Casual Country 2019

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Tatlayoko Post Office: its legacy and backstory Sage BIRCHWATER Casual Country 2019

Down in Tatlayoko Valley, about 35 km south of Tatla Lake, a tiny shake-covered building sits inauspiciously at the side of the road. Next to it are five green, old-style cluster mail boxes that require external padlocks for each personal mailbox. Mounted on the front of the building is the official red, white and blue insignia of Canada Post, letting you know you have arrived at the quaint but official Tatlayoko Lake, V0L 1W0 post office.

Postmaster Joanna Knight laughs. Her ten-by-twelve-foot building is the second smallest freestanding post office in British Columbia.

When she got permission to relocate the post office here from the home of Harry and Fran Haynes nearly 20 years ago, most rural post offices of that nature were inside private residences.

“Our driveway is quite steep leading down to our house,” Joanna explains. “We were worried this could be dangerous in winter.”

At the top of her driveway the public road has been widened slightly to provide parking next to the little building, and the set of external mailboxes was brought in so post office customers could help themselves to their

mail after hours. Previously at the Haynes residence customers would knock on their door at all hours of the day and night to get their mail.

“People often head to town (Williams Lake or beyond) early in the morning, so they would often wake Harry and Fran at ungodly hours to get their mail before they left,” Joanna reflects.

“My husband Leonard and I weren’t too eager to have this constant interruption.”

Community members donated building materials to help make the new little post office a reality, Joanna says, and Len Knight did the carpentry work. Then they installed a phone and a little electric heater to keep it warm on cold days, and they were off to the races.

“We thought we were the smallest post office in the province, until our Pacific Zone supervisor started a contest inviting the postmasters in her region to send in their pictures and descriptions of their post offices. She found out there was one post office a foot smaller than ours.”

The Tatlayoko post office has a history of transience and a fight for survival.

Since it was first established in the home of KB (Kennon Beverly) Moore on the north end of Tatlayoko Lake in the 1920s, it has bounced around the valley from household to household. In

Sage Birchwater photo

Postmaster Joanna Knight stands in front of the Tatlayoko Post Office — the second smallest freestanding post office in B.C., however, an integral part of the community.

the early days mail was brought into the valley once every two weeks by Tommy Hodgson who had a mail contract for the Chilcotin.

As you can imagine, mail day was a big occasion. Some people rode horseback for more than 30 km, crossing treacherous rivers to post letters and pick up their mail.

Canada Post quickly became the lifeblood of the community.

The Timothy Eaton mail order catalogue allowed people to purchase items not readily available in the backwoods of the nation. So mail day every two weeks became a significant social gathering that often spanned several days.

Along with mail deliveries, Tommy Hodgson and his sons, brought other supplies to the remote ChilDee Lovell receives a package from Tatlayoko postmaster Joanna cotin in their freight Knight. trucks from Williams

Lake.

In 1929 Del Naomi Haynes arrived in the valley with her four youngest sons to take over the postmaster duties at KB Moore’s Circle X Ranch. She was hired by KB who had more than enough to do maintaining his ranch and livestock.

A year or two later Del Naomi got her own place further up the valley and the post office followed her there. She was postmaster for a decade or more as her children grew up and left home, then Del Naomi passed the torch to the Bellamy family on Crazy Creek.

When the Bellamys left the country, the post office moved five km down the valley to Ed and Muriel Kennedy’s place. When they sold their ranch to George Rettberg in 1951, he inherited the post office as well.

Rettberg went back

Photo submitted

Fran and Harry Haynes, longtime postmasters at the Tatyalyoko Post Office, also offered their home, which they’d built an addition on to accommodate the post office, as the social hub and coffee house in the community. to Florida for a while, so his neighbours Ken and Mary Haynes took over postmaster duties and moved the post office to their place a few kilome-

tres further down the valley. When Ken and Mary sold their ranch to Walt Murray in the early 1970s, he got the post office as well.

When Murray’s

house burned down in 1977, Tim Pettit became postmaster and the post office moved back up the Continued on Page Z11

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Wednesday, June 26, 2019 Page Z11

Haynes’ residence garners ‘Coffee House’ radio call sign Continued from Page Z10 valley to Crazy Creek where Pettit and Len Knight were living in the old Combs Place.

They converted an old chicken house into the post office and that’s where Tim and Len sorted the mail.

By that time the frequency of mail service to Tatlayoko had increased to once a week and Tim and Len would drive to Tatla Lake every Wednesday to pick it up.

When Tim Pettit decided to resign as postmaster in 1984, Tatlayoko Valley almost lost its post office for good. Canada Post was in the process of downsizing and eliminating a number of the smaller country post offices in favour of larger, more centralized locations.

Once the postal supervisor in Williams Lake got wind that Tim was leaving, he immediately sent out a notice that Tatlayoko Post Office would shut down

Sage Birchwater photo

The old payphone — once the only telephone service in the Tatlayoko Valley — still stands on the road outside of the Haynes residence. permanently the following Wednesday.

The citizens of Tatlayoko got together immediately and wrote letters of protest and signed a petition which Alf and Gerry Bracewell delivered personally to the post office supervisor in Williams Lake.

“I have my orders,” the supervisor told them.

“The post office will close next Wednesday.”

Undaunted, the Bracewells took the letters and petition to Member of Parliament Lorne Greenaway, and miraculously the order to close the post office was revoked.

That’s when Harry and Fran Haynes became the new postmasters and built an addition on the back of their house to accommodate the post office, 10 km down the valley from the Combs

Sage Birchwater photo

The Tatlayoko Post Office as it looks most days.

Place.

Harry and Fran’s household quickly became the social centre of Tatlayoko Valley.

In the mid-1980s the only telephone service in the valley was a public payphone on the side of the road outside the Haynes residence.

Harry arranged for the telephone company to put an extension of the

phone into their house. When the phone rang they would answer it and take messages.

Households in the valley were connected by CB (Citizen Band) radios. It soon became the practice that Harry and Fran would take messages received from the payphone and relay them to their neighbours over the CB radio.

People would then drive to the phone booth to make their calls.

To sweeten the pot, Fran was constantly baking cookies, and they quickly established

the reputation that their door was always open, the coffee pot always on, and the cookie jar always full.

Quite appropriately Harry and Fran’s CB handle or call sign, was “Coffee House”.

Over the decade and a half that Harry and Fran ran the post office, they also fell into another role as surrogate grandparents for a number of children growing up in the valley. That was the case for Len and Joanna Knight and their daughter Alisha.

“We became very

close,” Joanna says.

If things needed fixing or jobs needed doing around the Haynes household, Len was always there.

So was Joanna if Fran needed help in the post office.

When Fran’s health deteriorated and she was forced to retire in 2000, Joanna took over as postmaster and ran the post office from the Haynes household until her tiny building was completed just up the road.

“It’s got some of the original mail boxes from the chicken coop at

the Combs Place,” Joanna chuckles.

“Along with the newer ones built at Harry and Fran’s place.”

And there’s more.

When Harry and Fran left the valley for the last time in 2002 to go into a care facility in the Fraser Valley, their property had been sold to the Nature Conservancy.

In an effort to preserve the Haynes legacy, their old log home was jacked up and moved down the valley to the Millsite Recreation Park created by the community years earlier.

Plans were to convert the house into a community centre, but that never happened.

Eventually Len and Joanna Knight got the brilliant idea to move the Haynes house to their property and renovate it into a guest cottage.

And that’s where it sits today, a work in progress, within eyeshot of the second smallest freestanding post office in Western Canada.

Len added a second story and got the roof on last year, but the logwork and dovetail joints still carry the legacy and memory of two very special people: Harry and Fran Haynes.

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Harry Haynes celebrates his 80th birthday in 1993 at the Tatlayoko mill site.

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The name behind Gwen Pharis Ringwood Stage Monica LAMB-YORSKI Casual Country 2019

Boitanio Park’s outdoor stage was named after Gwen Pharis Ringwood, a playwright and the founder of Williams Lake Studio Theatre.

Ringwood moved to the lakecity in 1953 with her husband, Dr. Barney Ringwood, and their four children.

“My dad was a doctor and he joined a practice with Dr. Atwood,” said the Ringwoods’ daughter Sophia Schneider, who lives at Chimney Lake. “They had met during the war. My mother was already a published playwright and taught at the University of Alberta before they moved here.”

Dr. Ringwood had started his surgical internship before moving to Williams Lake and then finished it up in Toronto while he was practicing to become a general surgeon as well as a general practitioner.

“For a long time he was the only surgeon nearby and then they started to hire people, tore down the old hospital and built a new one,” Schneider said.

A few years later, he retired and they lived out at Chimney Lake up until they died.

Cariboo artists Vivien Cowan and her daughters Sonia Cornwall and Dru Hodgson were good friends of the family.

“They taught my mother how to do art and she taught them how to do theatre,” Schneider said.

Ringwood taught English and theatre at St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School before it closed and made a dictionary in the Tsilhqot’in, Carriere and Secwepemc languages.

“My mom was very charismatic and could motivate people to do almost anything.

Some of the people

who were in her productions she had got to know when she taught at St. Joseph’s Mission School.”

Schneider also acted.

She, along with her sister Carol, and brother Patrick were in a production called Our Town in which a former Tribune publisher, Clive Stangoe, acted as well.

“It was at the Elks Hall where I also saw Buffy St. Marie perform many years later.”

Historically there was an amphitheatre in Boitanio Park north of the present stage that was opened officially on June 19, 1971 and named the Gwen Ringwood Theatre.

Eventually the amphitheatre was vandalized and needed to be torn down.

Schneider wishes it had survived because it would have been an asset, even if they did have to put a roof over it because of weather.

Michael Rawluk acted in many plays directed by Ringwood and is still a member of Studio Theatre.

“She was a really good director,” Rawluk said of Ringwood. “I think she’s the reason I kept doing it — she really inspired me. I’ve been in a play every year since 1970. That’s 49 years.”

The first production of Ringwood’s he was in was The Stranger and it was performed in the amphitheatre in Boitanio Park.

“Sometimes there was a puddle there from rain and lots of mosquitoes, but with the seating everyone was quite close to the actors,” he added.

Rehearsals were held in a portable at Columneetza and most performances were at Williams Lake Junior Secondary.

There were also some productions in what is today the Ramada Inn.

Monica Lamb-Yorski photo

Sophia Schneider, the daughter of Gwen Pharis Ringwood who the outdoor stage in Boitanio Park is named after, says her mom was very charismatic and could motivate people to do almost anything.

Williams Lake Tribune archive photo

Gwen Pharis Ringwood throws her arms around then Mayor Herb Gardner when he announces the new amphitheatre (right) is named after her in June 1971.

“We did shows upstairs where the pub is today before they reconfigured it,” Rawluk added.

Because he worked for BC Rail, Rawluk eventually moved to Prince George when the shop in Williams Lake was downsized.

“I worked as a labourer, then a car man’s helper and car inspector.”

After Schneider left home she remained in the theatre industry for 20 years and then

trained as a an art therapist and later also as a Feldenkrais Practitioner.

Today she lives above Chimney Lake in a log house she and her former husband built many years ago on land her parents gifted to her.

In 2015, Studio Theatre’s marked its 60th anniversary by staging two of Ringwood’s one-act plays: Still Stands the House directed by Cathy Hamm starring Sha-

Williams Lake Tribune archive photo

The original amphitheatre in Boitanio Park was used by Williams Lake Studio Theatre to present plays. ron Hoffman, Curt Sprickerhoff, Tony Savile and Amanda LeForte and Garage Sale, directed by Sylvia Swift, starring Rawluk and Schneider.

In 2017, Schneider directed a production of The Lodge, a fulllength play written by her mother set in the Chilcotin Lodge and inspired in part by the relationship that developed between her fictional lodge keepers and the First Nations people nearby.

This was reflective of the kind of relationship the original lodge keeper Tom Rafferty and his family had with the nearby First Nations communities, Schneider said.

Today the Gwen Pharis Ringwood Stage is used for concerts, such as Performances in the Park during the summer, and special events like Orange Shirt Day and Monica Lamb-Yorski photo National Indigenous Michael Rawluk has been in a play every year for the Day, but it is not used last 49 years and credits Gwen Pharis Ringwood for inspiring him to get into theatre in the first place. for live theatre.

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Five birds to know and watch for in the Cariboo Phil RANSON Casual Country 2019

There are 251 bird species known to have occurred in this region that are listed on the current checklist of Cariboo Chilcotin Birds (WLFN). Of these about 200 are of regular occurrence with about 190 known to breed annually.

The list of birds below are five of those species that you may be seeing a lot more of, and one that may not be around for too much longer.

1.) Bobolink Despite the dapper black, gold and white appearance and bubbly song, the Bobolink is not a well known bird.

It is a long distance migrant travelling from its wintering areas in Paraguay and Argentina to the breeding grounds in N. America. Preferring grasslands and with B.C. and the Cariboo in particular at the very margins of its range.

Despite that, it is quite easy to find in the right habitat once it returns, usually in the second or third week in May. Mission Road in 150 Mile House is one of the best places to see and hear

Bobolink this bird.

Unfortunately for the Bobolink its habitat is often valley bottom hayfields usually with damp and sedgy areas where these birds nest on the ground.

They are somewhat colonial with several pairs often breeding closely. During their courtship and territorial display, the males will rise up from the ground and circle together giving their distinctive song before settling down to perch usually on a slender stem of grass.

Nesting and rearing young can often coincide with haying when destruction of the nests is a real danger. They are unlikely to attempt to nest again if the nests are destroyed after early July. Birds usually de-

Jim Hudgins/USFWS Photo

Wikipedia Commons photo

Turkey Vulture

White Throated Sparrow

part the area by early to mid August. Overall, populations are declining due to habitat loss on their wintering grounds and at the centre of their breeding range on the Prairies.

2.)White throated Sparrow The White-throated Sparrow is an iconic bird of Eastern Canada where its ‘Oh Sweet Canada, Canada, Canada’ song is known and loved by many and is often considered one of the first signs of Spring.

It breeds across the Boreal Forests of Canada and had a southerly breeding occurrence in BC at about the latitude of Prince George.

In the last 10 to 15 years, the range of this species has been creeping steadily south with summer sightings mov-

ing down the Cariboo Mountains and more recently extending across the Fraser River into the Chilcotin region, particularly the Becher’s Prairie area where it can now be found singing at the edge of recent burns.

It was recorded nesting in the Williams Lake River Valley in 2019.

3.)Turkey Vulture Another species that was very unusual in the Cariboo 20 years ago is the Turkey Vulture.

On the 1992 checklist of Cariboo Birds, there were only three records.

Since 2001 numbers have been increasing to the point where today although still considered uncommon can be found in the drier areas particularly along the Fraser River where it can be seen most days

in ‘kettles’ sometimes numbering up to 15 to 20 birds.

4.)Eurasian Collared Dove This bird was first recorded in the Cariboo in 2008 and can now be found year round

with 59 recorded on the 2018 Williams Lake Christmas Bird Count. This species has shown a dramatic increase since it spread to Florida from an introduced population in the Bahamas in 1974. It

Wikipedia Commons photo

has now colonised all but the NE corner of the continent.

The populations are still growing in the Cariboo and it remains to be seen what effect this may have on native species such as the

Mourning Dove.

5.) Lazuli Bunting This bunting is a quietly spectacular bird with a dark blue back and head and robin red breast.

It can be found in the drier areas of the Cariboo particularly on warm south facing slopes in aspen groves or mixed open forest.

At the periphery of its range and once considered a rare find in our area, this species has increased in recent years and expanded northwards. Look for this bird in the Williams Lake River Valley.

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FAMILY DAY – Kids Under 12 Free RODEO – 2ND PERFORMANCE Opening Ceremonies and Grand Entry Presentation of Sponsor Flags Professional Rodeo Events Mountain Race Wild Horse Race Wild Cowgirls Race Intermission Show: Full Throttle Trick Riding Rodeo Clown – Jayson Charters

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RODEO – 3RD PERFORMANCE Stampede Grandstand Presented to you by Mr. Mike’s Williams Lake Opening Ceremonies and Grand Entry Presentation of Sponsor Flags 2018 BC Cowboy Hall of Fame Recipients Introduction of Lifetime Member & Parade Marshall Professional Rodeo Events Mountain Race Wild Horse Race Wild Cowgirls Race Intermission Show: Full Throttle Trick Riding Rodeo Clown – Jayson Charters

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Dean River Canoe Race a Chilcotin tradition Greg SABATINO Casual Country 2019

20 to cheer on the competitors — some even dropping cans of beverages to the racers as they paddle under the bridge on their way down the river to the finish line at Anahim Lake.

The wildly-popular event is always followed by a banquet and dance at the Anahim Lake community hall, serving to connect the remote sister communities Ted Hlokoff photos of Nimpo Lake and Anahim Lake in the Participants listen intently as race rules and procedures are outlined prior to the start of this year’s annual Dean River Canoe Race. The event attracts crowds and canoe friendly competition. racers from throughout the region, who have attended the event each May for the past 39 years.

An annual event unique to the Chilcotin, the Dean River Canoe Race is held each May and attracts spectators from throughout the region.

This year at the 39th annual event, 14 canoe teams paid entry, vying for a shot at thousands in cash prize money awarded each year at the race.

Participants begin at the boat launch in Nimpo Lake as participants run a short distance before loading their boats in the water.

From there, racers turn north up Nimpo Lake toward the Dean River before racing under the bridge on Nimpo Lake Road North, then out of sight while speeding down the river.

Large crowds amass each year on the Participants in the Dean River Canoe Race make their way up Nimpo Lake toward the Dean River during this year’s bridge at Highway annual event.

Racers, in teams of two, make a dash to the water at Nimpo Lake.

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Ocean Falls: where pristine wilderness abounds Monica LAMB-YORSKI Casual Country 2019

Ocean Falls is a wildlife photographer’s paradise for year-round resident Rose Daykin.

“I have a black bear that walks by every day — she minds her own business and I mind mine,” Daykin said.

“I’m an outdoors person and have three lakes to fish from. Often I’m the only person there and usually I catch my limit in about 30 minutes.

At first Ocean Falls was holiday destination.

“After my daughter died I needed a retreat place so mom and I bought a vacation home and a friend pitched in to help us. I lived her off and on and then moved here permanently.”

Houses are under

A rainbow spans over Cousins Inlet. $100,000, she has water and power and a great existence.

Year-round there the population fluctuates between 25 to 33 people, swelling to as many as 130 in the summer months with people coming from all over.

“We get lots of yachts from Washington State because the moorage

is so cheap,” Daykin said.

There are no stores in the community, but a barge comes every two weeks with groceries from Saveon-Foods in Port Hardy, along with gasoline and propane.

She owns a 16foot boat she can use to go to Bella Bella, which takes

her about an hour.

“There are lots of vacation homes here, about 100 usable homes, even the old hospital was turned into an inn.”

Les Marston on owns the Old Bank Inn with his wife Tony Ziganash and their son Mark who presently lives in Venezuela.

Marston said it was a CIBC that

Rose Daykin photos

A view of Ocean Falls seen from the deck of the newly-running BC Ferries vessel, Northern Sea Wolf. was converted into a store for a period of time and then into a fishing lodge.

It has gone through several owners since and they took soft possession in November 2017.

Echoing Daykin, he described Ocean Falls as magical.

“Everything around her is so pristine, so clear and so clean,” he said. “I’ve worked in the water quality business for 37 years and the water here is absolutely second to none.”

