Bowen Island Undercurrent February 18 2021

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BETTER AT HOME: New support for seniors coming to Bowen

Thursday, February 18, 2021 • A1

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2021 MEMORIES OF THE ORCHARD

VOL. 47 NO. 007

BIUndercurrent

BowUndercurrent www.bowenislandundercurrent.com

Remembering a unique community PAGES 910

Fire claims home

NO PEOPLE INJURED; TWO HOUSEHOLDS NEED NEW HOMES

BRONWYN BEAIRSTO

Editor@bowenislandundercurrent.com

DIANA KAILE PHOTO

“The snow was falling softly Sunday morning, when suddenly we witnessed the spectacular sight of around 30 robins descending on the pyracantha bush,” writes Diana Kaile. “I hadn’t seen a robin in months. Were they waiting for snow on the ground and the food source lacking in order to satisfy their hunger by embarking on a feeding frenzy? The robins must have a sixth sense that the timing is perfect when the ground is hard and no self respecting worms are to be seen, then the berries provide valuable nutrition. In an hour the whole bush was devoured as the birds indulged.”

Where are Bowen Island’s heritage sites?

OUR HERITAGE IS OLD BUT THE REGISTER IS NEW JUDI GEDYE

Contributor

Back in January, Bowen Island Municipality created its first heritage

register, formally recognizing ten publicly owned sites as having heritage value.

How many are you familiar with?

1) The Old General Store is the most significant building remaining from the

Union Steamship Company era. It was built for the USSCo. in 1924 as the store and post office to serve local residents and the thousands of people brought to the company picnic grounds, cabins and hotel each summer until 1956.

(Today it is our public library).

CONTINUED ON P. 6

Bowen Island Fire Rescue hasn’t yet released the cause of a structure fire that devastated two households last week.

No people were in the house – which has an upstairs suite and a downstairs suite – but a beloved cat died when the Adams Road home caught fire in the early afternoon of Feb. 11.

Bowen Island Fire Rescue extinguished the fire and saved the structure itself but downstairs tenant John Yamashita and upstairs tenants Bob and Susan Pratt lost belongings and now need to find somewhere new to live given the severe damage to the house.

Friends and family have started GoFundMe campaigns for Yamashita and the Pratts as they rebuild their lives (web addresses on p. 12).

Yamashita is staying with friends for now but that can only last for so long. “My focus is on getting a rental,” said the islander of six years. “But Bowen’s market is just bare.”

For the Pratts, while the loss of so many of their things from over 50 years of marriage (and they don’t yet know what can be salvaged) is difficult, the most devastating loss is their six-year-old cat Kaiko.

“We’ve had lots of animals but never one like this,” said Susan. “She was almost like a person. She talked to us all the time.”

Friends have stepped up to help out the Pratts. “I’ve had I an outpouring of compassion from all through the community,” said Susan. “People I don’t even know.”

CONTINUED ON P. 12

Vaune Kolber, Realtor® ~ Bowen’s Bridge to the City Are you ready to sell and move on to your next chapter? I can help.

“As a resident and as a Realtor,Vaune brings a deep love and appreciation for her work and for the Bowen community. She’s an integral part of what makes our Island truly special and unique. She knows real estate. She knows Bowen. She knows the City. She’s fantastic!” ~ Sheree Johnson, long-time Bowener and volunteer extraordinaire!

BetteronBowen.com 604-506-7534 kolber@dexterrealty.com

Events February 22, 2021 6:15 pm Regular Council Meeting All meetings are online via Zoom and

open to the public, unless noted

bowenislandundercurrent.com

Municipal Hall closed for staff development Wednesday, February 24, 2021 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm Municipal Hall will be closed for three hours next week, Wednesday, February 24 to allow for an all staff meeting, training and development.

otherwise.

Heritage Inventory and Stories Collection

Help slow the spread of COVID-19:

Stay home if you’re sick

The Heritage Commission is pleased to announce the establishment of the Bowen Island Community Heritage Register, adopted by Council on January 25, 2021. This Register was developed in cooperation with the Bowen Island Heritage Preservation Association and the Bowen Island Museum and Archives, along with community members who provided feedback through this platform.

We are now seeking suggestions to build our heritage inventory, a list of places to consider as additions to the Register.

Please contribute your ideas, personal stories, and images to places suggested for the inventory on our Citizenlab platform. Your input is a vital part of the process of creating our Heritage Strategic Plan.

Please go to bowenisland.citizenlab.co to provide your input.

Vote for your favourite small business Clean your hands frequently 2 m or 6 feet

Keep a safe physical distance

Wear a mask in indoor public spaces

604-947-4255 604-947-0193 bim@bimbc.ca

Construction of a cross-island Multi-Use Path (MUP) will provide a safe way for all ages and abilities to walk and cycle across the island.

The proposed MUP route spans approximately 6.5 km from Snug Cove, connecting to major trailheads and beaches, and ending at popular Tunstall Bay. The proposed route is the outcome of engagement feedback, a stakeholder workshop, and technical feasibility review to provide the most useful and cost-effective cross-island connection.

Phase 1 will connect the existing MUP at the Bowen Island Community School to Carter Rd. On- and off-road options were investigated. Locating the entire phase on-road was most feasible. A key component of this phase is an intersection improvement at Mount Gardner Rd, which is particularly busy with ferry marshalling and student traffic.

The improvement will have better sightlines and traffic calming to help maintain safe vehicle speeds and awareness of pedestrians.

Read more about the Multi-Use Path project on our website at bowenislandmunicipality.ca/mup

Scholarship workshop for youth

The Small Business BC Awards recognizes the contributions Sunday, Feb 28, 4-6 pm and achievements of BC small business owners. All nominees The Bowen Island Youth Centre is offering a free online Zoom-based session for students in grades 11 and 12 on receive valuable business scholarship research, application and writing. education and support throughout the competition.

