The Dragon Fall 2006 Issue

A S A I N T I N N E W O R L E A N S • T H E Y E A R T H AT WA S

CONTINUING THE

TRADITION PREPARING FOR THE NEXT 75 YEARS AT ST. GEORGE’S SCHOOL

St. George’s School

Fall 2006

THE

DRAGON St. George’s School

Cover Photo: Kyla Brown Photography

MANAGING EDITOR Gordon Allan GRAPHIC DESIGNER Bruce Elbeblawy EDITOR Christine Moore GEORGIANS’ PRESIDENT Brian Soregaroli '84

SCHOOL LIFE 3

Great Expectations by Nigel R.L.Toy

4

Providing The Best by Peter Armstrong ‘72

5

Our Report Card by Bill Collins

6

2005–2006: The Year In Athletics by Richard Cohee

8

The Junior School by Gregory C.Devenish

10 PHOTOGRAPHERS Gordon Allan Douglas Hamilton '75 Kyla Brown Photography www.kylabrown.com Sam Leung, The Province Newspaper Steffen Tweedle The Dragon is published twice per year, expressly for Georgians, parents, and friends of St. George’s School.

It is also distributed to other Canadian independent schools and selected public or private institutions. Comments about any of the articles are always welcome.

Publications Mail Agreement #40580507.

Address all correspondence to: Gordon Allan Managing Editor, The Dragon St. George’s School 3851 West 29th Avenue Vancouver, BC, V6S 1T6 CANADA Phone: (604) 222-5817 Fax: (604) 224-4366 e-mail: thedragon@stgeorges.bc.ca

Connecting by Don Livingston

COMMUNITY LIFE 11

The Auxiliary by Jaymie Ho

12

Fresh Brew by Gordon Allan

15

Our New Boathouse by Staff

A LOOK BACK / OUR STORIED PAST 16

The Re-Birth of Rowing by David Darling

20

The Great Move by Brian Lecky '65

GEORGIANS 24

A Message From The President by Brian Soregaroli '84

25

Annual Georgians’ Dinner by Peter Weddigen '82

26

A New Georgian Advocate by Bryan Ide '99

27

Reunion Homecoming by Staff

28

When The Saint Goes Marching In by Dr.Douglas Hamilton '75

32

Saints Notes compiled by Elizabeth Knox

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Fall 2006

Independent Schools Association of British Columbia (ISA)

In 2005, as part of the School's 75th Anniversary, former Assistant Headmaster John Lawrence released a history of St. George's School entitled Without Fear or Favour. Recently, the book received a ‘Best of Visual Communication in Canada’ award. Copies of John Lawrence's book are available for sale through the School Store.

SCHOOL LIFE

Great Expectations For Another New Year

by Nigel R.L. Toy, Headmaster

“

“

Great schools exude a confidence and a sense of tradition that underpins all they strive to do.

Mr. Toy addresses students in the Great Hall

The

official opening of School on September 6, 2006 saw many hundreds of boys arriving back to St. George’s—the School roll recorded 1,151 of them. It was apparent that the returning students anticipated the reunions with friends and teachers and the new boys came with some apprehension, yet not without, I believe, feelings of high expectations and genuine pride.

All this took me back to my first day entering boarding at a new private school far from home in New Zealand.

The same thoughts and outward manifestation crowded in on me. It was an earlier time and I vividly recall a new adventure, just like all those schoolboy yarns. The one that stands out is Tom Brown’s School Days, and there is a part where Squire Brown, Tom’s father, bids his son farewell prior to his entering the great School of Rugby in the UK.

As I recall, he said to Tom: … be honest, be brave and never say anything your mother would be ashamed of!

Though it be of another age, Tom’s thoughts, expectations, and experiences in those initial weeks resonate with me. I believe it is as relevant today, as it was two centuries ago to the author Thomas Hughes. What values then can the 21st century independent school bring to the new entrant and his family? It is something we constantly ponder and inevitably it comes down to those key words of expectation and experience.

Great schools exude a confidence and a sense of tradition that underpins all they strive to do.We sense the pride in their past and the positive approach to the years ahead. Boys are cautiously drawn into, not only having high expectations of what the School will yield, but also that every student becomes soaked in the School’s traditions. I believe they want to do well, they are encouraged to do well, and

they will do well. Call it a self-fulfilling prophecy, but it does become the experience in the years ahead and there is that sense of challenge, fulfillment, and ultimate success that is measured in their personal terms.

During my decade at St. George’s School, I am deeply moved by what the faculty aspires to do and by what the boys achieve. Assembly is always full of examples of praiseworthy endeavours and outstanding performances. A new boy enters into this ‘commonwealth of souls’ and is moved on a daily basis by the power of the School’s intrinsic heart and by its determination to derive the very best from him, to provide a true sense of that quiet self-confidence, which I have come to believe is the characteristic of a young man of St. George's School. All this is part of the vision and I am thankful for a Board, Faculty, and Community that share those aspirations.

Without Fear or Favour Sine Timore Aut Favore

Fall 2006 • 3

SCHOOL LIFE

Providing The Best Building For Tomorrow

by Peter R. Armstrong '72, Chairman

“

We are consistently ranked as the premier academic and athletic school in the Province and are able to boast of students, who are engaged in awardwinning artistic and musical activities.

the fall of last year, former Assistant Headmaster John Lawrence released his history of St. George’s School, Without Fear or Favour. This lively account of the growth of St. George’s School since its founding in 1930 documents a series of stories of people who shared one thing in common—vision. This vision was of an outstanding day and boarding school for boys; a place of learning in which the needs of the whole child could be addressed.

In

Today, we can look back at those early visionaries and say, with confidence, that their dreams have been realized.

After 75 years, we are a school of 1,150 boys, 125 of whom are boarders. We

4 • The Dragon

are consistently ranked as the premier academic and athletic school in the Province and are able to boast of students, who are engaged in awardwinning artistic and musical activities.

We are now a school of which we can all be tremendously proud.

As those previous visionaries quickly realized, we can never rest on our laurels. Our current facilities are in need of constant modernization in order to keep us competitive with other independent schools. The opening of our Great Hall last October set the benchmark for future development and, in June, construction began on a two-storey school and office block to be the grand new entrance to the Senior campus.

“

The new two-storey front of the Senior School under construction

All of this is about staying true to our core values and ensuring that we provide the very best for our existing students, so that they, in turn, can continue to achieve their personal best. Yes, there are costs involved in these plans for renewal and these costs cannot be covered by tuition. Funds for projects like these come from those members of the St. George’s School Community who believe that, through ongoing support, we can respect and sustain the wonderful legacy that has been left to us. If you share in this vision, we look forward to hearing from you and discussing our plans as we move into the next 75 years.

Without Fear or Favour Sine Timore aut Favore

SCHOOL LIFE

Our Report Card A Year of Academic Success

by Bill Collins, Director of Studies

“

Based on their results on the Grade 12 Provincial exams and in District Scholarship presentations, 59 per cent of St. George's graduates earned scholarships for $1,000 from the Provincial government.

George's students continue to perform very well on year-end external exams.

The charts below show that St. George's averages are above overall Provincial averages for every Provincial exam in Grades 10 to 12. In Grade 12 Provincial exams, the average St. George's result is 11 per cent higher than the average result in the rest of the Province. In Provincial

St. Subject

exams for Grades 10 to 11, the average St. George's result is 16 per cent higher than the average result in the rest of the Province. Based on their results on the Grade 12 Provincial exams and in District Scholarship presentations, 59 per cent of St. George's graduates earned scholarships for $1,000 from the Provincial government. Included in the 59 per cent were two St. George's students who earned scholarships of $2,000 for being among the top 20 students in the Province.

Jonathan Goh was actually acknowledged for being in the top 6.

In the very challenging Advanced Placement exams, St. George's students achieved excellent results.

These exams represent work at the level of first year university. Many St. George's students scored a perfect five out of five; a high percentage received either four or five; and almost all students achieved at a level of three or above.

# of SGS papers

# of BC papers

St. George's Avg.

BC Avg.

80 84 158 53 11 94 41 38 10 19 116 57

12,372 9,994 27,027 4,644 284 7,473 1,478 7,036 3,459 3,069 14,600 6,605

82.3% 80.1% 82.6% 76.7% 87.1% 85.6% 81.0% 85.1% 80.7% 88.1% 79.7% 85.2%

68.2% 71.3% 68.7% 76.4% 86.0% 71.0% 68.7% 73.2% 75.3% 87.5% 70.5% 74.1%

82.2%

71.3%

85.5% 82.6% 81.8% 83.6%

70.6% 65.6% 62.7% 68.1%

83.4%

66.8%

Biology 12 Chemistry 12 English 12 French 12 German 12 Geography 12 Geology 12 History 12 Literature 12 Mandarin 12 Mathematics (Principles) 12 Physics 12 Average Grade 12 Provincial Exam score (weighted) English 10 Mathematics (Principles) 10 Science 10 Social Studies 11 Average Grade 10-11 Provincial Exam score (weighted)

143 134 144 150

34,518 26,563 33,008 27,016

Fall 2006 • 5

“

SCHOOL LIFE

2005–2006: THE YEAR OF

ATHLETICS

by Richard C. Cohee, Director of Athletics

2005–2006 academic year was certainly among the most successful for St. George’s School Athletics in its 75year history. Nearly 1,100 student-athletes made an impact on the local, regional, provincial, and even national scenes, both on and off the playing fields.

The

Even before the students returned, the enthusiasm could be felt in the community. The Varsity basketball team was invited to compete in one of the Nation’s premier tournament—The Silver Fox Invitational. Many teams were preparing international tours including the 1st XV rugby squad. They had started to plan their trip to Australia and New Zealand.The new u-14 development squad expanded the ice hockey program and also toured to Montreal. All in all, it was a marvellous way to begin the year.

By the time last year was complete, nine teams— aquatics, bantam and juvenile basketball, crosscountry, Senior and Junior ice hockey, skiing, tennis, and track and field—won their respective Provincial championships. In addition, the rowing program added four National Championship awards.

The new boathouse, which opened in September 2007, is the first building in St. George’s history located

6 • The Dragon

Justin Marpole-Bird

SCHOOL LIFE

2005/2006 CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS BCSS SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIPS (OFFICIAL) – AAA • Aquatics (aggregate) 1st • Badminton DNQ • Basketball (boy’s) 3rd • Cross Country 1st • Golf 10th • Rugby 5th • Skiing (boy’s) 1st • Snowboard 3rd • Soccer (boy’s) 6th • Tennis ¸ 1st • Track & Field (aggregate) 2nd • Track & Field (boy’s) 1st • Volleyball DNQ BCSS (SGS NOT PARTICIPATING IN) Football, Gymnastics, Wrestling, Curling NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS • Rowing: Senior Lightweight Pair Senior Heavy 4x Senior Lightweight 8+ Senior Lightweight 4+ • CAIS National Volleyball Championship (Invitational)

1st 1st 1st 1st 1st

ADDITIONAL AAA CHAMPIONSHIPS • Rugby – Invitational Sevens • Rugby – Lower Mainland League • Ultimate – Provincials • Junior Ultimate – Provincials • Hockey – Ross Cup, Provincial Championships • Hockey, Junior – Ross Cup, Provincial Championships • Basketball, Bantam – Provincial Championships • Basketball, Junior – Provincial Championships • Field Hockey, Senior – Provincial Championship

1st 1st 2nd 2nd 1st 1st 1st 1st 3rd

ISA CHAMPIONSHIPS • Aquatics • Cross Country • Golf Championship • Junior Hockey • Senior Hockey • Tennis • Bantam Rugby • Squash • Track & Field Championship

1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 2nd 1st

JUNIOR SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIPS (Grade 7) • ISEA – Cross Country Championship • ISEA – Basketball Championship • ISEA – Swimming Championship • CAIS – National Basketball Championship

1st 1st 1st 1st

off the School campus. This impressive new structure includes boatbays, reception facilities, conference and meeting rooms, offices, and locker rooms.