Continued on Page Z19

Ocean Falls is home to hundreds of hummingbirds when the town is covered in flowers from March to October.

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Ocean Falls a year-round retreat for residents Continued from Page Z18 He first visited the area 23 years ago on the invitation of a friend who asked if he wanted to go fishing.

“I said sure, and this is where we came.”

Ocean Falls was a company town created in the 1900s when a pulp and paper company utilized large falls at the head of Cousins Inlet.

Marston said nobody lived in Ocean Falls that did not work for Crown Zellerbach.

Traditionally the area was used by the Kwakwa and Nuxalk and their seasonal village located at the base of the falls was called Liak, meaning falls.

At its peak there were about 5,000 people living there. The town had a hospital, schools and one of the province’s largest

hotels and swimming pool.

It boasted the largest hotel north of San Francisco, California, at one point.

Marston said there is a Ocean Falls Embers amongst the ashes Facebook Page that is reference when most of the town was intentionally burned down in the 1980s.

“As the government of the day, called it, they tried to naturalize it.”

Originally from Edmonton, Marston said it’s amazing how many people have Rose Daykin photos come to Ocean Falls A view of Cousins Inlet looking west down to King Island from Goat Mountain. that he knew before he did and did not realize they were doing the same as him.

They also have The Little Licker Store which sells ice cream.

BC Ferries does stop in Ocean Falls as well as local seaplane companies that can connect with Pacific Coastal Airlines in Port Hardy.

A resident harbour seal in the waters near Ocean Falls.

The ‘fishing hole’ at Canyon Falls.

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Wednesday, June 26, 2019 Page Z21

Moffat Falls a pristine refreshing escape Monica LAMB-YORSKI Casual Country 2019

One of the Cariboo’s many gems and favourite places to visit is Moffat Falls just a few kilometres east of the commuinty of Horsefly.

Within three minutes of walking off the road down to the falls, visitors can access a small sandy beach, find reprieve on a hot summer day from the spray or even take a swim at the base of the falls.

To drive to the area, upon entering Horsefly, turn right onto Lowden Road and then onto the 108 Mile Road.

Follow the 108 Mile Road for 7.1 kilometres where you will find the access road to Moffat Falls on your left.

It is a bit of a steep climb down a short path so small children should be accompanied.

A newer feature is the

low mobility trail that was installed at the site in October 2018 by the Cariboo Regional District in partnership with the Horsefly Board of Trade, Recreation Sites and Trails BC, Northern Development Iniative Trust and the province of B.C. Approximately 300 metres long and featuring a packed, crushed gravel surface, the extremely gentle grade trail travels through the forest to the Horsefly River, crosses a large bridge over the river, stopping where a secure viewpoint offers an amazing view of the falls.

When walking along the road above be sure to keep watch for a Chinese oven and hand-dug ditch in the area that hail back to the days of the 1860’s Gold Rush. Horsefly, Jaymie Jones photo after all, was the site of the first gold panned in Moffat Falls is seven kilometres east of Horsefly and boasts a newly-developed low mobility trail built in 2018 by the Cariboo Regional District, in partnership with the Horsefly Board of Trade and other funding partners. the Cariboo in 1859.

Page Z22 Wednesday, June 26, 2019

Casual Country 2019

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Station House celebrates historic 100th birthday Diane TOOP Casual Country 2019

This year, the Station House celebrates its 100th birthday.

In 1919 Williams Lake was a new townsite with just a few buildings; the Borland ranch house, a small store, a post office and a few homes.

With the coming of the railway, people who were keen to discover what the Cariboo had to offer began arriving in larger numbers.

The S t at i o n House, a #3 building and its first station agent, Fred Hutchinson, didn’t see the first train arrive until a -40C day in January 1920, with a few hardy townspeople there to see it come in.

The depot became the heart of Williams Lake with community gatherings often held in the building. School board meetings were held in the waiting room until 1930 and Libby Abbott, whose father became Stationmaster in 1929, says that children played in the train yard and under the platforms.

The arrival of the weekly train was an event that brought almost everyone down to the Station House to see who and what was arriving.

The building remained unchanged until an addition was built for express purposes and baggage in the 1950’s - that addition is now the Gallery Shop.

During the 1960’s the building began to fall into disrepair and the possibility of demolition was discussed as it

Patrick Davies photo

The Station House as it appears today, with its manager Diane Toop, which has now been converted into the Station House Art Gallery and is maintained by the Station House Studio and Gallery Society.

A group of men wait beside the tracks that run beside the Station House in 1921 for the weekly train to come in.

Today, while no longer in use, the Station House’s old walls are rattled daily by freight trains and the occasional passenger train. was felt that the Station House had become an eyesore.

Thankfully that didn’t happen and in the late 70’s a group of peo-

ple who realized the importance of preserving the building was formed.

In 1981 the Station House Studio and Gallery Soci-

ety was officially formed and the building took on a new life.

Since that time over 550 exhibitions have been presented to Wil-

liams Lake, our region and tourists. As Williams Lake’s first designated heritage site the Station House Studio and Gallery Society and

The oldest known photo on record of the Station House, back when it sat beside the only railway into and out of town. The building was first constructed in 1919 and celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2019 in Williams Lake. all its supporters gral piece of our the manager of are pleased to have local history. the Station House preserved an inteDiane Toop is Gallery.

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Wednesday, June 26, 2019 Page Z23

The Magic of Q takes guests on artistic journey Cory ENNS Casual Country 2019

The art gallery in Lac La Hache, B.C. is shoved off to the side of Highway 97 between a seasonal fruit stand and a sprawling thrift store. The red structure, originally built as a church in the 50s, does little to inspire, and it’s easy to understand why so few people are aware of it. Yawn and you’re past it.

Then there is the name. The Magic of Q. Where the Q is headed seems hard to place. At its best, the letter has always been a bit unconventional, a bit Bohemian. Of the 26 characters in our alphabet, it is, after all, the most seldom used of the lot.

But it’s perhaps the fugitive nature of that Q that best describes the art inside, an eclectic collection of worldclass sculptures, ab-

Andrew Fenn, Sheila’s husband and operator of Q Brew (coffee shop within the art gallery). stract oil paintings and the wire and sheet metal jewellery of local artist and gallery owner Sheila McQuarrie-Fenn.

Against a wall, you’ll find cigar box guitars crafted by local artist Ron Johnson, a stone otter by international award-winning sculptor Roland DeWilde.

“Our religion is … exceptional,” Sheila says of the art she displays and the artists she represents. “I want people to see

Photos submitted

An untitled oil painting created by 108 Mile artist Amy Cadrin.

Sheila McQuaddrie-Fenn is a Lac La Hache artist and owner of The Magic of Q. the art. I don’t care if they buy anything.”

Religion is not an off-base description.

There is more than a gallery in the tiny space; there is something more intimate.

Spend a few minutes in front of local painter Amy Cadrin’s Shaman, a piece Sheila commissioned from Cadrin herself, and you start to un-

derstand the depth of Sheila’s passion.

That passion is what Sheila followed after the 2017 wildfire and subsequent evacuations, when she made 22 commemorative pendants. Each handcrafted, each unique.

Why she made them is evidence of who she is. “It was part of our lives, part of our journey,” she says

Cigar box guitars by artist Ron Johnson of Lac La Hache also serve as playable instruments inside The Magic of Q gallery in Lac La Hache. of the fire, speaking for many Cariboo residents. “It’s worth remembering.”

Last year, a coffee

shop was added to the gallery as a way to make the experience of visitors more inviting and, Shei-

la admits, as a way to draw people into the art gallery that nobody seemed to know about. Andrew Fenn, patriarch of the gallery’s spinoff endeavour, Q Brew, and Sheila’s husband, has a different take. “It’s damn hard to find a good cup of coffee here.”

The coffee is organic, free trade, nonGMO brew made with all Canadian milk, and may just be the finest cup you’ll

have this year. The coffee alone is worth the trip, regardless of which direction you’re travelling from. When I mention this to Andrew, a wiry Brit who spent much of the last decade travelling the world on a 2004 KTM motorcycle, he seems genuinely pleased.

As for The Magic of Q, I ask Sheila why Lac La Hache. Sheila, who is dyslexic and no passenger in life’s journey of challenges, has a quick answer.

“I had my reservations,” she says.

“But we have exceptional artists in the Cariboo and they’re all hiding in the woods. In a disposable, throw-away society, when I see someone attach themselves to a piece of art I know it’s going to end up in a will, not a landfill.”

Her answer feels like it’s enough. Like it’s real. Like the art she loves.

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Greg Sabatino photos

Ice sailor and longtime Williams Lake resident Rocco Catalano is one of just a handful of people who have taken up the hobby of ice sailing over the years. Residents enjoy watching the sport from various spots in the city.

Sailors find freedom on frozen waters of Williams Lake Greg SABATINO Casual Country 2019

If the conditions are just right, and the wind is gusting favourably, take a glance out on the frozen surface of Williams Lake during the winter months.

For the past 40 or so years a small, but passionate group of individuals have been sailing the frozen seas, so to speak, on the lakecity’s namesake.

Ice boating, ice sailing or ice yachting, as its known, is practiced in many parts of Europe and in the U.S. and Canada, where it’s gained a modest amount of traction in recent years.

Developed during the 18th century as a racing sport, ice boats function similarly to a sail boat, but are fitted with skis (skates) and designed to run over ice.

For longtime Wil-

liams Lake residents Stu Fraleigh and Rocco Catalano, there’s no better way to spend a winter day than sailing the “hard water” on the lake.

“We like to sail,” Fraleigh told the Tribune. “It’s not enough to just push the limits just a little bit, particularly when Rocco and I are out.

We get into a good 2 0 - m i l e - p e r- h o u r wind — and we’re at the stage where we’ve been doing this a long time and can handle a good wind — and we’re flying. That’s what we want.”

Rocco, meanwhile, said he took up the hobby about 12 years ago. It was Fraleigh who taught him, he said. “It’s just so fun,” he said. “It’s just like being a kid again doing that, but there’s such a small window of availability so you really have to pick your spots when the water’s frozen, there’s no snow

on it and then you’ve got to have the wind.

It’s like being an ancient mariner on ice, and on a good day it’s so much fun.”

A loosely-organized ice sailing club, Fraleigh said at one point in time five boats graced the ice on Williams Lake.

“We were going steady along,” he said. “We were giving lots of lessons and had guys coming around and getting them into boats, but over the years parts have been broken.

We’re trying right now to develop a training boat.”

Fraleigh said he was introduced to the sport by former Williams Lake resident and Black Press Media Chairman David Black, who Fraleigh referred to as a pioneer in the sport.

“David was the guy,” he said. “He comes up for a day sailing in. He taught got us going in terms where we held races anymore. was one of the top, or two during the me, and was a real- of sailing competi- on Williams Lake, “We just love sailtop sailors, and still winter to get some ly great teacher and tively, to the point but we don’t do that ing.”

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Wednesday, June 26, 2019 Page Z25

Outdoor music festival a hit in Bella Coola Valley Caitlin THOMPSON Casual Country 2019

The Bella Coola Music Festival is gearing up to celebrate its 20th year with an exciting lineup in the works for the popular outdoor event.

Hosted in the scenic Bella Coola Valley surrounded by lush forests and majestic mountains, the event the one of the most anticipated music festivals of the year for the region and enjoys great support from the community and visiting musicians.

“The Bella Coola Music Festival is very proud to celebrate its 20th year,” said President Jessie MacDonald. “We wanted to recognize the Bella Coola community that has supported us for so long, and we thought that a special ‘20 for 20’ promotion

was a great way to do it.”

Some of this year’s notable acts include Cree band Midnight Shine, who have opened for the legendary late Tom Petty, recorded a cover of Neil Young’s iconic “Heart of Gold” (which includes lyrics sung in Cree), and been featured on national radio: CBC’s Q. Turning heads with a sound that seamlessly mixes roots, classic and modern rock, Midnight Shine’s music is anchored by lead singer Adrian Sutherland’s eloquent lyrics and heartfelt vocals. The songs are not only radio-friendly, but also explore Cree culture, tradition and life in the North with depth and meaning.

Sutherland is from the Mushkegowuk Cree community of Attawapiskat, sit-

Photo submitted

Victoria’s Jesse Roper is known for his high-energy shows and connection to the audience, and will be a part of this year’s lineup at the Bella Coola Music Festival. uated on the coast of the James Bay in Northern Ontario. He’s a singer/songwriter and frontman for roots/ rock band Midnight Shine, making ‘ra-

dio-friendly’ music that draws upon his personal experiences, while reflecting universal themes like family, home, love and loss.

In addition to

making contemporary music, Sutherland – who is fluent in Cree – is a traditional knowledge keeper. He teaches his children to hunt, fish, and survive on

the land. He participates in spring and fall harvests, takes part in ceremonies, sings pow wow, and is a genuine example of someone who lives authentically. He is

a father, grandfather, and hard-working husband, proud of who he is, and where he comes from.

While Adrian’s home has been the subject of much negative media attention, he would like to change those perceptions through the work he is doing with Midnight Shine: “There are good stories to be told from Attawapiskat, and from all over the North. I hope we’re one of them.”

Another one to watch is Victoria’s Jesse Roper. One of his songs was just sung for the likes of Katy Perry and Lionel Richie on American Idol.

The singer said he is “stoked” after hearing his song earned its performer a ticket to Hollywood.

Jake Durkin, a 25-year-old singer-songwriter based

out of Nashville, Tennessee, played two songs – Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” and “Anytime of Night” by Roper.

“I chose Jesse’s song because I came across it on Spotify and fell in love with it. I love soul music and he’s been able to create a modern take on soul that I think is really authentic and beautiful,” said Durkin.

“Plus, I love singing that song and it’s about time more people in the U.S. know about Jesse Roper.”

Jesse Roper will close the show on Saturday, July 20 and Midnight Shine will take the stage as the last act on Sunday, July 21.

Tickets are now available online at www.bellacoolamusic.org or people can also pick up a paper copies at Kopas Store.

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Page Z26 Wednesday, June 26, 2019

Casual Country 2019

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Arts on the Fly set to entertain in downtown Horsefly Brandon HOFFMAN Casual Country 2019

Arts on the Fly is back for the 2019 season, July 12 and 13 in beautiful downtown Horsefly BC. We’re proud to bring a mix of the Cariboo’s tried-andtrue musical favourites, and some exciting new acts to the community of Horsefly for the first time. We are thrilled to host artists like Pharis and Jason Romero, The Sadies, Barney Bentall, Tonye Aganaba, Ganges Delta, Bad Hoo, Annie Lou, Steve Brockley, Richard Inman and so many more.

This year brings over 30 performing musical acts, comprised of over 100 local and visiting artists, with a wide spread of musical styles to satiate your soul. But there’s plenty more than just music on the roster.

A weekend pass to the festival ($65 for adults; $55 for youth and seniors, with single-day passes available) grants you access to our four wonderful musical stages with onsite camping included.

Our coveted outdoor main stage and tweener stage is the perfect place to plop down a lawn chair, or kick off the shoes and dance into the starry night.

Our Community Hall is the place to step out of the sun for some intimate listening. “Electric Bill’s” stage will be back for another season, by popular demand.

This solar-powered stage is the brainchild of Horsefly mad scientist and sound technician Bill Irwin. Listeners can chill in the dappled sunlight beneath the cottonwood trees, or dip their feet in the Horsely River, steps away from this popular outdoor music venue.

Included in the festival are workshops in plein air painting, sculpture / casting, s o u n d healing, y o g a , and more.

Wo r k s h o p s range from kids-only arts-andcrafts, to a cheeky adults-only paint nite in the beer garden.

If you crave a deeper dive into your creative self, sign up for the intensive two-day Songwriting on the River workshop series. This is the second installment of Arts on the Fly’s cre-

ative masterclass, held at the Romero property on the Little Horsefly River, July 10 and 11 before the festival. Songwriters or aspiring songwriters will rotate through a total of six 1.5 hour workshops led by celebrated artists Annie Lou, Steve Brockley, and Jenny Banai.

Participants are invited to stay on the prope r t y, kicking off each day’s musical journey with a relaxing yoga session led

by Cleo Beaulieu.

This two-day intensive masterclass is available to 12 people, for just $250. Sign up now to reserve your spot, at www.artsonthefly. com/workshops.

Another great way to experience the festival is to volunteer!

With all this madness we offer, we can always use more human-power. Volunteering is a great way to meet new friends, see the inner workings of our little organization, and of course save a few bucks on entry.

Just two three-hour volunteer shifts earn you a weekend pass to the festival with camping included.

A true party-hack is to sign up for the set-up or tear-down shifts, leaving you free as a leaf in the wind, all festival long. To volunteer, fill out the form at the bottom of the page at www.artsonthefly.com.

Tickets are moving fast for Arts on the Fly 2019.

Get yours today to reserve your spot!

Advance tickets are available at The Open Book, Red Shreds, The Bean Counter, and Clarke’s in Horsefly, as well as www.artsonthefly.com. Don’t sleep on it; quantities are limited, and prices increase at the gates.

If you can’t wait until July 12 -13, pay us a visit at the Arts on the Fly stage of the Williams Lake Stampede Street Party.

Artists like Kitty and the Rooster, Rowan Dolighan and more will be performing right after the parade, June 29, at the corner of Second and Oliver, downtown Williams Lake.

See you on the fly!

Casual Country 2019

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Wednesday, June 26, 2019 Page Z27

Patrick Davies photos

The view from the top of Signal Point is breathtaking giving hikers and bikers a view of Williams Lake and the surrounding region in all directions. It’s easily identified by the Canadian flag flying proudly at the summit.

Need an outdoor escape? Look no further than the city limits for great hikes and swims Patrick DAVIES Casual Country 2019

Outdoor living and activities be it boating, hunting, quadding, mountain biking, skiing or my favourite, hiking, are quintessential parts of the Cariboo lifestyle.

Yet the daily grind can often sap your time and strength on a weekday making a trip up a mountain or down a canyon unlikely if not impossible at best. Thanks to Williams Lake’s unique setting along the shores of the lake and its corresponding river valley there are ample trails and routes right in our own backyards. Some are even accessible from our downtown core, a rarity in many larger cities.

Take, for example, the ever popular and beautiful Scout Island. Located in the heart of Williams Lake roughly a 20 to 30-minute walk from anywhere in the downtown, or a simple five-minute drive, this well-cared-for nature preserve is a true gem in the Williams Lake tapestry of trails and green spaces.

Perfect for a sedate walk or a light hike depending on the speed you set, the entirety of Scout Island can easily be done in an hour but as the Scout Island Nature Centre proves, you may want to stop and smell the wild roses. A wide variety of flora and fauna call the island and surrounding waters home,

making it the perfect place to do some easy nature watching and photography.

Those looking to cool off on a hot summer day can also enjoy one of Williams Lake’s only public access sandy beaches after a nice vigorous spin around the island.

If you’re looking for a more challenging hike uphill, look no further than above the Tourism Discovery Centre. Just past the TDC parking lot is an entire network of trails for bike and foot traffic running across the mountain parallel to the Cariboo Highway on Fox Mountain.

Yet the route that is easiest and closet to town is the ascent up to Signal Point that offers a commanding view of the entire lake. If you’re newer to the area like me, don’t worry, a detailed map is available at the Tourism Discovery Centre and extensive signage will quickly point you in the right direction.

