West Vancouver Beacon | May/June 2021 | Edition 44

THE No. 44

BEACON Shedding light on the communities from Lions Bay to Dundarave

May/June 2021

The Cottages at Horseshoe Bay

H

PG

PG

7

FERRIES HISTORY

8-9

REFUGEE FAMILY

10

BEECHAM & STONEHAVEN

14

PG

FIRE CHIEF CHAT

PG

COVENANT HOUSE

IN THIS ISSUE 3

Photo provided

Chris Adshead took this photo of the freshly painted Cottages in December 2015.

PG

orseshoe Bay’s eight landmark cottages date back to the early 1900s.

There is little information recorded on their origin. So, if you can shed any light on their history, please contact the Beacon team.

It is thought that the Union Steamship Company built them for their employees when the company provided ferry service to the Sunshine Coast, Bowen Island and Howe Sound.

Over time, the cottages and property fell into disrepair. In 1993, Jim Bardal purchased them. He personally and meticulously renovated each cottage with upgraded wiring, plumbing, structural improvements and fresh paint. Beautiful new landscaping and pathways followed and 20 fruit trees were planted. Jim can often be spotted working in the gardens. He loves a good chat so drop by if you see him.

We are grateful to live and work on the unceded traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples.

MUR R AY T H OM PSON

It’s All about Lifestyle!

604.505.9559

CH RI S TY LANIADO

604.349.0098

Call us for details on this gorgeous 2600 sq ft townhome offered at $1,298,000

PAGE

2

May/June 2021

LINDY PFEIL OPINION TEAM

Celebrating motherhood

Chris Stringer Publisher

chrisstringer @westvanbeacon.ca

Lindy Pfeil Editor

lindypfeil @westvanbeacon.ca

Penny Mitchell Advertising

pennymitchell @westvanbeacon.ca

Melissa Baker Creative Director

melissabaker @westvanbeacon.ca Please note that all contributing writers for The Beacon retain full rights and that the full or partial reproduction of feature articles is unauthorized without the consent of the author.

Personal opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed are solely those of the respective contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Beacon, the publisher or the editorial and creative staff.

Submissions for The Beacon The Beacon is delivered bi-monthly to 5000+ households between Lions Bay and Dundarave.

For submission guidelines and queries, please e-mail the Editor: lindypfeil@ westvanbeacon.ca Please note that all submissions are subject to space constraints and editing.

For advertising queries, please e-mail the Director of Marketing: pennymitchell@westvanbeacon.ca For all other queries, please e-mail the Publisher: chrisstringer@westvanbeacon.ca

I

pride myself on my quote-finding ability. My laptop is filled with folders of quotes for every occasion. So I assumed that finding an inspirational quote for Mother’s Day would be a walk in the park. But I should know by now: assumptions only ever get me in trouble.

I searched and searched. I tried every website, poetry book and social media account that has worked in the past. But all the quotes I found left me feeling either inadequate or nauseous.

So I tried a different angle. I Googled “great mothers.”

Top of the list was Marie Curie, who won a Nobel Prize while raising two children alone. This, after husband, Pierre, was killed by a horse-drawn cart while crossing the street in Paris in 1906. Daughter Irène, who also won a Nobel Prize (try topping that, all ye overachieving families) credits her mother for teaching them: “One must do some work seriously and must be independent and not merely amuse oneself in life.”

This may sound a little sour-grape-ish, but Mme Curie does not sound like a barrel of laughs. She likely would not have tolerated my hours of reading romance novels beside the ocean as a teenager, nor humoured my desire to join the circus. She definitely would not have sewn frivolous tutus out of tulle and lace for me. Nor let me wander aimlessly through the neighbourhood, barefoot in a bathing suit, carrying only a box of matches.

All editions of The Beacon (beginning in September 2013), can also be read online at: www.westvanbeacon.ca.

If Marie was number one on the list, I did not want to see number two, so I closed my laptop.

Irène’s comment did get me wondering, though. What would my own children say about me? What kind of mother am I? And more important, what have I learned, after nearly three decades on the job?

I’m clearly never going to make it onto Google’s “great mothers” list, and I am as loathe to give advice as receive it. But if someone were to ask, here is what I would tell them: • Giving birth is the easiest part.

• A band aid and a kiss can work miracles.

Specially if the band aid has a superhero or a princess on it. Or Nemo.

• Your child may choose to not brush their hair for an entire year and still become a perfectly spectacular adult.

• You learn more from observing a caterpillar than watching the news.

• Accidents happen. Things break. So do people. But that does not mean they’re broken. Fixing is not required. Love is.

• There is more wisdom to be found in fairy tales than self-help or psychology books.

• There is nothing like a visit to Emergency to make you realise what is really important.

• When someone sits in your imaginary soup, the only thing that can remedy the situation is pixie dust.

• Happiness is not a given. It takes work, a village and a cartload of luck. And a little gratitude goes a long way.

• Karma is a load of rubbish. Bad things happen to good people all the time. For no reason.

• When all else fails, words of hope, spoken under a new moon, can get you through another night.

• If they don’t, try burning stuff. Like expectations.

• Despite the urgings of wise men and sages through the ages, in motherhood there is no such thing as letting go.

I wish you and your loved ones a Mother’s Day filled with laughter, love and pixie dust. And perhaps, given our current global circumstances, a little bonfire.

Photo provided Lindy and mother, Marlene, Mother’s Day, 1965 in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

If you are not receiving home delivery of The Beacon please let us know at chrisstringer@westvanbeacon.ca

C U S TOM PLAN

Specializing in the accumulation, preservation & transition of wealth.

Financial Advisors Inc. 604.687.7773 www.customplanfinancial.com “Largest independent planning firm in the GVRD”

Real Estate Division

Micheline Varas

michelinev@ customplanfinancial.com

Karl Krokosinski

karl@ customplanfinancial.com

Bonita Jane Kee

bonitak@ customplanfinancial.com

Tori McDonald tori@ torimcdonald.ca

May/June 2021

PAGE 3

Covenant House Sleep Out Student Edition 2021 side the school on the ground. This year we had to change the program somewhat as we Assistant Head, could not go downtown.

Island Pacific School On March 31, the students baked cookies and muffins to supply the Covenant House Outreach team or the past five years, the with baked goods to hand out grade 9 stuon the street. They used the proceeds of a bake sale to dents at Island buy economical, nutritious Pacific School have participated food to cook for dinner. in Sleep Out StuIn the evening we had dent Edition for a Zoom call with an Outreach worker from CovCovenant House. enant House and a youth Essentially, they worker, Eric, who is an alumnus raise money to let of The Orchard Recovery Centre. other youth sleep inside while they sleep outside. Baking for the Covenant We sat around the fire and talked to the kids about addiction and recovThis year we are the top House outreach team. ery. This year, the students slept on fundraising school in Vanthe ground, outside, six feet apart. couver at $18,395!

