West Vancouver Beacon | November/December 2020 | Edition 41

THE No. 41

BEACON Shedding light on the communities from Lions Bay to West Bay

November/December 2020

Life on the Rock ends after 40 years

“F

or more than half my life the Lighthouse has been my life,” said Elaine Graham on her retirement in September.

It was 1980 when Elaine, husband Don and their two sons moved into the cottage beside the lighthouse to begin their lives of running the lighthouse and managing Lighthouse Park.

When not keeping her eye on the ocean, assisting Don with sending in the regular weather reports, keeping the powerful light shining, sounding fog alarms, maintaining radio communications and assisting search and rescuers, Elaine was a naturalist in Lighthouse Park.

Twenty years ago she co-founded the Lighthouse Park Preservation Society while serving as a director with the West Vancouver Historical Society.

The legacy Elaine leaves with us has been her work and commitment to preserving the natural and historical significance of Lighthouse Park.

4

Making a Difference

Ms Canada Pageant

8-9

11

A Recreational Passion

12

PG

Sharon Selby

PG

A New Life

PG

PG

IN THIS ISSUE 3

Photo: Michael Wheatley

Elaine’s view for 40 years.

PG

Continued on page 3

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TEAM

One thing leads to another

Chris Stringer

Opinion

Publisher

chrisstringer @westvanbeacon.ca

Lindy Pfeil

Lindy Pfeil Editor

lindypfeil @westvanbeacon.ca

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

November/December 2020

I

spend a large part of my day with kindergartners.

Sometimes we do yoga. We balance on one leg while the singing bowl hums.

Then we fill imaginary bubbles with the most fantastic colours. And when they burst, way above our heads, they rain down all sorts of incredible things. Like happiness.

And kindness. And cake.

The kindergartners of 2020 are a fascinating group. For older children, this school year has brought new rules. There are things they can no longer do because of the pandemic. Recess times are staggered. Students play in cohorts. This can be tough. Invisible lines in the gravel or the grass sometimes separate them from their ‘old’ friends.

But for kindergartners it’s all new. Washing your hands every time you leave and enter the classroom is no different to putting on rainboots when it’s wet outside. Learning not to share school supplies or snacks is as easy as remembering when to use your inside voice. Staying on your side of the orange traffic cones on the playground is ‘normal.’ And wearing a mask is just what you do. Besides, everyone knows that wearing a mask turns you into a superhero.

A few days ago, Lizzy was putting the finishing touches on an enormous chalk rainbow outside her classroom. I asked her why she decided to create a rainbow. “Well,

it actually started out as something else,” she said, sounding more like a teenager than a five-year-old. “But, well, one thing led to another. And before you know it, I made a rainbow.”

One morning, we were all sitting cross-legged on the carpet, listening to a story. All except Thomas.

“Criss-cross apple sauce” is not yet part of his body’s vocabulary.

Instead, Thomas was leopard crawling under the tables and between the chairs. When he reached me, he lay beside my criss-crossed legs, rested his head on his arms and peeked up at me from behind his superhero mask.

In under a minute, he was fast asleep, softly snoring. When the story finished, it was craft time. With their supplies and instructions, the children moved to their places at the tables. Everyone walked past Thomas.

No one woke him. No one stepped on him – accidentally or on purpose. And no one thought it peculiar that he was asleep on the floor in the middle of the day. One thing had simply led to another.

On Friday, it was raining at lunch time.

I’m not a fan of getting drenched, but I’d promised the children I’d say hi to them on the playground. Isabella rushed towards me as I zipped up my jacket. “You probably can’t see it,” she said, jumping up and down

in her purple rain boots, “But I’m smiling from ear to ear!” I smiled behind my mask.

“Do you know why?” she asked. “I don’t,” I said, jumping a little myself with all this contagious excitement.

Even though my white Converse are completely inappropriate for rain. “Why are you smiling from ear to ear, Isabella?”