The panel comprising local youth Hudson Stiver, and community experts Ted Spear and Henry Campbell Nominate and vote for your business or a business you love will cover topics such as where and how to find these for the Small Business BC Awards from January 18th until scholarship opportunities, what you will need in terms of a March 8, 2021. resume and volunteer hours, what the donors are looking for, what you need for your scholarship binder and toolkit, and how to be prepared for upcoming deadlines. https://smallbusinessbc.ca/awards/ Register at

www.bowencommunityrecreation.com/

Contact Us Phone: Fax: Email:

Multi-Use Path update

Find us on Facebook Bowen Island Municipal Hall 981 Artisan Lane Bowen Island, BC V0N 1G2

Hours: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm Monday to Friday Closed statutory holidays February 18, 2021

Bowen Island Municipality

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A2 • Thursday, February 18, 2021

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Thursday, February 18, 2021 • A3

Twist again Supporting Bowen seniors HOW THE HEARTH’S MINI ART WORKS PICK-UP WILL WORK

KATHLEEN AINSCOUGH

The Hearth

There has been such an upwelling of collective and creative energy for the Mini Art Works project this year and we are so delighted with how this phenomenal community arts event has lifted our spirits. With the current circumstances surrounding public gatherings, we continue to adapt as creative people do.

While COVID-19 precautions won’t allow for the outdoor music and visiting we’d hoped for, pick-up day is going ahead and will take place during regular gallery hours Saturday, Feb. 20.

More than 80 amazing artworks were submitted and they await the opportunity for up-bidding until the final pick-up day, this Saturday.

The Hearth Gallery remains open for viewing the artworks during regular business hours until Saturday.

Priority bidding takes place between 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. that day. Bidding is open to everyone from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. when you can check your final bids and pick up your winning piece(s).

COVID-19 safety procedures will be followed with picking up purchased art. Nine patrons may be in the gallery and masks are required. There will be a designated warming area for those waiting to enter and those completing their purchases of the artworks. Volunteers will be there to help.

Contact us for more information (604-947-2454).

We are here to answer your questions.

Details on the process are on our website.

The Gallery is open five days a week (Thursday to Monday) to view and bid on the artworks on exhibit. There is also the option to bid by email. View the online gallery at thehearth.ca and email hello@thehearthartsonbowen.ca with your choice of art piece.

BETTER AT HOME PROGRAM LAUNCHES MARCH 1 ON BOWEN

KIM SINCLAIR

Contributor

It comes to us all. One day we’re young and fun and on the run and the next thing you know we’re hunkered down and resolved to stay a little closer to home. This can sometimes be governed by our frailties. Our “golden years” can be challenging. Just managing the day-to-day tasks around our homes is not as easy as it once was. And yet as burdensome as that can be, we are loath to leave our family homes.

I think we could all agree that life is Better At Home. Home is where our memories are. Home is where our cherished items are, and home is undoubtedly where our hearts are.

So that leads me to the purpose of this article. I am so incredibly happy to be able to announce that North Shore Community Resources in conjunction with the Caring Circle is bringing their Better At Home program to Bowen Island. Better At Home is a provincially funded program, managed by the United Way of the Lower Mainland, to help seniors remain independent at home and stay within their community. Many other communities in B.C. offer this program to seniors but we have not had it on Bowen Island before now. The concept started five years ago when the Caring Circle approached the United Way to ask if this program could be delivered in our community. Colleen O’Neil, the Caring Circle’s program director, tells me she was surprised to get a phone call from the United Way recently asking if Bowen was still interested in pursuing this senior support service. The answer was a resounding “Yes!” Better at Home supports seniors to age in place with dignity by providing subsidized services to keep them living independently and safely. The program recognizes that seniors are an important and growing part of communities and helps them with simple day-to-day tasks around their homes.

Under the Better At Home program, seniors have access to

Queen of Capilano Ferry Schedule October 13 to May 15 2021 DEPART BOWEN ISLAND DEPART HORSESHOE BAY 5:20 am except Sundays 6:20 am 7:30 am 8:35 am 9:40 am 10:50 am 12:00 pm 1:10 pm 2:55 pm 4:00 pm except Wednesdays 5:10 pm 6:15 pm 7:25 pm Mon Wed Th Fri 7:26 pm Tue Sun 8:30 pm 9:30 pm 10:30 pm

5:50 am 6:50 am 8:00 am 9:05 am except Wednesdays 10:15 am 11:25 am 12:35 pm 2:20 pm 3:30 pm 4:35 pm 5:45 pm 6:50 pm 8:00 pm except Saturdays 9:00 pm 10:00 pm

Note: Schedules subject to change without notice: Please check BCFERRIES.COM Schedule changes on statutory holidays

SHARI ULRICH PHOTO

Kim Sinclair (left) is the new program coordiator of Better At Home, a program that provides subsidized services to seniors to help them live independently. The program is run with support from the Caring Circle and its program director, Colleen O’Neil (right).

a range of non-medical home support services such as light housekeeping, minor home repairs, snow shovelling, yard work and transportation to medical appointments. Seniors are charged a fee for services on a sliding scale based on their income.

I am happy to say I will be the program coordinator for the Bowen program. It will launch March 1, at which time I will officially be able accept requests from seniors for services. I am hoping to have volunteers in place by then. But if you want to email me ahead of time please do and I will be happy to share information with you.

I will undoubtedly be pounding the pavement early next week looking for volunteers who might be interested in helping our seniors in these various areas of service. If you would like to offer up your services before I spot you, feel free to contact me.

I can be reached by email at kim.sinclair@nscr.ca or by telephone at 236-988-9704.

And lastly, I know some of you will be wondering but no, I have not left CAWES. I plan to run the two programs side by side from my little office in Artisan Square.

Places of Worship Welcome You BOWEN ISLAND UNITED CHURCH Now offering a youtube channel of reflections and hymn/songs with Reverend Lorraine Ashdown and Lynn Williams. youtubewatch?v=tejV7Y6jo

FOOD BANK DROP-OFF

ST. GERARD’S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Masses are live streamed everyday.

Times posted at holyrosarycathedral.org Contact Angela Powell 604-947-2515

CATES HILL CHAPEL

www.cateshillchapel.com 604-947-4260 (661 Carter Rd.)

Now offering worship services via Zoom.

A link available on website.

Pastor: Phil Adkins

A4 • Thursday, February 18, 2021

bowenislandundercurrent.com

VIEWPOINTS LETTERS

Thank you for support after fire DEAR EDITOR: We are overwhelmed by the kindness, compassion and generosity of our Bowen Island community. On Feb. 11, our home was severely damaged by fire with extensive smoke and heat damage.