The main purpose of the program is to Usually, we spend the afternoon volunteering at Covenant House. Then we walk create empathy for youth with circumstancaround downtown getting a small glimpse of es different from our own. One IPS student what life on the street would be like. When said: “I don’t think that sleeping out put me we return to Bowen at night, we sleep out- anywhere close to a place where I could unBY

F

Jennifer Henrichsen

derstand and relate to what homeless youth go through every day and night. This really made me think about how privileged I am on a whole different level.”

It is also important for students to know that addiction and homelessness can happen to anyone at any time.

After talking with Eric, one grade 9 student reflected: “He came from a supportive, lovPhoto: Jennifer Henrichsen ing home like most of us and Discussions around the fire about the real hardships some youth to see how deep into loneliness face around homelessness, addictions and recovery. and desperation he got means it can happen to any one of us. It is not be- emotional and physical abuse,” explained cause he is less or different from us - in fact another IPS student. “Listening to Eric talk he is the same.” really made me want to help people. I want There are resources to help turn that to learn more about the jobs at Covenant around and Covenant House is a great one. House because I see myself volunteering The Sleep Out Student Edition sometimes there in the future.” leads to longer lasting connections. “I feel like this has made me more compassionate For additional information about Sleep Out and open to talking about people’s issues and other fundraising events, visit covenantwith mental health, substance abuse, and housebc.org.

It takes a village...

Bank of Montreal | BC Liquor Store | Caulfeild Dental Centre | Caulfeild Gallery & Framing Caulfeild Insurance Centre | Caulfeild Medical Clinic | Caulfeild Veterinary Hospital | Fisherman’s Market Equinox Wellness Centre | Iris Optometrists & Opticians | J Gregory Men’s Apparel | Marilyn’s Boutique Mega Sushi | Pastameli’s Restaurant | Pharmasave | Post Office | Rennie Real Estate | Safeway Starbucks | Subway | Valetor Cleaners | Village Pet Food | Windsor Meats Co.

W W W. C AU L F E I L DV I L L AG E S H O P P I N G C E N T R E. CO M

PAGE

4

May/June 2021

Join the 2021 virtual Rotary Ride for Rescue BY

Geoff Croll

I

t started with a simple phone call: “Hi Geoff, it’s Karen Harrison, Fuzzy’s mom.”

Four months later, I found myself alone, struggling up an old logging road on my mountain bike. Halfway up the flank of Hollyburn Mountain I started cussing and wishing. Cussing because my back was killing me and I thought I might burst a lung.

Wishing I had trained more, wishing I had brought another water bottle and wishing that the trail wasn’t so steep.

There are many uncertainties in life but two things are not in dispute: living next to wilderness means we have a duty to support North Shore Rescue and you can’t say no to Karen Harrison.

Aside from being David “Fuzzy” Robinson’s mom, Mrs. Harrison, as she was known back in my Hillside Secondary days, was, and still is, the driving force behind the Rotary Club of West Vancouver Sunrise’s Rotary Ride for Rescue. Also known as Cy-

Team BPP at the top in 2019.

press Mountain Hill Climb, this charitable event raises funds for North Shore Rescue and the Rotary Club’s humanitarian work around the globe. The Ride for Rescue is a timed bike ride from Mulgrave School to the Cypress Creek Lodge at Cypress Mountain Resort.

Mrs. Harrison was calling me at West Vancouver-Sea to Sky MLA Jordan Sturdy’s suggestion. In addition to the traditional road bike course up Cypress Bowl Road, she wanted a parallel mountain bike course through British Pacific Properties lands. After a reconnaissance of the area and studying a variety of maps, I gave her a coloured trail map of an 11-kilometre off-road course along old logging roads and confirmed that BPP would once again contribute as a corporate sponsor and take care of marking the route and putting up trail signage.

Mrs. Harrison said: “That’s great and, by the way, registration is now open.”

Pardon me?

“Well of course you and your co-workers and your wife and anyone else you know

Photo provided

have to participate in the ride and raise pledges,” she continued. “We need as many riders as possible.”

So I went back out to the trails but this time I brought some help. Cypress Mountain repaired some road washouts between the log bridge over Cypress Creek and the parking lot. West Vancouver Parks pruned back vegetation that had grown over the Trans Canada Trail. BPP’s Karl and Eric Rosen removed trees that had fallen across the trail. And the team at North Construction brought out the heavy roller to pack down the loose rock and make the trail more rideable.

The first year of the mountain bike option was extra special: the 2014 Ride for Rescue was dedicated to the memory of Tim Jones, team leader and legend for North Shore Rescue, who passed away suddenly in January 2014. On June 7, 2014, fifteen of us hearty (foolish?) souls, including intrepid MLA Sturdy, gathered at the makeshift start line on Eagle Lake Road.

Tim’s daughter, Taylor, started us off on the inaugural mountain bike climb.

I have ridden up Cypress on both the pavement and the trails, and although the road ride is a long, steady grind, it is a walk in the park compared to the lung-busting, mud-slinging, back-aching, shin-smashing journey along the old logging roads.

Since that first off-road ride in 2014, the number of mountain bikers has grown every year as has the success of the event.

Team BPP has grown from a team of one to a team of nine. Mrs. Harrison and the many other dedicated volunteers at the Rotary Club put in countless hours lining up corporate sponsors, signing up riders and putting on a very well-organized event for

Geoff Croll’s final ascent to the finish line in the 2016 Rotary Ride. Photo: courtesy of Scott Robarts

almost a decade now. We have ridden under sunny skies, rain clouds and one year there was too much snow at the top so we had to detour back to the asphalt at the Cypress Mountain works yard. At the top there is always a welcoming crowd and, of course, the legendary free pancakes.

The official ride was cancelled last year due to COVID but Team BPP still made the ride up, albeit at a more leisurely pace. This year the ride is virtual, taking place from May 12 to June 12 which should allow even more riders to join and get involved in an extremely worthwhile event. Looking forward to seeing more riders, at a respectfully safe distance, on the trails, on the road and virtually as well. Check it out at rotaryrideforrescue.org.

Rotary Ride for Rescue 10th Annual Cypress Hill Climb COVID-19 Safe Event | May 12 - June 12 COVI

rotar yrideforre scue.org

May/June 2021

PAGE 5

Westerner founder and publisher joins the Beacon team BY

Chris Stringer

W

e are delighted to welcome to our team, Chris Adshead, who, together with Mary Bayes, operated Beacon predecessor, The Westerner. It linked our community for eight years and 44 publications.

In 2013, as Lindy and I considered, with apprehension, our community newspaper idea, it was Chris and Mary who provided the encouragement, advice and expertise that gave us the confidence to embark on our daunting task, not knowing whether we would make it past a first printing. We are honoured to have Chris join us. This being

our forty-fourth Beacon, the timing seems particularly fitting.