In the classroom, St. George’s studentathletes once again produced outstanding grade-point averages and contributed to the recognition as a premier academic institution by the Fraser Institute.

At St. George's Eighth Annual Athletic Awards Banquet, rowing standout

Ben Tuyp, cross-country and track standout Justin Marpole-Bird, crosscountry and triathlete Jordan Maynard, and multi-sport Varsity athlete Alex Murphy were recognized as finalists for St. George’s School Outstanding Sportsman of the Year.

Alex Murphy took home the School’s top athletic honour after successfully competing for the 1st XI soccer, Varsity basketball, and 1st XV rugby teams. All in all, a banner year in 2005–2006 has set the stage for what should be another phenomenal year at St. George’s School in 2006–2007.

Alex Murphy and Bol Kong

OVERALL TOP SCHOOL (BCSS Official Sports only) * • 1st St. George’s School 30 points • 2nd Oak Bay School 19 points • 3rd Carson Graham 15 points • 4th Vancouver College/Semiahmoo 10 points * 5-3-2-1 St. George’s has been the Number one Athletic School for the past 4 years. Top Ten finishes overall 2005-2006 = 14 TOTAL AAA CHAMPIONSHIPS 2002-2006 (five years) • BCSS = 17 • BC OTHERS = 10 • NATIONAL (Rowing) = 8

Fall 2006 • 7

SCHOOL LIFE

The Junior School Looking Back at our 75th

by Greg Devenish, Junior School Principal

Mr. Devenish discusses mutual topics of interest with students in Grade 2

“

The Junior School maintains a forward-looking vision that embraces new curricular and technological advancements.

The

2005–2006 year at the Junior School was one of success, both inside and outside the classroom. It was also a time of celebration, during which we all recognized the School’s 75th Anniversary.

The St. George’s community can be extremely proud of the School’s accomplishments since 1930. Its 75 years is a significant milestone and the history is well documented in John Lawrence’s book, Without Fear or Favour. He describes the ‘rags to riches’ story of a school with a foundation of hard work and, to some extent, faith.

Who, for example, could imagine starting a boarding school during the Depression years with little funding and not even the certainty of enrollment? But the risk paid off, and from those early years emerged the School as we know it today. St. George’s School has grown from an enrollment of 24 to 1,150 boys; from an original wood-framed farm house to modern facilities that span two campuses.

“

There have always been elementary school boys at St. George’s School and, from 1947 to 1958, Basil Robinson, the first Head of the Junior School, served 8 • The Dragon

a pivotal role in setting the foundation for the outstanding program we have today. Mr. Robinson would surely be pleased to know what was accomplished this past year. We began with the presentation of 75th Anniversary pins to all of our boys.These were worn proudly and were a constant reminder of the importance of the 2005–2006 year. In addition, the staff and students generated a list of 75 ways to save the planet. The goal was for each of the 16 classes to select a cause and develop a program, which either raised awareness or funds to make our planet a little better. There were numerous bake sales and walkathons, the proceeds of which helped to support organizations like the Liver Foundation, The Canadian Red Cross, and the Canadian Cancer Society. The Grade 7 class raised the necessary funds to build a well in Swaziland, which can now provide fresh water to a small village. The Grade 5 class collected clothes and books for 58 people who had been displaced by fire that swept through their apartment building in Burnaby. Finally, as a way of documenting their efforts, the Challenge Program prepared a time capsule to be opened in 2030.

The 75th Anniversary year was also a time during which our students had time to appreciate the Arts.The Art and Music departments organized and hosted the Junior School’s first ever

Music Festival. The 100-strong Grade 7 Concert Band hosted bands from York House and Collingwood Schools. The annual Arts Week was held in April and has been described as our best ever.

There were more individual student performances from dance to music.

Three Artists-in-Residence visited the School and shared their expertise with clay and metal sculpture and painting.

In the fall, actors and staff from both Schools presented an outstanding musical production of Oliver and officially opened the new theatre.This was a major undertaking that combined students from both the Junior and Senior Schools.

The 75th Anniversary celebrations gave all of us an opportunity to reflect on our past and look ahead to our centennial. This fall, change is already under way as we welcome the addition of a second Grade 1 class, the addition of a new state-of-the-art science lab, and the creation of a committee that will look at the feasibility of bringing pre-school programs into the School.

The Junior School maintains a forwardlooking vision that embraces new curricular and technological advancements. At the same time, we never lose sight of our founding principles and the legacy of previous generations of students, staff, and parents.

SCHOOL LIFE

THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR GEORGIANS WHO DISPLAYED THEIR ARTWORK DURING THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY STATE OF THE ART EXHIBITION.

Fall 2006 • 9

SCHOOL LIFE

Connecting Alumni and the School

by Don Livingston, Chief Advancement Officer

“

We look forward as well to staying in more regular contact with you. Through The Dragon twice a year, by email to individual Georgians, through your class rep, and via our soon to be launched revamped website.

matter where you are in the world, or whatever you may be doing in your studies, with your family, in your career or retirement, the fall season always brings back memories of days gone by spent in classrooms, on the sports field, preparing for a drama production, or involvement in some extra-curricular clubs and activities with friends from school. Our recollections of the good times usually improve with age, and we tend to forget (or maybe just ignore) all the tough challenges, the difficult exams and the occasional disciplinary action (did you really get caned three times??)

No

2006–2007 promises to be another terrific year for St. George’s School. On the heels of our much celebrated 75th Anniversary, we continue to build and improve both the facilities and the programs in order to provide the boys the best possible education and experience we can. The Senior School is in Phase IV of a building program that will see the addition of new class10 • The Dragon

rooms and necessary improvements to administrative and meeting space.

This will be complete next spring. If you haven’t been back to campus for several years, please do so—we’d be happy to show you around. The new Great Hall is a fantastic meeting spot for students and Georgians, and the completely renovated and improved theatre is magnificent. The just opened boathouse on the Fraser River in Richmond, which we share with UBC, provides a tremendous facility for our rowers. And, there are other improvements at the School—new science labs, updated gymnasium— the list goes on.

On the Georgian front. I’m delighted to welcome our first Manager of Georgian Relations. Bryan Ide ’99 (see story inset) who joined us in August and is dedicated to providing services to the more than 4,500 Georgians around the world. We’ll have much more to tell you about those services and programs that are being developed in the next Dragon. In the meantime, please give Bryan a call or drop him an email and see how you can be involved in the School!

“

Georgians at the 2006 Homecoming Reunion

We look forward as well to staying in more regular contact with you.

Through The Dragon twice a year, by email to individual Georgians, through your class rep, and via our soon to be launched revamped website, we will do our best to bring you news and information about happenings at the School, and keeping that network of Georgians thriving no matter where you may be located. There are many ways and many reasons for Georgians to stay engaged and we will help facilitate your interests.

Fundraising of course is a fact of life for independent schools.We rely heavily on parents and Georgians to support the School in two main areas— capital infrastructure and endowment. Much of what has been done to renew the campuses in the past several years is the result of generous donations, mostly from parents of current students. We hope that more Georgians will choose to offer their financial support to the School and look forward to sharing with you the School’s current needs, and how you can help, in future publications.

COMMUNITY LIFE

The Auxiliary Building the Scholarship and Financial Aid Program

by Jaymie Ho, Auxiliary President

Cecille Wong, Ellen Cornelissen, Headmaster Toy, and Jaymie Ho at the Fair Volunteers Thank-You Luncheon

George’s 75th Anniversary was an exciting year for the Auxiliary.

We were proud to have two of our past presidents, Helen Shim Boyle and Deborah McKeen, involved in the leadership of the 75th Anniversary Committee, and delighted that so many past presidents came to visit St. George’s School for a tour of the Great Hall at our annual Past Presidents’ breakfast, hosted in February by Lesley Bentley.

St.

In 2006, the Auxiliary substantially increased its support of scholarships and financial aid, more than doubling disbursements to $22,000. We increased our scholarships from four to six awards,by offering one $2,000 scholarship per grade from Grade 7 to Grade 12. We also increased our financial aid bursary from $2,000 to $10,000. At year end, the Auxiliary endowment totalled close to $400,000 and was one of the School’s largest endowment funds. The Auxiliary endowment fund was established in 1997 and its continued growth from Fair allocations and other revenues, is one of our key objectives.

“

“

Our annual Fair continued to enjoy its traditionally strong success and grossed over $300,000.

At our May EGM, we adopted changes to our by-laws which allows an increase in size to the Auxiliary board from 12 to 15 members and enable board members to serve for up to four years, instead of three, subject to annual reelection. Provisions were added to enable officers to serve for an additional year in their respective positions, subject to annual re-election. We believe these changes will help strengthen our board governance as well as allow for increased volunteer leadership opportunities. Copies of the Auxiliary’s revised by-laws are available upon request by contacting Tina Chan, our Auxiliary administrative assistant.

The Auxiliary hosted three well-attended Speaker Series in 2006, which focused on teen development, drugs and alcohol, and safe driving.Thanks to enthusiastic parent feedback, this series will continue in 2007. We wholeheartedly welcome the Georgians in our midst to join us this year at these events. Please check our Auxiliary calendar for upcoming dates!

School history at Convenor meetings, thanks to Elizabeth Knox, the School Archivist. With photos and numerous anecdotes, Elizabeth highlighted the important role of the Auxiliary during the past 53 years.

Our annual Fair under the fabulous leadership of Head Convenors, Ellen Cornelissen and Cecile Vu Wong, incorporated a St. George’s medieval knights’theme. It continued to enjoy its traditionally strong success and grossed over $300,000.Thank you to all the St. George’s families, teachers, staff, students, and Georgians for helping to make the 2006 Fair such a tremendous success. We are absolutely thrilled that Rita Ireland and Pam Hole have agreed to convene next year’s Fair on May 5, 2007. Exciting plans are underway.

Expect to have fun!

Please come and join us at our Annual General Meeting on November 7 at 7:30 pm in McLean Hall to learn more about the Auxiliary’s activities and plans for the new school year. We look forward to seeing you there!

During the year, parents enjoyed a unique opportunity to learn about the Fall 2006 • 11

Fresh

BREW

How two St. George’s moms made Kokopeli Dunbar’s favourite Coffee Shop.

by Gordon Allan

is not very often that you see Starbucks fighting for market share of the coffee business. The general consensus is that they have had the market cornered for some time. At least, that was until St. George’s School parents, Jessica Hotz, Cindy Delgado, and a third partner, Michelle Herbert, moved into the Dunbar area. They are the founders of Kokopelli, one of the country’s only kid-friendly coffee shops and it is conveniently located just around the corner from St. George’s School.

It

Hotz, who is parent of Alex in Grade 3 and Delgado, who is mother of Xavier in Grade 2 and wife of a Georgian (Marco ’88), met over coffee one day to conceive their brainchild.

“We saw a real hole in the marketplace in that there was nowhere in the neighbourhood to go and relax if you had your kids with you,” says Hotz. She was remembering an embarrassing moment in Starbucks, when her son accidentally upended a cup of coffee on a customer because there was nowhere for him to play.