The extent of the loss is horrific but most of all, the loss of our precious kitty, Kaiko, is the greatest loss of all. We extend our sincere gratitude to the Bowen Island Fire Department for the very fast response to the site.

Without the efficiency of the fire department the home would have surely been totally demolished.

We also extend our heartfelt thanks to our good friends Linda and Robert Barratt, Josie Farrell and Ann Walters and family for exceptional assistance.

Our daughter Lauren and partner Andrew remained by our side to give us guidance, love and support. Starting over will be a considerable challenge, however, we feel so very fortunate to have the tremendous encouragement and caring from this wonderful Bowen Island community.

Susan and Bob Pratt

DEAR EDITOR: A big thank you to all who have recently donated cancelled postage stamps to Save the Children Canada. There seemed to be more this year than in previous years so more money will be raised for children in need in developing countries. The post office accepts stamps for Save the Children year-round so, if you have some to donate, please give them to the post office staff.

On behalf of Save the Children, thank you very much.

Susan Tennant

EDITORIAL

Whose heritage week?

For this week’s edition, local organizations and individuals gathered together a feature on Bowen’s heritage for B.C.’s Heritage Week Feb. 15 through 21. This year’s theme is “Where do you find heritage?” and from Davies Orchard to BIM’s brand new heritage registry to Bowen’s fables, islanders provided thoughtful insights.

However, being February, we need to recognize it’s Black History Month – a month to elevate Black history and voices, recognizing that historically, we, as a society, have focussed “history” on white people and white stories.

But, it appears that the Bowen archives contain no reference to historical Black settlers on the island. Of the 8,000 photographs, there isn’t one photograph of a Black person, says archivist Catherine Bayly.

“We’ve tried and tried,” she said. “And there’s absolutely no reference.”

Bayly went on to say other gulf islands have a history of Black settlers.

And Bayly poses the question – why not Bowen?

We expound on the importance of history - but our history hasn’t been inclusive.

It’s time we as a community look at why.

Bronwyn Beairsto, editor

THE WRITE STUFF. The Undercurrent encourages reader participation in your community newspaper. You must include your full name and a daytime phone number (for verification only). The editor reserves the right to edit for clarity, legality, brevity and taste. Please limit to under 500 words. HERE’S HOW: To submit a letter to the editor, fax 604-947-0148 or mail it to #102, 495 Government Rd., PO Box 130, Bowen Island, BC V0N 1G0 or email editor@ bowenislandundercurrent.com.

All Advertising and news copy content are copyright of the Undercurrent Newspaper. All editorial content submitted to the Undercurrent becomes the property of the publication.

The Undercurrent is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, art work and photographs.

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ISSN 7819-5040

Happy 98th Birthday Jim Moore (John James and Jam) on Feb. 15.

Love from Marion, friends and family and the birds.

National NewsMedia Council.

EDITOR Bronwyn Beairsto editor@bowenisland undercurrent.com

ADVERTISING Tracey Wait ads@bowenisland undercurrent.com

CARTOONIST Ron Woodall

PUBLISHER Peter Kvarnstrom publisher@bowenisland undercurrent.com 2011 CCNA

CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER AWARD 2011

SPECIAL THANK-YOU Audrey Grescoe

The Undercurrent is a member of the National NewsMedia Council of Canada, which is an independent organization established to deal with acceptable journalistic practices and ethical behaviour. If you have concerns about editorial content, please email editor@bowenislandundercurrent. com or call 604-947-2442.

If you are not satisfied with the response and wish to file a formal complaint, visit the website at mediacouncil.ca or call toll-free 1-844-877-1163 for additional information.

bowenislandundercurrent.com

Thursday, February 18, 2021 • A5

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

We’re the threat – not the Doug fir What’s the deal with the DEAR EDITOR: An iconic Doug Fir, perhaps 250 years old, neighbour to a rotund robust red cedar… these “must” be cut in the name of “safety” and no doubt, progress.

Even here, on beautiful Bowen Island, we take the gift of ancient trees and forested hillsides for granted. I have been here for most of my life now, purposefully found an existing house to live in (so I would not cause more damage by constructing a new one) and chose one that is close to Crippen Park (naively thinking, that if I live next to the park, I won’t wake up one day and find myself surrounded by chainsaws and clear cuts).

Then I found out my safe haven, “my park,” was apparently “surplus land,” not park at all.

And now we find out that despite the imminent threats posed by the climate catastrophe, our muni makes decisions that seem oblivious to the effects of cutting trees.

As if nothing had changed – albeit, some things do change (trees fall, forests shrink) and some things do stay the same (ongoing short-sightedness and greed). Yes, developers still B.S., bulldoze, deplete, run out of money, and then push to up the zoning density to make up for miscalculated profit projections.

We have made many laws on Bowen since becoming a municipality but we still don’t have a tree protection bylaw. And now there is another push on to get out of the Islands Trust. I wonder why? If anything, we need a

stronger Islands Trust. And a tree protection bylaw.

Trees are the most efficient storage for carbon in this climate. Cutting down those two old trees (on top of all that was felled at Cape Roger Curtis, the golf course, and at Grafton Lake, and all the other developments I have witnessed while living here) will certainly have an impact on the muni’s “net zero” carbon goals – one which can in no way be made up for by planting a couple of saplings somewhere. Has this cutting even been accounted for in our carbon budget calculations?

We cannot conduct business as usual in this time of global warming. We have to adapt, be innovative, find better solutions than cutting down every tree that’s “in our way.” Surely the site plan for the new fire hall and health centre can be jiggled a bit, turned around, whatever, so that the buildings are next to the road and as far away from the “dangerous” forest as possible?

Moreover, those old Douglas fir trees have thick bark, which insulates and protects the living tissues between this bark and the inner wood, mitigating fire hazard. The old Doug firs we still have on the island have survived several forest fires because of this quality. We are the ones who threaten them. Please, think again. Don’t cut them down. And make a tree protection bylaw already.

Silvaine Zimmermann

Tree protection bylaw needed DEAR EDITOR: Re. the two trees that need to be removed as “they will be too close to the Fire Hall building and could be a hazard by falling branches or wildfire risk.”