Chris’ prolific presence in the community over 35 years has been as an active resident and long-time Director of the Western Residents Association. He has served on numerous community committees, including the Red Wharf Committee that negotiated with the Federal

Chris Adshead

Government to permit local management of the wharf for community use, specifically now as a home base for the RCM Search and Rescue.

Prior to 2001, children returning home from Gleneagles Ch’axáý Elementary School shared Chatham Street and Royal Avenue. The increased traffic created serious safety concerns. Chris devised a

KIM CLARKE

W

traffic calming plan which he presented to the district. This helped bring about the installation of sidewalks and landscaping.

From his desk, ‘the perch,’ atop his Horseshoe Bay home, he maintains a bird’seye view of Howe Sound and Horseshoe Bay village.

Photographer, writer, chef, gardener, vintage car owner and past director of Sussex Realty, Chris has already graced our pages in our Looking Back column and with his exceptional photographs. The front page photo is an example of his artistry.

Thank you, Chris, for joining us in shedding light on our communities. The Beacon and the community are the fortunate beneficiaries. Welcome!

OUTSIDE INSIGHT

The door knocking mystery

hen we first moved into our current house, I was mystified by the number of people who knocked on my door then ran away. I never had enough time to get from the part of the house that I was in, to the front door.

I would yell down the stairs, “Coming!

Be right there.”

And by the time I was right there, they were gone. And I do not live in a big, rambling house. Far from it. Upstairs is where I live. Downstairs is where the door lives.

Compact and simple.

I remember playing “Knock out Ginger” as a kid, but I think the game has gone out

of favour, what with large dogs and serious surveillance equipment. There are very few children who would open the gate in my hidden garden, rap on the door, then run away.

I was getting my exercise by running up and down the stairs, so no complaint there, but it was getting a little creepy.

One day, I was standing right beside the door when someone knocked. I opened the door, with panache, and a raised eyebrow.

No one was there. I was baffled. I consulted.

My friend Pat said that it was angels. The same angels that deposited dimes for me to find from my deceased mother. I was skeptical but no one else offered another expla-

nation with such conviction.

My children said I was hallucinating.

My high school reading of Macbeth insinuated it was my soul.

Hubby said it was the television and that the ads that sounded doorbells should be banned from the airwaves because of the emotional toll it takes on dogs and their owners.

As helpful as all of these insights were, I decided to investigate. I spent a lot of time hanging around the front door waiting for the siren’s knock.

It took a while but it happened.

I whipped open the door. Again, no one.

But I took a chance. I stepped out, looked

both ways, and then up. Way up. And that is when I saw my door knocker.

A woodpecker. It had discovered a weak spot under my eaves and had drilled a series of giant holes into which it could maneuver and build a nest and surreptitiously seemingly knock on my front door.

The pest control guys came and inserted metal barriers and shooed the bird away.

On some level I miss the ghostly knocking and the knowledge that it wasn’t really angels. On another, in the midst of this pandemic, perhaps nature was trying to tell me to stay inside. Be safe.

It is my soul.

Landscape Design

Your garden ...Our pleasure

Installation

604.802.5272

Maintenance

BLOOMINGFIELDS GARDEN CARE AND DESIGN INC.

bloomingfields.ca

PAGE

6

CHRIS STRINGER

“I

May/June 2021

COMMUNITY PERSONALITY

Forty years of commitment to quality care

was fortunate to grow up with three grandparents in our home, so I grew to love and appreciate elders at an early age,” says Margot Ware who, as a young adult, found herself caring for her terminally ill mother. These two experiences would influence the rest of her life.

Margot owns and operates Shylo Home Healthcare.

On graduation from high school, with mathematics her favourite subject, Margot logically looked for and found her first job in the financial sector. She soon discovered that crunching numbers was confin-

Linda & Betty. “We had fun,” Linda.

ing. She needed involvement, she realized, with people who needed her caring nature.

In 1985, while caring for her mother, and feeling unqualified in aspects of this care, she hired Shylo Nursing Service to help. When her mother passed away, Margot joined Shylo as a companion while pursuing her nursing training. After attaining her registered nurse status she decided to continue doing what she enjoyed, caring for seniors, her vocation for the past 35 years.

Shylo Nursing was founded in 1980 by Caulfeild resident, Betty Brown, a nurse

Photo provided

who had raised a famBetty’s energy and was preily of four children. The pared to do anything and story goes that an elderly go anywhere. And she was neighbour, who had a tersmart!” minal illness, asked Betty The pace and complexity to support him to remain of the developing home care in his home. Through her market required progressive local church, St Francismanagement skills. By 1998, in-the-Wood, she realized Margot was ready for the there were more people challenge. Betty and Linda needing home care; some retired. Margot purchased Margot Ware. with chronic or terminal the business and hired adillnesses wanted to remain in their own ministrative support. homes rather than being moved to a facilOver the past 23 years she has guided ity. Betty felt they deserved that dignity the business through challenges of inand began searching for nurses like herself creased competition and staffing shortto join the Shylo team. ages. New technology now includes the The demand in West Vancouver proved ability for families to view their loved ones’ to be sufficient that, before long, she real- care information online. Yet, the Shylo sysized she was running a business and Shylo tem, successful for 40 years, remains unNursing was born. Shylo, originally a place changed: the provision of dependable care in the Biblical book of Genesis, was the with dedicated home support workers and middle name of one of her grandchildren. companions, managed by committed, caThe business grew quickly and she soon pable and experienced nursing leadership, needed administrative help. all united in one mission - quality care.

Linda Gusa, a RPN, joined Betty in “When I started in this business and 1985. “Betty got her energy from people became a registered nurse I knew that I and was fun to be around,” Linda recalls. wanted to work in an environment where “We laughed constantly. I helped with the there is time to spend with patients for the office duties and did home visits to check provision of quality care and I found the on our service and our clients. By 1990 we community was the best place to do that,” had over 100 staff ranging from registered Margot says. “Today Shylo is blessed with nurses to home companions and we were a caring staff, many who have been with us still having fun.” for ten years. We are also blessed to have Linda remembers when Margot joined many clients with us for ten years as well. their team in 1986 as a young companion And I still treasure the time I get to spend for seniors. “She had empathy and loved with them in their homes.” meeting the needs of our clients. She had

book your eye exam!

CAULFEILD SHOPPING CENTRE 5313 Headland Drive — 604.923.4747 Dr. Kiran Jhutty, Optometrist

New patients welcome

i r i s . c a

May/June 2021

PAGE 7

ROSE LEPIN

TALKATIVE TEEN

An engine-red spotlight on WVFR Deputy Fire Chief

T

his past year, the entire globe has been tasked with the challenge of appreciating the simplest aspects of life. Thanks to the dedication of our community health and safety officials, we have the privilege of knowing that, in spite of COVID-19, local safety is consistently a priority.