Her eyes grew larger: “Because I saw you!”

And just like that, nothing else mattered. Not my wet toes, my nose streaming behind my mask, or my frozen fingers. Not the chaos of the world, the environmental crisis we’re facing, the pandemic, the worries I have about family. All that mattered was this moment.

And so, I will try to be more like a kindergartner from now on. When bubbles pop around me, I will look for cake. When I am tired, I will have a nap. And I will trust that while I am sleeping, no one will step on me. When one thing leads unexpectedly to another, I will look for the rainbow.

I will wear my mask without complaining.

Because it turns me into a superhero. And when someone makes me smile from ear to ear, I will tell them, because making someone feel loved is the greatest superpower of them all. *All names have been changed.

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November/December 2020

PAGE 3

A New Life for Navvy Jack House?

BY Tom

Dodd

I

n October, West Vancouver council members voted unanimously to reverse an earlier decision and to look for ways to restore and repurpose Navvy Jack House, the oldest building in West Vancouver.

At an in camera meeting three months ago, council followed district staff recommendations to demolish Navvy Jack House.

Immediately following that decision, a grassroots citizen group formed and convinced council to have a second look.

A mere seven weeks later, the Navvy Jack House Citizen Group, including members of local heritage and historical organizations, business people and architects, submitted its report. That report answered technical and funding questions raised by council and proposed some future uses and sustainable business models for the building.

The report detailed the historical signifi-

Continued from page 1

On November 30, 2017 Elaine Graham received a West Vancouver Community Award for her contributions to the preservation of heritage through education and advocacy.

She was recognized with the following highlights of her contributions to her community: Elaine helped establish the Phyl Munday Nature House at Lighthouse Park and founded its ongoing nature program to train Guide leaders.

In 1998, Elaine co-founded the Lighthouse Park Preservation Society. For many

cance of Navvy Jack House over nearly 150 years. There are ties to BC’s gold rush days and to the local indigenous community. A formal council review of the report was tentatively scheduled for late October.

Only a few days after the report was submitted, British Columbia announced a new funding program with a significant infrastructure component aimed directly at heritage buildings, with applications due by October 29.

At the urging of the citizen group, municipal hall – both staff and councillors – worked at warp speed to get Navvy Jack on the agenda for the October 5 meeting in an effort to meet the very tight grant deadline.

Staff is responsible for looking after budgets and projects already approved by council. With that in mind, the staff recommendation for Navvy Jack House was to carry on with its demolition, the only course if no other municipal programs were to be disrupted. Because time was so compressed, there would be no opportunity for discussion

years she served on the board, she edited the society’s newsletter and coordinated a speaker series at the West Vancouver Memorial Library.

As a member of the Point Atkinson Lightstation subcommittee (PALS), Elaine advocated for the restoration of the Fog Alarm Building, WW11 Power House and acquired a Heritage BC grant towards painting of the iconic lighthouse. The goal is to establish Point Atkinson as an interpretive centre.

In 2017, Elaine set up the open house of the light station to celebrate the Canada 150.

Thank you, Elaine and best wishes for a happy retirement.

in open council, only a series of three-minute comments by citizens who signed up.

Then, in a remarkable turn of events, Councillor Nora Gambioli (with prior support of council) introduced a multipart motion to rescind the demolition Photo: courtesy of West Van Archives, Rupert Harrison collection order, commit fund- Navvy Jack House in 1914 when owned by John Lawson. ing for further investigation and grant matching, and work with action to demonstrate the significance of the citizen group to make an application for the building and its history and to map out the new CERIP grant before the end of Oc- a plan, and council stepped up and reprioritober. The major components of that motion tized municipal resources to recognize and were passed unanimously after a large num- save an important piece of our history.

Council will look at the project again beber of speakers, including local indigenous people with family connections to the house, fore the end of November, but in the meantime we celebrate the community coming spoke in favour of the resolution.