“We saw a need for not only a place that offered the very best coffee, sandwiches, and baked goods, but also room for young children to play while their parents socialize,” says 12 • The Dragon

Delgado. Cindy is originally from the Philippines and a graduate of Mills College in the US. Before opening the doors to their large coffee shop, which includes a generous play area with toys, books, and play materials, Hotz and Delgado spent over a year researching the industry, attending trade shows, and sampling coffees from a number of Vancouver’s choice coffee haunts.

“In an industry in which close to 80 per cent of new shops fail, we knew that we had to make sure we understood what the market wanted and that we found the right location to offer our product,” says Hotz, who holds an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business.

COMMUNITY LIFE

Fall 2006 • 13

“In the end, our gut told us that our concept was right; the clincher was in finding store space on Dunbar,” says Delgado, whose routine at Kokopelli also includes getting up at 5:00 am each morning to make all of the baked goods for the shop.

other and socialize together. A place like Kokopelli has become a magnet that draws the community together.”

“If you go into any coffee shop in Vancouver, chances are you will sample the same pieces of carrot cake, banana bread, and chocolate chip cookies because everyone buys from the same suppliers,” says Delgado. “We realized from the outset that, with a fully operational kitchen, we had a real opportunity to offer homemade, healthy baked goods and sandwiches. What we hadn’t anticipated, was that these products would become as popular as our coffee products”.

“It has been an adjustment for my family and a balancing act for me.” But, she admits, it is more than worth it. “I want my children to see me in the workplace.

I think it provides a good role model for them and gives them a good foundation in terms of how they see the world.”

But according to Delgado, the time and effort put into the shop have not been without a price.

“Both of our husbands have also been very supportive,”says Delgado who met her husband, Marco, in the 1980s when she was a student at York House School and he was a boarder at St. George’s.

“This past Mother’s Day, both of our husbands agreed to man the coffee shop for the first time. Needless to say, the rest of our shop’s staff looked on with some trepidation. But they did okay”, says Delgado with a grin.

14 • The Dragon

Kokopelli also offers organic baby food, take-out frozen dinners, and catering within the Dunbar area.

Since opening just over a year ago, Kokopelli, whose name refers to a famous American Southwestern fertility god, prankster, healer, and storyteller, has received numerous accolades, including praise in the Vancouver Sun, The Province, and the Globe and Mail.

And earlier this year, Kokopelli was voted ‘Vancouver’s Best Coffee Bar’.

“This is a family-centric neigh-bourhood,” says Hotz.“People know each

The shop is also becoming a favourite spot for St. George’s students, staff, and

parents. Recently, the whole Grade 1 class enjoyed a morning at the shop learning how it operates.When the class was asked what they thought made a successful business, one lad piped up and said: “you must know your customer”.

Hotz and Delgado continue to study their customers’ needs.“We’re already in the planning stages of offering new services,” says Delgado, who shows a plan to deliver breakfasts, lunches, and coffee to homes and businesses.

“Recently, I was training for a marathon and the organizers of the run provided me with home-delivery breakfasts. I loved the service and I think they would catch on here too,” says Delgado.

And what of Starbucks, which operates a coffee shop a block away? According to Hotz, they have gone on the defensive.

“We saw an immediate response from Starbucks soon after we opened.

Suddenly, toys started to appear in their store and their manager was out and about in the community flogging free drinks. It was a real compliment,” say Hotz and Delgado proudly.

While there has been some thought of expanding and franchising Kokopelli, at this point Jessica and Cindy want to stay put. “It’s our new baby”, says Delgado.

“We’re not quite ready to let go.”

Understandable sentiments from two St. George’s mothers, whose passion for business and customer satisfaction is infectious.

COMMUNITY LIFE

The Saints rowing program continues to grow and establish new records of achievement. To maintain this fast growing and competitive athletic option, the School is proud to announce that on September 30, 2006, in partnership with the University of British Columbia and the City of Richmond, it opened The John M.S. Lecky Boathouse, which will become home to our Rowing Program.

OUR NEW

BOATHOUSE

Fall 2006 • 15

A LOOK BACK

owing has been a part of St. George’s School since its foundation and in 1986 the program gained a permanent spot in the curriculum. David Darling is currently Head of Grade 11 and has been a teacher of Social Studies for 20 years. He has written the first of a two-part history of rowing at the School and reflects on its growth since 1986.

R

In September 1986, I was hired to teach senior history and set up a rowing program. I had been captain at the Vancouver Rowing Club and this credential was just as important as, and possibly even more so, than any of my academic qualifications! However, the return of

THE RE-BIRTH OF

rowing to Saints was not greeted with auspicious support from the School community.

Fortunately Headmaster Alan Brown was a firm believer in the democratic principle of ‘one man one vote’ and an even firmer believer, that he was the man and his was the only vote that mattered. Thus, it was in spite of almost unanimous opposition from the staff, that rowing made its tentative return to Saints.

The first crew took to the water in the fall of 1986 at the Vancouver Rowing Club with borrowed equipment and an eclectic mix of lads.

From the start, the program attracted a wide range of boys. Some had more enthusiasm than athletic prowess! Generally speaking, the top athletes played rugby and rowing tended

to attract many of those who were not considered athletic enough for the other more established sports. However, there were always significant exceptions. The first captain, James Millership, and a few others of the inaugural crew, such as Peter Black and Geoff Mair had solid athletic credentials in rugby but, they were in the minority.

During the first two years we used the facilities at VRC and enjoyed the services of former Canadian national rower, John Cordonier, who was our first official Head Coach. As Director of Rowing and armed with my newly acquired Class 4 licence, I was the designated driver of the School bus as well as a coach. I recall an early trip to Stanley Park, which involved a

by David Darling, Head of Grade 11

ROWING AT SAINTS THE FIRST TEN YEARS, 1986–1996

Left to right: Boris Klavora, Clarke Olson, Jamie Murphies, Brandon Lee (Cox), Christopher Hoffmeister, Alan Linsley, and David Darling

16 • The Dragon

A LOOK BACK

minor altercation between the bus and a car. For the remainder of the week the crew insisted on wearing crash helmets and asking if this was ‘the Death Bus’!

Part of the ritual on the homeward run during the second year was to see how long it took to overtake assistant coach Pat Turner on his bicycle. Pat was the bowman in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic gold medal winning Canadian 8+ and he was no slouch. It was not until half way up Dunbar hill that we usually caught up with him.

Novices to the sport in those early days will remember how disconcerting it was rowing in Coal Harbour with seaplanes sweeping in low as they came in to land.

They seemed to be just above head height. Characters from those early formative VRC days that come to mind are Kibben Jackson. If any piece of equipment could be found to malfunction Kibben would find it. Adrian ‘The Beast’ Thompson was so named for his performance on the erg. Costantine Tanno and Matt Grenby went on to row at Yale and Harvard respectively and were the first Saints Crew Ivy Leaguers.

In 1988, we competed in the first of the annual Saints College Boat Races against the newly created Fighting Irish Crew of Vancouver College. The race was modelled on the better known Oxford–Cambridge Boat Race, complete with coin toss for choice of station, but with a nod to Ivy League tradition of the victorious crew winning the losers’ shirts. The original set of racing rules specified that the defeated program director should treat his victorious counterpart to a few pints of “a dark malt-based alcoholic beverage of Irish origin”, which happened to be a favourite tipple of both. For the record, Saints won the inaugural race and the first post-race brunch was held at Jonathan’s restaurant on Granville Island.

After two years at VRC, the program relocated to Delta Deas Rowing Club.

Mr. David McLean, a St. George’s parent, had very generously donated sufficient funds to complete the construction of

the boathouse. The Delta Deas Rowing Club had been unable to finish on its own. Now we were proud owners of our own fleet of shells, and this soon grew to include two 8+s, two 4+s, and two 2-s.

Saints rowers spent the next couple of years on Deas Slough under the direction of former Upper Canada College coach Peter Mordie. All novices will have fond memories of their first water practices in the 16-seat training barge.

Rowing in this contraption brought to mind the slave galley in the film Ben Hur. Eight rowers on each side pulled their hardest to move what seemed like a 10ton concrete block, all the while under the scrutiny of the coxes and coaches, who would wander up and down the central walkway critiquing technique and dispensing words of encouragement and occasional wisdom.

In these early years, we attended regattas at Brentwood and Shawnigan, which then doubled as the now-defunct BC Junior Rowing Championships, and also Green Lake in Seattle. A number of longstanding traditions began in these early years; for example, the annual dinner and awards night. The first was held at Mother Tucker’s Restaurant in 1988. The spring training camp was initially at Brentwood College School and we made annual visits to the Canadian Secondary Schools Rowing Association regatta in St. Catharines, Ontario.

In 1990 for the first time, Saints crews headed off to St. Catharines, Ontario and the Canadian Secondary Schools Championships and the program began to establish a respectable reputation.

New Head Coach Boris Klavora was a former strokeman for the Yugoslavian Olympic 8+ and was renowned for being the coach for the Canadian national men’s team for the previous two Olympics and several world championships. Boris was an excellent technical coach and always had his feet firmly on the ground. I remember his common sense advice to me when I was worrying if our crews were good enough to go back East to the nationals. He said that it didn’t matter if they weren’t that good.

What mattered was that the crews back

East were worse! In the event, many of the crews back East were considerably worse and the Saints contingent returned with several finals appearances and a bronze medal in the junior lightweight 4+. This proved to be the first of many national medals to come and kept us well ahead of the schedule, called for by 1987’s inaugural Five-YearPlan.

Those early trips to St. Catherines were very intense and exciting affairs. It was still very much a novelty racing at such rarefied heights and the sense of occasion was deeply felt. There were, of course, the usual boyish pranks to let off steam (usually involving water balloons and much mopping up) but, no major behavioural problems, at least from the athletes! The same could not be said of the parents. After an exciting day of racing, we were asked to leave a very expensive Niagara-on-the-Lake restaurant because of one parent’s tired and emotional behaviour. We adults had to wait outside, while the boys finished their meals without incident! Not a scenario one would normally imagine!

In 1992, we held spring training in the warmer waters of San Diego. We celebrated the first Provincial championship win (the senior heavy 4+, which went on to place second in the nationals) and the first, and so far only visit, to the Mecca of the rowing world, the Henley Royal Regatta. We moved to False Creek to what we thought would be a shortterm temporary home in the Burrard Civic Marina car park.

The Brentwood spring training camps will be remembered for the spectacular sunrises from behind Mount Baker across Mill Bay and Boris’ homemade muesli-style breakfast mix. From 1992 to 1997, we noted that the Brentwood sunrises paled by comparison with the sunsets in San Diego. We also enjoyed the excursions to Sea World and Disneyland and these became staples of all future camps. We also established a last-night tradition of a themed dinner with humorous awards and the occasional skit. Some might still have difficulty for-

Fall 2006 • 17

KIERAN VAN RIJN On Wednesday, October 5, 2005, family, friends, and fellow members of the St. George’s Community assembled in McLean Hall to pay tribute to Kiran van Rijn, a former student of the School and an outstanding rowing graduate. Kiran passed away unexpectedly in late September. He was 29 years old. Kiran was stricken with a heart problem while rowing on Burnaby Lake.

getting the impromptu performance of the Mexican hat dance by Alex Munro and company no matter how hard they try.

We stayed right in Mission Bay at the Catamaran Resort Hotel.The boats were stored on the grass by the beach and Jim and Gerry, two professional boatmen from Oxford, came over each year to drive our very temperamental boat trailer, help with some coaching, and keep all our equipment in top shape. My experience driving the trailer back the first year was not a very positive one; a left turn in Sacramento involved closing a six-lane divided highway by the local highway patrol. On another occasion a short break for lunch at a truck stop turned into a lengthy exercise of getting even larger tow trucks to extract the 60foot loaded trailer from a trailer park, which refused to give the Suburban’s four-wheel drive the respect it normally commanded. (How so?) The Jim and Gerry Road Show was not going to get a lot of competition for the honour of driving that trailer! Those who do remember the Jim and Gerry years will no doubt be saddened to hear of Gerry’s death after a very short illness in February 2005.

