“What amazes me is it’s this wilderness park just on the edge of the city. It’s just an amazingly beautiful place.”
Rob Kolompar and his wife Jane, left, are the full-time caretakers of Neck Point Park, while Carl Evans and Lois Brammer, below, look after Westwood Lake Park.
Put it in pARK Caretakers know all parks’ secrets
Forget the corner office. There are no better workplaces in Nanaimo than Westwood Lake Park and Neck Point Park.
C
arl Evans and Lois Brammer at Westwood and Rob Kolompar at Neck Point are full-time, live-in park caretakers for the City of Nanaimo’s parks, recreation and culture department. The two wilderness parks are, probably, tied for Best of the City, and it’s where Evans, Brammer and Kolompar get to spend almost all their time. Kolompar loves the ocean views from Neck Point and Keel Cove, and he also likes to spend time on the walkway by the old boathouse. “It’s just marvellous,” he said. “It’s very beautiful.” He’s been living at Neck Point for seven years – he used to be caretaker of the 1.3-hectare parcel of private land that the city purchased in 2009 to expand the park. “That’s when the city asked if I wanted to continue doing what I was doing, but on a bigger basis. I said sure, I’d love it.” By now, he must know more of the park’s secrets than anyone. Volunteers come and clean the trails, he said, so his duties involve opening and closing the gates, keeping the washroom supplies stocked up, and generally keeping an eye on things. When he talked to the Bulletin earlier this spring, for example, he was waiting for someone to come attend to a dead sea lion that had washed up on the beach. Most of the wildlife is more pleasant to look at – there are eagles, hummingbirds, deer and otters that call the park home, and orcas that like to visit. The seas surrounding the point are filled with salmon, as anglers well know. Others come to Neck Point to enjoy the vistas, walk or jog on the trail network, or take advantage of the four distinct beaches. In the summer, said Kolompar, there are weddings almost every weekend. “I enjoy my work. It’s quite nice, the people are all really nice that come here; we don’t really have much for vandalism or anything like that,” he said. “I think this is one of the 30 Best of the City
nicest places that we have in Nanaimo.” Westwood Lake is another, to be sure. Evans enjoys walking up the bluffs overlooking the lake, while Brammer likes to head down to the fishing dock. “I go out there in the early mornings when nobody’s around and be by myself with the fish,” she said. “I really love that.” When the caretakers open the gates at six o’clock, there
are usually a few cars waiting. Most often there is a fisherman and some joggers in the queue at that time of day. As the sun gets higher in the sky, Nanaimoites might come to picnic, swim, or get out on the trail loop. Brammer said earlier this spring she took a cell phone photo for a father and his young son who had reeled in a keeper-sized trout and were pretty happy about it. “His son had just caught his first fish; it was such a great family-oriented experience,” she said. Evans and Brammer, who are married, just started the job in April. They are longtime “friends of the park,” Brammer said, who were delighted to be chosen as the new caretakers. They are responsible for the beach area, parking lots and washrooms, and the parks board handles upkeep of the trails. They might have been selected because of their experience – 30 years ago, they lived in Vancouver’s Stanley Park where Brammer operated concession stands. “This is a very different park, obviously,” said Evans. “What amazes me is it’s this wilderness park just on the edge of the city. It’s just an amazingly beautiful place.” It’s a rainforest just 10 minutes from downtown, Brammer said. “In the rain, the rain doesn’t come right down to you because of the boughs of the trees, and in the hot sun, it doesn’t get you. It’s just really, really beautiful. It’s like a cathedral.” Greg Sakaki sports@nanaimobulletin.com
Tuesday, June 28, 2011