The hike up to Signal Point itself, is only slightly challenging with proper footwear and be sure to bring bug spray and water if you’re heading up later in the day. Once you reach a grassy clearing with paths branching off in three different ways, take the path running towards the lake.

At the top, you’ll be able to enjoy a cooling breeze, a great photo opportunity and a truly

The beginning of the Signal Point trailhead can be found just behind the Tourism Discovery Centre parking lot. It connects to a wide Continued on Page Z32 range of mountain biking and hiking trails and is a popular route to the top of Signal Point.

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Patrick Davies photo

Bryan ‘Bioson’ Delaronde cheerfully mans the sound equipment during the Bioson rap concert held at CJ’s Southwestern Grill.

Lakecity artist builds hip hop community alongside career Patrick DAVIES Casual Country 2019

Building a musical community takes dedication and skill something that lakecity rapper/hip hop artist Bryan ‘Bioson’ Delaronde has in spades.

This self-made musical artist has been operating out of Williams Lake for years now, perfecting his speechcraft and music in a town better known for country or folk music.

Despite this, Delaronde has stayed in Williams Lake and together with a few friends has built a strong core base of fellow hip hop artists and fans right here in the lakecity.

It all started a few years ago when Delaronde was looking for a place to hold a concert in Williams Lake. Due to the negative connotations surrounding the rap and hip hop scene, he was finding it difficult to obtain a suitable venue, until he got in contact with the

owner of CJ’s Southwestern Grill, Cathie Rossignol.

Rossignol has owned and operated CJ’s for the last eight years and for almost seven of those years has hosted Delaronde’s rap and hip hop concerts.

When first approached, Rossignol was apprehensive due to the lifestyle it often portrays but decided to host it and just see what happens. That first night, she said, there was no problems and has continued to have no problems with the artists or their fans with every show since.

“It’s almost like an outlet for these (guys) a chance to show people their talent. I’ve watched them grow.

There’s a bunch of them that are really moving up and comers and I’m really proud of them,” Rossignol said.

These concerts happen roughly three to four times a year, Rossignol said, as both she and Delaronde have found that doing

“I found it a lot easier to write my problems out than talk to people about them and I’ve always really been into music so you take the two and it kind of happened organically.”

- Bryan ‘Bioson’ Delaronde Musical artist them too often reduces the pull the concerts have. Formats have included all generations, open mic nights, talent shows and straight concerts with big names attached, like Merkules and Illiano, which Rossignol said can have upwards of 120 people in attendance. On average, she said, the shows tend to draw 50 to 60 people up to about 100.

For her, however, hosting these concerts is not about the money

and is instead about the energy these nights bring with them. Rossignol recalls a night early on when a seven-year-old girl came in with her family and proceeded to “dance harder than anybody else in the place.”

Giving these young people a positive place to perform is important to Rossignol, who said she’s received nothing but respect and courtesy from them in return.

“They really need a

place to do this and no one else will let them do it because it’s got such a bad reputation,” Rossignol said. “Just come out and have some fun.”

At a performance the Tribune attended the respect and appreciation for Rossignol and her staff was clear, as more then half the artists took the time to personally offer a shoutout to her or CJ’s.

It’s a sentiment Delaronde himself expressed

as well during an interview, saying that she has never been the type of person asking “what am I going to get out of it?”

Born up in the Yukon in Whitehorse, Delaronde came to the Cariboo when he was three and has lived here most of his life. Up until recently, he’s been working in the mining industry at Mount Polley when not recording music.

Delaronde started

the musical journey that would eventually become a central part of his life in his basement almost a decade ago, simply listening to and then freestyling to beats. At the time Delaronde never thought he’d actually write any music but over time he began to write the odd song before eventually writing and recording his first few tracks.

“I found it a lot easier to write my problems out than talk to people about them and I’ve always really been into music so you take the two and it kind of happened organically,” Delaronde said.

Now with music in hand, he wanted to get into the performing side of things yet could find no one in town willing to provide a venue for a show.

Eventually, he put on a show together with Rossignol but admitted with a chuckle he didn’t know what he was doing and ended up losing $1,200 on it. The

show, however, helped him form connections with artists outside of Williams Lake and as the years have gone they have helped him build up his own career.

As Bioson, Delaronde has opened for several large hip hop artists at shows around Canada including the likes of D12, Obie Trice, Redman and Swollen Members.

He’s also collaborated with a variety of lakecity artists like Jamie Warnock, American artists like Lil Eazy E, the son of NWA’s legendary member Eazy E, and Canadian artists like Knucklehead, better known as Tyrone from Trailer Park Boys.

Since the release of his most recent album, Thrown to the Wolves, Delaronde has been focusing on an EP and making music videos for future and current songs. With the purchase of new sound equipment, he plans to do more shows in and Continued on Page Z30

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Williams Lake Tribune

Wednesday, June 26, 2019 Page Z29

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Genuine Records nurtures local talent Continued from Page Z28 around Williams Lake in the future, as well as shows throughout B.C. and beyond.

“I’m trying to get out of my comfort zone and the style that I’m used to and start expanding into working with people like Jamie Warnock, (my music) is not confined to one style,” Delaronde said. “Basically (this summer) I’m going to just start booking shows and go 100 per cent into music.

It’s just taking that leap of faith and going for it.”

Recently, Delaronde helped found Genuine Records with his friend Jared ‘Keyz Kaliko’ Gimbel, a new record label based out of Williams Lake geared towards promoting and supporting the local hip hop community.

Involved artists include many of his local friends such as Sal the Sinner, Young Catalyst and others. All their music and biographies can now be found online at www.genuinerecords. com with Delaronde adding they’re looking to make merchandise available soon as well.

This move comes in part because, over time, he’s noticed that a lot of fans who have been attending his show have gone on to become artists themselves, something he has actively encouraged from the start. Some of these people have been addicted to drugs, involved with gangs, or simply have been super

Patrick Davies photos

Jordan Salazar, known as Sal the Sinner to his fans, shows off his tats while dropping some improvised bars at a rap and hip hop concert held at CJ’s Southwestern Grill.

Cassidy Porter, known on stage as Cass.I.Gee, is an emerging lakecity artist and writer who has used the rap concerts hosted by Genuine Records as a way to conquer her shyness. shy yet, with a little encouragement, have gone on to use their love of music to overcome these obstacles and get clean, leave their past behind or find their courage.

“It’s part of the reason why we do it. “It’s just to give people something to do in Williams Lake, something to focus their energy on, something positive. Putting on concerts is a small part of it, it’s helping them work on songs, beats, whatever that’s kind of what Genuine Records is about,” Delaronde said.

“We took a lot of the artists around Williams Lake that were serious and investing in themselves and put them on the label. So now we’re going to help develop these artists.”

In the future, Delaronde is also looking into doing some charity work

through the label by putting on shows with the proceeds going to worthy local causes.

Most of all, with both the record label and future shows he hopes to continue to inspire other lakecity artists to pursue their own music. “I find, with my music, it’s added nothing put purpose and positivity into my life.

There’s nothing negative about making music at all,” Delaronde said. He encourages anyone interested in making music, hip hop or otherwise, to reach out to him and Genuine Records and sit down with them in a studio and just follow their dream.

Delaronde also said he hopes the wider community comes to see what they really do and accept them for who they are, rather than reject them Rebecca ‘Beka Solo’ Solomon raps alongside her partner Richard ‘Rich Mac’ MacDonald during the Illiano featuring Bioson show at CJ’s Southwestern Grill. for what they think they are.

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The cowgirl behind the race Monica Sellars makes a place for women in rodeo Angie MINDUS Casual Country 2019

Williams Lake Tribune file photo

The Wild Cowgirl Race has become one of the most popular attractions during rodeo time at the Williams Lake Stampede.

At just 29, Deep Creek’s Monica Sellars is much wiser and mature than her years would suggest.

An accomplished rider and fiercely independent woman who has built up her own successful farrier business over the past several years, Sellars is a straight-shooting, curse word-using cowgirl who is the genius behind the popular Wild Cowgirls Race at the Williams Lake Stampede.

Sellars came up with the idea for the 3/8 of a mile flat race as a way to shine the spotlight back on women in the male-dominated sport of rodeo.

“If you’re not a barrel racer, there’s no place for women to compete in professional rodeos,” Sellars said.

“So for [the wild cowgirl race] to be available to all women is really big,” she said, noting racers’ backgrounds include everything from ranching, to jumping to dressage.

“Any discipline can enter.”

Sellars admits her love of horses and independent nature can be attributed to her upbringing at Deep Creek, north of Williams Lake, where she was raised by her mom Donnella Sellars, and also heavily influenced by her grandmother who lives next door, Nan. Sellars’ summers as a girl were spent on horseback, exploring every side trail and back road from Deep Creek to Forest Lake.

She owned three horses, then six, provided by Nan and supported by her mom.

“She worked hard when we were kids to try and give us something to keep us out of trouble,” said Sellars, who is now married to her husband Cole Byrd and has a son Garry, 6.

“I wouldn’t be who I am without my mom and grandmother.”

Sellars also credits her success as a farrier and in life, to her mentor Tom Alphonse who taught her everything he knew about being a farrier.

“It was the opportunity I needed in life. I needed some direction, and he gave it to me.”

Monica Sellars Sellars even attended the same farrier school in California as Alphonse when she was just in her late teens and has provided for herself and her horses since moving out of her family’s home at 16.

She credits horses with keeping herself grounded.

“I couldn’t imagine my life without them. They’re very therapeutic.

Horses are very in the moment, and you have to keep your emotions in check or you can’t work with them,” she said of working with horses everyday.

“They always make me feel bet-

Angie Mindus photo

ter no matter what — there’s no better antidepressant than the smell of a horse.”

This summer will mark the sixth annual Wild Cowgirl Race. On April 28 entries were opened for the 2019 race, and filled up in under two hours with 24 riders.

“Every year we’ve just gotten bigger and bigger,” said Sellars, noting Stampede director Janice Sapp also came on board in 2015 to help shape and evolve the race.

“It feels great. I’m very happy where it’s went, it’s where I wanted it to be when I first started it.”

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Casual Country 2019

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Williams Lake yours to explore Continued from Page Z27 majestic view of pretty well all of Williams Lake. Be sure to use the trail you came up to return, keeping off private property.

Finally, for those looking to run, ramble or bike towards the Fraser River, the city also boasts the well-maintained Williams Lake River Valley trails that wind along the banks of the small river as it makes its way to the Fraser.

What’s nice about this walk is the way nature quickly envelops you in its sounds and beauty.

Besides the occasional passing

L

car heading closer toward the Fraser River or the Ashtray, Williams Lake fades away behind you leaving you with nothing but the trail and scenery.

As parts of the main trail are big enough for cars and trucks, the route to the Fraser is perfect for a bike ride with the family, an early morning run or an easy ramble to take in the sites. Whatever you chose, be sure to pack a day lunch and plenty of water. It’s about 20 km to walk to the river and back.

Currently, the best point of access to these trail systems is across

ounging on the beach, fishing in Quesnel Lake, or visiting Cedar City Museum, a trip to Likely is a treasured experience for travellers who are lucky enough to find their way there.

If you arrive on the May long weekend you will be able to take in the world’s shortest but most enthusiastic parade. In summer, the locals get together with teams from all around the region for a popular competitive fun ball tournament. Of course there are endless opportunities for fishing, camping, hiking, canoeing, kayaking and other outdoor sports.

Situated where the west arm of Quesnel Lake empties into the Quesnel River, Likely is one of the few remaining gold rush settlements. That early history is reflected in the decor of the famous Likely Deacon Hotel - affectionately called the Likely Hilton by locals.

Quesnel Lake is the largest lake in the Cariboo and the deepest fjord lake in the world, with more than 500 km of scenic shoreline. One spot in the lake is over 610 metres deep. Likely, at the west end of the lake, was originally called Quesnel Dam. The name was changed to honour John A. Likely of the Bullion Pit Mine. He was affectionately called Plato for his tendency to philosophize.

In 1898 the Quesnel River was dammed near Likely to enable downriver areas to be explored for gold. During the last week of October in 1922, more than 697 ounces of gold were recovered at the Cedar Creek Mine. In 1935 the Bullion Pit became the site of the largest hydraulic monitors ever installed in North America. It operated from 1892 to 1942, constructing over 64 kilometres of canals

from the graveyard off Mackenzie Avenue. The access point located at Frizzi Road is not accessible by vehicle, only walking, so using the other access point is safer and the most common way to get to the valley.

As it turns out, J.R. Toilken said it best in The Hobbit.

“You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

Here in Williams Lake, we’re blessed to have one of the best backyards Canada has to offer just waiting to be stepped into.

If you’re looking for a longer walk or hike the Williams Lake River Valley offers many trails to explore.

to draw water from nearby lakes and creeks to feed the hydraulic nozzles. In fact, Morehead Lake was created to supply water to the Bullion mine.

Today, the Bullion Pit attracts many tourists. It stands as an astonishing man-made canyon which can be viewed from the road to Likely or a trail above.

Plan a visit to Likely in late August and watch thousands of salmon migrate up the Quesnel River to their spawning grounds in the Horsefly and Mitchell Rivers.

Cedar Point, now a park and campground has mining artifacts and displays positioned throughout. You will not want to miss the historic mining museum located at Cedar Point.

For more information on what to do in Likely, call 250-790-2323 or call the Williams Lake Visitor Centre at 1-877-967-5253 or locally at 392-5025.

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First Indigenous Games bring out best in youth Greg SABATINO Casual Country 2019

The first ever Indigenous Games proved to be a big hit among Marie Sharpe elementary students this past May as smiles lit up faces on the school field throughout the event.

Principal Calvin Dubray said the idea was brought up by Grade 5-6 teacher Kirsty Bowers and, from there, teachers at the school handpicked 14 traditional Indigenous games — setup as stations on the field — for students to take part in.

“It’s part of Indigenizing the curriculum for this whole term,” Dubray said. “We’ve been doing some drum making, traditional story telling — things

Marie Sharpe elementary Kindergarten student Dominik Wycotte and Grade 6 Maddy Gadsen team up while playing lahal at the school’s first Indigenous Games. through an Aboriginal perspective.”

Dubray — who is of Métis and Cree heritage — said the enthusiasm displayed by all of the school’s students was heartwarming during the event,

which was followed by an Indian taco lunch for the entire school prepared by volunteers, teachers and PAC members.

“It’s inspiring,” he said. “They teach me things

about culture, respecting the land — just a different perspective of the way you look at life.”

Games included activities from First Nations, Native American and

Students at Marie Sharpe enjoy a traditional game of stick hockey at the first annual Indigenous Games this spring in Williams Lake.

Inuit culture such as: back push (an Inuit wrestling game), make the stick wiggle (a traditional Blackfoot

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dren to mimic their fathers who went buffalo hunting), to name a few.

Continued on Page Z35

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Games foster pride, sense of community Continued from Page Z34 Bowers said when she returned from maternity leave in February she wanted to implement more Indigenous material into the curriculum.

“A lot of the students have seen a disconnect from their culture,” Bowers said. “And this event just creates pride to teach other kids, and it’s really cool to be able to do that out in the community. With the kids in my class we were doing a lot of these games in P.E. and they were really enjoying it, so they helped out quite a bit.”

She said her goal is to have more schools follow suit in the coming years and continue to add more First Nations culture in their curriculums.

Marie Sharpe Elementary School Principal Calvin Dubray directs students to the next station during the school’s first ever Indigenous Games.

Marie Sharpe Elementary School Grade 5/6 teacher Kirsty Bowers (fourth from left) stands alongside students from her class who helped and supported her organize the first annual Indigenous Games at the school.

“These we re quick, easy games and a lot of history and culture is asso-

ciated with each one and it’s super cool and awesome to do something like this.

Calvin has been Dubray added it’s super supportive been an extremely of everything I’ve rewarding postibrought to him.” tion to be in as

principal of Marie Sharpe elementary — a school which has a population

of roughly 50 per cent Indigenous students.

“It really helps me stay connected with my First Nations culture and it’s a great way to incorporate it and have a

day where the kids get to be outside and just have fun together,” he said.

Funding for the event was provided by the First Nations Education Council (FNEC).

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Art Walk gets a fresh twist for 2019 season downtown Patrick DAVIES Casual Country 2019

For years the Art Walk has been a staple of Downtown Williams Lake’s event calendar and this year sees the return of an enhanced Art Walk.

From August 16 to September 7 Downtown Williams Lake invites people to once again experience all the artists and businesses of the lakecity have to offer.

While Arty the Artwalker will be absent this year, the event is being organized by the new events co-ordinator Jasmine Alexander.

Alexander is an artist herself and has been working for the BIA for three years now, though this marks her first year as

the event co-ordinator. After helping organize the Winter Lights Festival and the new Spring Into Downtown Festival, Alexander said Downtown Williams Lake is now going “full sprint” to prepare for the 2019 Art Walk.

“I love working for the BIA (Downtown Williams Lake) it’s a very relational position. I get to meet and develop relationships with business owners, with people who have been in this community and supported it for a really long time,” Alexander said.

“It’s been a great team to work with as well.”

For this year, Alexander said she is interested in maintaining the legacy established

by the previous Art Walk events because she feels it’s something the community has loved and supported through the years. With this, however, Alexander and the organization are happy to announce a few new additions intended to enhance this year’s experience.

The main addition, thus far, is the new adjudicated stream for artist submissions, Alexander said.

To get into this stream artists had to apply for entry early with the understanding their work would be critiqued and given feedback by judges.

Currently, Alexander said they Patrick Davies photo have three judges confirmed for this Jasmine Alexander, a lakecity artist who serves as Downtown Williams Lake’s events co-ordinator, is happy to be organizing the 2019 Art Walk. This year the Art Walk will include an adjudicated stream judged by Bruce Charbonneau, Leah Selk and Venta Rutkauskas that will be Continued on Page Z37 displayed together for the public to see.

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Art Walk adjudicated stream promotes artistic excellence Continued from Page Z36 stream including Bruce Charbonneau, Leah Selk and Venta Rutkauskas.

Together they are working to put on a showcase exhibit that will feature the works of 12 artists who submitted their art for adjudication.

The location of this showcase will be the Mint and Lime Catering Space on Oliver Street, Alexander said.

“It’s a very diverse show and highlights a mix of local scenery with abstract art, we have some photography and we’re really excited to launch it,” Alexander said.

The regular Art Walk stream is proceeding apace

BFF Fashions is one of several proud hosts of this year’s 2019 Art Walk in the lakecity. and will give businesses and artists a chance to cross-promote one another as they have in previous years during

peak tourism season in the Cariboo.

This year they have over 40 artists participating in the event with

Alexander adding that they’re always open for more submissions, late or otherwise.

What excites her the most about the submissions this year is the sheer diversity of the entries on all fronts from the backgrounds of the artists to the art itself.

They have everything from paintings and drawings to ceramic work and sculptures, Alexander said, with the inclusion of digital art and felt works.

“We really wanted to keep this Art Walk open and very representative of different walks of life,” Alexander said.

“When we put a call out for artists, we want to see new artists and that’s another thing we’ve been

really excited about this year.

We have quite a few younger artists and first-timers, as well as our Art Walk veterans.”

Looking to the future, Alexander hopes to see a trend of more young people taking part in Art Walk on both the art walking and the artists’ side.