Staff identified the financial issues and together to protect Navvy Jack House. project risks, the community sprang into

Elaine and Rod Day prepare for a lighthouse open house in 2017.

Photo provided

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November/December 2020

Sharon Selby: Connecting the Community BY

Lindy Pfeil

O

n Wednesday, September 23, the YWCA Women of Distinction Awards honoured a group of extraordinary women leaders. Presented by Scotiabank, the awards were held online this year due to COVID-19, with more than 800 guests virtually attending the gala celebration. Caulfeild’s Sharon Selby, a Reg-

Sharon’s book on anxiety, Surfing the Worry Imp’s Wave, which we wrote about in a previous edition of the Beacon.

istered Clinical Counsellor and Founder of Toddler to Teen® Anxiety Solutions, received the prestigious Connecting the Community Award.

Born in Manchester, England, Sharon and her family immigrated to Canada when she was 11 years old. She attended Ridgeview Elementary and then Hillside Secondary. At the end of grade 10, she met a friend at a summer tennis camp. “She went to Brentwood College on Vancouver Island and she made boarding school sound so exciting,” Sharon explains, “that I decided to move there for my final two years of school.”

Sharon completed a B.Ed. at McGill University, and her first teaching assignment was in Kegaska, a small fishing village in Northern Quebec. This was followed by a 12-month solo backpacking trip to Europe.

Back in Vancouver, Sharon worked for the

Elizabeth Fry Society, as a childcare counsellor at their shelter for homeless women and children. She also taught at a small private school.

Her next adventure took her to Tokyo, where she taught at the Japan International School (JIS). “It was here that I realized that it was the emotional wellbeing of young people that was my passion. So I enrolled in UBC’s Counselling Psychology program.”

With her master’s degree in hand, Sharon worked in the New Westminster School District for three years, and then in the West Vancouver School District for 11 years. In 2011, she went into private practice at the ABLE Developmental Clinic in West Vancouver, and since August of this year she has been operating her own, independent practice, Sharon Selby Counselling, on Clyde Avenue in West Vancouver.

Photos provided

Sharon in her office/play therapy room.

“At Amici restaurant we specialize in old world Italian cooking, where the food is plentiful and delicious! You want Italian?

We’ll give you Italian with our tradition of warm hospitality.”

Sharon’s vision is to de-stigmatize anxiety, empower parents and educators with early intervention strategies, and reduce angst in our most vulnerable, anxious children and youth. “There are many barriers to seeking help for mental health,” Sharon says. “Fear of stigma, long waitlists, travel time, financial hardships and hesitancy about counselling.” Sharon utilizes her 22 years of counselling experience and creative strategies to overcome these barriers.

“Early intervention is key,” she explains.

“Parents need more knowledge and resources.” Dedicated to supporting as many families as possible, Sharon is the creator and facilitator of the longest running groups for anxiety in Metro Vancouver. Her groups run several times a year, and are financially affordable compared to 1:1 counselling.

Crucially, Sharon creates a safe group atmosphere for children and parents to realize they are not alone with their anxiety.

The children engage in activities that give them tools to understand and manage their anxiety. Parents also attend a weekly adult group that summarizes their children’s session and reinforces the strategies that their children are learning. Parents and children thus become a dynamic team, working together to understand anxiety and apply their new knowledge and skills at home and in the community.

In addition, Sharon’s innovative children’s book, Surfing the Worry Imp’s Wave, is a valuable resource for parents and educators to explain anxiety to their children and practice strategies for managing it.

Counsellors have not traditionally offered Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to younger children, however Sharon saw and sought to fill this gap. She combined her unique

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November/December 2020 backgrounds of teaching, counselling, play therapy and CBT training to write an engaging story that presents crucial strategies and reassurance for young children, along with helpful tips and resources for adults.

Sharon and her husband and two children have lived in Sandy Cove for 13 ½ years.