In February of 2020, the local fire department unexpectedly became a large part of my family’s life, when we lost our home to an electrical fire. I wanted to learn more about the branch that we owe so much to. And Deputy Fire Chief, Gord Howard of West Vancouver Fire and Rescue, Station 1, was kind enough to chat with me about what life looks like for their teams through COVID, and the various services WVFR provides within West Vancouver.

A UBC business major, turned rescue diver, turned firefighter, Gord Howard has served our community in West Vancouver Fire & Rescue for 31 years. A lifelong West Vancouver resident, Deputy Chief Howard is an integral member of our community.

While training as a rescue diver and first responder, he realized that the majority of his classmates intended to pursue a career within their local fire departments. After much consideration, he decided to pursue additional first aid to become a firefighter.

In his three decades of service, Deputy Chief Howard has climbed the ranks within the department and is now settled at WVFR’s central hub, Station 1.

Station 1 is home to the majority of WVFR’s equipment and resources, including the department’s tower and rescue trucks, engine crews, and a command unit. The department responds to a diverse range of calls, such as

medical, public service, fire, and car accidents.

Deputy Chief Howard describes West Vancouver Fire and Rescue as, “The department you call when you don’t know who else to call.”

In addition to Station 1’s resources, each of the three smaller facilities houses an engine crew. An engine is what you typically picture as a standard fire truck.

Following my family’s incident, I was curious about residential structure fires. Deputy Chief Howard explained that for a home call such as mine, the standard initial dispatch includes three engines, a tower, and a duty chief. “It is quite a technical job that requires a lot of ongoing training and practice. All homes are Rose and Deputy Fire different, all situChief, Gord Howard, ations are differlaughing their way ent,” he explains. through the interview.

“We see what we see and go from there. Whether it’s a fire call, tech rescue call, medical call, there are so many unknowns. We have to collect the information and make our decisions in very time-compressed ways in order to make a difference.”

He would like the public to know that they don’t just show up and put water on the fire.

“There is a lot more to it. It is understanding human behaviour, fire science, WorkSafe BC regulations, and the guidelines of how we can safely mitigate an incident while both keeping the public and our team members safe.”

For Deputy Fire Chief Howard, the most rewarding part of the job is being able to make

a difference in the community. “You don’t necessarily see hands-on firefighting every day, but what I believe you do see every day is the community knowing that they are safe.

To relate it to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, we provide that sense of physical safety, which enables society to come together, knowing that there is a police department and a fire department there to keep you safe. You know if something happens, someone is going to

come and help out. And then, when we are called to do so, we go to make a difference and be there in someone’s most difficult time, and help get them through it.”

Rose, a grade 11 student at WVSS, has been telling community stories through the Beacon since 2018. She spends her time writing, singing in the District Honour Choir, taking excessive photos of her cat, and performing her duties as Miss Teen Greater Vancouver 2019-2021.

Rose’s house during the fire.

PETTIT

Photos provided

AND COMPANY* TRIAL LAWYERS

Personal Injury | Property Disputes | Employment Law Construction Litigation | Human Rights | Disability Claims Family Law | Strata Litigation 301-2609 Westview Drive, North Vancouver P. 604.998.0901 | www.pettitandco.com * Services provided through a law corporation.

PAGE

8

May/June 2021

CHRIS ADSHEAD

O

Whytecliff, the original ferry dock

ur pristine divers’ paradise at Whytecliff Park was once home to a busy ferry dock, with a regular ferry service from Whyte Bay to Bowen Island.

Most of Whytecliff and Horseshoe Bay was purchased by an American land developer, Colonel Albert Whyte, who wanted to establish the area as White Cliff City. On the plan for the subdivision, dated May 20, 1909, it shows that the area was in North Vancouver as West Vancouver was not incorporated until March 15, 1912. The development idea collapsed due to high taxes, so perhaps Colonel Whyte’s greatest legacy was in changing the spelling from White to Whyte.

In 1926, an extension of Marine Drive allowed W.W. Boultbee to open his Cliff House Restaurant in the park. It was a popular spot with entertainment, sometimes featuring Juliette Syask, “our pet Juliette,” star of CBC Radio and Television during the 1940s and 1950s. The restaurant featured a covered outdoor patio with cottages for overnight guests. It’s said that local police would sometimes raid the restaurant, but failed to notice the brown bags under the tables! Sadly, in 1961 the restaurant burned down.

Mr. Boultbee sold the estate to the Union Steamship Company in 1938 and

they operated a ferry service with the MV Comox to Bowen Island during the periods 1939-41 and 1946-1952.

The story of ferries to Bowen Island is complicated and the subject of Peter D. Ommundsen’s book Bowen Island Passenger Ferries. In addition to the Union Steamship Company, which operated out of Whyte Bay, the Sannie Transportation Company provided service to Bowen Island from Horseshoe Bay. Sannie was founded in 1921 by John Hilton Brown who named it after his wife’s yacht, which in turn had been named after a winning Australian racehorse which he had heavily backed.

The Sannie was the first of his fleet.

The company grew and the fleet enlarged, but there was ongoing competition between the two companies. In 1945, Union purchased Sannie. The merged company was called Howe Sound Ferries Limited.

By 1950, most of the boats were sold as the costs to operate the service were high and the revenue low. Dissatisfied Bowen islanders, incensed with higher fares and a poor schedule, petitioned for better service. The provincial government pressured the ferry company to give up its licence and allow Black Ball Ferries to take over the route.

MV Comox approaching Whytecliff, with the Cliff House Restaurant in the background, circa 1940.

The District of West Vancouver bought Whytecliff Park in 1953. With the help of the Vancouver Aquarium, Whyte Bay later became a marine protected area.

Recently, I visited the park on a sunny winter’s day. A couple of divers had just returned from the cold waters of the bay.

They confirmed that there is still evidence of the wharf ’s pilings on the seabed. Many divers who enjoy Canada’s first underwater park now use those pilings to anchor equipment to - even wharf pilings can be recycled for a new use!

Sources: Ommundsen, P.D. (1997). Bowen Island Passenger Ferries: The Sannie Trans-

MV Comox unloading at the Whytecliff dock, circa 1940. Photo: City of Vancouver Archives, CVA 374-472_

portation Company, 1921-1956. ISBN: 9780968208403 Mansbridge, F. (2011). Cottages to Community: The Story of West Vancouver’s Neighbourhoods. Curated by John Moir, West Vancouver Historical Society. ISBN: 978-0986802805 Mansbridge, F. (2014). Arrivals and Departures: The Ferries and the People of Horseshoe Bay. Curated by John Moir, West Vancouver Historical Society.

Photo: City of Vancouver Archives, CVA 374-62_

May/June 2021

PAGE 9

LOOKING BACK

The ferries came and they stayed BY

T

Chris Stringer

his summer marks the seventieth anniversary of drive-on car ferry service out of Horseshoe Bay. On August 11, 1951, Seattle’s Black Ball Ferry company began service to Gibsons, recognized at the time as “the awakening of the sleeping beauty that is the Sunshine Coast.”