She hopes this year and the years to follow really inspire the next generation of artists and artisans to create work and contribute to the event. “ T h e re ’s no shortage of talent and skill in the Cariboo so this is our opportunity to showcase that,” Alexander said.

A grand opening for the 2019 Art Walk will be held on August 14

Photos submitted

Artwork on display at Mulberry Lane in downtown Williams Lake. from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Gibraltar Room that will include live music, art performances, refreshments and a chance to meet

many of the participating artists.

The opening should be a fun way to celebrate all Art Walk offers the commu-

nity, Alexander said, at its beginning rather than its end. Tickets will be limited for this event.

As in previous years, a guidebook with a complete list and map of all the participating businesses will be published about a month in advance online and physically at the Downtown Williams Lake office.

Alexander said the passports and the stamps for going to each business will also be carried over.

For updated information, Alexander encourages people to check with their partners at the Station House or online via the event’s Facebook page entitled Williams Lake Art Walk 2019.

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Artist, rancher, adventurer Jack Peterson and his Mountain North Art Gallery

Sage BIRCHWATER Casual Country 2019

Two kilometres from the bottom of Tatlayoko Hill, first left after the Crazy Creek Bridge, is Jack Peterson’s Mountain North Art Gallery.

Five years ago Jack and his wife Sandra bought the old Combs Place in Tatlayoko Valley and moved there from Prince George.

Jack and Sandra are no strangers to Tatlayoko. They first came to the valley from Seattle, Washington with two of their five children in the fall of 1966 and bought 800 acres at Skinner Meadow from Harry McGhee.

“It was the old Lloyd McGhee Place,” Jack says. “We paid $14,000 for it.”

They lived at the Lignum Sawmill camp on Tatlayoko Lake for the first year when Jack got a job working in the mill.

Then he learned how to fall the big Douglas fir trees that were being harvested for the mill, and he started working in the bush. Sandy was a nurse and she eventually got a job at the health clinic in Tatla Lake.

During his time off from working at the saw mill and logging show, Jack built a big house for his family at the Lloyd Place. Soon added barns for livestock and hay storage, and got some cattle.

“The first year we only had 10 cows but we had a range permit for 100 cows.

So Doug Schuk took me up to the north end of the Potato Mountains where we had our range. Where the first creek crossed the trail, Doug got down on his hands and knees and drank right out of the creek. I got my cup out of my saddle bag and dipped it in the creek for a drink and Doug started laughing at me. Only a city slicker would do that he said. So I threw my cup away.”

The next morning Jack found it kind of hard drinking his hot coffee using his hands…

In 1979 Jack and

“Looking for Lunch” - Jack Peterson

Sage Birchwater photos

Jack Peterson stands next to an unfinished watercolour painting of some Canada geese at his Mountain North Art Gallery in the Tatlayoko Valley.

Mike Yates’ pen and ink drawing of a cowboy attaching a horseshoe.

One of several pen and ink drawings of Chilko River artist Mike Yates on display at the Mountain North Art Gallery in the Tatlayoko Valley.

Sandra sold the Lloyd Place and moved to Prince George where they bought some acreage. Sandra worked as a nurse and Jack continued ranching.

But Jack’s big love was art.

When he was a teenager, he enlisted in the United States military and spent 18 months in Korea during the Korean War. When he came back he used his GI Bill to go

to commercial art school.

“I got tons of work as a commercial artist in the Seattle area. Then a friend who hauled a load of horses to Anahim Lake told us we should check that country out.”

So Sandra and Jack came up to the Chilcotin to look around and met Ed and Helen Schuk who told them that the Lloyd McGhee Place was for sale.

Jack had a few hair-rais-

Artist Mike Yates ing experiences during those early years living in Tatlayoko country. He must have had a host of guardian angels looking out for him when he told the Lignum logging boss he knew how to fall the giant fir trees growing on the ridges along Tatlayoko Lake sidehill. But as the 4-H motto goes, Jack learned by doing.

One of his more profound adventures was a trip he took with Terry Jordan bushwhacking down the Homathko River to Bute Inlet. The men ran out of food because the trek took several days longer than they planned. They also had to cross several raging torrents either on cross logs or by falling trees to cross

rivers. It was the trip of a lifetime that put the men up close and personal to some of the wildest most rugged terrain in British Columbia.

Jack says he met Lester Dorsey one year at Anahim Lake. They went into Lester’s place just after he’d killed a moose and he was frying up some moose meat in a big frying pan. He also had a big bowl of bread dough rising next to the stove to fry up some bannock.

Jack looked over and saw what he thought was a big raisin in the bread dough. Then he looked more closely and discovered it was a horsefly.

“Don’t you ever check your bread dough? I asked Lester. Then he walked over and plucked

that horsefly out of the dough and said: ‘That dough has been checked!’”

The first project Jack undertook after buying the Combs Place five years ago, was to build an art studio and gallery to show his work. He and Sandra had been out of the country for 35 years.

“The Mountain North Art Gallery is open all the time,” he says.

Besides showing his own work, Jack is committed to displaying the work of other artists in the community.

“There’s a lot of talent in this country. I’ll put on a special show for other artists to show their work for a couple of weeks.”

In May 2019 he featured the pen and ink

drawings of Chilko River artist Mike Yates.

In the past he has highlighted the acrylic and oil paintings of Tatla Lake artist Marilyn Berwin, and has one of Charlie Travers’ masks on his wall.

Jack also gives art classes to both adults and children. He put on a sixweek course for adults in Tatla Lake Community Hall, one day a week, teaching the basic techniques of water colour.

Then he had five or six kids from Tatla Lake School come down to his studio for a three-hour intensive session. Students from nearby First Nations communities also came down to the gallery for art classes.

“I taught art classes in schools in Prince George for eight years,” he says.

“With my commercial art background I was able to get certified to teach art in the schools.”

He also taught adult art classes in Prince George for ten years.

Jack describes his art style as “loose” water colours. He actively paints the wilderness beauty of his surroundings, and says the beautiful and rugged landscape of the Canadian mountains has been a major influence and inspiration for his art.

“I always believed in using top quality art materials. The paper is very expensive and so are the paints and brushes.

I figure we need all the advantage we can get.”

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Wednesday, June 26, 2019 Page Z39

Family ventures keep Gertzens together

From busing to hockey to home decor Monica LAMB-YORSKI Casual Country 2019

The reason why people venture into business or decide to volunteer for a particular organization are as varied as people themselves.

When it comes to the Gertzens -— Randy, Sharon and their daughters Chrissie and Janna — it has been the opportunity to spend time together that has driven those decisions.

Presently the family is running Adventure Charters, which has just expanded to fill the void left by the departure of Greyhound.

Chrissie and Janna purchased Adventure Charters in 2011, so Randy could spend more time with them.

It was 2011 and their dad, Randy Gertzen, was working for Interior Roads.

“We like to travel in the winter and dad couldn’t get away,” Janna said. “He was always on call and it was too much, so we bought Adventure Charters from Jerry Hanson and told dad ‘you have to come and work for us and try not to work too much.’”

Business, however, got busier and busier, and when it looked like they would slow down because of the shut down of Mount Polley Mine, in the spring of 2019, they stepped up to the plate to offer passenger service.

“Now we are into this Greyhound thing that really keeps us hopping,” Randy said.

“We’ve got three fulltime and two part-time, plus myself and Janna.”

Janna said they believe they have all got to be able to do everything so she acquired

Monica Lamb-Yorski photo

Sharon, (left), Chrissie, Janna and Randy Gertzen along with canine companions Jack and Chloe are a family that works and volunteers together in Williams Lake. her bus driver’s licence after they purchased the business.

“There were times when we’d need a driver and we just didn’t have one,” Janna said. “But you know we are desperate when you see me driving the bus.”

Chrissie and Janna owned the Dairy Queen in Williams Lake from 2009 to 2018.

In 2019, the sisters opened Poppy Home in downtown Williams Lake.

Janna and Chrissie enter the business world Purchasing Dairy Queen was a way to move home, the sisters said.

They’d been living and working in Prince George after graduating from post-secondary school there.

Janna acquired a business degree and Chrissie a psychology degree.

“Chrissie was ready for a career change,” Janna said.

“She was working for the Ministry of Children and Family and it was a tough job,” Sharon added.

Around that time they learned Dairy Queen had shut down so they bit the bullet.

Looking back, Janna said they had a good run and were not looking to sell when an offer came along in October 2017 that seemed like the right fit.

“Chrissie was at a Dairy Queen conference and I was at home having a rough day.

Three or four people approached her at the conference asking if we wanted to sell so during a break she phoned me and asked me. I told her to take their cards, because I was having a rough day.”

They’d had offers in the past, and always said no, but they had a serious discussion and talked about what they would do next if they sold it.

“We’d always talked about Williams Lake needing a home decor store and it would be great to bring a new fun store to town,” Chrissie said, adding that’s what led them to open Poppy Home in spring 2019.

Randy and Sharon Randy moved to Beaver Valley in 1962 with his parents, and two younger brothers, Rick and Rob. “Dad worked at Jacobson Mill out there

and we lived in a camp — there were probably 40 other families there.

We had our own tworoom schools, two of them actually.”

He fondly remembers Friday nights going out for dinner to the Famous Cafe on Oliver Street and when the family built a home near the old airport on 11th Avenue North.

“We were the second house built there,” he recalled. “Then Columneetza was built below that and it just started growing really fast.”

After Grade 10 Randy worked at Jacobson Brothers Mill and then became a truck driver for 24 years. After that he work in forestry for Lignums and when there was a downturn in the economy he went to work for Interior Roads for a couple of years.

Sharon first arrived in the area in 1971 to visit her sister, Lucille, who had married and moved to Williams Lake.

Sharon was going to university and got a job for the summer in Williams Lake.

“I met Randy and I never went home,” Sharon said, adding

they met at the bar in the Chilcotin Inn. “He had on plaid pants and a pink shirt. He was the epitome of the 70s.”

They were married the fall of 1972.

“We bought our first house in Wildwood, when Janna was in Grade 1,” Sharon said, adding they lived there for 33 years.

Sharon worked at the Royal Bank until she retired in 2006.

She and Randy sold their Wildwood house in 2017 and bought a house on the golf course, hoping they would have time to golf regularly, which

she said, has not really happened yet.

Williams Lake Stampeders Chrissie and Janna will be entering their fourth season volunteering with the Williams Lake Stampeders in the 2019/2020 season.

Four years ago their aunt, Karen Gertzen, who is a director for the Stampeders, put out a call for volunteers.

“They were really short and we thought ‘why not?’ What else are we doing on Saturday night besides working.

So I said I would help, and Chrissie and dad said they would help

hand someone is there.”

Why Williams Lake?

What Janna loves about Williams Lake today is what she used to hate.

“You know when you are a teenager and everybody knows who you are? They call home and say, ‘your daughter is sneaking into the bar,’. Now I love that small town feel when you go to the grocery store and you know everybody.”

When they moved to Prince George they lost that sense of community, Janna added.

“We really missed having that connection with people and places.”

Randy also loves the small-town feel of knowing everybody.

“I love the diversity of where you can go. Half an hour out of town and you are in the middle of nowhere. All the activities -—the camping. Williams Lake just has everything.”

And if people want to go to a bigger city then Kamloops or Prince George are only a couple of hours away, he added.

“You’ve got the best of everything around you and the best of everything right where you are living.”

Heck, he added, he was around when Williams Lake did not have any stop lights.

“I remember when they put the first one in at the main section on Oliver Street. It was a pain in the ass because

too,” Janna said. “And they needed more than volunteers. They needed sponsorship and marketing.”

Along the way they’ve roped Randy and Sharon into helping too.

“They are always good helpful hands,” Janna said of her mom and dad. “You can always call them up and they will sell tickets.

Dad does security for us, he also helps with the bus and will run around and get sponsorship and prizes.”

Their family helps each other out, Janna said.

“If one of us needs a Continued on Page Z40

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Fresh Flowers. Distinctive Design.

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Casual Country 2019

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Small-town living a plus for Gertzens “We encouraged them in anything that was reasonable for us you had to stop all the to provide for them time.” and I think in the end, Growing up in Van- and the one thing I abcouver, then moving to solutely insisted on, Williams Lake was a was that they get an relief, Sharon said. education.”

“It was small, everySharon and Randy body knows you and told them they’d pay there is no hustle and for university but not bustle. To this day I for weddings. still don’t like a line“Being married up.” didn’t make you a perGrowing up Chris- son, you had to be your sie appreciated every- own person,” Randy thing the community said. “You had to be offered . a strong person — they “We did ballet, soc- took after their mother cer, baseball, piano, in that respect.” theatre — there was Chrissie did marry, such a broad range but her husband Travis of activities that Hallam was killed in a led to growing up car accident in 2009. well-rounded,” ChrisAs a family it was the sie said. hardest thing they have “Whether it was gone through. horseback riding, it “Even with our parwas a full childhood ents dying, it was not as of stuff to do.” hard as going through Mom and dad Travis’s death,” Randy Sharon said they said. The tragedy did tried to expose their make them all assess ENSE daughters to important, ES O Mwas W EofL Cwhat A lots things while they were h e added. raising them.

“As a family we Continued from Page Z39

If we wanted a family Sunday dinner, we would drive to Quesnel and meet mom and dad, but if we wanted to have that piece in Prince George we had to find a way to build it with each other.”

- Janna Gertzen chose family,” Chris- Prince George we had sie said. to find a way to build it Sisters with each other,” Janna When Chrissie and said.

Janna moved to Prince Chrissie said as sisGeorge they forged an ters they always had independent relation- each other’s backs but ship separate from were two very differtheir parents. ent personalities and “If we wanted a fam- thinkers. ily Sunday dinner, we “I think when you would drive to Quesnel are growing up that O F meet P R Emom D I Cand and TA Bmakes I L I TitYtougher, but dad, but if we wanted I think it gave us really to have that piece in great skills to deal with

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people who are different and learning how to accommodate that piece with each other kind of set us up for dealing with people in general,” Chrissie added.

When they aren’t working they love to camp and travel.

“We are wheels up kinda girls,” Janna said. “If we want to go and want to leave to-

morrow, we are ready to go.”

They own a razer they like to go out in and Chrissie drives a race car.

“I went to Thunder Mountain one year and while I didn’t last year, I am going to this year,” she said.

Eyeing the future With Poppy Home, Chrissie and Janna intend to launch an

online store.

As for Adventure Charters, they are hoping it will stop taking control of their lives.

“We will get there eventually and it should be good, once we get our new ticketing system in place,” Randy said. “Then we should be able to get away for a holiday here and there.”

Receiving the bus service license approval from the Transportation Safety Board was done under a “real time crunch.”

“We only had 14 days from approval to be fully operational and selling tickets,” Chrissie said. “We really had to do a lot of temporary measures.

Our website is temporary, our ticket pricing is temporary, we had to meet those timelines because if we did not meet them, we would not have had a licence.”

Since then they’ve been working with a software company out

of Vancouver to build the proper ticketing system.

“We still have to do a lot of fine detailed work to streamline our website and make it easier and hopefully we can move to more of an automated system,” Chrissie said.

The Gertzens really thought a big company would come in to take over for Greyhound, but it never happened.

Another applicant tried to get it off the ground, but eventually could not.

“As we watched it unfold, and the phone would ring and people would ask if we offered bus services, we thought OK, we can do this,” Chrissie said.

Besides, Janna said, there were so many small communities between Williams Lake and Vancouver and all along the Fraser Canyon corridor that had nothing.

“It was not just Williams Lake,” she said.

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Wilderness survival part of Cariboo learning Kim ZALAY Casual Country 2019

On a Friday in May, seven Greenologists from Lake City Secondary, Columneetza Campus and one of Scout Island’s summer staff, set out to try their hand at building survival shelters.

Previous to their day out in the bush, students were introduced to a variety of shelter options, as well as what to look for in a site and how to safely build a fire for night time warmth.

On the day of their builds students arrived at school with their one backpack that was to contain everything they needed for a night out in the bush.

Once the students had scoped out the outlined area they set to work gathering supplies for their shelters.

With five boys, two girls and our sum-

mer staffer, the group ended up with a bit of variety in design for their shelters. Two of the boys chose to use tarps to design a tentlike structure, two other boys created a lean-to with a raised bed to keep them off the ground for their night’s sleep. The fifth young man decided to go it alone and used a single tarp to create a tent for himself. Meanwhile the two female students also created a lean-to that was quite welcoming.

Once shelters were built students gathered boughs and moss to soften the blow of sleeping on the group for the night. A task that was not so welcomed by several of the students was the collecting of firewood for the night. This took much more time than anticipated!

Mother Nature then supplied the group with a downpour to

Photos submitted

Greenologists from Lake City Secondary Columneetza Campus with the gear they will use to build themselves survival shelters. give groups the opportunity for a test run and make necessary adjustments. Koodos to the students as most found their shelters, and themselves, dry throughout the thunderstorm.

As dinner approached the groups eagerly gathered around the communal fire to prepare their own meals, share some stories and enjoy their

time in nature.

Before calling it a night campfires were lit and groups crawled in to their temporary “home.” Although the group experienced another downpour very early Saturday morning, they all awoke dry and with smiles on their faces. Nothing like sleeping out in the great outdoors!

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Lake City Secondary Columneetza Campus students Daniel Navritil, left, and Adam Coombs sit inside the shelter they built themselves during an overnight exercise where students worked on their survival skills.

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Before departing the site for their return to Columneetza the group followed the mantra “leave no trace” by not only ensuring that their fires were saturated with water and covered with the wet dirt from the hole dug for the fire, but also by scattering unused firewood to leave their sites in a natural looking state.

The students, and

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Young Cariboo athlete shines on the world stage

Greg SABATINO Casual Country 2019

The dream of travelling internationally to compete in sport became a reality this year for 21-year-old Williams Lake triathlete Danika Robson.

Robson had the distinct privilege and pleasure of representing Team Canada this past April at the 2019 ITU Multisport World Championships Festival in Pontevedra, Spain.

She qualified last year at the Peach Classic Triathlon in Penticton — a qualifier for the event, a 1.5 kilometre swim, and a 110 kilometre bike ride, that took place in Spain from April 29 to May 4.

Robson is no stranger to the water, having spent 10 years training with the Williams Lake Blue Fins Swim Club as a competitive swimmer, and

Photo submitted

Williams Lake’s Danika Robson, 21, proudly displays the Canadian flag at the 2019 ITU Multisport World Championships Festival in Pontevedra, Spain. also just so happens to be comfortable on land and on a bike. In 2012 she was awarded the Williams Lake Blue Fins swimmer of the year.

She’s participated in the Tour de Cari-

boo four times, and was a member of the Lake City Secondary School cross country running team in high school.

“I always wanted to do a triathlon,” Robson said. “And

in 2016 I did a fitness challenge and did the Vancouver Triathlon that year, but the year before we did the Prospera Valley Granfondo in Langley, and I’ve done that four times since.”

At the ITU Multisport World Championships Festival Robson achieved her goal, winning bronze medal in her age group (female 20-24) and finished 167th overall.

“It was pretty in-

tense,” Robson said.

“I had eight hours sleep in four days [during and following the race] … race day on May 4, I had four hours sleep the night before, got back on May 5 and drove

home on May 6, but it was good. I didn’t really know what to expect.”

At the ITU Multisport World Championships Robson joined 1,000 other athletes at the venue in events including duathlon, aquathlon, cross triathlon, aquabike, long distance running and multisport.