No, the trees aren’t too close to the fire hall building, rather the building is too close to the trees. Surely a tree such as the iconic Douglas fir, that has been living for decades, if not several hundred years, deserves to be respected for its place and role in the landscape and ecosystem, its longevity, and its ‘heritage’ presence, especially being on public (previously park land). Have we not learned to work with the landscape where heritage features are concerned? Never mind that its demise removes its contribution by taking up carbon dioxide and producing oxygen, for our

well-being. So much for “wellness”! Located as the site is, surrounded on three sides by forested parkland, I would like an explanation as to how these particular trees “pose a wildfire risk.”

If the valuable tree is taken down, then the milled lumber, or proceeds from its sale, should be used in the construction of the buildings (firehall and wellness centre) or for interior design elements, otherwise the logs could be sold for firewood as a fundraiser for the new buildings.

I strongly suggest that these “iconic” trees not be taken down until other opinions are obtained from tree experts, and alternatives suggested by them and the site planners.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Tree hugger and proud of it!

Moira Greaven

Growing up on Bowen I have a deep love of community and appreciation of the natural beauty we are all blessed to share.

Call me today 604 -367 -1035 JULIA MCCULLOCH juliamc@royallepage.ca

SRES®

(604) 367-1035

water system rate increases?

UTILITIES SEEING FEE INCREASES OF 10 TO 20%

BRONWYN BEAIRSTO

Editor

While the municipal property tax increase in 2021 is 6.6 per cent, fees for municipally managed water and sewage will also see a substantial increase this year.

Of the seven municipally owned water systems, Bowen Bay, Bluewater Park, King Edward Bay, and Tunstall Bay water systems will see a 20 per cent rise in funds collected. Hood Point will see a 10 per cent rise and in Eagle Cliff and Cove Bay – it’s complicated.

Water systems operate outside of the general BIM budget – each district funding its own upkeep and replacement. Each tax season, the users pay into reserves (“Think of it like a savings account” says BIM’s chief financial officer Raj Hayre) and BIM pulls from those reserves to run and fix the systems.

“When we take a look at the work that needs to be done over the next five years, whether it’s replacement of pipes or water tanks or other major equipment within those systems, the reserve balances are not adequate to pay for that,” says Hayre.

Most of the water systems have a high flat rate applied to all connected properties and then further fees if a residence uses extra water (the amount of water differs district to district). The rate rises this year will directly feed reserves, indicated Hayre.

On the west side of the island, Tunstall Bay needs a reservoir tank replacement, and BIM is looking at how to address the interconnected issues of Bowen Bay, Bluewater Park and King Edward Bay (recent reports suggest there’s sufficient water supply but the infrastructure challenges are great).

BIM has tried to keep the west side rates harmonized in recent years, says Hayre. “That’s a challenging thing in itself because those water systems are of varying ages, varying quality.”

For this year, the triad of Bowen Bay, King Edward Bay and Bluewater Park will see a flat rate of $960 (up from $800) and Tunstall Bay will see a flat rate of $980 (up from $815).

On the east side of the island, Hood Point, the one system with relatively healthy reserves, will see its flat rate rise to $800 (up from $710).

Eagle Cliff is a bit different – it has both a parcel tax and a water rate. It also faces system replacement costs in the millions in coming years.

Eagle Cliff’s water rate is tiered so users who use less pay less (for those using under 50 gallons a day, the 2021 rate is an unchanged $525. For those using between 201 and 225 gallons a day, the rate is rising to $950.) The 2021 rates will rise in the upper tiers but the lowest ones will remain the same.

Above its user rates, Eagle Cliff also applies a parcel tax to feed its reserves.

This year, that parcel tax is rising for the first time since 2008: from $240 to $370.

Now Cove Bay is a different kettle of fish. Its user rates won’t rise in 2021 – it’ll still be a flat rate of $780. However, in constructing the Cove Bay Water Treatment Plant, the system has taken on significant debt (a combined $3.9 million). To pay for debt servicing, BIM is applying a parcel tax that could affect not only connected properties but unconnected properties in the local service area (the idea being that they could at some point connect to the system). Given the complexity of the Cove units (Belterra has dozens of water connections while many businesses in the Cove have a single connection as does the new apartment building across from the museum) how the parcel tax will be applied is still getting figured out, says Hayre. If the parcel tax were to be applied as a flat fee, it would come out to $369 per water connection.

Then there’s the Snug Cove Sewer System. From the 100-odd users of the sewer system, BIM is looking for an 18 per cent increase in revenue. The system is looking at significant upgrades in coming years, estimated at more than $7.5 million.

SOLD

5799 Marine Drive West Vancouver

A6• Thursday, February 18, 2021

bowenislandundercurrent.com

HERITAGE WEEK: WHERE DO YOU FIND HERITAGE?

Heritage sites reflect Union Steamships’influence on Bowen Island

CONTINUED FROM P. 1

2) The Boulevard Cottage, built by the USSCo., is named for the Boulevard (now Senator Road) – a walkway from the lagoon to Pebbly Beach. The original site of the cottage was on the promontory overlooking Mannion Bay. It is a good example of the simple utilitarian cottages built by the USSCo. during the resort era. (Today it houses The Caring Circle and Bowen Tourism).

3) The Lagoon Causeway was built by the USSCo. in 1925

is-

to roughly align with the Lady Alexandra Promenade. The first crossing was a rudimentary wood bridge built between 1900 and 1910. A second bridge, built around 1910, served as the crossing until 1924 after its destruction in a storm. The then lamp-lit causeway, originally open to vehicle traffic, led visitors to the hotel and its rose-arboured pathway known as the Rockery where visitors could sit on the benches and listen to the orchestras playing in the bandstand.

4) Seaside Cottage #1 was built in the early 1900s for the Tulk family, who owned the Gold Seal Liquor Co. It was called “Bide a Wee” and had a trellised gate entrance with roses growing over it. Samuel Maclure built the family’s city house and it is suspected that he designed this summer house.