They share their home with two golden retrievers, Chloe and Bailey. Over the years she has volunteered her time, products and services to many initiatives benefitting children, teens and families. For many years, she was also an active volunteer at her Sharon’s YWCA Woman of Distinction Award.

children’s school, École Cedardale. She conducts online support groups for parents and has invested countless hours developing free online resources to empower children, youth and caregivers. The YWCA’s Connecting the Community Award has indeed found a truly worthy recipient.

Sharon offers sage advice for navigating COVID-19. “As parents we are ‘Captain of the Ship’ in these stormy seas. Follow Dr. Bonnie Henry’s advice to be kind, be calm and be safe. Model for our children and teens that we continue with our lives as much as possible while following the recommended safety measures. If we are feeling stressed about the virus we need to talk about it with our friends and partners when our children are not around, as anxiety is contagious and they will pick up on anx-

PAGE 5

ious energy and words.” She adds: “Worry and anxiety is about the future - imagining worst case scenarios that may or may not happen. When we or our kids start to feel worried, we need to remember to stay in the present and notice that at this very moment we are okay. Knowing when this virus will end, is out of our control so we need to stay in the present and trust that everything is okay for us at this moment. Trust is the opposite of worry which is rooted in perceived fear.”

For additional information on how to handle anxiety during this pandemic, please go to www.sharonselby.com/blog. You can also download Sharon’s free eBook: 8 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Your Child Is Anxious at www.sharonselby.com/free

Photos provided Sharon and husband, Nigel at the 2020 YWCA Women of Distinction Awards’ virtual gala.

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November/December 2020

Sidewalks create community BY

Kim Clarke

S

idewalks say a lot about a neighbourhood. Lack of sidewalks say even more. I have been musing about this for some time now, and remarkably I am not alone.

I mentioned to my friend Meesh that I was thinking of writing about sidewalks.

She was flabbergasted. She had been thinking about sidewalks too. What prompted all this for her was that she had been visiting a friend that lived on a street with beautiful wide sidewalks on both sides of the street.

Neighbours were walking their dogs, or pushing jogging strollers, or waving at people from an acceptable social distance.

The sky was wide too, and cerulean blue.

No one was being honked at because they were on the road. It seemed that everyone was happy. Everyone had a place to be safe and outdoors and close to home.

Meesh’s conclusion was that sidewalks make community, foster happiness, let you meet your neighbours. All good things - things that don’t exist in her neighbourhood.

Meesh lives in a neighbourhood without sidewalks. There are concrete driveways that run into the street, sure, but there is no place for people to walk serendipitously or twirl and skip close to home. She feels that she is taking her life into her hands walking on her local roadways. Meesh feels as though she’s more of an annoyance to the people in cars than a neighbour. She is also sure that the hand gestures that she sees are

not exactly waves of recognition.

I once lived in a neighbourhood without sidewalks. Willy-nilly ambling between half-acres was discouraged. Walking was viewed as silly unless you were on the Grouse Grind. Plus, it took forever. Unless, of course, you had a dog, and then walking was viewed as compassionate and sensitive and totally West Coast.

So, when we moved, more than a few years ago, to our home in the Bay, I was thrilled to have real sidewalks. My dog and I could wander at will, without fear of being run over or ridiculed.

But I no longer have a dog. And so, it seems, I do not need to loiter on the sidewalk.

I miss the details and wonder of my street. I no longer say ‘Good morning’ to

BRIAN POMFRET

random cowboys or the lady that walked her dog at the same time as me. I am not finding ferry tickets torn into the shape of hearts; or Werther’s wrappers, that extreme display of a grandparent’s love and devotion, dropped accidentally on the sidewalk in front of my house.

I love that my neighbourhood has sidewalks on both sides of the street, but only to a point. The cracks that I avoid stepping on, drive home how much I miss my dog.

Kim Clarke is a writer and teacher who lives in Horseshoe Bay. She is surprised and delighted by the inexplicable details of everyday: nothing is random, everything is purposeful and beautiful and fabulous and sparkly and she wants to share sparkle, in all its forms, with the world.