In her event, due to several swimmers needing to be helped ashore in the long distance swim, the distance was changed from three kilometres to 1.5 kilometres.

“The water portion of the race was actually held in a river,’ Robson said.

“So we had to race against the current on the way down and then with it on the way back. Due to my strong swimming it wasn’t that bad.”

Overall, she said it was a great experience and hopes to continue

competing in triathlon-style events in the future.

When asked what she enjoys about endurance-style racing, Robson said it’s being outside, the competition and testing her limits. She also said she enjoys the camaraderie in the sport.

“The triathlon community is pretty tight knit so it’s good to have almost like a second family in a way,” Robson said.

“I’m going to try to qualify for four other races next year: two in Edmonton — a sprint and a standard triathlon — and one in Almere, Netherlands — a duathlon (running and cycling) and aquathon (swimming and running).

“Being a swimmer and liking the running parts I’m comfortable and I’m still getting into the biking. I just need to combine all three to be successful.”

Former lakecity teacher leads tour groups for all Patrick DAVIES Casual Country 2019

Travelling abroad often makes the heart grow fonder for home, which is what former lakecity teacher Sharon Smith is helping dozens of people across the Cariboo experience.

Smith taught in Williams Lake at the elementary and high school level for most of her life after becoming a teacher and lived in Williams Lake up until two years ago, when she moved to White Rock near Vancouver. Her connections run deep to Williams Lake, however, and she has been leading tour groups made up primarily of lakecity residents around the world since her retirement.

She loved working as a teacher in Williams Lake because of the chance it gave her to make an impact on the young people of the community. As time passed and she moved to the high school level, she enjoyed the chance to reconnect with former students and see how they’d changed and grown.

“It was a very rewarding career, I really enjoyed it,” Smith said. “I enjoyed the people the most. You’d go to the grocery store to pick up a couple of things and you’d be an hour in there because you bumped into so many people you knew, people were really friendly.”

Travel had been a big part of Smith’s life since her childhood, ever since she was a little girl of 12 who received a postcard from her uncle of the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles, France. Seeing something so different was magical to Smith and led her to keep the postcard to this day and fostered in her a desire to go to different places and see different things. As a college student, Smith went backpacking through Europe on her own at the age of 19 and has since taken every opportunity she can get to go explore the world.

While working at Columneetza as a high school counsellor, Smith said the first time travel came into her job was when the school hosted a class of Japanese students. Smith was asked

to organize their stay, which she was thrilled to do, and did this for several years before eventually Smith was invited to bring a group of lakecity students to Osaka, Japan.

After a few more trips to Japan, Smith began organizing school trips through Education First Tours, a company that offers tours to various countries with a focus on learning. For Smith, it was great, as it combined her love of travel, organization and teaching all into one package. She especially loved the opportunity to take students who had never left Williams Lake onto a plane and take them to amazing places like the Coliseum in Rome and Big Ben in London.

“It was just amazing to see the change in the kids. Their eyes were really opened to the world.”

While she doesn’t remember the exact amount of tours she organized as a teacher, Smith estimates she went on at least 20 to 25 of these trips to Europe, Japan, China and Costa Rica. Seeing people live differently then we do and the realities of the world outside

a movie screen, Smith thinks, was very valuable for the children and like anyone returning to Canada, made them really appreciate what we have here. After retiring, Smith still felt wanderlust and a desire to take new groups of people to places old and familiar. She found that even when visiting landmarks for the second, third or fourth times, the new people she brought with her gave a fresh perspective and experience each time.

“Going by yourself, somewhere, isn’t always the most fun. It’s nice to have other people to share it with.”

After attending a conference for teachers involved with Education First Tours in South Africa after her retirement, Smith remembers being on a safari and watching a mother jaguar play with her two cubs. Thinking about how lucky she was to get the chance to see things like this, she thought how wonderful it’d be to share it with her friends. It was at that moment she decided to continue to organize tours, only this time with adults.

She organizes them through

Photo submitted

Sharon Smith takes a gondola ride through the canals of Venice on a recent trip to Italy.

Go Ahead Tours, the adult component of the company she worked with as a teacher.

Like her students, Smith said her friends are treated to an educational trip throughout the country, with an Egyptologist accompanying them on their latest tour.

The camaraderie and experiences the group gets to share she feels are very valuable for those who set out and helps bind them together. When meeting back up with the groups she’s taken out they’ll laugh and share stories, good and bad about their experi-

ences.

“That’s part of travel sometimes. It’s never smooth or perfect, there’s bumps along the road, but that’s the sign of a good traveller if they can go through those bumps, manage and come out happy at the end.”

Casual Country 2019

www.wltribune.com

Wednesday, June 26, 2019 Page Z43

Entrepreneur looks to open the lakecity’s first doggy daycare Patrick DAVIES Casual Country 2019

Loving and caring for pets is the cornerstone of Megan Monds’ Pawsitively Purrfect pet walking and dog sitting business.

Monds is a lakecity woman born and raised who attended the French Immersion program at Marie Sharpe Elementary before spending a year at Columneetza Secondary. After moving away to Kamloops for a decade, Monds graduated with a double Dogwood Diploma and an honours diploma in Hospitality Management along with a few certificates in general business skills.

Her love for pets, dogs in particular, began at a young age with Monds recalling a time in her childhood where her family had about 10 different animals including three dogs, four cats and a collection of rodents like hedgehogs, hamsters, chinchillas and even a flying squirrel.

Mond’s mother is a huge animal lover and volunteered at the BC SPCA during her daughter’s youth, setting an example Monds’ herself has since followed. She spent three months working with the Humane Society in

Patrick Davies photo

Megan Monds is the owner and operator of Pawsitively Purrfect, a pet sitting, walking and grooming company that she has built from the ground up. Here she smiles with three dogs she regularly walks Nash (from left) McDuff and Fisher.

Ottawa which, while depressing at times, was a really rewarding experience for her. “(Pets) they just have nothing but love to give,” Monds said.

She began Pawsitively Purrfect about three and a half years ago in 2015 after returning home to Williams Lake, in part because of the outdoors nature of the

community and in part because of her boyfriend. Shortly after arriving Monds began walking dogs and pet sitting for friends to make ends meet and over time, via word of mouth, it blossomed into a full-time job. Consequently, returning to Williams Lake is one of the best decisions she’s ever made, in her opinion.

“I had no idea it was going to turn into something like this and having my love for animals branch out into a career is amazing,” Monds said.

The aforementioned easy access to nature is perfect for dog lovers like her, giving her plenty of opportunities to walk her various client’s animals

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on a wide range of challenging and interesting trails. As far as a community to operate in goes, Monds couldn’t ask for a better one as she said she’s never met anyone in Williams Lake she has disliked.

Currently, Monds serves about 100 different clients over the course of a month caring for pets of all

kind including dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, a donkey and even chickens.

One of the things she loves the most about this variety is the chance to meet new people and their pets.

“I’m hoping to expand my business into a one-stop-dogshop. So a doggy daycare, grooming and basically any

kind of pet care need Williams Lake needs because we definitely have a shortage on that,” Monds said.

After finishing up some business classes, Monds’ dream is to start looking for a large centrally located building to buy and convert into what would be Williams Lake’s first dedicated pet centre.

Ideally, she’s looking

for a location close to the Williams Lake River Valley and Fox Mountain trail heads to give her the ability to take dogs on hikes every day while their owners are at work.

On-site, she plans to have separate fenced large and small dog enclosures, boarding kennels with an entirely separate grooming area.

“Our community is such a great support system for any small business here in the lakecity. I have had a few challenges with being a young entrepreneur, especially when I was first starting out, regarding some comments on how it would never be a successful business, but as my list of clients expanded it gave me the confidence to carry on and make it my career,” Monds said.

Monds feels that it’s important to give dogs ample opportunity for physical activity and social interaction with their fellow canines, for both their physical and mental health.

Every pet owner, she feels, wants their pets to live a long, healthy and happy life, something she’s honoured to help ensure.

“When you have a happy, healthy pet, odds are you will be happy and healthy as well,” Monds said.

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150 Mile couple give bison a home on the range Monica LAMB-YORSKI Casual Country 2019

A herd of bison living in the Cariboo could not have found a better place to thrive than with Tom and Karen Alphonse.

“They are one of the more natural North American animals,” Tom said, sitting at their kitchen table while the bison grazed about 100 metres from the house.

“With the history of how they were slaughtered, I like that we are able to do a little bit of justice and have a place for them. Even buffalo deserve to have a place to live.”

Fourteen and a half years ago they acquired more than 125 plains bison when their friend, the late Larry Patenaude, twisted Tom’s arm until he couldn’t say no to picking them up.

“They came originally from Saskatchewan to the Dean River Ranch at Anahim Lake,” Tom said. “The German rancher decided to liquidate his buffalo and his ranch and move away because it was too cold.”

Initially the bison were housed at the feed lot at 150 Mile House and some at the Alphonses’ Five Mile Lake Ranch on Likely Road.

“We had buffalo under our bed,” Tom joked.

That many bison was too many for their property, which includes 160 acres for grazing, Karen said.

“When they arrived in March they started dropping calves in about two or three weeks,” she added.

When asked if they are noisy animals, Karen said they are quite vocal.

“They snort, almost like a pig and are very vocal with their calves, but are not as loud as cattle. We leave them all together, we don’t separate them at any time, so they are basically wild and manage themselves. That’s the nice part about it.”

When people ask if they help with birthing, Karen said they reply, “no,” adding that would be like helping a grizzly bear.

“The calves are born quite smaller than most beef cattle and so we’ve never had one have difficulty with birthing.”

Bison calf on their own in Mid-May. “We have seen them earlier, but they do their own thing,” Karen said.

Learning about bison has required forgetting everything they knew about horses and cows, Tom added.

“These guys are like wildlife. It would be closer to a moose or elk or something like that.”

Today they have about 30 in total they raise for farm gate sales of meat to family and friends.

Tom does the slaughtering and hauls them to the butcher.

During the winter the bison

Karen and Tom Alphonse raise plains bison in the 150 Mile House area at their Five Mile Lake Ranch. stay in a fenced-in area close to the house to keep them off the frozen lake.

“They are a very low maintenance animal,” Tom said.

In all of the years they have not had any issues.

“We are not turning them into pets,” he added. “They make excellent watch dogs because lots of times people are intimidated by them and for good reasons. As long

Monica Lamb-Yorski photo

The bull checks out the strange vehicle while the reporter inside snaps photographs of the bison herd.

as they have good food and water they will stay around — they are kind of like homing pigeons.”

In 2017, the wildfires encroached from several sides of their ranch.

“We were standing here watching the fire across the lake and it felt like you were right next to a wood stove, that’s how hot it was,” Tom said.

Many of their fences burned and the bison escaped and roamed away from the ranch, wandering close to Wildwood.

“I did not know if I was going to have to sharpen my knife and start butchering them for safety of the firefighters and everybody else out there,” Tom said.

“But , in the end, they went on their walkabout, found out there was nothing to eat out there because it was all burned, and they came back home.”

The winter fencing was still intact so Tom locked them in and the bison were safe and in good shape.

“They weren’t affected by the fire,” he said. “A couple of them might have skipped having calves, but they weren’t impacted like domestic animals would have been.”

For the time being, Tom and Karen believe they will have bison in their future as they enjoy seeing them in

Monica Lamb-Yorski photo

Tom is a member of Williams Lake Indian Band and is raising the bison on Indian Reserve land off the Likely Road. their midst and raising them as an alternative meat.

“I tell people if you take your tenderest and tastiest beef, you’ve got buffalo,” Karen said, noting they have learned to cook it low and slow.

It also depends on how it is prepared, Tom said.

“I think the density is a lot more than you’d find in domestic beef,” Tom added.

“We have a lot of people that have allergies with pork and beef that can still eat buffalo because it’s the closest to wild game.”

Bison are also being raised at Big Lake, Lac La Hache , Lone Butte and near Prince George that the couple know of and before they made the final decision to take the

bison from Anahim Lake, Tom contacted various bison ranchers in those locations to ask for advice.

“I got a lot of information,” he said. “Some I was able to use and some did not apply for what we are doing on our property.”

Born and raised at Sugar Cane, Tom worked in the logging industry for most of his life in the Interior and on the Coast.

“I started back in 1979 as a faller and was involved with helping the Williams Lake Indian Band start up Borland Creek Logging Ltd. which I managed for 15 years. It’s still going. It’s a success story.”

In his younger years he Continued on Page Z45

Casual Country 2019

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Wednesday, June 26, 2019 Page Z45

Tom and Karen Alphonse begin each day with grateful hearts Continued from Page Z44 competed on the rodeo circuit in bull riding and saddle bronc.

He is also a professional farrier, and has worked on horses throughout the Williams Lake area.

His dad, Henry Grinder, was a third generation farrier who worked out of Clinton and at different ranches in the Cariboo-Chilcotin.

“His first start was Empire Valley Ranch,” Tom said of his dad. “Phil Grinder, my great grandfather, was Amish and came from Pennsylvania.

“He came up in the Gold Rush days to work as a blacksmith. He turned that trade over to my grandfather, Johnny Grinder, and I still have some of the original tools my great grandfather brought from Pennsylvania.”

Tom eventually also took some technical training as a farrier at Pacific Coast Horse Shoeing School in Plymouth, California.

“Most people that own horses hire the service out,” he said.

“At one time I had up to 80 head of horses, but finding time for the buffalo was enough. Besides, you cannot mix horses and buffalo.”

He is also does danger tree falling and danger tree assessing for BC Wildfire Service.

Karen said she’s semi-retiring after working full-time as a health care practitioner for about 30 years.

She’s done homeopathy, nutritional consulting, iridology, body work, massage and touch for health, colon hydrotherapy and recently moved her office from Williams Lake and does homeothapy and massage in her home.

Over the years people have mentioned how Karen does “alternative” medicine, to which she

A bison skull is mounted on the wall inside Karen and Tom’s home. has always responded that it isn’t alternative, rather it is complementary.

“There is no alternative to anything. We think the alternative of being sick is healthy, but it is the sickness that indicates that we are not doing everything we can to be healthy. Our education in self-care is so minimal nowadays that we wait until we are very sick before we go looking for help.”

Drugs still save lives, she added.

As she sips on some kambucha she made herself, Karen said they raise almost everything they eat, including chickens and turkeys.

“We always have. I do a lot of wild crafting too.”

Pointing outside to some new fencing near the house, Tom said Karen is a full-time gardener now as well.

“We are kind of like those people that go overboard,” he said. “We’ve got to remind ourselves there are only two of us here.”

I hope you also find your time here in the beautiful Cariboo to feel a little bit like heaven and a lot like home.

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On the wall above one of the windows in the living room there’s a sign that reads: “Begin each day with a grateful heart,” which Tom said is a good mission statement for everyone to have in life.

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About 17 years ago the two of them met when Tom had a gift certificate to get some body work done by Karen.

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Sense of belonging draws young actress home Patrick DAVIES Casual Country 2019

Everyone in Williams Lake has a different reason for calling the lakecity home.

For Jennifer McPhee, it’s a sense of community that led her back home to Williams Lake. The friendly and homey atmosphere is one she’s come to love for its simplicity and familiarity.

McPhee, 30, was born and raised in Williams Lake and works today as a jeweller at Woodland Jewellers, a family owned mainstay of the downtown Williams Lake business community for four generations.

When not working at the shop, McPhee loves getting active in the surrounding area and flexing her considerable thespian skills at the Williams Lake Studio Theatre.

As a child, McPhee got to go to everything due to her mother, Wendy McPhee, working for the Tribune at the time which gave her a real sense of all that Williams Lake had and has to offer.

“It was a good place to grow up. I’m glad I moved

Patrick Davies photo

Jenny McPhee is a warm, friendly and vibrant member of the lakecity community and said it was a feeling of belonging that attracted her back to Williams Lake, where she has settled in as a jeweller and actress with the Williams Lake Studio Theatre. away when I did but I’m also a lot happier here than I was anywhere else,” McPhee said.

Growing up, McPhee learned to dance first at Maureen Saunders School

of Dance and later with Corine Stromsten when she renamed the space Dance in Common.

Both Saunders and Stromsten were wonderful teach-

ers, McPhee recalled, with a clear passion for dance they were able to easily pass on to their students, without using competition in the process. For students like

McPhee, rather than push a professional career upon them, both women ensured there was a love for dance first within their students and nurtured it.

Dancing has been a part of her life ever since and is one of the things McPhee loves to do more than anything else in the world.

While she may have stopped doing it professionally after a knee injury due to “falling down Mount Timothy” where she tore her ACL a few years back, it’s something she still would like to do and plans to return to in a professional capacity when her knee regains its strength.

“I think what I like the most about dance is that it’s something that relies completely on yourself. It’s all self-correction and self-reliance and you know when it’s good, it’s completely something you do in your own head and body that when it feels good, it’s right,” McPhee said. “It’s all you.”

Feminism and an active interest in politics are another big part of McPhee’s identity, passions her mother and father, Tom McPhee, were integral parts of forming due to their involvement in politics and unions.

Growing up in that environment made learning more

about workers’ and women’s rights a natural path for McPhee later in life.

Learning about how women have helped shape North America, Canada and even British Columbia is fascinating to her and something she feels the public doesn’t learn about often enough.

“If we can make the voices of the most marginalized in our world heard, it’ll make the world a better place for everybody,” McPhee said.

A big part of the reason McPhee returned to Williams Lake was that both her parents still lived in the lakecity and McPhee missed her mom in particular.

Looking back, she said it’s funny how you start to hate that every single person in town knows you and you know them yet once it’s absent, you start to miss it.

“I missed belonging somewhere and I think in Williams Lake I knew exactly where my place was,” McPhee said.

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McPhee brings vibrant energy to Studio Theatre Continued from Page Z46 McPhee applied for a job at Woodland Jewellers, first as a salesperson and later as a jeweller under the wing of Geoff Bourdon.

From Bourdon she learned goldsmithing, jewellery repair and how to create pieces which, while there has been a huge learning curve, is something McPhee said has gone very well.

Personally, McPhee loves the technical and scientific angle of her work which she said mastering allows for the expression of the artistry of jewelling.

Repairing and making “old things new again” is particularly rewarding for her especially when she sees customers’ faces light up at the finished piece.

Helping to uphold such a respected and revered familial business in Williams Lake is also an enjoyable part of what she does.

Another big part of McPhee’s life has been her love of theatre, which she went to school for at Capilano University, studying acting for the screen and stage.

She went on to enjoy a brief stint as a stage actress in Vancouver before deciding she didn’t care for the big city, for personal reasons.

After returning to Williams Lake, she became involved with the Williams Lake Studio Theatre Society where she’s been an active member ever since.

Once again that sense of belonging somewhere is a big part of what has attracted her to the theatre, which expands beyond the theatre’s walls and whatever role you may play in a production, on or off stage.

Finding camaraderie within a theatre community is something she was looking for and couldn’t find in Vancouver, but knew that she could find here in Williams Lake.

“It shines here for sure. Everyone is so passionate about each and every production and it’s just what theatre should be,” McPhee said. “They’re the best.”

Her most recent performance was in the Studio Theatre’s recent production of Much Ado About Nothing, the group’s first foray into Shakespeare in years.

A big ensemble cast featuring dozens of talented lakecity actors, McPhee shone as the energetic, independent firebrand that is Beatrice.