The Sunshine Coast was only accessible by small passenger boats and larger Union Steamship vessels which could handle cars only as cargo.

While coastal communities welcomed the access to larger communities that Black Ball and other ferry companies provided, many Horseshoe Bay residents did not. The Horseshoe Bay Community Association lobbied West Vancouver Council strenuously to block Black Ball’s entrance into their community.

But as a “corridor community,” council did not feel it had the power to take action. Horseshoe Bay, they said, is a public harbour governed by the regulations of the Canadian Department of Transport and the Black Ball drive-on car ferry service began.

This poem evoked the sentiments of residents:

Horseshoe Bay lay peacefully there Surrounded by the mountains fair.

The children playing in the park: The sportsmen out upon a lark…

When ‘round yon point the atrocity came The Blackball Ferry of Seattle fame.

Her funnels belching out black smoke, The natives temper did evoke For driven into their precious shore Were barnacled pilings by the score.

In 1953, West Vancouver sold .82 acres of Horseshoe Bay Park to Black Ball Ferries of Washington for $80,000. In the same year Black Ball Ferries added ferry service to Nanaimo from Horseshoe Bay. In 1956 service began to Bowen Island.

Prior to Black Ball’s arrival in BC, car ferry service was being poorly managed by Canadian Pacific Steamships whose Princess Line provided inefficient, infrequent, and inconvenient service from downtown Vancouver to Nanaimo and to Victoria. The efficient Black Ball ferry service was welcomed in Vancouver. In the first six months the company reported handling 66,593 pas-

BC Ferry leaving Horseshoe Bay, in 1964. Photo: courtesy of West Vancouver Archives

sengers,10,000 cars and 3,544 trucks. It had initially estimated it would take ten years to recover the costs of establishing ferry service from Horseshoe Bay. Investment return, in fact, was achieved in the first year of operations.

The ten years of profitable operations for Black Ball did not occur without serious consequences. Labour unrest halted service on several occasions by both Black Ball and Canadian Pacific ferries, causing tourists to be stranded on Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast.

In 1958, the BC Government offered to subsidize any company that could guarantee service without strikes. Not surprisingly, nobody stepped forward. Premier W.A.C. Bennett invoked the Civil Defence Act and assumed control of the Black Ball Line on June 23, 1958. Eventually, on November 30, 1961 the BC government purchased the Black Ball assets for $6.69 million and continued ferry operations. Thus was born the modern era of service by BC Ferries.

Sixty years later, British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., BC Ferries, has purchased the Canadian Pacific ferry service operations as well as smaller provincial ferry service

Black Ball Ferry, circa 1956.

operators. It is an independently managed, publicly owned Canadian company.

BC Ferries has become the second largest passenger ferry line in North America and the third largest in the world, operating a fleet of 36 vessels with a total passenger and crew capacity of over 27,000, serving 47 locations on the BC coast.

It can be said that Horseshoe Bay played an integral part in the early development of an iconic BC brand.

Thanks to Francis Mansbridge for permission to cite from his book, Arrivals and Departures: The Ferries and the People of Horseshoe Bay, curated by John Moir, West Vancouver Historical Society.

Image: West Vancouver Archives, with appreciation to Gary Little (garylittle.ca) Souvenir Programme of the celebration in Gibsons of the first trip of the Black Ball Ferry.

PAGE

10

May/June 2021

Somali refugee family aided by local church BY

Ann Frost

“G

ood things come to those who wait,” is really a synonym for patience. This proverb was originally part of an early 20th century poem and may very soon come true for a young Somali mother and her children.

In January 2019, St-Francis-in-theWood church received a request from a Somali refugee family, some of whom were already in Vancouver, to help fund the flight of their sister and her children. The church Social Outreach Committee met with the family and learned about their story of oppression in East Africa.

Some 20 years ago, a Somali mother and her children fled Somalia to Kenya where they lived in a refugee camp. There, the children received an education and grew to adulthood. Noor, the eldest son, won a scholarship to attend university in Nanaimo, BC. He immigrated and, after completing his education, found a job with Revenue Canada in Vancouver. On week-

Through it all

By Lucy Chase, Rockridge graduate

There is a rock on the beach that I can see from my house The rock is round A boulder Tall enough to gaze across the waters The ocean, ruffled with whitecaps, Melodic rolling, pushing and pulling To watch the peaks change colour in the dawn to dusk

ends he worked with children with autism.

In 2019, he was able to bring his mother and brother to Canada, and they currently live with him in Surrey.

Noor’s sister, Nasri, married with children, remained in Kenya. Her husband, an activist working with youth and acting against the Al-Shabaab, was shot and killed and she was threatened. With their lives in danger, Nasri and her children fled to a refugee camp in neighbouring Uganda where she thought they would be safe. But it was not to be.

Her girls were outside playing when a man they did not know came by and offered them a “present” - a wrapped parcel. Young (preschool) and curious, they unwrapped it and it exploded. Both were badly burned and had to be hospitalized.

Noor immediately started working to bring his sister and her children to Canada. In 2019, he approached the Anglican church to assist with funding and St. Francis-in-the-Wood became involved. During Noor’s meeting with the church Social Outreach Committee he assured the committee

that he and his family would handle all the settlement issues for Nasri and her children, an offer which was gratefully received.

The committee received approval from the church Parish Council to proceed with fundraising. The Spring tradition of Lenten giving for special concerns began the fundraising programme in 2019, and the church began the lengthy application process through Immigration Canada. It usually takes a year or more to complete all the steps but with COVID-19, it was two years before Nasri had her interview.

She and her children have now had their medicals but the pandemic is still causing delays. Progress is, however, being made and, God willing, the family may well be here before the end of this year.

Donations to assist the family are gratefully accepted, via cheques made to St. Francis-in-the-Wood Church marked “Refugee Support” or via credit card by calling the church (604-922-3531). For donations of $25 or more tax receipts are issued. Please consider helping make the proverb come true.

Nasri with her children, Anisa, Aisha and Ayan (from left to right).

To listen to the air humming with life If you sit on the top When the tide is calm and faded away

If maybe the rock would be pulled And roll into the ocean

Pain But it never moves

If maybe it would be Stolen by the sea

The rock will stay

But I woke up in the light And I looked To see the rock sitting Looking like nothing had ever happened

Until one day it is meant to move Or to be destroyed I won’t be there

But at night it comes Inch by inch the waves rise And drowns the rock in constant movement Surrounds its shell With frozen water that wholly overtakes it The rock is solid One night a storm came Raging and angry to take the beach I wondered, as I drifted away into the night,

SERVICES

Check website for details.