5) Davies Heritage Orchard and cottages: In 1887, pioneer William Davies pre-empted 33 acres and planted one of the earliest orchards in B.C. The tall cherry and sweet chestnut, located close to Davies Creek, are believed to be survivors from those early plantings. In 1920 Davies sold the land to Frank Dobson, who, in turn, sold it to the USSCo. in 1922.

The Union built 20 cottages on the land in 1928, of which eight survive. The remaining Orchard cottages are unique in the region as reminders of the pre-1950s era when steamship tourism was more popular than privately owned automobiles. The massing of these cottages as a group conveys the sense of the original arrangement of multiple, identical, small, vernacular cabins, close together and all facing the ocean.

6) The Ruins in Crippen Park Meadow: These were the foundations of a dairy barn built for the cow herd of a farmer (Lister) who lived near Grafton Lake and provided milk to the USSCo. Rather than Mr. Lister and his family walking the cows to the meadow in the morning and back at night, the Union built a milking barn on the meadow. Today, the foundations are appreciated as a spot to find garter snakes.

7) Lieben: Norwegian-born Einar Neilson and his first wife, Patricia Fitzgerald, built this waterfront property in Eagle Cliff in 1941. It served as a retreat for artists, writers and intellectuals for approximately two decades. Patricia’s father was LeMoine Fitzgerald and visitors included him and Lawren Harris, both members of the Group of Seven, and the writers Malcolm Lowry, Eric Nicol, Lister Sinclair, Margaret Laurence, Alice Munro, Dorothy Livesay, and Earle Birney. The property was deeded to the province in 1977 for use as a nature reserve in perpetuity.

8) The Cenotaph: This monument was built in 1937, a year after the Legion was established on Bowen, and commemorates the island’s residents who served and died in the First World War, Second World War and the Korean War. Colonel Victor Spencer headed the 1937 dedication ceremony and nearly 100 Spencer’s Remnants, a marching band formed by Spencer’s store employees who were also veterans of the First World War. A well-attended Remembrance Day ceremony takes place at this site annually.

9) Higgins’ Cabin: Built by logger Bert Higgins, this cabin sits on its original site beside the Bowen Island Museum & Archives display centre and offices. It was meticulously renovated and restored by the B.I. Historians (former name of B.I. Museum and Archives) in 1997 and in 2013 was dedicated to the memory of conservator Eric Lawson, who was principally responsible for the renovation project.

10) Bridal Veil Falls: The picturesque value of the waterfall was recognized from the first days, around 1914, of Terminal Steamship Company when works foreman Koga and his crew constructed a Japanese-style, three-arched wooden bridge above the falls. The bridge was connected along the south side of the Killarney Creek outlet at Mannion Bay by a rustic, cedar-railed walkway known as the Bridal Path. In 1925 a second wooden bridge was built across the pond below the falls and provided the first sturdy and convenient crossing near the falls. From the top of the falls, on the north side there was infrastructure for a hydroelectric generating plant. With the exception of a concrete weir and some concrete footing these structures are now all gone. Today, see the falls from the historic Alder Trail in Crippen Regional Park, with steps down to salmon spawning habitat.

A site named in a Heritage register is formal recognition of its heritage value to a community. Such recognition helps with grant applications for restoration. In addition, the Bowen Island Heritage Commission is building a much larger inventory of sites that may have heritage value and welcomes any and all suggestions. Heritage week celebrations for 2021 asks the question: Where do you find heritage?

Check out the Register: bowenislandmunicipality.ca/news/ releases/heritage-week-2021-where-do-you-find-heritage.

bowenislandundercurrent.com

Thursday, February 18, 2021 • A7

‘Once upon a time’on Bowen

HERITAGE WEEK: WHERE DO YOU FIND HERITAGE?

WATCH BOWEN FABLES ON YOUTUBE

the Bowen Island Municipality.

For Bowen Fables we selected several stories from the Bowen Island Museum and Archives and used them as a “once upon a time” for our short films. All of the stories in the Bowen Fables collection have a kernel of truth in them; they are all based on events that happened, right here on Bowen Island. But, like fairy tales and myths, over the course of the workshops and with the various community members who dropped in to contribute time, ideas and expertise, they have spun off into the fantastic.

The series includes: The Postmistresses of Bowen Island: A tribute to the fearless and hard working postmistresses of Bowen Island who rowed, hiked and hauled (sometimes in the dark) to ensure islanders received their mail.

Ghost Story: The eerie legends of Bowen Island told as they happened in real life – sort-of.

Cowboy Jack and the Wild Horse Round Up: The story of the wild horses on Bowen Island and the cowboy that was brought in to round them up.

The Mermaid of Onion Island: The story of the Tunstall Bay mermaid.

The Mostly True story of the Bowen Island Fire Truck: How Bowen Island got its fire truck.

The films are all available at bit. ly/3s176pr

DANIELLA SORRENTINO

Contributor

PHOTO COURTESY OF BOWEN ISLAND MUSEUM AND ARCHIVES

Is the new sign welcoming ferry travellers to Nexwlélexwm a sign of changing times and name use?

Archives seeking street name histories CATHERINE BAYLY

Bowen Island Museum & Archives

What’s in a name?

The 2021 Heritage Week theme is “Where do you find heritage?” We often look for heritage in a place or landscape but the Bowen Island Museum & Archives is looking at street signs to discover and uncover the history and heritage of our island. Clues to the history of an area often comes from street names. Some of the names are obvious - Beach Drive, Sawmill Lane, Adams Road - but others need a bit of sleuthing to uncover their history.

A quick glance at the street

names on Bowen reveal that 53 streets are named after people, 41 have geographic references, nine have ship or nautical references and 20 signs include flora and fauna. We know that James Bowen was assigned to survey the coastal waters of the southern mainland and named Mount Gardner, Hood Point, Cape Roger Curtis and Collingwood Channel after naval officers in the 1860s. We also know that First Nations’ names for the island never became part of the naming process - maybe the new welcoming Nexwlélexwm - sign in the Cove indicates changes to come.

Who are streets named after?

Who is left out? Who decides on the names of a street? Do the names of streets represent a one-sided version of history?

Who or what would you like to see included in future signs?