From the beginning, she brought infectious energy and life to both her character and

her performance, drawing on personal emotions to make her character more authentic and visceral.

In addition to acting, she helped choreograph the play’s dance scenes and helped teach her castmates how to dance properly. Her enthusiasm and patience made the process a fun one for all who attended her practices.

McPhee has acted in four productions with the Studio Theatre including Sense and Sensibility in 2014, which went on to the Mainstage provincial drama festival where she won best youth actress under 25 for her role as Marianne Dashwood.

She has also helped with six other productions in various roles on top of them. It’s something she intends to continue to do, well into the future and something she encourages others to give a try.

Looking to the future, McPhee said she has no real plans beyond taking in everything Williams Lake has to offer on a yearly basis.

“I think that there is something for everybody if you want to look for it here, you just have to find it,” McPhee said.

“Even though we’re small, Patrick Davies photo Williams Lake has something Jenny McPhee as Beatrice comforts a fellow actress in the role of Hero during a rehearsal of Much Ado About for everybody.”Nothing.

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What and where to ride in the Cariboo FOX MOUNTAIN TRAIL NETWORK

Shawn LEWIS Casual Country 2019

Williams Lake began.

It is the first network to open up in the spring This is the where and the southwest mountain biking in facing downhill lines

Route description (yellow route, pictured right): Start from the bottom of Fox Mountain Road and go left past the kiosk. Follow the single track until you hit Con Nino Y Pero, turn hard right and follow this winding climb to the top of the Hillbilly gully.

Turn left up Hillbilly and head towards the Bearacouga intersection, turn right.

This near perfect traverse showcases how well a bi-directional trail can be built. Enjoy weaving through the trees as you progress towards Fox Mountain Road. Cross the road and look left as soon as you are on Mason Road.

There is a bit of a maze with multiple options but stay right once you’re in the forest, follow the single track until you see a green fox’s tail on a tree and go left onto Jimmy’s Fox, one of our most iconic trails.

A short climb through some trees leads to the main line and go left.

This wide and easy section of trail makes its way to the ridgeline where scenic single track follows the ridge. With constant views of the lake, multiple lookouts and a bench

are rideable almost 10 months out of the year. Fox is the easiest network to access and is considered by diffi-

to take a break on, Jimmy’s Fox is one of our most picturesque trails in the entire network. About 3.5 km from Mason Road look for 3 Lil Pigs on the left and take it.

You will eventually find yourself in a large grassy open field. Stay left and follow the main line up to AK-89.

AK-89 is a mellow bi-directional trail that heads back towards Fox Mountain Road. Take AK-89 to Ross Road. Cross Fox Mountain Road and look for the entrance to Snap, immediately off the road.

Snap is another bi-directional wonder and is really fun, regardless of which way you are going. Charge through this tight winding line until you get to Hillbilly Deluxe.

Turn right onto Hillbilly, go about 100m and look for Shuttlebunny on the right.

Turn in, turn down and don’t stop until you hit Highway 97 on this very fun, tight trail. Launch the step down jump and gap the step up when the highway is in sight, go left, then follow the last of the trail back to the bottom of Fox Mountain Road and where you started. FYI, the DH section of Shuttlebunny has easy options around some of the steeper pitches in the main gully, just stay to the right if you’re not feeling it.

culty our most “green” network. Multiple trail heads with large kiosks and excellent maps are scattered around the

network. Fox is great for shuttling the kids or those all day rides and in 2019 we are upgrading a family friendly

route that will include a completely improved Foxfire that will create an excellent loop for the under 10 crowd.

The Williams Lake Cycling Club would like to acknowledge that our amazing trails are on the traditional

territory of the Northern Secwepemc te Quelmucw and thank them for sharing it with us.

Option route (green): If time is running short, or the riding group is still building up experience, take Dog Bone instead of Jimmy’s Fox once you cross onto Mason Road.

Follow it for about 500m until you hit a multi-trail intersection and go left onto Chicken Scratch (AKA KX connector). This meandering trail, although a little narrow, is a much gentler and quicker way to get to AK-89 and is good for a younger or inexperienced group. It can also be combined with Foxfire for a perfect beginners loop if you just want to start from either Mason or Ross Road.

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Casual Country 2019

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SOUTHSYDE TRAIL NETWORK Shawn LEWIS Casual Country 2019

Flowy and tacky, this networks feels mediate/beginner rider to really stretch moisture and is shaded from the sun. The network, or you can earn your vertical by rustic. Moderate, long climbs through their legs. The Southsyde is great when trailhead off Dog Creek Road allows starting off South Lakeside Drive. With old growth Douglas fir allow the inter- the weather is hot and dry as it holds the for easy access to the top of the entire amazing views, Southsyde is a must ride.

Option route: Green At the end of the Wine Jug climb, turn right and climb up Dirty Branchez to Twizzler.

Turn right onto Twizzler and stay left while you continue climbing for another 650 m till you see a large stump at the end of an old fence.

Turn left onto Rim Job. A short punchy climb gains the vertical quickly and then its rolling single track till you hit the rock garden. This 300 m section of trail will challenge you and awe you at the same time. Rock slabs and tricky lines abound as you pick your line towards the crux. Walk or at least look at this next very challenging section of trail, it is not easy.

Make your way through this zone and out onto the ridgeline of a moss covered hidden canyon towards Rim Job. Rim Job can be found through the grass to the left once you crest a short climb beside a fence line. Manage your energy as you pedal across it and savor the moto created berms. The final downhill does not disappoint and look for the right turn onto Cabin Loop once you catch your breath and give your hands a shake.

This option adds over six km of single track and the terrain you encounter on Dick’s Trail is unparalleled in the Cariboo and worth every drop of sweat it takes to get there.

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Route description (yellow route, pictured left):

There is parking on the left side of South Lakeside Drive just past Pioneer Drive. The trailhead is on the other side. Moose Drop is the primary entrance/exit into the Southsyde network. An easy climb gets you into the forest and stay left to get onto 2 Fridges.

This short climb gets you to the main intersection of Leppard Spots, Wine Jug DH and Guiness.

Turn right onto Leppard Spots and grind your way up to Wine Jug, looking for the obvious line whenever you encounter double track. Continue climbing until you hit Wine Jug and go left.

Follow this until you cross Dirty Branchez, stay straight, go onto Cabin Loop and follow the flow.

Remnants of an early settler’s cabin can be found

at the Twizzler intersection and listen for whoops of fun as you cross Rim Job on your way to Machine Built.

The Machine Built left turn comes shortly after you go around a logging landing, take it, cross the South Side double track and get back into the trees.

Be alert for a couple of dips on the quick downhill then take a left onto Jaeden and enjoy. Looking like it was built with fuzzy bunny paws, Jaeden is the master piece of Uncle Kenny.

This side hill beauty is mostly down with a couple of punchy climbs and narrow technical bits.

Look for the bench just past the Joanne exit and take a moment to swing your legs and appreciate the trail and view.

Once ready, carry on down the trail to the intersection of Guiness, stay right and follow the Guiness cans and signs back to 2 Fridges then Moose Drop and out.

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Wednesday, June 26, 2019 Page Z51

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Casual Country 2019

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WESTSYDE TRAIL NETWORK Shawn LEWIS Casual Country 2019

what this side is known for.

The Westsyde will The wild west. Tough challenge you mentally technical climbs and and physically but the steep dry descents are rewards are worth it.

Route description (yellow route, pictured right):

From old school fall line descents and new school sky berms to vertical drops and an honest 10-minute no-pedal descent, the

Westsyde has it all.

Add in three long cross country trails and one can ride all day.

There is also Bel-

lie XC that allows a rider to transfer from the Westsyde to the Southsyde doubling your riding options.

All three of our

networks have a day’s worth, or more, of riding. All are easily accessed from anywhere in town.

All three have the

option of shuttling to the top and all three will keep you wondering what is around the next corner, down the next descent or await-

ing you at the top of the next climb.

It will take you a season or more to ride all the trails, so why not start now?

Westsyde quickly. Once at the top, directly cross the road and look for the Raven sign.

With multiple climbs and fun downs, this true XC takes you west towards the Fraser and one of the longest downhills in town.

Dropping more than 300 m in just over 1 km, this DH will test you and your brakes.

Fast, steep, loamy and loose, Raven DH is always worth the effort. Stretch out your hands at the bottom, high five your buddies and go right on the dirt road and directly across the next road onto Boogawooga. Get comfortable and start spinning back to town, this flowy trail rewards effort and speed.

You can take it all the way back to Lower Max or drop down to the River Valley on any of the downhills you cross; lower Snakes and Ladders is a local favourite.

At 22 km, this loop feels longer than it is.

Start from the parking lot below the cemetery, valley side of Mackenzie Avenue.

Cross the tracks, go towards the stairs and hang a hard right onto Boy Scout Trail, yes, built by the Boy Scouts many years ago. Rip this super fun line into the River Valley, turning left once you hit the road.

Pedal for a short distance, stay right and look for the trail sign and the route across the bridge to Lower Max. Spin up this snaky line and cross the fence at the top. Check out the kiosk on your right then head across the dirt road to Spokey Hollow.

This trail is one of the longest standing legal trails in BC and was built in the mid-90s. Follow it past Cherry Popper on the left, up to the road and Option route: Green the beginning of Crankcase.

While climbing up Spokey Hollow, go left across Aptly named, a boardwalk bridge onto Cherrypopper. Climb to Crankcase is a the top, looking for the best climbing line as you tough but direct go and stay left at both intersections of Brownie climb that gets Wings. Cross the Birch Lane access road slightly you to the next left and head up Bellie DH. Climb about 1.4 km plateau of the until you see an elevated wooden fence crossing on

the main trail, stop and look right for Pot Bellie by a large fir tree. Cross the double track onto the sinewy ribbon of single track called Pot Bellie. This lung buster leads you to the very top of the Westsyde and Bysack Road. Take a quick right on the road and look for the entrance to Deer Trails about 50 m down road on the right. Once on the trail, Deer Trails Connector can be found just over 400 m in and on the left. Turn up and make your way to the

Snakes and Ladders trailhead.

Head down Snakes 500 m and turn left onto Backdoor. This local favourite cruises through rolling terrain with multiple TTFs to play on.

Once you hit Raven, turn left and carry on. This option adds 8 km of sweet single track and at least another hour of ride time. Both these routes would be considered intermediate/black loops due to the difficulty of climb and steepness of descents.

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Wednesday, June 26, 2019 Page Z53

Phil Ranson (centre) teaches a birding class through Cariboo Chilcotin Elder College in the Williams Lake River Valley in May.

Elders college offers lifelong learning for seniors Angie MINDUS Casual Country 2019

For the many seniors who call the area home, Cariboo Chilcotin Elder College is just one more reason to stay put and enjoy their golden years in the Interior.

The grassroots seniors program has grown in size, variety and popularity immensely since its humble beginnings in 2002, and serves to keep those 50 and older lifelong learners.

Christa Obergfell, 70, has been living in Williams Lake since 1980 and is now retired after working as a maternity nurse for 29 years. She loves the program and finds CCEC is the envy of many communities in the province and beyond.

“I have a sister in the Lower Mainland and a brother in Toronto and neither of them have anything like this. They’re quite jealous. This is such an excellent program we have here,” Obergfell said.

“It’s a whole new set of friends and a whole new lifestyle when you retire. You have to do things, you can’t just sit around — that’s boring.”

Barry Sale said the CCEC began just as an idea in 2002 when a number of retirees decided they wanted to offer and take courses to “keep their brains active and keep them interested in lifelong learning.”

The original committee consisted of Bill MacDonald, Audrey MacLise, Hazel Huckvale, June Striegler, Pete Smith and Jean Andersen and was loosely

Angie Mindus photos

Cariboo Chilcotin Elder College curriculum chair Barry Sale based on a program on Vancouver Island.

Sale said there are three models for similar community programs: one is offered by a university or college, sort of a “night school for seniors,” another form is where volunteers organize the program but it is offered through secondary schools, and the third is what Williams Lake has, where the entire program is organized, offered and taught by volunteers, seeing CCEC run independently and associated with Thompson Rivers University.

“Right from the very start it was well-received by seniors in town,” said Sale. “Older people want to keep learning — they want to find things to do that are interesting to them and challenging to them and that’s what we try to do.”

CCEC started with four courses — creative writing, Canadian literature, health and senior’s travel — and 32 members. Fast forward 17 years later and Elder College now has 175 members, offering 20 courses at a minimal cost of $35 each in everything from meditation and cooking to introduction to power tools, basic plumbing, sign language and more.

“We’re becoming well-known for offering interesting and challenging courses,” he said. “It’s a relaxed, fun learning environment. No grades, no tests and the curriculum comes from them.”

Some of the most popular courses include a computer class called Beyond the Basics, history and art.

In every session, CCEC also offers a few free courses and

Deb and Pat Radolla take the birding course offered by Cariboo Chilcotin Elders College. Deb volunteers for the program, which she says is second to none. doesn’t shy away from tough subjects such as advanced care planning (the death of a loved one and what to do).

Sale himself also teaches one of the most popular CCEC courses; the Cariboo history tours where Sale explores the local history of various places in the region by bus with many stops along the way. In the next Elder College session Sale plans to offer a history lesson on old

roadhouses of the area, with a bus tour over three days in the 100 Mile House, Williams Lake and Quesnel areas.

Sale has received multiple calls from other communities looking for the secret to Williams Lake Elder College’s success.

“It’s like a snowball. It just gets bigger and bigger,” said Sale, who at 73 is the chair of the curriculum committee.

“It’s a lot of work but it’s en-

joyable and I like the way it has gone. One person couldn’t do this it requires lots of people working together.”

CCEC volunteer and student Deb Radolla said she looks forward to signing up for a few classes every session CCEC offers.

“It opens so many new doors.

And having the variety is pretty cool. It’s wonderful -—I love it,” said Radolla, who was thrilled with a furniture restoration course she took through CCEC. Radolla credits the efforts of Sale with making CCEC the success it is today.

“Barry Sale is amazing. He just goes ahead and gets the job done — he’s really taken Elder College to a whole other level,” she said.

“Cariboo Chilcotin Elder College has blossomed under his direction, attention to details, action packed meetings, and his ability to recruit volunteers as board members, curriculum advisors and a multitude of tasks.

It is a vibrant organization — the envy of many other groups in the province! The instructors are first class — many retired principals, teachers, professors, foresters, scientists and other professionals who love to share their knowledge. The organization is a pleasure to volunteer for. Like school teachers, volunteers get a great summer break!”

Sale said he believes in CCEC and hopes it continues on for many years to come.

“It has been a good thing for this community and something we should be proud of.”

Page Z54 Wednesday, June 26, 2019

Casual Country 2019

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Chad Webb’s coaching career comes full circle with Williams Lake Blue Fins Greg SABATINO Casual Country 2019

Chad Webb’s coaching career with the Williams Lake Blue Fins has taken him down many lanes in the swimming world.

The head coach of the Blue Fins since 2012, Webb says his swimming career has “kind of come full circle.”

Webb grew up in Penticton and began his competitive swimming career around the age of nine, swimming his way up to the national level by the time he reached his Grade 12 year in high school.

But shoulder problems forced him out of the sport at a young age.

“That led me out of swimming and while I was waiting to recover from those injuries I started coaching.”

Penticton’s coach at the time, Jack Ashton, took web under his wing as a mentor with the KISU Swim Club where he learned how to coach, at the time, athletes that were around the same age he was.

Upon graduating high school, Webb moved to Vancouver to attend college and university where, in 1994 at the age of 23, he garnered his first head coaching job with the Williams Lake Blue Fins, replacing Gord Robertson as head coach.

Webb spent five years as head coach as the Blue Fins before moving to Kamloops to complete his teaching degree — all the while helping coach the Kamloops Classics Swim Club in the Tournament Capital for two years.

“After that I found a teaching job and a coaching job and moved to Fort St. John and lived there for four years,” Webb said.

It was there he met a para-swimmer, Laura Jensen — a swimmer who had cerebral palsy — who helped open up avenues for Webb in the swimming world he never dreamed of.

“She joined the na-

tional team and I started travelling with them and learning more and more [about coaching], which was really cool,” he said.

“We wound up having some really good success up there — a couple provincial records and I got headhunted by one of the top Vancouver clubs in 2005.”

That took Webb back to Vancouver where he coached with the North Vancouver Chenas — one of the top age group programs in the nation of about 250 swimmers — before moving on to an opportunity to work with the University of British Columbia’s varsity, university and national teams.

“Laura came with me to Vancouver where I continued to coach her, and in 2008 we won the national relay at the Olympic trials meet,” Webb said.

From there he was selected to go to the 2006 Para Pan Am Games in Rio, and was a coach for Team Canada at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games, where Jensen finished just shy of bringing home a medal in fourth.

During the 2010/11 season Webb was named both the men’s and women’s swimming coach of the year at UBC. Webb’s daughter, Abby, who is following in her dad’s footsteps as a swimmer with the Blue Fins, had moved back to Williams Lake with her mom, Rachel Davis, and when a job opened up with the Williams Lake Blue Fins, Webb jumped at the opportunity to live and raise his daughter in the same community.

He was hired as the head coach in the lakecity in August of 2012.

“Abby had moved back and I was talking with Marilyn Haines, who was the coach at the time, and I knew the job was available,” he said.

Denise Beauchamp, a teacher and past president of the Blue Fins, helped Webb get settled starting a teaching job, but his family being in Williams Lake

Greg Sabatino photos

Williams Lake Blue Fins head coach Chad Webb has brought national and international coaching experience to the local swim club, having coached at the varsity level at the University of British Columbia and as a member of the Canadian paralympic team at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing.

It’s really neat right now. We have kids breaking records and then other younger kids coming up right behind them and breaking those records. It’s a snowball.”

- Williams Lake Blue Fins Head Coach Chad Webb was the big drawing card.

“When I got here I saw such a good work ethic with the kids in the club, and a good group of parents that are so supportive without meddling. We have such a supporting parent group and board here. They let me coach and run the program and are great about dealing with all the behind the scenes stuff that goes on.”

Now, Webb has swimmers under his wing who are swimming nationally, winning provincial gold medals and shattering club records on a regular basis.

“It’s really neat right now,” he said. “We have kids breaking records and then other younger kids coming up right behind them and breaking those records. It’s a snowball

effect.”

He pointed to swimmers Jaydyn Johnson and Taylor Fitzgerald as really raising the bar for the Blue Fins.

“They’ve definitely helped raise expectations,” he said. “They’ve really pulled up the next group of swimmers, and as a coach you’ll definitely see lulls, or ups and downs. Swimming’s not like school sports, and it’s hard. It’s just you out there by yourself. There’s no team and you’ve got to mentally and physically be prepared.”

Webb, meanwhile, is on deck with the Blue Fins six days a week, and also runs a dry land training program on the swimmers’ off day.

“I’m a big believer in quality over quantity,”

Webb said of his coaching philosophy.

“I’m a stickler for technique, and we do a lot of technical work. We swim less metres and less time and less often than a lot of clubs, but we are seeing results.”

In the near future Webb hopes to start a junior swimming and lifeguarding combined program for youth who don’t necessarily want to focus solely on the competitive aspect of swimming.

At first the program will run through the Blue Fins beginning in September of 2019, however, Webb is currently in the process of getting the program introduced as an elective for students in School District 27.

“I’ve got a great group of swimmers here, and

Angie Mindus photo

When he isn’t coaching the swim club, Chad Webb is a teacher for School District 27.