JOE GARDENER

And so to bed It’s November and, with winter approaching, it’s time to tend to the preparation of our garden beds.

•B y now you may have placed your spring bulbs. If not, there’s still lots of time as long as the ground beneath is not frozen. Generally, plant your bulbs and corms 2.5 times their length into the soil. Planting them in groups of 20/25, ‘shoulder to shoulder’ makes a great impression.

• Leave your roses alone too as those with large hips are really attractive. Maybe add a bit of dolomite lime around established roses. Good specimens are Rosa glauca and Rosa rugosa.

• This is a good time to have your soil tested so improvements can be made for spring. Contact Pacific Soil Analysis at 604-273-8226 for more information.

•C ut all those perennials down now and compost. Leave the ferns till February as they keep their appearance well.

December’s wintry gardens look fabulous with a bit frost in the morning!

• I like to leave the hydrangeas, ornamental grasses and sedums, as they have attractive winter appeal especially with a light dusting of frost or snow.

• Lime time is any time and winter is specially good for a dolomite lime treatment that gradually breaks down to keep the pH level appropriate for your lawn.

•P lant new trees now, so check nurseries for good deals.

• Th e hellebores are soon to bloom! Trim back the leaf matter so that blossoms can show off.

•R ake up and destroy fallen leaves under your roses to prevent the onset of disease in spring.

•A s I have mentioned before, why not invest in quality garden lighting? Such drama with the ornamental trees up-lit!

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November/December 2020

Why You Suck at Golf: The Movie James Slaney

Why don’t we just make a funny movie about golf? ow can you make a movie “It actually started during a pandemic? Well, with a funny promo for two locals, that is exwe produced to promote the book. Jon actly what they did. played the character Horseshoe Bay’s Clive Scarff is the author of the best-selling Bogart,” Clive says. comedic book Why you Suck at “It got such a great reGolf. In this instructional book action that it became clear Jon was destined he introduces Bogart, who to be Bogart again. In makes 50 classic golfing misThe officia l movie po the promo, Bogart is late takes. ster.

Clive and his Eagle Harbour business for his tee time. He arrives, partner, Jon Borrill, created an online golf tires squealing, in the parking lot. Despite channel, One Minute Golf (OMG) to aug- being late, he still wants to hit a bucket of ment the book. Their online discussion balls and, with a big smile, begins dropping about creating funny videos evolved into, clubs. He forgets his shoes, slams the trunk BY

H

Cast and crew involving close family and friends.

Photos provided

PAGE 7 Jon Borrill and Clive Scarff on Bowen Island Golf Course.

on his hands, and clearly has absolutely no chance to play well. It was almost scary how good Jon was at being Bogart!”

“This all happened before COVID struck,” Jon explains. “We had planned to film during the summer of 2020. But when the lockdown started we found our planning thrown out of the window.”

As the pandemic continued, BC’s Provincial Health Officer, Dr Bonnie Henry, issued guidelines about social distancing and permitted group sizes. Being a small movie to begin with, they were able to work within those guidelines. They enlisted the support of their close family and friends. “We can’t even begin to explain how helpful their support was, or how appreciative we are,” Jon adds. In fact, there are some recognizable locals who agreed to drop by and join the fun.

Using some subtle camera techniques and special effects they were able to make a small group of people look like a packed room in one scene. Most of the other scenes were filmed outside, on Bowen Island’s beautiful course. Thanks to Bowen Island Golf Club manager, Les Meszaros, and his team, they were able to film most Monday and Tuesday mornings before the members started to play.

Why You Suck at Golf: The Movie will be available to rent after its November release.

Look for it on Amazon, Facebook, One Minute Golf Channel or register at www. whyyousuckatgolfmovie.com to receive an invitation to the online premiere.

Highly recommended, this entertaining movie will delight both golfer and non-golfer. Entirely filmed around the community, the local scenes add a dimension of familiarity for residents of Beacon country.