Other San Diego memories include early morning ‘Chariots of Fire’style runs along the beach, the unfortunate fascination of some for the doubtful culinary delights of Taco Bell, the breakout of dyed green hair, the bruises on the back of Robin ‘black and blue’ Black courtesy of a timing-challenged crewmate, the disappearance of Ian George just hopping out of the boat for a bathroom visit

near the shore in an unexpectedly deep 15 feet of water.

The UK visit in 1992 was a memorable affair with a week in student rooms at St. Peter’s College followed by a week of bed and breakfasting in Henley. It did however get off to an inauspicious start when Olly Linsley arrived at Vancouver airport clutching a heavily bandaged hand, which he had cut with a carving knife while preparing a last minute snack. Nevertheless, on the water it was a successful trip. The heavy 4+ won two events (and accompanying tankards) at Reading Regatta. At Egham Regatta we defeated a South African crew in the final. In the first round at Reading, it was surprising to be drawn against local BC rivals Shawnigan Lake School in the first round. In fact, there were a lot of Canadian crews in the UK that summer of 1992. The opening day of Henley despite falling on July 1 was anything but successful for Canada. Shawnigan, Brentwood, and Saints went out in the first round. The Saints 8+ was not straight at the start and promptly hit the log boom lane divider while the previously successful 4+ had the misfortune of losing their steering while leading in their heat. However, it would have to be a far greater disaster than that to take the shine off the three sets of pewter tankards they had already won.

Kiran, a graduate of the University of British Columbia, the University of Victoria, and the University of Toronto, continued to achieve remarkable success in rowing in a variety of élite competitions, eventually becoming a member of the Canadian National Rowing Team and a finalist in the Senior Men’s Single Sculls at the Canadian Henley Regatta in Port Dalhousie, Ontario.

In recognition of Kiran’s outstanding accomplishments and his leadership by example, the School has established the Kiran Van Rijn Memorial Scholarship, which is awarded annually to a student currently enrolled in good standing in either Grade 10 or 11 at St. George’s School.The recipient must be an active member of the School’s rowing program as either a rower or a coxswain.

To make a contribution to the fund, please contact the Advancement Office at (604) 2225889 or email advancement@stgeorges.bc.ca

Graham Zink. Graham subsequently enjoyed a far more extensive tour of a British hospital than he anticipated or would have wished. His sympathetic crewmates made good use of their time practising their racing strategy with the help of vacant wheelchairs before being invited to move elsewhere.

Other UK memories include the trip to Stratford and the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Measure For Measure. Half way through the performance, Drew Hungerford had to seek

Off the water in the UK there was some excitement we could have done without. One of our coxswains, Brandon Lee in attempting to demonstrate his agility and leaping prowess, brought down a Victorian cast iron shop awning on to the head of one of his crewmates, Former Head Coach Boris Klavora

18 • The Dragon

A LOOK BACK

medical assistance for a nasty case of hives (a not uncommon effect of Shakespeare on some students). Then there was the infamous punting expedition during which coxswain Brandon Lee had nefariously schemed to get me in the river; he eventually succeeded and I was a rather damp and dishevelled member of our riverside pub dinner party. On the return, our flotilla of punts lost its way and did not arrive back at the punting station until well after dark and closing time, which cost us a late fee not much less than the total replacement value of the punts in the first place.

Memories of these early regattas include a novice crew running aground on the way up to the start at Brentwood.

Crossing the finish line with the crew in a rescue craft and the shell in tow behind was an unorthodox approach to racing, which thankfully has not been repeated (and to save embarrassment the unfortunate coxswain’s name will not be repeated either!). Then, in 1993, also at Brentwood, Kiran van Rijn and Olly Linsley, after winning the senior heavy pair, picked up the boat to find a substantial amount of Mill Bay cascading over their heads. In 1990, the BC Championships at Shawnigan Lake Regatta went down as the most memorable arrival of any Saints crew. In order to accommodate seniors wanting to go to the Crofton Grad the night before, Clark Olson’s father flew them in. Having half the crew delivered to the dock in a float plane raised more than a few eyebrows. At the end of the regatta, the announcer had a little fun in announcing that the St. George’s crew should head straight to the outdock for check in, as their flight was about to board!

I am sure that there are many other anecdotes that former Saints rowers might like to share. Some I might have forgotten or simply not recounted here.

If that is the case, the Georgians’ page on the Saints’ Rowing website provides the perfect venue. I look forward to seeing some nostalgic reminiscences there in the not too distant future.

TODAY AND IN THE FUTURE In 1999 Craig Pond, the UBC Women’s head coach, became head coach and a working relationship with UBC began to evolve. Now, UBC supplies advice and university-student assistant coaches to our program.

letes. When this is combined with an unmatched record of placements at prestigious US universities then it can be seen that the program has really come of age.

MEMORABLE EVENTS By 2000, the number of our students involved in the rowing program gradually increased, so now we own some 20 shells and coach boats and, there are 70 boys rowing in both fall and spring terms, with up to 50 rowers on the water after School on any afternoon!

After a number of years with excellent competitive results in the smaller boats at the national level, we are now having success at the senior level in the larger boats and are closing in on the more established rowing programs. Our success in the high school national championships is a true measure of our progress. In the last two years we have achieved tremendous results. As we strive to reach our potential over the next few years, it is realistic to expect even better competitive results from our team at the national championships. Needless to say, our future looks bright indeed. In addition, the number of Saints rowers who have gone on to row at the university level and for Canada continues to increase with every year.

An exciting new chapter in the history of rowing at Saints is about to begin.

Under a partnership agreement between St. George’s School, University of British Columbia, and the City of Richmond, a new boathouse has been constructed on the middle arm of the Fraser River and this facility is ready to use as the home of the Saints’ Rowing Program. This concludes more than a decade of coaching from a False Creek open-air parking lot, which requires beach launching.

One of the measures of how successful rowing itself has become an established School sport is how over time a greater number of rowers began to be recognized as among the School’s top ath-

• Saints’ Rowers Strike Gold at Nationals in 2004, 2005, and 2006 Every year in early June a St. George’s School rowing team is selected along with 2,500 other competitors from some 150 schools to spend a week in St. Catharines, Ontario to compete in the three-day Canadian Secondary Schools Rowing Championships.

• In 2004, our team of 13 rowers won one gold, two silver, and two bronze medals, earning 71 points to place third nationally in men’s total points.

Our seniors won the Senior Double event, finishing six seconds ahead of the second place boat, and placed second in both the Senior Coxed Four and Senior Eight events. The latter race was one of the fastest and closest races in many years. Our junior rowers placed third in two events.

• In 2005, our team of 20 rowers won two gold and one silver medal along with three respectable fourth place finishes, earning 81 points to place fourth nationally in men’s total points.

Our seniors won the Senior Double (again) and the Senior 72 kg eight event in impressive fashion, finishing four seconds ahead of second place UCC. A mere two hours later, five boys from this eight placed second to a well-rested E.L. Crossley crew in the Senior 72 kg Coxed Four event.

• In 2006, our team of 29 rowers won gold medals in four Senior Men events—the Lightweight Eight, the Lightweight Coxed Four, the Quad, and the Lightweight Pair. When the team points were tallied, Saints had earned 100 points, good enough to place second nationally in boy’s total points and sixth in combined boy’s and girl’s points.

Fall 2006 • 19

OUR STORIED PAST

hether you call it the ‘Great Move’, the ‘Trek’, or the ‘Big Walk’, it really does not matter; it was a momentous time in the history of St. George’s School. How often does the entire membership of any institution unite at one single point in time to carry out a specific task? That is exactly what happened over a four-day period in March 1980. Between March 7 and 10, without the asistance of any outside professionals, the entire Junior School, and all aspects of the boarding program were moved from the School’s original location at 29th and Crown (‘Block 60’) to new facilities in what was previously known as The Convent of the Sacred Heart. Every member of the St. George’s School community was involved in some way. In fact, the move went so smoothly that the Junior School lost only one hour of class time. It was a huge task and a huge step forward for St. George’s School. As former Headmaster Alan Brown (1971 to 1989) states, “It was a seminal moment in the history of the school. Without it we had a very constrained future.”

W

Everything started with a very fortuitous phone call from the Mother Superior of the Convent to then Headmaster Brown.

Knowing that he had shown an interest in the property at an earlier date, she asked if he was still interested in acquiring it.

His immediate response was, “Yes”.“Well you should come and view it sometime”, to which Alan responded, “How about in 30 seconds?” The property had already been offered to, and turned down by, both the local Archdiocese and Vancouver College, so a quick decision was paramount. It would next be offered to developers who were willing to pay considerably more

20 • The Dragon

In March of 1980, the entire School Community helped with the move to the newly-acquired Junior School.

Great The

by Brian Lecky '65

than St. George’s School. The Order’s primary desire was that the buildings and property remain intact and that they continue to function as a learning establishment. There was no time for hesitation so the School accepted the offer with little delay. It was 1979, and 9 acres of land in the Dunbar region were sold for two million dollars plus 50 thousand for the contents of the buildings. In anybody’s terms it was a fabulous bargain.

Once the sale had been completed, much had to be done to prepare the buildings for occupancy.

It had to be trans-formed into a full campus for 250 Junior School students and residences for 120 boarders; “The Convent was virtually gutted and rebuilt internally…particularly in the upper floors, very little remained of what was there before.”

(Alan Brown—The Georgian 1980)

Construction began in the fall of 1979 and by March 7 of the follow-

ing year an interim occupancy permit was issued to the School by the Fire Marshall and Building Inspectors. The Board and Finance Committee were very anxious to get on with the move as they were starting to labour under a significant debt load.The sale of Block 60 (Original school and boarding houses) could not commence until all the buildings were vacated. Thus, on the evening of Friday, March 7, 1980, while the Old Boys (Georgians) held their Annual Dinner in the old Junior School

OUR STORIED PAST

Junior School from one facility to another.

Come Monday morning one learning institution, the Convent of the Sacred Heart School for Girls would pass into history, while another, St. George’s School for Boys—Junior Campus, would begin a new era. 250 students from Grades 2 to 7 and 120 boarders would now call this their home base. Things were dusted and vacuumed, loose items were stowed wherever there was a vacant spot, and plans were finalized for the final thrust. The next morning, within a few short hours, this would become a fully operational school.

Move gymnasium, the ‘Great Move’ began.

The first stage was to get the Boarders out of the Main House (the original school building) and into the new facilities on the upper floors of the Convent (fourth and half of third). With the help of 200 Senior School volunteers, the building was emptied and by nightfall, the Junior Boarders (Grades 4 to 8) were in their new facilities. All that remained for them to do was to put together their new

Ikea beds and storage units.

This task was not completed until the late evening of the following day.

Stage two was to move the remainder of the Boarders and all their belongings from the various boarding houses on Block 60 to the Convent residences. This took place on the Saturday (March 8) and included the emptying of the numerous storage sheds that were scattered about the old property. Items that could not go

directly into the classrooms or dorms went into temporary storage in the new gymnasium or changing rooms. They were soon filled to capacity and what was no longer of use was tossed on to the discard heap at the back of the new building.

This junk pile grew to the size of a small mountain measuring 40 feet wide by 25 feet high.