Amanda Nemeth who has come on as assistant coach and Wally Saunders has done a phenomenal job for years,” he said.

“I’m lucky to be here and I plan on staying and coaching in the community. [My partner] Jennifer moved from Quesnel a couple years ago here with her son and we now

have a blended family, as many do with Abby sharing her mom’s and my place.

“It will be hard with Abby moving next year but I don’t want to uproot Jennifer and the family to follow her for a couple years until she graduates as Williams Lake has treated me very

well.”

Outside the pool, Webb enjoys many sports and outdoor activities including mountain biking, golfing, fishing, SCUBA diving and surfing.

“And, I enjoy doing renovations. To the spouse’s dismay, I always have something in the works,” he said.

Casual Country 2019

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Wednesday, June 26, 2019 Page Z55

Chief Laceese part of TNG’s unfolding history Monica LAMB-YORSKI Causal Country 2019

It’s a blue sky spring day in the Chilcotin and Chief Francis Laceese’s community of Tl’esqox (Toosey) First Nation is busy with activities.

There’s a friendly traditional cooking competition for all ages underway involving dozens of people and inside the main new health building, counsellors with Nenqayni Wellness Centre Society mobile team are hosting a session for community members.

Laceese takes a break from his chief duties to check out the activities, something that is second nature.

After all, he was 24 years old when he was first elected to band council and throughout the last 35 years has either been chief, a councillor or band manger, but mostly chief.

He was born in the Quesnel hospital next to where the five Tsilhqot’in warrior chiefs were buried after they were hanged in 1864.

“We grew up on what used to be called Moon Ranch, my dad Donald Laceese was a ranch hand, originally from Anaham, and my mom Rosie Isnardy was from Toosey. They are both gone now.”

His dad would do haying contracts back in the Mackin Creek area in a place called Kinlock Meadow.

School for Laceese was at St. Joseph’s Mission Residential school for about 10 years and from there he attended Williams Lake Secondary and Columneetza for high school.

“I have three sisters, one passed that was a year younger than me a long time ago. One of my sisters works with me and my younger sister lives out in Nemiah.”

While he was a teenager he was attending school and working on a ranch.

Eventually, he was asked to ranch at Toosey so he left school to do that full time.

In 1980s, when he was on band council, Laceese asked David Zirnhelt if he would help his community develop ranching.

“It was before David got into politics,” Laceese said, referring to the fact Zirnhelt later became an MLA. In a separate interview Zirnhelt said he was living at Big Lake at the time and had completed his master’s degree studying the development of the Cariboo Tribal Council.

“I was offered an opportunity to work in planning and development for the Carrier Chilcotin Tribal Council, which Toosey was part of, and right around that time Toosey wanted to develop their lands but had a water shortage,” he recalled.

“They had water rights to develop 400 acres of prime alfalfa growing land.”

Zirnhelt helped them plan an extensive irrigation system for hayfields and range land.

“In the process they built another storage dam and participated with other local nonFirst Nations ranchers to build other dams.

Early on Francis was a leader with an abiding interest in agriculture,” Zirnhelt said.

During the 1990s three separate issues came to the forefront for Laceese’s community.

The Department of National Defence Chilcotin Training Area, logging in Tl’esqox territory, and logging trucks using the only access road that went right through the reserve to Farwell Canyon.

“There were logging trucks coming through 24/7 that killed a few horses and almost ran over some children,” he recalled.

“We said, ‘that’s it,’ and I told one of my workers to block the road with a log.”

When logging trucks showed up they couldn’t get through and the RCMP were called in.

Eventually representatives from the government arrived to negoti-

ate, however, Laceese told them there was nothing to negotiate and that’s when a new road was built.

Additionally, several times community members were arrested for setting up road blocks to the military training area.

“We were charged criminally and went to court in Williams Lake.

The RCMP were there as well because they had been involved,” Laceese recalled. “The RCMP had their lawyers and when the judge asked where our lawyers were, I said, “your honour, the reason we don’t have lawyers here today is because we are here to tell the truth.’”

Laceese is proud of the Tsilhqot’in rights and title case.

“There’s been a lot of improvement in a number of ways at the community level and at the nation level,” he said.

The fact the Tsilhqot’in Nation achieved recognition of rights and title in the Supreme Court of Canada decision in 2014, has been a big step historically, he said.

“I believe all nations have title, but they are not recognized. Something had to give because for more than 150 years the government was in denial of our human rights.”

In April 2019, he was part of a Tsilhqot’in Nation delegation at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York City.

“It was quite the experience to be there,” Laceese said. “It’s a two-week forum where First Nations from around the world come and make presentations about their issues.”

A lot of nations who attend do not end up doing presentations, maybe because of timing, but the TNG reps were given two time periods to present because the government of Canada representatives gave up their time slots.

Chief Joe Alphonse spoke and then Laceese.

“We put together a

TNG photo

Chief Francis Laceese and his son Payel Laceese who is a cultural ambassador for the Tshilqot’in National Government were part of a delegation that travelled to New York in April to address the United Nations. small statement and thanked Canada for giving us their seat. I had my son there and he was able to sing the same song he sang in Ottawa when Prime Minister Trudeau exonerated our war chiefs. We pretty well had a standing ovation after from all the different delegates that were there.”

Laceese felt the Tsilhqot’in presentations gave hope to other Indigenous people at the forum.

“We hosted a side event there and it was packed and our discussions on our rights and title had a lot of interest.

We showed them a film that Trevor Mack put together for us. We made a few connections and have had a few invites.”

At the former Riske Creek Elementary School on Stack Valley Road, his community has developed Toosey Old School for trades training and construction under the leadership of Craig Kennedy.

Embracing a “forestto-frame” concept, using locally-sourced wood from traditional Tsilhqot’in Nen (land) in the National Defence Training Area, First Nations people are employed in harvesting, milling and

Monica Lamb-Yorski photo

Tl’esqox (Toosey) Chief Francis Laceese has been involved with band council leadership through most of the last 35 years. While he is not blockading logging roads these days, he’s part of the team negotiating with the other TNG communities as they move forward with the 2014 Supreme Court rights and title win. construction.

“We are negotiating with the government to build housing over the next 10 years and plan to build some houses for our own people. We keep doing a lot of training to build up our people so they will be able to do that.”

Laceese said the six Tsilhqot’in chiefs have met with the Minister of National Defence to discuss the military lands.

“I also met with him myself in Vancouver and said we would like to begin the negotiation process to the extent we want it returned back to us and we want an ordinance for a clean up. They did that over

by Tsuu T’ina Nation near Calgary. They had a similar military block — it took the government over 10 years and about $40 million before they handed it back to the nation.”

He’s hopeful they will get some of it back and some compensation, he said, adding now the Tsuu T’ina Nation is doing development on that land.

A proud father and grandfather, he has four children and five grandchildren. When he’s not working for his community, he loves to hunt, fish and spend time with his family.

Life is busy, busy, he added.

“My calendar has whole months filled up because of our negotiations with the federal and provincial governments on our title case.

It’s to the point where I have to have an assistant now.”

Laughing he admitted he’s old school and does not do anything on computer.

“I purposely don’t know how to text and at my home I don’t even have phone access.”

Page Z56 Wednesday, June 26, 2019

Casual Country 2019

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Collaboration, love of community grows fair Williams Lake Harvest Fair still going strong after more than 40 years Angie MINDUS Casual Country 2019

For four decades, the Williams Lake Harvest Fair has showcased the many gardening, preserving and quilting talents of local community members while also giving residents a place to gather and reconnect after the summer months.

Over time the fair has grown in size and offerings to rival that of any fair, thanks to a core group of volunteers and a collaborative approach that harnesses the volunteer power of several local community groups.

“You have to build those collaborations,” said Harvest Fair president Tammy Tugnum of their success.

“For example, we have a very active quilt club, the Cariboo Piece Makers.

They organize and take care of the quilting section and have over 100 quilts on display every year — that’s just unheard of. We must have the biggest quilt show of any fair in the province.”

Add to that a dedicated group of longtime volunteers who truly love Williams Lake, and are willing to accept new ideas and new people, and you have a winning combination.

“We partner with many local organizations, that way you can bring the best events forward with the highest quality,” Tugnum said. “We so appreciate when individuals come forward to help.”

Tugnum has been involved in the Harvest Fair for almost 30 years now, bringing her no-nonsense approach to getting things done that need to get done.

“My dear old auntie always said ‘rather than complaining about what someone else isn’t doing for you, do for yourself,’” she said.

“I’ll never forget that.

I come from a long line of fiercely independent women which is good because when you’re married to a logging contractor you

learn to do a lot of things because they are not necessarily always home.”

Tugnum has been married for 40 years to her husband Tim. The two both spent part of their childhoods in Quesnel before their families moved to Williams Lake, where they later met in high school.

Tugnum said she and Tim had a lot in common, with her father working as a logger and his father with the Ministry of Forests.

“I’m always such a big advocate for the forest industry because it’s such a renewable, sustainable industry,” she said.

“We’ve been here so long that there are areas my dad logged that are ready to be harvested again.”

The Tugnums married in 1978 and had twin sons Ryan and Trevor. Except for a six-year stint owning and operating a parts store in Penticton, the family has stayed in the Cariboo, deeply connected to the community and the logging industry with the family business Progressive Harvesting where both sons work.

“The people here are so friendly. When we had the opportunity to come back, we did.”

As soon as Tugnum returned in 1990, she was asked to help with the fair by laying out the floor plan for the exhibits and has volunteered ever since, even as she worked full-time for 22 years as the general manager of Cariboo GM. These days Tugnum is retired from that career, but still works the family business and enjoys the flexibility that offers her to continue her volunteering with the fair and also, for the past 15 years with the Cariboo Foundation Hospital Trust, which fundraises to provide hospital equipment. She is also currently an Interior Health Authority board director.

This year Tugnum was honoured with the Hugo Stahl Award at the Wil-

Angie Mindus photo

Like-minded in their approach to life and love for Williams Lake, hardworking community volunteers Tammy Tugnum (left) and Leslea Destree are the driving force behind the wildly popular and ever expanding Williams Lake Harvest Fair. liams Lake Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards for her extensive volunteerism and contributions to the community.

“It’s such an honour,” said Tugnum, who was home babysitting her grandchildren when the award was announced.

“I felt terrible about not being there but I had already committing to watching my grandchildren. In fact, we were sleeping when the phone started going crazy. I saw it in the morning.”

Keeping the fair fun and appealing to children is one of the reasons Tugnum keeps volunteering at the fair, which offers a robust children’s section.

“It’s the little kids, they get so excited for the fair,” she said “I guess that’s why I keep doing it, because it’s

a lot of work. It’s kind of like planning a wedding.

Will it rain, will anyone come, will people show up who said they were going to show up?”

Tugnum attributes the growth and success of the children’s section to her partner in crime, Williams Lake Harvest Fair’s vice-president Leslea Destree who came on board seven years ago.

“What I appreciate about Leslea is she brings that young, fresh perspective.”

Destree was attending the fair with her daughter Payton went she ran into family friends who asked if she could come on board to help.

“I said ‘yes, I love this,’” said Destree, adding she loves that the fair brings families together, and brings generations together.

“My passion is getting families out to enjoy the fair. There are so many aspects of the fair that are beneficial.”

Destree said the fair highlights the value in food that is homegrown and home-preserved, offers fun, family entertainment at an affordable price and is a great reason to get out with your family.

From a close-knit family herself, Destree grew up in Williams Lake and moved to Calgary as a young adult after meeting her husband Dwayne.

As a couple, the Destrees chose to move back to Williams Lake and raise a family.

“To me Williams Lake is just home. I always recognize people when I’m downtown, and just feel a close connection with the community and that there

are all these people standing behind you, supporting you,” she described of the feeling of living in Williams Lake.

“I want to give back.

And I’m just that kind of person who enjoys talking to people and being involved and learning from them. I’ve made a lot of close friends volunteering at the Harvest Fair.”

At this year’s fair, residents can expect more than 120 categories in three age groups in the children’s section alone as well as live entertainment that includes singers, a clown, a ventriloquist and more.

Destree is also following up on the success of the Mini Makers Market she started last year, allowing eight children to set up tables and sell homemade items in a mini craft-fair

environment.

Destree said running the fair is almost a yearround job “a few hours per month” but she gets a lot of support from her husband and daughter, who are also hands-on helpers.

Both Destree and Tugnum enjoy gardening, noting they find it “therapeutic” and “relaxing” and do enter some categories in the fair themselves.

For them though, it’s more about the friendships made and giving back to the community that makes the fair so rewarding.

“I do believe the fair is a strong part of our community and I enjoy being a part of that,” Tugnum said.

Destree added it’s so nice to see all the families coming back year after year.

“I’m just happy that everybody appreciates it.”

Casual Country 2019

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Wednesday, June 26, 2019 Page Z57

Monica Lamb-Yorski photos

Esket elder Phyllis Chelsea, second from left, surrounded by family during the launch of a new book Resolve: The Story of the Chelsea Family and a First Nation Community’s Will to Heal, exploring the work she and her late husband Chief Andy Chelsea did to help address their community’s struggle with alcoholism. Pictured are her daughter Ivy Chelsea, left, sister-in-law Minnie Phillips, grandson-in-law, William Dennis, great granddaughter Andi, granddaughter Carmen Dennis, brother-in-law Ralph Phillips, son Kevin Chelsea (back left), son Owen Chelsea and grandson Rowan Chelsea.

Chelsea family legacy celebrated in new book Monica LAMB-YORSKI Casual Country 2019

The legacy of an Esk’etemc couple’s decision to choose sobriety and help others in their community and afar is the subject of a new book.

Titled Resolve: The Story of the Chelsea Family and First Nation Community’s Will to Heal, the book was written by Carolyn Parks Mintz at the request of the late Esket Chief Andy Chelsea and his wife Phyllis.

Phyllis said it was great working with Parks Mintz on the book.

“With the book coming out, people will get to know the great man that I knew. Andy Chelsea was a genuine, people-loving leader.

Our main effort was in community work and sobriety.”

Throughout the four

Alan Haig-Brown congratulates Phyllis Chelsea on the new book . Haig-Brown worked with Phyllis and her late husband and former Chief Andy Chelsea in the 1970s and 1980s to establish Native Education in School District 27. hours of the book’s launch at The Open Book in May, there was a steady stream of family and friends congratulating Phyllis and her daughter Ivy, a Secwepemc language teacher, who introduced her parents to Parks Mintz.

Both victims of abuse at St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School near Williams Lake, Andy and Phyllis emerged as alcoholics.

However, when Ivy was only seven years old, she decided she was too afraid to go home.

“I remember all the drinking, I remember hiding because I was scared, I remember trying to stop the fighting,” said Ivy during the book launch. “You knew which houses you could go to in the community and be safe.”

Phyllis made the decision to stop drinking first, followed by Andy.

Together the couple began working with the community to help others also stop drinking. They crack down on bootlegging, connected people to treatment centres, organized meetings and even let people stay in their home sometimes.

“Dad didn’t ban alcohol from the reserve,” Ivy said. “It just became socially unacceptable to drink.”

Rekindling two of the things he loved most as a young man Andy created hockey and horse activities for the community.

“No one but its citizens could help our community initially,” Andy is quoted saying in the book.

“It had to come from within. They had to choose to change, had

to want things to improve. And both those things happened.”

To this day, Ralph Phillips, an elder from Xat’sull (Soda Creek), credits the Chelseas for helping him choose sobriety 40 years ago.

“My wife Minnie is Phyllis’s sister,” he said.

“I don’t remember much before I quit drinking, but after that and working with Andy, I realized what he said was true. That we as Native people, had to quit looking back at what was wrong, what the government did or what white people did.”

He worked with Andy at a treatment centre housed in the former residential school at the mission as a drug and alcohol counsellor and learned what was important, he said.

“The simple things Andy said made life

so much easier. I did not need to fight, I just needed to do the things that I needed to do.”

Phillips said he does not think the Chelseas have received the respect they deserved and he hopes the book will let people appreciated how much Andy and Phyllis did to help people.

Alan Haig-Brown taught at Esket in the early 1970s when the Chelseas were just getting started on the sobriety movement.

“I asked Phyllis to come and teach Secwepemc in the school and they both said to me, ‘we are excited about the idea but unless you will stay for at least two years, we cannot do anything. I said I’d stay for two years.”

In the second year, Phyllis and school trustees Diana French and Carol Funk got

together and planned to develop a co-ordinator of native education position for School District 27.

Haig-Brown was hired and held the job for 11 years.

During that time he helped develop a K to 12 First Nation language instruction program — the first in the province, he said.

“Phyllis got on the school board and she and I worked together. We were kind of a little mafia of people. We had 18 people working in the schools that hadn’t been there before.”

The Chelseas also travelled to England, Norway, Japan, Australia, places throughout Canada and the U.S. to work with communities.

Their decision to choose sobriety has had a positive rippling effect.

Page Z58 Wednesday, June 26, 2019

Casual Country 2019

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Dickson a dedicated community worker and volunteer Monica LAMB-YORSKI Casual Country 2019

Dave Dickson plans to retire at the end of 2019, something most people have said they will believe it when they see it.

As the city’s manager of community safety, Dickson has been active co-ordinating community policing, restorative justice, emergency support services and most recently pushing for a situation table and community safety and well-being plan for Williams Lake’s most vulnerable.

That love for the area is why he plans to remain in the lakecity after he retires.

“This is home,” he said. “It’s pretty hard to beat Williams Lake.”

He and his wife Sandy like the lifestyle, have many friends in the community, and they love the outdoors for hiking, biking, ca-

noeing and kayaking.

“We are in a mecca for that and I enjoy doing photography.

I treated myself to a drone and when I retire it will give me time to practice.”

Their sons live in Kamloops, Abbotsford and Linden, Washington and they have nine grandchildren — five boys and four girls from age 4 to 12.

“Our whole family is healthy and it’s not too far to travel to see them. If we were to move to the Lower Mainland there’d be all the traffic, a mortgage. We live a simple life.”

Born in Regina, Sask. his parents had a farm near Oxbow.

They moved into Oxbow, Dickson finished his schooling there and then joined the RCMP. After depot he worked as a police officer for 13 years, stationed in Chilliwack,

Terrace, Queen Charlotte City, Tofino and Shawnigan Lake.

He said he left because it was a time for change. Sexual assaults were coming out of the woodwork and the courts didn’t know what to do with them, he added.

“I had three little boys, I needed to be at home, and ICBC was hiring so I went with them.”

He spent 25 years with ICBC working in Shawnigan Lake, Campbell River, Cranbrook, I was the centre manager here in Williams Lake for four years and then he became the regional manager for road safety for the North.

He retired from ICBC and in February 2009 went to work for the City as the community safety co-ordinator as the position was vacant.

“I was embedded in the police office and the rest is history.

Since then the job has kind of evolved. “ Their sons, Martin, Gord and Andrew all graduated in Williams Lake. Martin lives in Kamloops and works for the Thompson Nicola Regional District as a planner. Gord works as a project manager for Diverse in Abbotsford and Andrew is a school teacher in Linden, Wash.

Dickson said it is unfortunate Williams Lake takes a negative hit on some of the crime that happens.

“If you look at a population of 10,000 or so in the city or 25,000 in the regional district, a huge percentage of the people are outstanding. It’s just a few bad apples that spoil the barrel.