4772 Piccadilly Road South

604.922.3531 | stfrancisinthewood.ca

Photo provided

The rock is still It never moves I tried to push it one time, with all my strength My anger, hate, desperation and

Because I’ll have been stolen by the sea by then I’ll be somewhere else — I went back to the beach It was gone

West Vancouver Presbyterian Church SERVICE

check website for details

2893 MARINE DRIVE 604.926.1812 westvanpresbyterian.ca

May/June 2021

IAN MACPHERSON

T

PSYCHED OUT

Are you a co-star or a bit player?

here is a spike in the number of relationships that disintegrate around the seven-year itch mark. But there is also an increase in divorces after 20 years of marriage and another significant exodus at 40 years.

There are, of course, differences in the nature of marriages that are shorter versus those that prolong the agony. Nonetheless, they all have something in common: unmet expectations. The fantasy of the ideal relationship does not match with the reality of how the partner fits into the plan.

So what are the solutions? One is to demand that your partner correct his or her ways. Your partner, however, may have a different take. This can lead to a battle which escalates to an intolerable level fairly

quickly. The end result is a war, with one or both combatants leaving the field permanently. Clashes can be ongoing if there are children involved. These proxy fights perpetuate the pain with the kids being the emotional “football.” This is the dance of blame and self-justification where individual needs dull empathy for others.

Another solution to the sense of unfilled need is distraction or denial: living in a fantasy world or being distracted by work, or other activities and relationships. Some couples seem resigned to the belief that everybody is like them and nobody has it any better. This is the dance of emotional alienation. It takes a jolt to move one of these people, and it can often be toward the exit.

Sometimes a distraction comes in the form

of an affair. Paradoxically, through deception, the affair is often a distorted attempt to keep the main relationship intact, not to break it up.

Some of these long, unsatisfactory marriages have been stable. Then, life stressors that do not come directly from the relationship can push the couple to the breaking point. During the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, divorce lawyers have reported a one third increase in business.

The long-lasting marriage that finally runs its course can be one in which there has been a kind of panic wake-up call. One of the partners is brought to the realization that their “dance of inertia” could very well go on until death. The trigger can be a

ANNE BAIRD

A

PAGE 11

dawning awareness that the other distractions and relationships in their lives are disappearing.

In all these situations, the solutions are usually in response to an incorrect framing of the problem. Love science has confirmed the old saying that it takes two to tango. A successful intimate relationship is predicated on both partners sharing each other’s dream. One cannot be a “bit” player in the other’s movie. The two must be co-stars in their drama.

Ian Macpherson is a psychologist who lives and practices in West Vancouver. More at www.westvancouvertherapist.com

ANNE’S CORNER

Trouble in Birdland

nd we think the queen is having family problems!

The Busbys are going through upheavals that will resonate with many of us who follow the Royals.

Mrs. Busby has become “woke.” From being the most timid of gull wives, she’s evolving into an emancipated feathered feminist.

She no longer accepts Busby getting his place of privilege along the patio bannister, where he was fed first. He’s been banished to the roof for his feeding. She’s also adopted his

bold approach to the glass door between the breakfast room and patio, and his relentless peck on the glass to let us know he’s hungry.

But she still skitters away when we open the door. Not ready for hand feeding?

Worse, their child, Busby Jr., has become an irritating adolescent. He refuses to leave the nest though he’s grown into an enormous, fully fledged gull with a wingspan and body weight surpassing that of his parents. He still begs them for food, trying to make them regurgitate their victuals into his beak, as they

did when he was a baby. But he’ll knock them off the ledge in his rush to beat them to a treat.

What will become of him when a new clutch of babies is born in June? He can’t be a child forever. Will he suffer a nervous breakdown? Will the senior Busbys summon the necessary hardness of heart to drive him away to start a life of his own?

Busby is handling it well. He’s mellow and has learned to share. He seems comfortable with allowing Mrs. B. to stretch her wings.

Why not? He’s a special friend, and knows

he’ll never go short.

I sense a growing impatience with Busby Jr. Good! Children must launch eventually.

Even if they’re seagulls. Stay tuned.

The family dynamic cuts across all species.

Your Majesty, you are not alone.

Safeway is proud to support local farmers and producers. See our wide range of local products throughout the store.

PAGE

12

The Phoenix rises out of adversity BY

Sharon Selby

Registered Clinical Counsellor

S

he calls me her phone, but almost never uses me for phone calls. Her hands claw around me as she stares at me for hours: Instagram stories, Snapchat snaps, TikTok videos, news feeds, YouTube, and incoming messages. Day and night, she scrolls and scrolls.

My owner’s name is Alex, and this is 2020.

Images of koala bear and kangaroo rescues, bushfires and burned homes fill my screen. A Ukrainian plane has been shot down. There is so much tragedy to absorb.

She types non-stop, unaware of her increasing internal angst. As she texts, the tension between the US and Iran is mounting.

“What if this is the beginning of World War III?” she and her friends ask each other.

More tragedy follows: Los Angeles Laker basketball legend, Kobe Bryant, his 13-yearold daughter, Gianna, and seven others have died in a helicopter crash. Alex stares at me in disbelief. Can this really be true? She is a

big fan of Kobe Bryant, and his daughter was just one year younger than her. Now she’s dead, in an instant. The year 2020 is off to a tumultuous start.

The World Health Organization announces that a deadly coronavirus, COVID-19, has emerged in Wuhan, China, and is spreading across the globe. I feel Alex’s pulse rapidly beating. Her anxiety is high, and it’s transmitting through her clammy hands, to me. I can hardly keep up with the bombardment of postings.

Stop, Alex! Please! I want to shout. Don’t you see how this is affecting you? These images stay in your mind for weeks after you’ve watched them.

But I can’t stop her. She’s glued to the heart-wrenching Instagram videos.

Fear is contagious. I am deeply concerned about Alex’s mental health. She’s not getting enough sleep since she can’t switch me off at night. She is seeing too much and there are no filters. Raw images and videos come at her, and she’s sucked in. She can’t stop

checking. The virus is spreading. The numbers are mounting. Her anxiety is escalating.

Oh Alex, if only you would turn me off and give yourself a break from it all.

“

ZOOM THROUGH TIME exhibit + VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE Join Us Online Wednesday, June 2nd | 7-8pm islandpacific.org/events

May/June 2021

* death by police. Alex watches the recording over and over. She gasps each time she hears George Floyd saying, “I can’t breathe.” Her eyes fill. #BlackLivesMatter is everywhere and racial tension explodes. On June 5, I attend the Vancouver anti-racism rally with Alex. It’s loud, but peaceful. Thousands are here in support, chanting. It’s the midst of COVID and I can just see into Alex’s eyes behind her mask. She looks sad and exhausted. The world seems so out of control and unpredictable right now. So much suffering. Alex is feeling the intensity of the emotions surrounding her.

Alex, it’s been a tough year. Your angst and anxiety is understandable, but you will get to the other side of this. There has been a lot of loss, but you are building resilience.