Sunday was a day of general clean up and preparation for the final stage of the move; the actual transition of the entire

At 9:00 am Monday morning the entire Senior School student body and staff became the St. George’s Moving Company.They arrived at the old junior campus and literally carried off everything that would move. Chairs, desks, office fixtures, staff room paraphernalia, and library books were physically lugged a block and a half, along 29th Avenue to the new Junior School location. Larger items were loaded on to two flat bed trucks that had been rented for the day. To the Dunbar residents, it must have looked like there was an evacuation underway. The junior boys were responsible for all their own personal items and classroom materials, so class by class they collected their various bags and totes, waved goodbye to the buildings that had been St. George’s School for 50 years, and marched down the street to their new facilities.

There was high energy, excitement, loud voices, laughter, and a genuine zeal surrounding the whole event. Within a few hours, before the break for lunch, the ‘Great Move’ was complete, and in fact, the Junior School classrooms were up and operational before 10:00 am. The old campus was an empty shell, save for the stained-glass windows in the chapel, the kitchens, and the dining hall, which would remain in operation for a few more weeks. The new campus was a hive of activity.

The spirit and soul of St. George’s, which was born in the original old farmhouse structure, was alive and well.

This was an amazing period of time in the history of the School, right from the fortuitous series of events that lead to the acquisition of the Convent property to the actual move that united the entire School community. Whether you call it ‘The Great Move’, the ‘Trek’, or the ‘Big Walk’, it really does not matter. It was a giant move forward that propelled the School into a new era as one of the top private schools in Western Canada.

Fall 2006 • 21

The Georgian Quiz

S

o what are boys at Saints studying these days? Our department heads were asked to select a few of their sample trivia questions for you to try.

Complete this short quiz and send your correct answers to: Georgian Quiz Advancement Office 3851 West 29th Ave Vancouver, BC V6S 1T6

All correct entries will be placed in a draw to receive a St. George’s Golf Shirt. Make sure you include your contact information and shirt size.

1. Identify the grammatical error in the following statement: “The Odyssey was written in the eighth century B.C., however, it describes events that took place much earlier.”

2. Identify the poetic device in the following lines: “Blow winds, and crack your cheeks! Rage! Blow You cararacts and hurricanes, spout Till you have drench’d our steeples, drown’d the cocks!”

3. In an office, at various times during the day, the boss gives the secretary a letter to type, each time putting the letter at the top of the pile in the secretary's in-box.

When there is time, the secretary takes the top letter from the pile and types it. If there are five letters in all, and the boss delivers them in the order 1,2,3,4,5 which of the following could NOT be the order in which the secretary types them?

A 12345 B 24351 C 32415 D 45231 E 54321 4. Describe a "double majority" and how it affected politics in Canada in the mid 1800s.

5. What is Intaglio Printing?

6. Athletic training can be guided by two principles represented by these two acronyms: F.I.T. S.A.I.D. What do the above acronyms represent?

7. You are out on a mountain trip and when you go to bed your altimeter reads 5,000'. When you wake up in the morning, it reads 5,200'. Does this mean the weather is likely going to get better or worse?

8. Why is a compound resveratrol, found in red wine, so called?

9. Who was the first teacher of English in Japan (1848) and where in Canada was he educated 10. One of the cornerstone pieces of repertoire for Concert Band is Gustav Holst's 'First Suite'. What is the key signature (in concert pitch) of all three movements?

(Hint: the answer also figures prominently in the full title of this work.)

22 • The Dragon

MONDAY, JUNE 19, 2006

OUR SINCERE THANKS TO THOSE WHO GENEROUSLY SPONSORED THIS EVENT

GOLD PATRON SAINT

A. G. TSAKUMIS GROUP SILVER PATRON SAINTS DGBK Architects

HOLE SPONSORS Alexander Holburn Beaudin & Lang LLP—Michael A. Watt '83 Arbutus Financial Services Ltd.—Neil Menzies '82 Cambie Surgery Centre—Dr. Brian Day Clarkes Recognition—Peter Clarke '74 Colliers International—Gavin Reynolds '86 Comfort Graphics—Mr. David Jeffs The Cruickshank Family Envision Financial—Peter Birks '77 Genus Capital Management—Ms. Leslie Cliff Haakon Industries—Mr. Bob Hole and Mr. Jack Hole Havenridge Property Corp HSBC Capital (Canada) Inc.—Mr. David Mullen JBA Packaging Co Ltd.—Mr. James B. Ashby Jimmy Chee—Derby Holdings Ltd Kapt-al Services (1988) Ltd.—Mr. Michael Adamson Kerrisdale Lumber—Mark Perry '73 Luk Kwok Hotel—Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Chan Montridge Financial Group Ltd.—David Kraemer '82 National Bank Financial—Courtesy of Rick Eng '90 Odlum Brown Ltd.—Ryan French '84 Ritchie Bros Auctioneers—Bob Armstrong '81 Shad Valley—Mr. Ross McCutcheon Take 5 Café Corporation—Ms. Yolanda Friedman

INSIDE: • • • •

FROM THE GEORGIANS’ PRESIDENT page 24 ANNUAL GEORGIANS’ DINNER page 25 BRIAN IDE: A NEW GEORGIAN ADVOCATE page 26 SAINTS NOTES page 32

A SAINT IN

NEW ORLEANS

THE GEORGIANS

From The President “ The Our Board has been reinvigorating the Association over the past few years.

School is on the Verge of Greatness and the Opportunity is Now

“

Many of us graduated from St. George’s during an era when there was little to tie us back to the School. Oh, we kept in touch with a handful of friends, and went back to visit favourite teachers from time to time, check on the updates and changes to the physical plant of the School, and perhaps attended an Old Boys’ Annual Dinner at the School, but there was no real place for us within the St. Georges’ community.

All that has changed dramatically over the past few years. The School, under Headmaster Nigel Toy, has opened its arms to us, and the Board of the School Society has provided tremendous resources to help welcome us back into the community. The School’s Office of Advancement, under the direction of Don Livingston, has recently hired Bryan Ide ’99 as Manager of Georgian Relations, to assist our Association in reconnecting with the School.

As you may know, our Board has been reinvigorating the Association over the past few years, and the School is taking an active role in that process. They provide us with resources and venues for our activities, and they want Georgians to be an important part of the School’s future. Today’s students are proud of the legacy of the School, and we are that legacy. Now is the time to reconnect with the School community. Now is the time to embrace a School that wants you to be active in that community. (There are any number of ways of doing so, but listing them is not the intent of this message. If you want to know more, contact us through the School or by email at: georgianspres@stgeorges.bc.ca.)

24 • The Dragon

My intent is simply to let you know that the

by Brian Soregaroli '84, Georgians’ President School has never been more ready for involvement from its alumni. Everything is in place, and the leaving the School. Not only do the acawindow of opportunity is open. Now. demics impress (are there ANY graduThe School is run by a Headmaster who ates not on the honour roll, I have wonembodies the tradition and character dered? ), but the achievements in a huge that we associate with St. George’s, and array of sports and arts and clubs were he is a strong proponent of active overwhelming! And they only mention alumni participation in the School com- the highest honours at the graduation munity. The School is, for the first time in ceremony; they have separate awards many years, actively encouraging ceremonies for the Middle and Senior Georgians to send their sons to the School classes to cover the rest. It is School. They realize that this important truly impressive! link has been under-emphasized in the past, and they want to increase the num- I recall thinking recently when talking to ber multi-generational families within one of our babysitters that the opportuthe community as a key part of retaining nities she was being offered through her the School’s strong sense of legacy and public school today seemed not far off tradition. The Board of Directors of the what we were offered in the early 1980s.

School Society includes several Old Boys, So where is Saints today? We had and they are very much supporting our roughly 10 electives to chose from, as I initiatives and the School’s initiatives to recall; today it is closer to 40. We had become involved in the community. three main sports and a half-dozen The stage is set for the School to grow others to choose from; today there are into a truly great school, on a national close to 40 sports activities to choose and international scale, and we can fig- from. Clubs? Pushing 60! This ain’t ure prominently in those plans. yer father’s St. George’s, gentlemen!

So let me tell you something about how the School is poised to make the transition to become a truly great school. For the past five years I have been attending various events at the School as part of my involvement as a director of our alumni association. In my days at the School, a quarter of a century ago (ouch!), we had what we considered to be a ‘great school.’ Our sports teams dominated, our scholastics were tops, and our arts programs were enviable.

Fast forward 25 years. The matriculating class has doubled in size to 150 students, and as I have sat through several graduation ceremonies over the past few years, I have been incredibly impressed at the achievements of the young men

At the same time, with this great expansion, the School has not lost its soul.

The same strength of character that has carried many of us through good times and bad is still very much a core product of the St. Georges’ experience. The School is still building men of character, and they are proud of their heritage.

The School has exciting plans to move things forward from this incredibly strong foundation. The School is on the verge of greatness. The time to reconnect with the School and participate in this exciting growth is now, gentlemen.

I will look forward to seeing you on board.

Celebrating 75 Years

Annual Georgians Dinner

Nearly 200 Georgians, School staff, and invited VIPs in attendance

Commentary by Peter Weddigen 82, Dinner Captain

I

n this the 75th year of the School, the dinner saw Georgian graduates from every decade of School history attending. We were particularly fortunate to see classmates from the thirties, forties, and fifties out. These elder statesmen were of course given a prominent table at the front aptly named the ‘Georgians Antique Road Show’. Attendees enjoyed a huge feast and honoured the traditions of grace, an address from the Headmaster, and remembrance for those students who passed in the year prior.

Shaddick. Then, it was retiring teacher and track pant model Ray Stevenson’s turn to face the roast. Don Anderson ‘77, John Nicolls ‘78, Andrew Bibby ‘75 came appropriately attired with eighties-era racquets and form-fitting track pants to present Ray with a trophy mounted miniature of his yellow Dodge muscle car. As if on queue, Ray appropriately turned as red as his car was yellow.

This year’s keynote speaker was Business in Vancouver publisher and current Vancouver City Councillor, Peter Ladner. Peter at one point attended St. George’s School but, was later shipped to the island where naturally he was elevated to head boy of Shawnigan Lake, complete with caning privileges. Peter captivated the audience with stories of the illegal boyscout bonfires, once enjoyed in the endowment lands, the joys of caning, and Vancouver’s preparations for the upcoming Olympics. Mr. Ladner also lit up with pride describing how the city would harness and reuse the heat of its decomposing sewage.

The final honorees of the night were Clive and Madeleine Austin, mum and dad to many a boarder, Georgian’s touch point and teacher to generations. Boarder Justin Rigsby ‘80 gave us tales of midnight bell ringings and miserably failed attempts at making home wine under the boarding house noses of Clive and Madeleine. Clive and youngest daughter Fiona, attending in her mother’s stead, beamed as they sat surrounded by John Arthurs ‘78, Kim Korchinski ‘80, and others who had lived under the Austins’ care. Clive, who has moved on to start the successful West Point Grey Academy, gave heartfelt thanks and reminders to those attending about just how special St. George’s is in the Vancouver educational community.

The evening went on to respect our Honorary Georgians, starting with Mark Perry’s 1973 address to long-time volunteer rugby coach and belly dancer extraordinaire (or so the video that Mark brought suggested) Tim

Yet, it was Fiona who brought the house down.

Her mother Madeleine, living through the last of her fight with cancer, was unable to attend and sent Fiona to deliver her greetings to her boys. Fiona had been born into St. George’s

School and described how her mother perked up and beamed upon hearing that she and Clive were to be honoured. She went on to tell how her mother, when acting as the Georgian’s Co-ordinator was always so thrilled to hear of an old boy returning to visit the School for Remembrance Day Activities or the Annual Dinner. Fiona also described her mother’s sadness when contact with one of her boys was lost.