We are embarking on a new project this year to record as many of these histories as possible. Follow us on our Facebook and Twitter this week as we explore the street names of Bowen. What do you know about the street, road or lane you are living on? Let us know! Please send photos of your street sign, street scenes, people and information to bihistorians@telus. net.

I have always been fascinated by local legends, fairy tales and folklore.

I think stories are the most important aspect of being human. Stories are how we understand our history, our culture, ourselves and each other.

Folk stories, fairy tales, legends, myths and fables all have their roots somewhere and “where” was originally in a community – beginning with a single storyteller and then morphing and shifting with each telling and with each storyteller who tells it.

Stories are alive.

Out of this idea was born Bowen Fables, a collection of shadow puppet films based on local Bowen stories made over the winter of 2019-2020 in community workshops. As a filmmaker and producer, I lead the project along with puppeteer Liz Nankin, and we had a tremendous amount of help from Cathy Bayly and Monica Notaro at Bowen Island Museum & Archives, Basia Lieske, Jewal Maxwell, Pai Callewaert, Santosha Naismith, John Hazel and many other Bowenians. We also had wonderful support from Island Pacific School and Opus Art Supplies. The project was funded with a grant from

Patients of the Week PUMPKIN AND PEACHES Meet Pumpkin and Peaches!

Mother and son! Pumpkin recently visited us for a limp he had developed. We performed x-rays and started giving laser treatments to reduce pain and inflammation. Peaches also came to us recently to start monthly cartrophen injections to help with her arthritis.

CEDC

Community Economic Development Committee

REGULAR HOURS Tuesday to Friday 9- 5 Saturday 9- 1 Closed Sunday and Monday

To schedule appointments, please call

604.947.9247

or email reception@bowenvet.com

A8 • Thursday, February 18, 2021

bowenislandundercurrent.com

HERITAGE WEEK: WHERE DO YOU FIND HERITAGE?

The hardy residents of Davies Orchard

MEET FOLKS WHO CALLED THE DAVIES ORCHARD PINK COTTAGES HOME IN THE 1960S, ‘70S AND ‘80S the ferry deck, up the stairs, open our snacks Helen Wallwork and drinks and have a boat party.

We lived in two different cabins over the years and I recall them fondly. My family and I lived in Cottage #1 in the Orchard in the mid 1960s. We had returned to the island after a three-year stint in Kipling, Saskatchewan, where my dad, Les, was a newly ordained minister.

My mother, Kit, was very glad to be in the midst of the Cove with the general store and post office so close by as she never drove a car. My brothers, Tony and David, had an easy walk up to the school (where Bowen Court stands today), and I could run out the door to catch the ferry with my friends heading off to West Van high school.

In those days the Bowen Queen was our ferry – and I do mean ours. The Bowen Queen used to dock overnight in Snug Cove and the ferry worker/night watchman became friends with our small group of teens. Friday nights, if he was on watch, we would wait for the all-clear signal, a toot of the ship’s horn, and we would swarm down to the dock under cover of darkness. He would lower the ramp and we’d run onto

All was fine and fun until one Friday someone got a little frisky and invaded the bridge, turned the huge spotlight onto all the homes in the Cove swinging it back and forth all the way to Snug Point, blasting the horn all the while.

Our friendly night watchman was replaced by a not-so-friendly one and that was the end of the boat parties.

Our family’s time in the pink cottages is warm and fuzzy in my memory. The fields and beaches were the playgrounds of my childhood.

I will be very happy to see the remaining cottages and the Orchard preserved for future generations to make their own memories and stories.

Andy Matheson

My family moved to Snug Cove in the summer of 1966, when I was 13. We first set up house at what would later become Doc Morgan’s Pub. Back then, it was a much smaller cottage rented to us by the Proudlocks. By 1968 or so, we had hop-

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Lavender Love at Artisan Square PHOTO CREDIT: Tom Matzen

The Great Bowen Bunny Search PHOTO CREDIT: Emmett Sparling

Bowen’s Squamish Nation Name: Unveiling Ceremony PHOTO CREDIT: Len Gilday

Outdoor Exploration with Emily PHOTO CREDIT: Taliesen van Lidthe de Jeude Roemer

scotched a little farther up the hill and spent the better part of the next decade living in two of the old, pink Union Steamships cottages nearby.

We were members of a rather small and unique clique of year-round renters as most of the cabins were put to use for either weekend or summer vacationers back then. Aside from being a tad funky, the Orchard cabins were spartan affairs. Their previous longterm use as summer cabins had left little attention paid to insulation and such. This was vividly apparent once the chill severity of winter rolled in. Even with the often undependable and cantankerous oil stove in the kitchen, coupled with a wood stove in the living room to provide warmth, too often the pink Orchard cabins shuddered like a cold cow’s udder in the icy grip of a wicked winter’s Squamish wind. A few good cold snaps during those years often left us shivering or running to the Bow-Mart for another box of those then ever essential Pres-to-Logs for swift relief. I’m pretty sure we helped keep the store in the black during those winters, much to the relief of Helen, Ralph and Alec.

Living on Bowen back then was not unlike being astride two distinct eras – a kind of Twilight Zone or ghost town. All around you were the remnants of gayer and more boisterous times. The echoes of the heyday of the Union Steamship Company were always a distinct yet distant din reverberating in one’s ear. The pianos and dance hall frolics of decades past were now held mute and muffled by a sad glut of mossy, derelict cabins, disused tennis courts, bowling greens, picnic tables and a pool – all intertwined with overgrown, unkempt lanes and paths winding from Snug Cove all the way to Deep Bay. There were probably between 200 and 400 people year-round on the island when we lived there but by the mid 1970s there began a decided influx of others wanting a slice of this pastoral and idyllic pie in Howe Sound. That demand has never lessened.

By the end of the 1960s there were probably barely ten families living in the Orchard year-round at any given time. Old Lyle Davies and his wife in a cabin down near the creek by the lower field; old Otto (from Buffalo) at his digs behind the baseball diamond backstop; Barry Davies and his wife and kids behind us; Don Bishop and his mom across from them and old Mrs Glenn

in the cabin beside the Sea Breeze Lodge later to be replaced by Mrs Skidmore-Lamb.