We need to work with that because unfortunately many of them are vulnerable and that’s why I’d like to see us going with the community safety and

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The city’s manager of community safety Dave Dickson is eyeing retirement at the end of 2019. He plans to stay in Williams Lake, pursue more outdoor recreation and will determine how he will expend his volunteer time. well-being plan.”

He sits on the Canadian Municipal Network on Crime Prevention executive that meets regularly with more than 30 communities from across Canada represented.

“This is the direction the cities and towns are going. Let’s address the vulnerable.

Putting people in jail is not the answer and for every dollar you invest in proactive activities the savings start at four dollars. In Scotland they’ve seen it as high as $80 for every dollar they’ve invested.”

For eight years Dickson rode with Cops for Cancer.

“I’ve certainly been the grandfather on all of the rides. I enjoyed them and the

neat thing was that we raised money for children.”

One year he raised $11,000 and rode for Nicholas Paul from Esket.

A photograph of Nicholas sits on his deck at work and there’s not a day he does not think about him.

“A 15 year old boy loses his life to cancer — it’s heartbreaking.

He was such a dear young boy. We can put a man on the moon but we can’t solve cancer? I just don’t buy it anymore. I’m suspect.”

He does not plan to ride with Cops for Cancer again, but said he has been riding his bike to work everyday since 2014.

“At our age we cannot afford not to be

healthy. You have to be healthy and so you have to move. And when you are out and see someone that needs help, stop and help them or if you see some garbage, pick it up and put it in the garbage can.”

Dickson said he used to go for breakfast with the City’s former CAO Darryl Garceau every Thursday and as they walked Garceau would stop and pick up garbage and he was inspired.

Sure that he will continue volunteering in the community when he retires, Dickson said he does need to slow down and has already begun saying ‘no’ to some things.

His passion is emergency support services, something people saw

firsthand during the 2017 wildfires.

“I’d like to continue helping with that. I’ve taught disaster management courses for Canadian Red Cross across Canada for a number of years.”

Volunteering is in his family genes.

“I’m a Rotarian and “service above self,” is the motto. That’s what it’s about, helping people. Our family has been blessed with good jobs, good health and good homes. If I can help somebody I’m interested in doing that.”

Whoever takes over his position, he hopes, will continue to deal with vulnerable people.

“If we could get the vulnerable healthy, can you imagine what we would have?”

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Casual Country 2019

Wednesday, June 26, 2019 Page Z59

Pinchbecks enjoy the simple things in life

Angie MINDUS Casual Country 2019

For retired couple Rose and Ian Pinchbeck, the Cariboo has been their home for decades and they have no plans for that to ever change.

Rose describes Williams Lake as an easy place to live.

“It’s comfortable, it’s casual and that’s who we are — and, of course, our family is here.”

Unbeknown to each other at the time, Rose and Ian both spent the early part of their childhoods being raised in Northwestern, B.C. Ian was born in Prince Rupert and lived in Terrace with his parents Tom and Margaret Pinchbeck, while Rose was born in Smithers and lived in Telkwa with her mother and father, Thelma and Harold Matt.

Both families made a living working in resource industries; Ian’s father in logging and Rose’s father in road construction.

Their mothers were homemakers, but also worked out of the home as cooks and housekeepers to help make ends meet.

Ian’s father, who was a direct descendant of William Pinchbeck Sr. (Tom was a grandson to William Sr, and one of 12 children born to William Jr. (Billy) and Matilda Pinchbeck) decided to move back to Williams Lake in 1963 along with Ian’s older siblings John, Joyce and Bernice when Ian was 16. Williams Lake was familiar for Ian, as he visited family there a few times before.

Rose’s family also decided to move to Williams Lake in 1963 when she was 12.

“I’m glad we moved here — we were lucky,” Rose said, recalling how she and her siblings Bev, Calvin and Doug arrived on the Stampede weekend in the back of a pickup

truck with all their worldly possessions in search of work.

“I was so embarrassed. We were mortified, hiding under a tarp peeking out.”

Rose’s father obtained work at West Fraser where he stayed until he retired at age 65. Unfortunately, Harold was only retired for the year before he passed away.

Though they both moved to Williams Lake at the same time, Rose and Ian didn’t meet each other until 1969 when the two both attended the popular Riske Creek Rodeo, where many local families gathered to visit and compete.

“It was a big event every year,” Ian said.

With their similar backgrounds and zest for life, the two hit it off immediately and were soon married and started a family of their own.

“After that it was family life, hard work and kids,” Rose said of the years that followed and their children Rodney, Aaron and Deanne.

Angie Mindus photo Ian worked for Tolko Rose and Ian Pinchbeck are celebrating 70 years of marriage next year. The couple enjoy family, friendship, travel and a healthy lifestyle. and Rose went to work in 1981 full-time with the Ministry of Forests in the finance department, before moving over to the Cariboo Fire Centre in 1996.

Life was busy, but the couple made sure the young family stayed connected by sitting down for dinner every night and having a family vacation together every summer.

“I think it’s important,” Rose said of eating dinner as a family, noting that Ian was a big help and good in the kitchen. “That’s how we were raised, we always had a sit-down meal to connect and talk about our day.”

Aaron and Deanne have settled down with families of their own in Williams Lake. Aaron is married to LoPhoto Submitted ri-Anne and they have Family is important to Rose and Ian Pinchbeck, who enjoy camping with their children, and cheering on their grandchildren in their three children Cordell, various sports. Pictured from left to right are: Aaron, Lori-Anne, Cordell, Melissa, Ian, Conway, Siena, Cheryl, Reid, Liam, Rose, Rod, Conway and Melissa.

Ryan, Hunter, Deanne and Mike.

Deanne is married to

Mike Rife and they also have three children Ryan, Reid and Hunter. Rod lives in the Lower Mainland with his wife Cheryl and children Liam and Siena.

Rose and Ian now have eight grandchildren total and will be celebrating 50 years of marriage next year.

“It doesn’t seem like 50 years,” she said.

Rose retired in 2008 after 28 years of work, while Ian retired in 2009 following the downturn in the forest industry that year at 62 years old.

“I never even thought of retirement until Tolko told me I could leave,” he joked.

Though retired, Ian has kept busy doing contract work for Tolko, while Rose also does bookkeeping.

Their side jobs, they say, fund their keen interest in travelling abroad.

Rose and Ian have been snowbirds in the winter for the past 10 years, after trying out a few years of cabin life at Lac La Hache.

When they aren’t wintering in Palm Springs taking in daily hikes and visiting friends, the pair have travelled quite extensively since retirement to such far away locales as Australia and most recently South Africa, which they called “a trip of a lifetime.”

Their complimentary personalities — Ian is patience and receptive to try new things, while Rose is very organized and a planner — make the Pinchbecks perfect travel and life partners.

They both remain very active, taking part in pickleball, hiking, biking, yoga, slow-pitch and walk together four days a week.

Family is still very important for the couple, with Christmas and an annual family gathering with Rose’s relatives being favourite times to get together.

Page Z60 Wednesday, June 26, 2019

Casual Country 2019

The Homathko River Inn

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A refuge in spectacular wilderness Sage BIRCHWATER Casual Country 2019

The Homathko River Inn B&B in Tatlayoko Valley has a storied past. Its Circle X brand turns 100 years old later this year and that’s just the beginning of its rich heritage.

Connie Bracewell and Rudy Vermeer are the proprietors of this delightful bed & breakfast located next to the Homathko River about 30 km south of Tatla Lake. For the past seven years they have transformed the 167-acre ranch known locally as the Marion Place, into a warm and comfortable refuge for visitors in the heart of scenic Tatlayoko Valley.

Connie’s daughter, Bobidaia Bracewell, is the head horse wrangler and trainer of the outfit. Together the two women use the horses to give their guests a unique experience in this mountain paradise.

Connie was two years old when her parents, Les and Colleen Harris picked up and moved to Tatlayoko Valley from the small town of Schoolcraft, Michigan in 1968.

They bought a ranch from Jared and Bonnie Purjue, and that’s where Connie grew up with her five siblings.

She went to school just down the road, walking to school through the woods.

Connie married her neighbour and childhood sweetheart Alex Bracewell in the 1980s and together they had three children, Bobidaia, Aaron and Anna. Bobidaia is working with Connie and Rudy at the B&B, while Aaron is in his fourth year electrical training, and Anna is married and living in Switzerland.

When Connie and Alex’s marriage ended nine or ten years ago,

The welcome sign at the Circle X Ranch. they parted amicably, with Alex taking the Bracewell Wilderness Lodge at the south end of the Potato Mountains, and Connie assuming ownership of the Circle X Ranch in the valley.

For a time she ran a small herd of beef cattle and horses under the Circle X brand.

About eight years ago Connie met Rudy Vermeer, a carpenter from Eagle Lake (10 km down the highway from Tatla Lake). He worked in reno/construction in Vancouver before moving to the Chilcotin in 2003.

Connie hired him to renovate her house so she could accommodate guests.

Connie was missing the tourism industry.

“My first job was working for Gerry Bracewell at the Wilderness Lodge when I was 15 years old,” she says. “I really loved working with the guests whether it was preparing food in the kitchen or heading out on the trail into the mountains on horseback for a two- or three-day camp out.”

Five years ago Connie was asked to do a one-week ladies’ horseback mountain trip, and she jumped at the opportunity.

“With my changing life situation and my

children not liking the cows, I realized I couldn’t do cattle and tourism.”

Around that time Connie got a job driving the local school bus to help generate some income.

“With my new bus driving job, I made the decision to sell off my cows and bull to my brother and his wife, but I kept my milk cow.”

Meanwhile Connie and Rudy struck up an intimate partnership and he continued renovating their house for guests. To make space for the renovations Connie’s children moved into their grandmother Gerry Bracewell’s old house next door.

Rudy and Connie also started cleaning up and beautifying the property that had once been a salvage yard for old vehicles, machinery and farming implements.

It was Rudy who came up with the name Homathko River Inn. With a name like that they decided they needed to see the river from the house, so that entailed a bunch more clearing.

Now they have three hayfields on the property and they lease other fields in the valley to cut more hay.

There’s no denying

Sage Birchwater photos

Rudy Vermeer (from left) and Connie Bracewell are the proprietors of the Homathko River Inn B&B in Tatlayoko — part of the historic Circle X Ranch, while Connie’s daughter, Bobidaia Bracewell, is the horse wrangler and trainer. that Connie Bracewell has an artistic eye. Her sense of beautifying is evident both inside and outside their house.

“I strive for the ‘Wow’ factor,” she says as we return from viewing our upstairs bedroom where we anticipate spending a restful night. It is indeed impressive and comfortable.

For years she collected antiques and unusual furniture and stored them in cabins awaiting the opportunity to use them. With Rudy’s professional carpentry expertise the rooms

have been designed to fit the furniture.

“We’ve got four guestrooms in our house that can accommodate from four to eight people,” Connie explains.

“We’ve also got a guest cabin and campground with an outside shower house.”

And yes the tasteful artwork on the wall, colourful curtains, comfy queen-sized beds and spectacular mountain vistas viewed through the windows leave you feeling pampered and privileged as a guest at the Homathko River

Inn. And did I mention the meals? That’s another of Connie’s talents.

We are treated to a scrumptious casserole accented by a salad and side of veggies which tastes particularly good after a long day on the road crossing the Chilcotin Plateau.

Bobidaia pitches in with the meal preparation, but her real love and expertise is with the horses. The next morning after coffee, she is outside trimming the hooves

carpentry job just up the valley.

Once Connie gets back and hangs up her bus driver’s highvis vest, there’s one more task for her to do before beginning the breakfast preparation – and that’s milking her jersey milk cow.

In classic Cariboo Chilcotin fashion we are served bacon and eggs with freshly grilled pancakes. But to put it in perspective, the eggs are farm fresh with rich yellow yolks and the bacon is from Margetts Meats in Williams Lake – a highend product crafted

by Mennonites in the Peace River.

After our hearty breakfast, Connie explains what their B&B has to offer.

“People come and just love to unwind and relax. They can go hiking, biking or head out on horseback.”

One of their options is horseback-assisted hiking.

“We can take groups of six or eight people into the mountains for three to five days.

The guests hike and we pack their bags, food and equipment by horseback and set up camp for them at strategic places.”

There are also day trips such as to a nearby abandoned mine shaft where ore was briefly extracted from a quarry and trucked to a distant smelter.

The big takeaway is the spectacular scenic view of the valley once guests reach the mine site.

Bobidaia’s passion with the horses spills off in a couple different directions. She has her own horse training business called Wyld Whisper Equine, and she also offers introductory horsemanship camps for young people inspiring a whole new generation of horse enthusiasts.

of a dozen members of their equine family.

This includes a feisty burro that is part of the menagerie.

Everything runs on Chilcotin time as we arise. Connie suits up for her school bus run to Tatla Lake, and promises us breakfast when she returns.

“Breakfast will be around quarter-pastnine,” she says while doing the mandatory safety checks on the bus.

Meanwhile Bobidaia continues trimming the horses’ hooves and Rudy heads off to a Continued on Page Z61

Casual Country 2019

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Wednesday, June 26, 2019 Page Z61

Circle X brand now runs four generations deep Continued from Page Z60 Connie points out that Bobidaia is the fourth generation member of the family to operate under the Circle X brand. She pulls out the original Circle X Brand certificate that was issued to Bobidaia’s great grandfather, Kennon Beverly Moore on December 11, 1919.

Bobidaia’s grandmother, the legendary guide-outfitter and author, Gerry Bracewell, told many stories of her horseback adventures in her book Gerry Get Your Gun (Caitlin Press 2015).

So perhaps her propensity for horsemanship is in her genes. Several years ago Bobidaia became only the second female rider to win the grueling four-day Williams Lake Stampede mountain race.

She says she has given up competing in the mountain race

Sage Birchwater photos

Bobidaia Bracewell greets one of the ducks at the Homathko River Inn. for her own safety and that of her horses, but her passion for horseback adventures in the nearby mountain landscape still beckons her.

Snow Dowd of Salt Spring Island was born

and raised with horses at Kleena Kleene, 30 km west of Tatla Lake. Last summer she brought her eleven-year-old daughter Maia and four friends to Bobidaia’s three-day

summer horse camp.

This summer they are returning with eight kids for a full week of camp with horses.

“We’re very excited,” Snow says. “Bobi provides a safe but challenging program, giving city kids a taste of the authentic Chilcotin experience. She’s got a herd of awesome horses and can match a good mount to different riding abilities and personalities.”

Snow says the trails are great and last year the highlight was the lunch ride down to the lake with a canter along the beach.

Connie says the Homathko River Inn has been host to several events in recent years.

“We had the BC Naturalists here last fall,” Connie says, “and have the Vancouver Naturalists booked this year. Last year we hosted a music festival featuring Jason and Pharis Romero from Horsefly along with a

number of local musicians.”

This year they are looking forward to hosting Celtic musician Terry Boyle for a concert on July 18, as he makes his way to the Bella Coola Music Festival.

“We want guests to feel they are part of the family,” Rudy says.

“They can experience an actual ranch.”

Of course in these modern times guests can also enjoy wifi and satellite television, but they have the added benefit of walking trails where they won’t run into other people.

To learn more about the Homathko River Inn, log onto their website: homathkoriver.com or find them on facebook at Tatlayoko’s Homathko River Inn B&B. They can also be reached by phone at 250-476-1131 or by email: circle.x.ranch@ Connie Bracewell milks a cow at the Circle X Ranch. hotmail.com.

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Casual Country 2019

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Turners call the shots for Williams Lake Square Dancers Patrick DAVIES Casual Country 2019

For over 60 years the Williams Lake Square Dancers, better known as the Stampede Whirlaways, have kept traditional line dancing alive in the lakecity.

Square dancing and line dancing are a quintessential part of the western lifestyle that Williams Lake associates itself with so deeply.

Ensuring it remains a living part of the community, however, takes the work of dedicated people like Williams Lake’s own caller Nick Turner and his wife Mary Anne Turner. For the last few decades, the Turners have been a stalwart presence within the Williams Lake Square Dancers and Stampede Whirlaway community organizing dozens of events, lessons and dances.

Nick and Mary Anne have been married 26 years this year and actually met through square dancing, celebrating their anniversary around the same time as the Williams Lake Square Dancers Annual Jamboree. Together they serve as the groups cuer and caller, Mary Anne has been cuer for 27 years while Nick has been a caller for 41 years, directing

Patrick Davies Photo

Mary Anne and Nick Turner are a driving force within the Williams Lake Square Dancers and Stampede Whirlaways and have kept the spirit and community of square dancing alive an well in Williams Lake.

the flow and tempo of dances the record they were using with across Williams Lake. the caller on it had become so scratched it was unable to be Square dancing was some- understood. The side with only thing Nick got into just for the music, however, remained something to do, back when the intact and he decided to call for group used to listen to music off the night. records and move from baseEventually, after the previous ment to basement throughout caller left he started coming the Cariboo. One night he said into town from Alexis Creek

twice a week to call for the club, often after a day of teaching and through snow Mary Anne added. Now 41 years later he admits that he must have “caught the bug” for it.

Mary Anne became involved with the club more regularly in part because of Nick and in part because of her father, himself an avid square dancer. advising that she should give it a try for the community aspect for it. As a single woman at the time, she remembers it as being a safe place to go and spend time with a friendly group of people without alcohol.

“We’ve danced all over the province and people from all over the province have come and danced with us. We make a lot of friends and the square dancing community is quite close-knit, we all know each other and it’s an extremely friendly bunch,” Nick said. “I think we both enjoy the challenge of square dancing as well, it’s a mental exercise as well as physical.”

Both Nick and Mary Anne feel square dancing is a great activity for families that gets people active and socializing with one another in a fun environment. They feel people spend

to much time sitting around at home and that their club gives them a chance to get out and be active.

An enduring appeal of the activity, Mary Anne feels, is that no matter where in the world you may be, the dance is still called in English. No matter what language or genre of music is playing, the commands are always familiar and understandable to dancers of all experience levels.

Nick also added that the stereotypical square dancing clothing, while very pretty and fashionable, isn’t required for new or current dancers to don for dancing.

“People don’t realize that square dancing changes with the times. They still have the picture of hay bales in the barn, scratchy fiddles, puffy clothes and men in pink shirts, but we’ve changed with the times the same as everyone else has,” Mary Anne said. “We use computers, we don’t use records anymore and we wear fancy clothes if we want to and if we don’t want to we don’t. We change like everybody else but its really hard to get that across to people.”

The music too has changed Nick said and is not all just

“country twang” these days.

Genres and songs from the 1920s up until the 1990s are all used, though Nick said it’s difficult to find modern songs that fit the square dancing beat.

As a caller himself, Nick enjoys trying all types of music to call to from swing to big band and pop to Broadway.

One thing Mary Anne hopes to see in the near future is a younger person, or any person, becoming interested in learning to become a caller for the club.

While Nick is still happy to do it if he was to quit she said the club would be gone. Nick would be more than happy to teach anyone with a good singing voice interested in commanding a roomful of people on stage, she said.

“If you’re calling the dance, you’re a pop star for the night,” Nick quipped. “You’ve got the microphone you’re controlling the night and it’s a great thrill.”

Come September 19 at the Cariboo Chilcotin Child Development Centre’s Gymnasium the Turner’s invite the whole community out to their next round of beginner lessons and hope to see the whole community turn out and give square dancing a try.

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