A collection of rare stamps, selected by Brian Grant Duff ‘83, was given to Clive the avid stamp collector and Fiona took home for her mother a mounted collage of photographs of Clive and Madeline that had been prepared by Elizabeth Knox of the Office of Advancement.

Fiona told me that upon her returning home from the dinner that night, Madeleine kept her up late recounting the evening in detail.

Madeleine Austin, mum to many a Georgian boarder, passed in late spring 2006 after a courageous battle with cancer. Her thoughts were not for herself, but for those she would leave behind.

Many thanks to Don Livingston’s able team at the Office of Advancement: Brian Lecky ’65, Elizabeth Knox, and Katie Webster. Thanks to the presenters and to next year’s Dinner Captain Alex Tsakumis ‘83 for the support in gift and kind. A sold-out success!

Fall 2006 • 25

THE GEORGIANS

A New Georgian Advocate Bryan Ide ’99, appointed Manager of Georgian Relations fter a brief time away from St. George’s, I am delighted to have the opportunity to contribute once again to this great School. In my new role, I will be an advocate for the Georgians (or

WELCOME BRYAN

A

From: Don Livingston Chief Advancement Officer Brian Soregaroli ’84 President of the Georgians Brian Lecky ’65 Past Georgian Co-ordinator The Office of Advancement and the Board of Directors of the Georgians are pleased to announce the appointment of Bryan Ide as the Manager, Georgian Relations. Bryan entered St. George’s in Grade 4 and is part of the Class of ’99. While at Saints, he was heavily involved in School life as a prefect in Grade 12, a boarding captain, and a member of the Second XV rugby team.

After graduating, he began university at McGill and completed his BA at Cornell. He then obtained his MA from Columbia.

Prior to assuming his role at Saints, he was in banking. Bryan takes over from Brian Lecky ’65, who taught Bryan in the Junior School. Bryan also graduated with Mr. Lecky’s youngest son, Alex ’99 and is a close friend of his older son, Graham ’97.

26 • The Dragon

Old Boys as we used to be called) in the greater St. George’s School community. I will also continue the Georgian traditions from the Homecoming and Reunion Weekend to the Annual Georgians’ Dinner, to name only a few of the activities planned for this year.

In addition, I would welcome any ideas you have for events that you would like to see take place. Another great development in the works will be the launch this late fall of the School’s new and dynamic website, with a section dedicated to you to keep you informed and connected. I am keen to be a resource to Georgians and encourage you not only to contact me with questions and suggestions, but also to make a visit to the School to see just how much things have changed.

With over 4,500 living alumni, the Georgians make up the largest constituency of the St. George’s community. In a world where Georgians span the globe, St. George’s has sought ways to keep connected not only with the School, but also with each other. Recognizing the important role that you play in Saints’ life, and again highlighting the evolution of this School, my new position was created to facilitate, manage, and develop all Georgian activities.

As we look forward to the next 75 years, I am excited by the opportunity to work with you and other members of the St. George’s community as we build a global Georgian network and strengthen the ties between the Georgians and the School.

WAYS IN WHICH I WILL HELP YOU Last year, the School celebrated its 75th Anniversary. This was certainly a milestone and in particular for St. George’s School, it was a time to draw attention to its great successes and impressive growth. One word comes to mind: evolution. The School has undergone many dramatic changes. Today, it is a worldclass boarding facility with one of the Province’s best maintained sports fields, now occupying the space where I fondly recall playing games of ‘capture the flag’ in the Junior School’s forest.

The construction under way at the Senior School is another testament to the evolution of Saints. One has to keep in mind that evolution is a process and it is not achieved overnight. St. George’s would not be the place that is today were it not for the invaluable contributions of so many individuals over the years, in particular, the Georgians.

• Coordinate all Georgian events • Take suggestions from Georgians on programs and events that you would like to see developed • Strengthen communications with Georgians through newsletters, the new website, and The Dragon • Source stories for future issues of The Dragon • Build the School database on Georgian personnel and contact information • Encourage more Georgians to register on the Georgian Directory DON’T FORGET THESE KEY EVENTS AND DATES! • Remembrance Day and Georgian Games: November 11, 2006 • School Hamper Drive: December 16, 2006 • Annual Georgians Dinner: Spring of 2007 • Fourth Annual Stancombe Invitational Golf Tournament: Spring of 2007

16

s & REUNION s HOMECOMING September 22 and 23, 2006

John Lawrence, former Associate Principal, Neil Menzies '82, Past President of the Georgians, and Roger Sweeny '47.

Former Headmaster, Alan Brown '54, had some good laughs with School Captain, Rónán Sabo-Walsh

The 2006 Homecoming and Reunion Weekend for the 1s and 6s was a great success! While only 130 Georgians were expected to attend the reception on Friday night, more than 200 showed up, making it the best turnout at a reunion ever! Reunion was a great opportunity for friends to reconnect and hopefully spurred them to keep in touch. Saturday’s activities saw several Georgians bringing their families back to the School for tours, a bouncy castle and pony rides for the children, and the Grade 10 rugby games against our archrivals—Shawnigan Lake, Brentwood, and St. Michael’s. Thank you to the Georgians who came out Reunion Weekend and we look forward to the 2s and 7s having theirs next year.

Members of the Class of ‘66 had a strong turnout.

Grads from the Class of ‘56 celebrated their 50th Anniversary.

Fall 2006 • 27

WHEN THE SAINT GOES

MARCHING IN A Georgian in New Orleans

by Dr. Douglas Hamilton '75

Dr. Douglas Hamilton, Class of 1975, is used to taking on multiple responsibilities. He is currently a flight surgeon for the NASA Johnson Space Center, an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Baylor College, and an Electrical Engineer. However, his real test at multi-tasking came in late August of 2005 when Hurricane Katrina, one of the deadliest hurricanes in US history, tore through the Gulf Coast of the United States. With very little notice, Dr. Hamilton, was thrust into the role of the leading night-time physician of the Astrodome and Reliant Park Center for the Houston Katrina evacuation. Here is his own account of his experience.

W

e had only been given 12 hours’ notice before 500 buses carrying over 30,000 evacuees started arriving in Reliant Park. The scenes on the buses were hideous.The rashes, the sores, the cuts, the vomit, and evidence of the horrible hygiene from the last four days were everywhere. The state of the infants was especially tragic, as many of them were without diapers.The combination of open wounds and skin damage from sunburn caused them to scream in agony at the slightest touch.

I was struck by their look of total despair as the evacuees were led off the buses attempting to digest the enormity of their losses. At first, we tried to direct the worst patients to the hospital but, during the first four hours, the shortage of ambulances created a wait of at least 30 minutes for some of these poor people before we could get them transported to the Texas Medical Center. Despite this logistical challenge, we still made it our priority to identify those in greatest need.

With the help of Baylor College of Medicine physicians and later, Houston Fire Department personnel, each bus was boarded and those in need of emergency care were quickly identified and then transport28 • The Dragon

ed to hospitals throughout the Harris County Hospital District.

On average, there was at least one evacuee in need of emergency care per bus.

The Houston Fire Department took approximately one to two non-ambulatory but stable patients per bus to wheel into the Astrodome. The remaining one or two non-ambulatory but unstable patients were redirected to the Katrina Clinic. On one of my trips to the buses, I recall carrying off an elderly man who was clearly septic and who had lost all sense of time. He was suffering from having the New Orleans water back flow into his bowels from his ruptured colostomy bag. “It’s OK Doc, I’ve been like this for two days…a couple of hours won’t matter,” he remarked, almost apologetically. But I was not convinced. I was sure he was fatally ill and had only hours to live. I honestly believed I would never see him again.To my surprise, the same man greeted me in the Astrodome ten days later. He was in a suit carrying a suitcase, which had been donated by Continental Airlines. (I was told every Continental employee donated at least one suitcase to the Katrina victims.) His suitcase was full of newly acquired clothes and he stood in a line-up for transport to a newly built assisted-living facility in Houston. We both shared some tears, shook hands, and then he boarded the bus and left.

Never underestimate the power of the human spirit!

During the first six hours, when the Katrina Clinic was still under comple-

tion, there weres still no wheelchairs to move non-ambulatory patients who were not candidates for hospital admissions. Therefore, non-emergent, nonambulatory patients had to be moved from the buses and transported to local hospitals by ambulance. When the Katrina Clinic was finally completed, our method of primary triage helped to protect local hospitals from being overwhelmed with low acuity patients and allowed the locally built Katrina Clinic to treat and return patients to their accommodations.

During the first 48 hours, approximately 25,000 people were triaged, 6,000 of whom I personally assessed and triaged.While some of the victims chose to accept accommodation in the Astrodome, Reliant Center, and Arena, other evacuees accepted only food and clothing. Afterwards, we helped them find accommodation with friends, relatives, or at other centers outside of the Reliant Park facilities. (At the height of our operations, we were serving over 70,000 meals per day.)

Some of the challenges created by the initial implementation of our primary triage method included the separation of family members or friends for medical reasons and the subsequent difficulty encountered reuniting them.

Obviously, it was important to triage and handle special needs patients first, including the elderly, pediatric, obese, non-ambulatory, amputees, chronic, and those in need of dialysis and mental health. However, our need to classify

and distinguish people according to their medical needs and their needs as evacuees posed many interesting ethical challenges. In an emergency unit in which large numbers of people are being processed, concerns such as medical privacy and informed consent take on a whole new meaning. It is often difficult to distinguish those who simply require accommodation, food, and clothing from those who are in real need of legitimate medical care within a medical infrastructure.

The Astrodome, Reliant Center, and Arena were each managed by local physicians and staffed with nurses and volunteers from Texas and beyond.

Inside we built triage sites to treat minor illnesses and help special needs patients without having to transport them to the main Katrina clinic in another building. Houston Metro buses transported the evacuees around the Reliant complex 24 hours a day with continuous service. Our triage sites inside the Astrodome saw as many as 1,000 people within a 24-hour period and there were medical representatives on site from the departments of pediatrics, family, community medicine, internal medicine, radiology, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedics, surgery, and psychiatry. The Astrodome, Reliant Center, and Arena collectively handled over 30,000 evacuees.

Most of the evacuees who visited the triage sites in the Astrodome and Center were treated using over-thecounter medications and others had to Fall 2006 • 29

30 • The Dragon

THE GEORGIANS

be transported to the Katrina Clinic. The clinic was equipped with a lab, pharmacy, digital X-ray and ultrasound machines, and 80 computer terminals able to generate electronic patient records. The Katrina clinic saw more than 15,000 patients during 15 days of operations (2,000 on the first full day), administered 14,000 tetanus shots, and filled thousands of prescriptions. At the peak of operations, the clinic saw 150 patients an hour and had 25 physicians scheduled for each 12-hour shift.

Approximately 2,000 people were transported to hospital emergency rooms.

Some of the people now living in the Dome had witnessed such horrors that they were unable to sleep. All we could do was just sit by them, hold their hands, and listen patiently. Sometimes, after they spoke to someone, a bit of sleep would come over them. There were traumatized children who would scream at night and wake the people around them. I remember in particular, a little girl who we came across at three o’clock in the morning who could not sleep. A family had taken her in, but had not been able to settle her and they were worried that it had been at least four nights since she had slept. She was lost and looking for her grandmother. I sat down and quietly chatted with her.

She trusted me and described in horrible detail how first her mother, her father, and brother had been swept away by the rush of water in front of the eyes of this eight-year old.