The Slades, the Wallworks, the Walkems and even Nelson Riley are among a host of others who once made the Orchard their chosen domain. Of course, in the late ’60s into the early ’70s, the effervescent presence of the “hippies” on the island added both colour and kookiness to an already eclectic and eccentric assembly of Snug Cove souls.

Connie Wright

I lived in two Orchard cabins. My first cabin I moved into in 1976 and lived there until 1979. Then I returned in 1984. I needed a place to rent and like now there were very few rentals available. Cabin #11 had been thrashed and only the roof and floor remained.

All the windows, doors, plumbing and electricity had been ripped out. With friends’ help I put it all back together and lived there for almost 20 years. Having only wood heat and very little insulation made me hardy and I rarely got a cold.

I loved living in the Orchard, the heart and soul of the Cove. It was filled with independent creative women. Living alone in the Cove watching baseball in the summer and the spectacular pink mountains in the winter.

Truly a special place and I was very sad when Metro tore down five cabins. It’s a big part of Bowen history.

Elaine Loree

Ironic to think so in these days, but it was affordability, as well as availability, that first brought me to these shores back in June, 1981 – a newly single mom, three-year-old Jennifer in tow. And so we moved into our first Orchard home, a shared sublet with a friend and coworker, while the tenant went off for a year of sabbatical in Greece.

Oh my, the challenges and joys. Having never lived with firewood heating, two cords were ordered and delivered on my very first weekend, unfortunately blocking the lane beside the cabin. I strolled the neighbourhood, carefully studying other folks’ stacks, then went to work. (I was thrilled when a neighbour later complimented me on my woodpile, even though I soon after realized that the wood needed further chopping, and so had to do it all over again.)

Later, after the origi-

King Edward Bay Invasive Plant Removal PHOTO CREDIT: Heather Prittie

FAST TURNAROUND ON DECISIONS SO YOU CAN START YOUR PROJECT RIGHT AWAY.

APPLICATIONS OPEN FEBRUARY 23, 2021 INFORMATION AND APPLICATION: bowenfoundation.com/responsive-neighbourhood-small-grants/ Have any questions? Contact Lisa at the Bowen Island Community Foundation: lisa.wrinch@bowenfoundation.com PHOTO COURTESY OF ELAINE LOREE

“Orchard urchins”: Jen, Phaedra, Zack and Kindy in the 1980s.

bowenislandundercurrent.com

Thursday, February 18, 2021 • A9

Students finding heritage outdoors SARAH HAXBY

BICS community school coordinator

The answer to “where do you find heritage?” for Bowen Island Community School students is: from all around us! BICS students are in the midst of a year-long inquiry-based project called CurioStories: learning about connections to ourselves, others, and the world. This includes classroom learning about local heritage as well as going on a series of educational walking field trips to visit local heritage sites.

Students are learning about local Indigenous cultural heritage, including language, song, the importance of canoes and the traditional ecology of the Salish Sea. Students are also learning about local agricultural heritage such as Crippen Meadows and Davies heritage orchard.

There is a wide array of heritage sites and historic uses of Bowen Island for students to learn about (see p. 6).

Students in many BICS classes are consulting historical and contemporary maps as a way to look at Bowen Island through multiple heritage lenses! Special thanks for support and resources provided by the Bowen Island Heritage Preservation Association, the Bowen Museum & Archives and the Bowen Trails Heritage Map bowentrails.ca.

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DAWN RILEY PHOTOS

Life in the Orchard: Dawn Riley’s photos from her family’s time living in Davies Orchard.

nal tenant returned, I was able to move into my very own cabin, across from the Bowfest field.

As the proverb goes, “It takes a village to raise a child” and it certainly rang true in the Orchard. Children were free range. Jen and friends were welcomed into every home.

They could drop in to see Susie where “pick a piece” would await them, fingers of toast covered in assorted spreads and jams. A glass of Pepsi was always available from Harry, while a visit to Izadaura’s cottage was akin to entering an wonderland of cushions, draped fabric and patchouli. A sick day home from school turned magic when loaned Tracey’s very special collection of Barbies with designer clothes. Fridays were “Bow-Mart Day,” where 25 cents of allowance both filled a bag with penny candy and tested every ounce of Helen’s patience as decisions were made.

Being a grownup in the Orchard was no less magical.

Because where low rent translated into “fix it yourself,” a helping hand was never far away. Who knew there could be fun in a group of women, clothed in flannel nighties, big coats and rubber boots, wielding hair dryers, electric blankets and long extension cords, thawing out those water pipes that seemed to freeze at least once every winter? It is a treat to remember things like Izadaura’s car, with its homemade ICBC insurance sticker, and who can forget that year at Edye’s birthday, where champagne flowed like the waters of the Sound? (Because her birthday falls on Dec. 30, New Years Eve that year was unusually quiet.)

It is with a touch of melancholy that I stroll through the Orchard these days, remembering the vibrant community that once was. But if I listen closely, the voices and the laughter are still there. I can see Julian and Damian hiding in the plum tree, waiting to pelt an innocent passerby with an overripe plum; I can hear the sound of my cappuccino machine, a noisy invite to neighbours for coffee; I can see a young Zack kidnapping Tracey’s pink flamingo yet again.

And I wouldn’t trade these memories for the world...thanks, neighbours!

Dawn Riley

Our almost waterfront cabin had been full of mouldy hay left over from Bowen’s band of free range horses.

They could be seen all over Bowen, depending on where the grass was greenest.

By the time we moved to the orchard there was only one old white horse left. We cleaned out the hay and Nelson re-built, plumbed and furnished the cabin. The manager of the orchard cabins, Cy Harding, took him to other abandoned cabins where we could take our pick to furnish our cabin with dressers, a claw foot bathtub, and an oil cook stove; bricks made on Bowen, everything we needed - including a wringer washer (which we used!)

The rocky beach and Cove were our view, made more interesting in the winter when someone’s boat had been hauled out of the water as they made repairs for the coming season.

The scents of the waters of Howe Sound and raucous screeches of the nesting blue herons were part of our days. To be fair, the herons had to listen to our babies and children’s raucous play also. There were about nine young orchard kids all running in and out of our different cabins at different times. Friends dropped in on their way to and from the ferry daily. (No feelings of isolation while living in the orchard!) The herons seemed to like rearing their young amongst ours as they returned every year.