You have had no choice but to learn to adapt.

You have learned the importance of staying in the present and appreciating what you do have. Joining in with your neighbours to bang pots and pans at 7 p.m., night after night, and creating hearts for the front window to applaud the front-line workers, are memories you will always cherish. This extra time with your family has brought you all closer.

You truly understand Dr. Henry’s words,“Be Kind. Be Calm. Be Safe.” This has been a year like no other, but just as the phoenix rises out of adversity, you will emerge stronger as well, dear Alex.

...as a verb, “I’ll Zoom you,” as a noun, “Let’s meet on Zoom,” and as an adjective, “Let’s have a Zoom party.”

On March 11, the World Health Organization declares a global pandemic. The disease is spreading, and everything is shutting down. Restaurants, shops, gyms, tennis courts, playgrounds and schools – even Disneyland – have closed until further notice.

The Olympics are postponed, Spring Break trips cancelled, and education is going online. Her classroom will be a Zoom room.

I despair for Alex at the thought of even more time spent on screens, but Zoom is the new word. She uses it as a verb, “I’ll Zoom you,” as a noun, “Let’s meet on Zoom,” and as an adjective, “Let’s have a Zoom party.”

New hashtags pop up as new lingo emerges. #LockDownNow #SocialDistancing #StayHomeStaySafe #FlattenTheCurve #MaskUp #MyPandemicSurvivalPlan #Coronapocalypse #PanicBuying and more.

On May 25, George Floyd, is choked to

*Reprinted and edited with permission from West Vancouver Stories: The Pandemic Project, ISBN 978-0981350844. Sharon Selby, RCC, has been supporting children, teens, and families for the past 23 years, particularly in the area of anxiety. www.sharonselby.com

Limited Spots Available. Apply Now for 2021-22!

May 6, June 3, August 5 Exhibitions! Virtual Events! Public Art! www.westvanartscouncil.ca LEARNING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. INSPIRED TO MAKE WAVES.

May/June 2021

BRIAN POMFRET

PAGE 13

JOE GARDENER

Fish fertilize those faded daffodils In May it’s full speed ahead into spring!

• Purchase your bedding plants now and plant them out after the fifteenth of the month. Always pick out the plants that are really healthy looking with strong stems.

• Pinch off growing tips of chrysanthemums and asters to promote bushy growth.

• I f your daffodils are faded, you can dig them up and heel them in elsewhere in your garden to die back completely. A little fish fertilizer will encourage good performance next year.

• It’s a great time to plant dahlia tubers and insert a stake beside them.

• Start seeding winter crops of cauliflower, brussel sprouts and cabbages and try planting asparagus.

• Mow that lawn frequently and try leaving the cuttings as a natural source of nitrogen.

Keep the blades set at 2.5 inches above the surface.

• You can prune off any shrubs and trees that have finished flowering now before they set bud for next year.

June heralds summer!

• Of all flowers, none is loved so much as the rose. Nurture them with six hours of sun and, if cared for, they will give little trouble.

When planting, work in a well-rotted bit of steer manure and if it’s an existing rose, work in the top inch with the stuff. Keep them just moist (peat moss helps) and water only at the bottom, not on foliage. Roses are hungry feeders so apply organic fertilizer regularly according to directions.

• Hanging baskets have to be watered frequently. Try a slow release fertilizer, like Osmocote, on top for continuous flowering.

• Lots of dead heading needs to be done.

Spent Rhododendron and Camellia blossoms can be put under the canopy with a covering of topdressing soil. Good mulch.

MICHAEL BERTON

• If you have apple trees, try removing about 1/3 of the immature fruit to encourage larger apples and prevent overloading of branches.

• Plant out tomatoes and remember to nip off any side shoots to redirect energy.

• Prune off those perennials to encourage continued blooming.

• Maybe move house plants out to a shady spot for their summer holiday!

DOLLARS AND SENSE

BC Economic Recovery Benefit

M

y mother would tell you that I never listen, and despite my protestations, she is probably right a lot of the time. Last month she told me that her friend was applying for some sort of government money but could not elaborate.

I paid little attention. When her friend told us she actually received the money, I began to listen. Sure enough, there is money to be claimed for those who know to apply. Deadline for applications is June 30, 2021.

The BC Recovery Benefit offers BC residents a one-time, tax-free payment of up to $1,000 for eligible families, single parents and individuals. Eligibility comprises fairly

straightforward requirements like being 19 or over (on December 18, 2020), a BC resident, and avoiding jail last year.

Assuming you or your loved one qualifies, there is $1,000 for eligible families and single parents with a net income of up to $125,000, and a reduced benefit for those with a net income of up to $175,000.

For individuals, there is $500 for eligible individuals with a net income of up to $62,500 and a reduced benefit for those with a net income of up to $87,500.

While this may not be of interest to the wealthy, it will be for many seniors, people living with disabilities, and

Custom Homes | Renovations | Commercial

Reveal the potential of your home! upwardconstruction.ca

single parent families. If you received a payment for income assistance, disability assistance, seniors’ supplement, hardship allowance or comfort allowance anytime in December 2020 or January 2021, you should automatically receive the full benefit amount. If you are an executor, a deceased individual’s estate can apply for the individual benefit if the individual was alive on December 18, 2020.

Applications can be made by mail, telephone or online. Applicants can be individuals or their legal representatives.

You will need your 2019 net income amount, driver’s licence number, and your

bank account information or void cheque.

I have submitted two of these online on behalf of elderly family members. In both cases it took about 15 minutes to raise two $500 benefits. They are both thrilled. As mother says, I should learn to listen to her.

For more information go to: https:// www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/ economic-recovery/benefit#under-19 Michael Berton is a Senior Financial Planner with Assante Financial Management Ltd. mberton@assante.com

Open daily from 4:00pm to 8:30pm for pick-up and delivery.

1747 Marine Drive, West Vancouver 604.913.1314

www.casadiamici.ca

PAGE

14

DAVID ROBERTS

A

FROM THE INKWELL

Sir Thomas Beecham at Stonehaven

mongst other worthies who inhabited Caulfeild over the years, perhaps the most famous was Sir Thomas Beecham. Born in St Helens, Lancashire, in 1879, he was descended from a long line of Lancashire peasants. Sir Thomas’s grandfather started life as a shepherd. He devised herbal remedies for his flock’s ailments and this progressed to nostrums for human consumption. He became, quite unqualified, a pharmacist. Eventually he created the “Beecham’s Pill” with the advertising slogan “Worth a Guinea a box.” It sold in the millions over the years and the Beecham family became fabulously wealthy.

Sir Thomas, known as Tommy to everyone, was vitally disinterested in running the family business. Music was his obsession and he ultimately became one of England’s most famous orchestra conductors and impresarios. For some time he ran Covent Garden.