Luckily, her grandmother had grabbed her at the last minute and miraculously, the two of them remained caught up in a tree until they were rescued by helicopter. I tried to encourage the young girl to talk about the separation from

her grandmother, when suddenly, she blurted out the licence number and FEMA contract number of the bus on which her grandmother had arrived! I immediately asked two soldiers who were standing next to me if I had the authority to give them an order. I think they were National Guard or Army. They responded that their orders were to help, so I told them to track the bus licence and FEMA contract and find the grandmother! “Bring her to this little girl,” I ordered!

I never saw those soldiers again but, three days later, while walking on the floor of the Astrodome in the early hours of the morning, I came across a very old lady sitting in a cot. She was rocking this same, tiny eight-year girl old back and forth and the girl was snoring in a very deep limp sleep. This nice old lady was singing to her sleeping granddaughter. I said: "You must be ‘the grandma’". She replied, "You must be ‘the nice man in the red coat’”. The red vest meant you had complete medical authority in the Dome.

I sat down beside the grandmother and asked her to tell me what had happened in New Orleans. She began to cry and described how she had become separated from her granddaughter in the massive rush of the crowd in the superdome. She had already witnessed her daughter and then, in rapid succession, her son-in-law, and several of her grandchildren drown. She was not prepared to lose her only surviving granddaughter to the surging mob. I can only imagine what she had gone through but, such were the stories of some of the thousands of people that I met.

Management of the crisis centre was a

massive undertaking which lasted only 14 days. During this time we had reduced our population to 1,800 people. I was then able to sign those remaining people over to the Red Cross, who promptly evacuated them to Arkansas. At this same time, Hurricane Rita was bearing down on Houston.

Within three weeks of arriving at the Reliant, more than 90 per cent of the families were able to find permanent housing, enroll their children back in schools, and find work. Despite the 24hour shifts of four hours of sleep for two weeks, I can truly say that my role in helping to manage this catastrophe was an unforgettable experience. Despite the terrible circumstances, people were the most pleasant and appreciative I have ever met. As many of them decided to stay and live in Houston, I now see some of them in my clinic.

On finishing my work at the Astrodome, I became an evacuee myself and, after boarding up my house, I left for Palestine, Texas. It took me 21 hours to travel 90 miles! I became the lead physician at a retreat site which housed 350 mentally challenged children and adults who had been evacuated from New Orleans three weeks earlier. They were running out of anti-psychotic medications and none of them had seen a physician for four weeks since the disaster. While the hurricane glanced at us during this time, my family (Keltie 10, Bridie 8, and Ross 6) enjoyed a great vacation for five days.

When I finally did get home, I discovered that my district, which now looked like a war zone, had been hit by 90 mph winds yet had not experienced any major problems. We lost some trees but that was all. If the Category 5 hurricane had not veered off at the last minute, our house would have been hit with a 15-foot storm surge and 140 mph winds. Clearly, I got off easily but, psychologically, the storm continues to haunt me. I still have problems sleeping and cannot help but think back to what so many others had to endure. It was an event that changed so many people’s lives, including mine.

Fall 2006 • 31

SAINTS NOTES

1967

1973

Robert J. Ellis, former Chairman of the Board, St. George's School, has been appointed Chairman of the Board of Fraser Academy, a 200student, independent Vancouver school, educating students with dyslexia and other related language processing issues. He invites anyone interested in these issues to visit the web site at: http://www.fraser-academy.bc.ca/

Ross R. Gilley earned an MBA from Royal Roads University in 2005.

Patrick L.W. Smyth has moved to Costa Rica and is Chairman and CEO of Gaming Transactions Inc. He and Kathryn Kozak are to be married in December in Playa Protrero.

1975 1970 Michael J. Bull has been appointed at Team Manager by Rugby Canada for the Men’s U21 team this year. This entails organizing tours and test matches in the Cayman Islands against Bermuda and the Caymans, in Victoria against the US U23 Collegiate team and in November in Ireland against Irish Colleges and Universities.

William G. Mackenzie has been appointed to the Chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Delaware.

Nigel H.M.O. Brown ’72 High Seas Adventure.

In July 2005, a sailing friend and I participated in the Trans-Pacific Yacht Race (Transpac) from Long Beach, California, to Honolulu, Hawaii. In a fleet of 75, ours was the smallest. Soap Opera is a Hobie 33—a 33-foot long monohull weighing only 4,000 pounds. Sailing her down those long ocean waves was like riding a bicycle too fast down a hill—you just hang on

Andrew J. Bibby reports that as a result of reorganization of the company’s North American operations, from a geographic divisional structure to a functional structure, he is now Chief Development Officer of Grosvenor Americas. He oversees Grosvenor’s Development Program in North America.

1976 Robert G. Tinkess is working as a Service Advisor at the Ford dealership in Orillia and is also a Senior Associate with Pre-paid Legal Services of Canada. His marriage to Pam Hooper is planned for October.

1979 Murray J. Grant has just released his second CD entitled ‘3000 Days’. The music combines ethnic and contemporary instruments.

1980 Andrew J. Arthur is now working in Calgary as a geologist with Mission Oil and Gas.

1982

and keep her going straight. It took 13 days to cover the distance of 2,250 nautical miles. The weather gods smiled on us and we won three trophies. The first place in our size class was quite an accomplishment, as all the other boats were bigger and most of them sailing with a crew of six or more.

The second trophy was a first place win for double-handed boats (two crew members). The second place boat was a day and a half behind us. The third trophy was for best navigator in our class. As you can imagine, we were thrilled with the results and there were, of course, some great parties in Hawaii after we finished!

32 • The Dragon

J. Calvin Armerding has completed a Math Secondary Teaching Credential from the University of Western Washington and is now teaching Grade 9 and 10 Math at Burlington Edison High School.

David W.C. Docksteader is now a licensed residential and commercial mortgage broker and has a development and consulting company called Finex Development Inc. Thomas Fiala has a busy cosmetic surgery practice in Altamonte Springs, FL and was recently featured in ‘Orlando’ magazine’s section on ‘Top Plastic Surgeons in Orlando’. For relaxation Tom plays keyboards for Jill Towers and the ‘Anita Drink’ classic rock band, regular performers in Central Florida’s music scene.

1993

Friends of Paul L. Harder report that he was recently awarded a beautiful brass soprano saxophone at the First Annual Funk Pitt Awards.

Paul is noted for being the funkiest sax player to graduate from Saints. His song ‘Vaporize Yo’ Funky Little Yellow Tail’ is his signature tune.

Brenton R. Cameron and Cecil W. Lau have both completed an MBA at the Sauder School of Business at UBC.

1984 Sean D. Eckford has been appointed the News Director for CKAY-FM a new radio station on the Sunshine Coast.

1986 Derek K. Miller is Communications Manager for the marine Shipping web software company Navarik Corp in Vancouver. Derek has released an album of instrument music and earlier this year joined as co-host of the popular Inside Home Recording podcast.

1987 Ian D. Dickey has accepted a position in Bangor, ME as the Orthopaedic Oncologist for the State at the Eastern Maine Medical Center. The University of Maine recently awarded Ian with an honorary engineering degree for his research in new, cutting edge coatings for Total Hip and Total Knee implants. He has also been appointed the academic rank of Adjunct Professor in the Department of Engineering and hired as a consultant to Stryker Orthopaedics (largest company worldwide) for implant design.

1995 Kenny Ho is Senior Manager-Research Capital Markets with Jones Lang LaSalle, based in Shanghai.

Scott W. Siegert '95 has successfully completed the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy four-year doctoral program. During his four years at UIC, Scott was president of his firstyear class, student council senator for two years, president of the National Community Pharmacists’ Association, co-ordinator and consultant for the Medicare Part D Program, and recipient of the National Pharmacists’ Association Scholarship.

Scott has accepted a position as a consultant with an international pharmaceutical corporation headquartered in Chicago.

SAINTS NOTES

1983

Christopher D. Patton has been accepted into the doctoral program in English and Creative Writing at the University of Utah. His first book of poems, Rust Pastoral, will be published in the spring of 2007 by Signal Editions. He has also written a children’s book, Jack Pine, illustrated by Cybele Young due for publication by Groundwood Books in the fall of 2007.

1989 Boris D.Y. Bong has been appointed VicePresident of SAIL Advisors Limited part of the Search Investment Group, based in Hong Kong.

Wade R. Mitchell is currently working in rural NSW, Australia as a GP Obstetrician/Surgeon. He and his wife have three children Aiden (5), Cole (3) and baby Piper. In December Wade will be competing in the Ironman, Western Australia.

Fall 2006 • 33

SAINTS NOTES Timothy J.T. Harvey '96 has spent the last two and a half years travelling around the planet by zero-emissions means. In August 2005, he completed his original mission, to travel from Vancouver to Moscow by human power and then decided to try to get home without creating any fossil fuel emissions.

Tim cycled across Europe to Portugal, then rowed in a six-metre wooden boat owned by a Turkish adventurer from Lisbon to the the Island of Grand Canaria in 28 days, making one brief stop in Morocco to avoid Hurricane Delta. After a month soaking up the good life as an honorary member of the Royal Nautical Club of Gran Canaria, Tim launched once more to sea, this time in the company of three young Swedes in an eight-metre sailboat bound for Trinidad and Tobago and then on to Venezuela, totalling 40 more days at sea.

From Venezuela to his position in Central Mexico, Tim travelled variously by bicycle, 10-metre dug-out canoe, foot, and balsawood raft, then bicycle again.The most difficult stretch was traversing the roadless Choco-Darien region of Colombia and Panama, where a thick and pristine tropical rainforest is populated by dangerous wildlife and Colombia's drug-running rebels, the FARC. In Panama, Tim was briefly jailed for travelling without a passport stamp, which was not offered in the roadless jungle. He did, however, receive a case of malaria that lingers to this day.

Tim anticipates cycling into Vancouver in late October, in time to celebrate the 201st Anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar and then, start writing a book to be published in the spring.

34 • The Dragon

1996 Alykhan A. Alidina has completed an MBA degree in General Management from Vlerick Gent Management School in Belgium. This was earned with ’Great Distinction’ which indicates he was in the top 10 per cent of the graduating class.

Siamak Boroomand has completed a Masters degree in Education at UBC and has accepted a senior chemistry teaching position at Meadowridge School in Maple Ridge, BC. Michael J. Cox is currently the Music Coordinator for The Megan Mullally Show for NVBC/Universal, Los Angeles, CA.

SAINTS NOTES

Donovan J. Tildesley ‘02 and Desmond Strelzow ‘03 participated at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia in March. Des took time off from university to train in Hawaii and Narooma, a small sea-side town in Australia.

Donovan, one of the six SWADs (swimmers with a disability), took the opportunity to travel with the team to a training camp in Canberra.

Jason del Vicario ‘94, Brandon Lee’94 and Angus Taylor ’94

A week before the events started all the athletes moved into the Village, where the security was high. Not only was there Western food, but to accommodate everyone at the games, the officials had hired ethnic chefs. It was a culinary delight for the adventurous.

The swimming venue was next to the Formula 1 race track. The stands were always packed with 13,000 screaming fans. It was a bit like the equivalent of English soccer hooligans and the atmosphere was electric. So what did Des and Donovan gain from international competition in a hot climate? For Donovan it was an opportunity to renew friendships made six years before in Sydney, a personal best time in the 50 freestyle and the chance to know the able-bodied members of the team better. The main event for Des was the 200 backstroke where he qualified in fourth place for the final.

This made him very nervous and the race did not go as he would have liked. The bronze medal eluded him by 0.5 of a second.