What is now known as the Bowfest field was a flat rocky area with various items of cast offs, junk and debris strewn around, which we cleaned up and fenced for our two horses. They fertilized and enhanced the view and the soil. Our horses subscribed to the free range vibe – I met one of my greatest friends when she knocked on our door saying, “Excuse me, I think it’s your horse that’s at our back door?”

A bit of drama, excellent neighbours, incredible wild

The Bowen Island Garden Club is pleased to present: Plant Adaptations in a Temperate Rainforest Please join us via Zoom at 7pm on February 22 for a fascinating hour long presentation by Daniel Mosquin.

Daniel is a Research Manager in the UBC Faculty of Science, Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research. He is an award winning photographer and an accomplished speaker on various aspects of plant research. Daniel will discuss adaptations various BC plant species have made to live with rain, year-round shade and moderate temperature extremes.

BIGC Members will receive an Zoom invitation to your inboxes. Non-members can join by logging on to bowenislandgardenclub.ca and choosing the contact tab.

Membership in the BI Garden Club is still a bargain at $15/yr. until the end of February.

Plant Adaptations in a Temperate Rainforest Zoom at 7pm on Monday February 22

A10 • Thursday, February 18, 2021

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Get to know your neighbour NEXT UP IN OUR NEW Q&A SERIES: MOIRA GREAVAN

A few weeks ago we launched our new Q&A “Get to know your Bowen Island neighbours” series with randomly selected Undercurrent subscribers. Sixth up is Moira Greavan.

When did you come to Bowen?

My mother moved here in ’79. I lived here off and on until I started looking after her more. I guess I must have moved in about 2000 – something like that.

What brought you to Bowen Island?

It was a question of affordability, even in those days. Also, it was just close to the

North Shore, because you couldn’t afford the North Shore, so it was Bowen Island.

And it had all the nice natural features that we enjoyed without being in suburbia.

Where on Bowen do you live?

Deep Bay. It’s the house in Deep Bay that has all of the laundry drying on the roof. It has a rooftop cactus house-greenhouse and has 100 flats of winter hardy succulents also on the roof. So I spend a lot of time on the roof with my glass of sherry.

Fill the ferry lineup gap or don’t fill the gap?

Thursday, February 18, 2021 • A11

I don’t ever fill the gap, no. I just go to the end of the line. Because you never know where the gaps are anyway.

What’s your favourite Bowen fact?

All of the nice hiking and walking trails you can enjoy without having to go too far out of the way. Lots of nice places to hike and walk, both seaside and mountainside.

What’s a Bowen Islander?

Somebody who doesn’t commute on weekends – stays on the rock at every opportunity.

What’s your favourite COVID-19 balm or activity?

Doing what I call my Dorman Point walk to get some exercise and fresh air. We need to keep the heart going.

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A12 • Thursday, February 18, 2021

C A L E N D A R

SATURDAY FEB. 20

Mini Art Works...with a TWIST Pick-up Party Hearth patio 1-4 pm Final bidding and pick-up. Info p. 3

MONDAY FEB. 22

Regular Council meeting Zoom 6:15 pm

Garden Club presents: Daniel Mosquin

bowenislandundercurrent.com

Zoom 7 pm Daniel is research manager in the UBC Faculty of Science, Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research. He is an award winning photographer and an accomplished speaker. BIGC Members will receive an Zoom invitation to your inboxes.

Non-members can

join by logging on to bowenislandgardenclub. ca and choosing the contact tab.

poet Susan McCaslin. Join the Zoom: us02web.zoom. us/j/82610461753

WEDNESDAY FEB. 24

Rotary Club talk: Tim Pardee Zoom 7:30 pm Tim Pardee from Bowen Island Fish and Wildlife Club talks the Terminal Creek Hatchery.

More information at bowenrotary.com.

The River Answers’ book launch Facebook Live 7 pm Jude Neale introduces her ninth published book of poetry to the world. The evening is also a book launch for well-known B.C.

THURSDAY FEB. 25

KIRSTEN DEGNER PHOTO

Emergency vehicles on Adams Road Feb. 11 responding to a house fire.

Neighbours spotted blaze CONTINUED FROM P. 1

The Pratts have found a place to live for the time being but now need to find a long-term home.

The circumstances of losing one’s home during a pandemic have also made life more complicated for all involved.

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The early response to the fire was thanks to some hawkeyed neighbours.

Larry Morse was driving west on Adams Road. He knows the route well, having lived on Buchanan Road for the past six years. Glancing up what some call Josephine Ridge, he could tell something wasn’t right – there was unusual smoke. Morse slowed to make sure it wasn’t brush burning, common this time of year, and by the time he reached the Buchanan Road turn off, he’d decided he needed to check on the house.

Because of COVID-19, Brad Hawthorn has been working from home. His home office window looks east over the direct neighbour’s property. Just before 1:30 p.m. Thursday, he noticed a lot of smoke. “Smoke was actually coming out the roof vents and different places around the roof,” he said.

“That’s the point where I realized there was a fire.”

Hawthorn threw on his shoes, ran out the door, clambered over the eight-foot fence between the properties and started banging on windows and doors. “Anywhere I could get at,” he recalled.

Morse had driven his truck up into the driveway and was banging on windows and doors on the other side of the house. By the time the two men met up, they’d figured there was no one inside and Morse called 911. Hawthorn called the owners of the home.

By that point other neighbours started to gather. One knew there was a cat inside and opened the kitchen door, hoping to allow the cat to escape. “The smoke coming out of it was really black, just a horrible, burning plastic or rubber kind of smoke coming out,” said Hawthorn. “So we…closed the door to try and keep the oxygen from getting in.”

Morse and Hawthorn estimated it was between five and ten minutes before the fire trucks came and the firefighters took charge.

The RCMP closed off the arterial Adams Road at first and once the fire was out, allowed one-lane traffic while cleanup was under way.

The GoFundMe for John Yamashita “Help John Yamashita Start Over,” is at gofundme.com/f/xhvb94. The GoFundMe for the Pratts “Susan and Bob Pratt’s Fire Relief Fund” is at gofundme.com/f/susan-and-bob-pratts-fire-relief-fund.