In 1916, he was knighted for his services to music. In 1932, prompted and financed

by Sir Samuel Courtauld, he founded the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

He spent most of World War II in America and was the artistic director of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra during its 1941-2 sea-

Stonehaven circa 1930.

May/June 2021

son. In 1946 he founded the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Most of his money was spent on musical endeavours and he was notoriously incapable of organizing his financial affairs. Consequently, he was often in serious financial difficulties. He enjoyed an exciting love life. He married three times and amassed a sizeable collection of mistresses, including Lady Maud Cunard.

In 1942, Beecham filed for divorce in Idaho City, a derelict mining town, in the hope, unfulfilled, that it would go unnoticed. At the time he was living with British concert pianist, Betty Humby, who, herself was divorcing her husband, she in Boise, Idaho.

Beecham and Betty moved to Caulfeild and rented Stonehaven. They were accompanied by Humby’s teenage son, Jeremy. Jeremy would be dispatched each day in a rowboat to the Red and White store in Caulfeild Cove to purchase supplies.

Beecham’s biographer, John Lucas, claims: “When Beecham needed a break from working on scores he played billiards with Jeremy on the full-size table in the basement of the house – he was remembered as a good player, though out of practice.”

When Justice Carrothers owned the house, the billiard table was still there in the basement. It may still be there to this day.

Those who lived in Caulfeild then, will tell you that there was always the sound of music coming from Stonehaven.

Beecham was famous for his wit. Neville Cardus described him: ”A complex character- Falstaff, Puck, Malvolio all mixed up…

Witty, then waggish, supercilious, then ge-

Photo: courtesy of West Vancouver Archives

nial, kindly and sometimes cruel…” He could be scathing to his players: “We cannot expect you to be with us all the time, but perhaps you would be good enough to keep in touch now and again.”

Nor was he always kind about fellow conductors. On Toscanini: “A glorified Italian band-master.” And of foreign conductors: “Why do we in England engage at our concerts so many third-rate continental conductors when we have so many secondrate ones of our own.”

I once attended a concert by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Beecham. It was the late 1950s and Beecham would have been about eighty. In those days, conductors never addressed their audiences. This short, rotund man shambled onto the stage, clambered onto the rostrum, bowed to the orchestra, bowed to the audience, turned and raised his baton. The players lifted their instruments, poised for the first beat. Beecham suddenly put down his baton, turned and spoke to the audience for some minutes about the music, Delius I remember. He then turned and the concert began. I never heard the Vancouver Symphony play with such heart and gusto.

Thanks to Matthew Baird, Digital Contents and Artists Relations and Kenn Livingstone of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra for their assistance in unearthing the concert programme. And credit to John Lucas for his book Thomas Beecham: An Obsession with Music (2011), Boydell Press, ISBN: 978-1843836261.

May/June 2021

5616 Westport Pl., Eagle Harbour

LD

SO

ree

h nT

I

50 Panorama Rd., Lions Bay

65 Sunset Dr., Lions Bay

LD

SO

!

ys

Da

PAGE 15

ne

O In

$2,488,000

LD

SO

y!

Da

$2,495,000

25 Oceanview Rd., Lions Bay

$2,150,000

$1,450,000

“The Sykes House” – a true West Coast Contemporary masterpiece designed by well renowned local architect, Peter Kaffka. Enjoy panoramic ocean views from large entertaining decks & all principal rooms in this completely renovated 4 bed / 3 bath luxury cul-de-sac home. Unique Home with natural materials & modern finishes throughout for those who truly appreciate architecture and design.

Stunning West Coast home w/ panoramic views of Howe Sound. This re-imagined residence, crafted with love & no expense spared. Magnificent tiered gardens in the back.

Main suite features 2 bdrms / 2.5 bthrms, flex room, mini spa, wine room, gym & workshop on 2 levels. High end kitchen/living/dining room with vaulted ceilings, floor to ceiling windows, double sided fireplace & bar. 2 bdrm legal suite.

Beautiful family home perched on a massive 24,000 SF property boasting sweeping views of Howe Sound and total privacy. Completely renovated and meticulously maintained featuring high end kitchen open to the living & dining room, vaulted ceilings, gas fireplace and French doors with sliders onto large sunny deck complete with hot tub, overlooking a grassy front lawn. 3 bed + 4th bed in rec room.

LIONS BAY BEAUTY! Amazing Lewis Post & Beam with spectacular Howe Sound views, perfect for young family or downsizing couple looking for one level living. 4 bdrm/3 bthrm, beautiful exposed beams complemented by renovated kitchen, new furnace, on-demand hot water, new flooring & septic, 2 car garage, flat front lawn for the kids.

55 min from Whistler & 35 min from downtown Vancouver.

300 Bayview Pl., Lions Bay

6269 St. Georges Cres., Gleneagles

6182 Nelson Av., Gleneagles

35 Kelvin Grove Way, Lions Bay

LD

LD

SO

$1,799,000 A rare gem tucked away at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac with panoramic ocean and mountain views. This beautiful 3 bdrm / 2 bthrm / 2061 SF West Coast Contemporary home sits on a private 17,382 SF lot surrounded by lush forest. The main floor features an open plan kitchen, living, dining with two sun soaked decks. Meticulously maintained and loved by the current owners with many updates over the years.

LD

SO

$6,880,000 This luxury Gleneagles estate boasts stunning panoramic ocean, island & mountain views from every room in the home. Featuring 5 bdrms / 7 bthrms / 10,000 SF on a 16,500 SF lot with floor-to- ceiling windows, grand-scale principal rooms and an expansive indoor/outdoor pool and entertaining space.

SO

$2,499,000 This charming 3 bdrm / 1 bthrm Gleneagles home sits atop a 14,375 SF lot with amazing ocean, island and mountain views. The upper end of Nelson avenue is one of the most private enclaves in the area and truly captures the serene & tranquil qualities of Howe Sound.

$785,000 Build your dream home on this rare development lot amongst the prestigious properties in Lions Bay’s most desirable neighbourhood, Kelvin Grove. This sunny 10,048 sf parcel of land boasts sweeping views of Howe Sound and a friendly community. Water, sewer & storm drainage at lot line.

Your Realtor for Life.

60 4. 315 . 2645 | K imTaylo rHo mes . c o m

In the 11 years that I’ve helped my clients buy and sell homes here, I’ve always felt that I’m not just selling a home, I’m selling a lifestyle. When I move someone into a new home, the process doesn’t end with me handing them the keys; I’m involved in connecting them with their new community - my community. I was fortunate to grow up in Eagle Harbour and my husband, in Horseshoe Bay. Our son is in the same classroom at Gleneagles that we were in - it doesn’t get more local than that. Since childhood I’ve been familiar with the trails, parks and beaches that my family enjoys today. I feel very fortunate to have fashioned a successful career doing what I love to do in this beautiful area I call home and I would love to help your family buy or sell the West Coast dream… because I believe it is.

Cheers,

PAGE

16

May/June 2021