Not content to watch some games on TV, these three graduates took off to Germany, June 19 to 27 to take in the sights, sounds, and experiences of the World Cup. What an unbelievable trip. They left London, had two nights in Cologne, and another two in Hamburg. Participation in the night life and parties that the games generated just added to the holiday.

For the Italy–Czech game Jason was in the middle of the Czech section sitting next to a man who had a son studying in Powell River. (Back in BC Jason met up with the family for a drink. It’s a small world.) In 30-plus degree temperatures our intrepid World Cup fans found themselves in the middle of the Ecuadorian section for the England–Ecuador match.They were supporting the England team!

The Italian side of Jason’s family made sure the party continued when the guys returned to Vancouver as the games continued through the quarters, semis, and finals. With the outcome in Italy’s favour the only place to be was Commercial Drive to celebrate and enjoy the fun side of victory. It was like being in Europe again, the atmosphere electric.

Fall 2006 • 35

SAINTS NOTES

Michael Sung completed his MBA in May from USC in Los Angeles, CA. He is now working as a Senior Investment Analyst at First Industrial Realty Trust developing industrial real estate throughout the Southern California area.

Nathan C.B. Wu graduated from St. George’s University International School of Medicine in December 2005.

David G. Wong has been awarded the prestigious Wesbrook Scholarship in the faculty of Law at UBC.

1999 Vincent W. Ng is teaching at a Montessori School in Beijing and was working on a travel documentary in Turkey during the summer.

M. Brock R. Stephenson joined the Prime Minister’s Office in Ottawa as Special Assistant—BC in May 2006.

2000 Gordon T. B. Horton joined the commercial real estate firm of CB Richard Ellis in January and is now a licensed Commercial Real Estate Representative in their Toronto West office.

Emanuel Prinet ’92 helped co-organize a side event at the World Urban Forum held in Vancouver in June entitled ‘One Small Step for Cities, One Giant Leap for the Planet: Practical Solutions for Cities Stepping towards a Lighter Footprint’. Visited by many delegates, the event explored how cities can move away from unsustainable urban production and consumption patterns. Dr. William Rees, on the faculty at UBC and founder of the Ecological Footprint concept, was the guest speaker.The WUF event was supported by the New City Institute, Vancouver and sponsored by UBC University Town and the David Suzuki Foundation.

Stephen R. Kenning has recently joined the strategy consulting firm of Bain & Company in Toronto as an Associate Consultant.

Warren J. Luksun has been appointed president of the UBC Medical Undergraduate Society and Vice-President-Education of the Canadian Federation of Medical Students.

Jason A. Strelzow has been accepted into medical school at UBC and began his studies this fall.

2001 Riaz J. Kara has recently completed an MSc in Economics and History from the London School of Economics, London, England. In August, he will begin working with Citizenship and Immigration Canada as an Advisor in the employment policy group, based in Ottawa.

2002 Adam D. Braverman has completed a BFA degree from Ryerson University in Toronto.

Derek J. Luksun is in his final year of the Administrative and Commercial Studies Program at Huron. He is serving his second term as University Student President.

Saints Notes submissions should be sent to: thedragon@stgeorges.bc.ca

1998 Andrew L. Hupfau and his wife Geneviève are both members of the Canadian Foreign Service, and have recently moved to North Africa where

36 • The Dragon

Andrew works at the Canadian Embassy to the Republic of Tunisia as commercial liaison with the African Development Bank.

Harpal Sandhu graduated magna cum laude with an AB in Chemistry from Harvard University. During the past four years he was a John Harvard Scholar and a recipient of the Detur Digniori academic prize. He will remain in Boston to pursue MD studies at Harvard Medical School rather than research in the basic sciences that many thought would be his career path.

MARRIAGES

Christopher S. Reynolds has joined Hill & Knowlton, a large public relations company, as an Associate during his final year at the University of Western Washington. Together with Jason J. Hamilton, Chris has started an event production business which will operate out of London, ON while they are still at school.

Andrew L Hupfau ’98 to Genevieve Dione on April 21, 2006.

Tyler N. Hotson continues to be successful on the rugby field. He was on the Canadian U-21 team that went to the Cayman Islands in May and captained the BC U-21 team at the National Championships this past summer.

Judy Low to Lenny Poon on August 12, 2006.

Judy is a member of Business Office staff.

Brent R. Stevenson ‘97 to Katie Webster on June 24, 2006. Katie is a member of the Office of Advancement staff.

Nathan C. B.Wu ’96 to Wendy Chan on March 3, 2006.

David J. Stockton played rugby for the Canada Sevens Team at the IRB tournaments in Singapore and Hong Kong in March and April.

This was followed in June by tournaments in Paris and London.

SAINTS NOTES

2003

Thomas J. Masterson has been elected president of the UBC chapter of the Order of Omega Honour Society, an organization based on service, leadership and academics in the Greek Community. Thomas is studying Cell Biology and Genetics.

Wendy Chan and Nathan C. B. Wu ’96

BIRTHS John Beaumont ’84 and his wife Fitri, a son, born July 4, 2005 Brenton R. Cameron ’93 and his wife Julie, a son, Harris, born July 7, 2006 David Demner ’95 and his wife Heidi, a son, Ryan, born April 21, 2006.

David M. Giles ’85 and his wife, Tanya, a son, Oscar, born September 2, 2005.

James J.G. Humphries ’91 and his wife, Jen, a daughter, Ana, born July 3, 2005.

Katie Webster and Brent Stevenson

David J. Murray ’85 and his wife, Catherine, a daughter, Jacqueline, born May 29, 2006.

David H. Sanguinetti ’89 and his wife, Valerie, a son, Carson, born April 1, 2006 Patrick M. Palmer ’80 and his wife, Roma, a son, Evan, born April 13, 2006.

Malcolm A.H. Stewart ’83 and his wife Michele, a son, Duncan, born December 4, 2005 Cedric W.D. Ho ’86 and his wife Felice, a son, Benjamin, born in November 2004.

William P. Weaver ’88 and his wife, Trish, twin daughters, Charlotte and Abigail, born February 28, 2005.

Petra Muir, Manager of Accounting Services, at the wedding of Judy Low and Lenny Poon.

Fall 2006 • 37

SAINTS NOTES

PARENT UPDATES Jane and David Armstrong, parents of Robert ’76, James ’77 and Charles ’79 celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this June in Calgary.

Congratulations!

STAFF UPDATE Stephan M. Grasmuck June, 2006, former Deputy Headmaster was appointed Headmaster of Fraser Academy, a school which specializes in students with dyslexia and other learning disabilities.

Norma J. Parker who has served as the school nurse for 34 years, will be retiring this year. She has known thousands of boys over three decades. A celebration of her service will be held in February 2007.

GEORGIANS’ GOLF TOUR 2007 Scotland & Ireland The dates are set and the tee times are booked at the Old Course at St. Andrews.There are still eight openings for a two week golf tour of five Scottish courses and three Irish. We will travel by a private chauffured bus and stay at inns and castles along the way. All the courses are British Open locations, such as St. Andrews, Royal Troon, Ballybunnion, Lahinch, etc.

The tour begins June 24, 2007 and should cost about $5,000.

For further info: Brad Johnston '75 (604) 739-7242

If you would like to send a message to her, that will become part of a special presentation, please email: bmccracken@stgeorges.bc.ca or send a note to: W.J. (Bill) McCracken The Norma Parker Years 3851 West 29th Avenue Vancouver, BC V6S 1T6 Nancy M. Oliver June, 2006—longstanding and popular Head of the Art department. Nan was originally hired at St. George’s School in March 1979 as a ‘long-term substitute teacher’; thus beginning probably the longest ‘substitute’ assignment in Vancouver’s education history! As well as heading the Art Department, Nan held the positions of Grade 8 counsellor, chief jogging coach (for more than 15 years), champion of Artsweek, House Supper co-ordinator, curator of countless Art exhibitions, and tireless solver of all manner of visual problems in the Art Room. Her infectious laugh and positive attitude will be sorely missed.

John M. Creighton June, 2006—Master in Charge of Rowing. John Creighton's passion,

MADELEINE AUSTIN Many in our community will be sad to hear of the passing in June 2006 of Madeleine Austin. Mrs. Austin was a devoted mother and a wonderful friend of St. George's School. She spent many years with her husband, Clive, as a house-parent and kept in touch with many Old Boys. Their son Patrick graduated from St. George's School in 1993. Madeleine left the School shortly after Clive became Headmaster of West Point Grey Academy. Our thoughts and condolences are with the family.

38 • The Dragon

leadership, hard work, and organization helped to provide an important and lifelong impact on the many participants in the rowing program.

J.C., as he is affectionately known to his friends and colleagues, was always ready to volunteer his time to assist any program that needed him.

John’s dedication to the athletes of St. George’s School, including countless basketball players, has been inspiring to us all, and for this, we will miss him greatly.

PASSINGS Adam E.J. Ferrie ’55 at Burnaby, BC on September 6, 2006.

Robert A.D. Francis ’37 at London, UK , April, 2006.

Malcolm G. King ’44 at Surrey, BC, on June 19, 2006. Malcolm was father-in-law of Charles Pitts ’74 and grandfather of Alastair J. Pitts‘ 2014 and Gregory M. Pitts ‘2011.

Laurentino H. Marieiro at Surrey, BC, on November 15, 2005, following courageous battle with cancer. Larry served the school for 29 years in the Maintenance Department, the last eight as head of the department.

Peter J. Bodel at Vancouver, BC on September 8, 2006. Father of Graham ’89 and Douglas ’92, Peter was a former member of the Board of Directors.

Wiliam D. Sawchuck ’47 at Vancouver on February 24, 2005.

Geoffrey C. Robinson ’38 at Vancouver., BC. on February 8, 2006 Geoffrey was the son of Basil O. Robinson former Head of the Junior School, father of Michael P. Robinson ’69, father-in-law to Peter R.B. Armstrong ’71 and grandfather of Tristan B.G. Armstrong ’03.

Kiran van Rijn ‘93 at Burnaby Lake, BC on September 21, 2005.

Archie St. Louis ’44 at Vancouver, BC on June 27, 2006. Archie became School Captain in January 1944 when J. Dennis Butters ’44 left to join the Air Force.

Christopher A. Stead ’42 Rochedale, Queensland, Australia, May , 2006.

Elizabeth E. Watson at Vancouver, BC, on September 4, 2005. Mother of Craig ’93, Elizabeth was a former member of the Board of Directors.

J. Richard W. Wynne ’35 at West Vancouver, BC , on January 6, 2006.

REMEMBRANCE DAY

ASIA MISSION 75th ANNIVERSARY GALA

STATE OF THE ART EXHIBITION

GRANDPARENTS’ DAY CONCERT

PLEASE

TAKE YOUR SEAT ur beautifully renovated Performing Arts Centre, on the site of the Woodward Auditorium, has 428 comfortable seats, and one of them could have your name on it!

O

Here is your opportunity to support the School’s renowned Theatre Program with a gift of only $1,000 per seat.

Honour someone special–perhaps your own son, another family member, a favourite teacher, or even yourself –and purchase your seat today.You will receive a tax receipt for your gift, and, more importantly, you’ll be contributing to the Saints Player’s Endowment Fund which will ensure our theatre program continues to thrive for many years to come.

For more information about this unique opportunity, and to reserve your seat today, please email theatreseats@stgeorges.bc.ca or call (604) 875-5889 and we’ll be happy to accept your reservation.

S E E

YO U

AT

T H E

S H OW !

St. George’s School Vancouver, BC Canada

3851 West 29th Avenue Vancouver, BC Canada V6S 1T6

7001384