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November/December 2020

COMMUNITY PERSONALITIES MAKING A DIFFERENCE

From a summer experience with my Grandma BY

StephEnie Lieu

I

n the summer of my first year of secondary school, my grandma (who was 75 at the time) visited from Beijing. During her stay, on a stroll around the neighbourhood, a rottweiler bumped into her; she fell on the sidewalk, compressing her spinal column. She spent her entire four-week

visit in Vancouver General Hospital.

Grandma shared her hospital room with two patients her age: Gilbert*, a skinny bearded man, and Anna*, a small lady who refused to wear a hospital gown. Their room wasn’t very cosy or comfortable: there was no wifi, no TV, nothing to distract them from their discomfort.

To keep my grandma company, my family took shifts. I stayed with her during the

Grandma and one-year-old StephEnie.

materials We will p rovide a nd inst ru ctions. ed ! requir No a rt skills a re

Photo provided

day; Mom and Dad alternated nights. The first few days, my grandma and I simply chatted, but it soon became clear that we couldn’t talk all day long. I decided to bring something fun for us to do.

As a frequent shopper at Jo-Ann and Michaels, I had a huge collection of crafting supplies: coloured paper, yarn, fabric remnants, beads and much more. The next day, we spent hours weaving bracelets and discussing colour combinations.

That evening, exhausted, my grandma fell asleep quickly, unbothered by her back pain.

I started brainstorming other crafts which allowed for creativity but required little dexterity. I scrolled through crafting blogposts and scoured YouTube. The next week we made paper fans, origami, more bracelets, and attempted to knit a scarf, which turned out more like a handkerchief.

Our biggest success was a series of felt Christmas ornaments—they still decorate our tree every year.

Because we always had such a good time crafting together, I continued bringing crafts, even when my grandma no longer needed 24/7 care. During this time, I never saw anyone visit Gilbert and Anna who always had the grey privacy curtains drawn between them. Although I greeted them each day, it was never more than

Grandma in hospital.

Photo provided

StephEnie and Grandma.

“How was the food today?” or “Wasn’t the rain so loud last night?” They too were lonely and bored.

So, I brought in extra materials and invited them to join us. They agreed without much hesitation. I opened the privacy curtains and began teaching them how to make finger puppets. The results were doglooking piglets and long-necked roosters, but Gilbert and Anna both smiled for the first time all week, laughing at each other’s funny looking animals. From that moment on, I brought craft materials for everyone.

Grandma eventually improved and returned to Beijing. Gilbert and Anna were discharged from hospital and were thankful for their happy crafting experiences.

Throughout the school year that followed, I reminisced about my hospital time with my grandma, Gilbert and Anna. Crafting had livened their mood, and provided them with company. The experience had such an impact on me that I wondered if I would ever again experience such a feeling of satisfaction in my life. * Not their real names.

Do you enjoy crafts? Help us from your home!

Please email t2sa.org@gmail.com if you wish to help.

November/December 2020

PAGE 9

The Teens to Seniors Art organization becomes a reality BY

Chris Stringer

H

igh-school student, StephEnie Lieu, came across a piece of information one day: thirty percent of her community consists of seniors. This reminded her of the previous summer, which her grandma spent in hospital. She remembered how three seniors’ isolated lives were filled with laughter and activity and she realized that there were likely many other “Gilberts” and “Annas” out there. This compelled her to bring the same change to her community in the form of intergenerational connection through crafting and genuine caring.

When the school year ended, StephEnie contacted managers of seniors’ facilities.

She had researched the effects of art therapy on seniors and outlined curricula for potential crafting programs. Before returning to school she successfully launched Teens to Seniors Art Society, or T2SA, with the following mission: As a non-profit group working with a goal to provide better care for seniors in our communities, we value connections made with seniors and treasure memories we create together.

StephEnie, together with high schoolers Rosemary Gong, Angela Peng and other student volunteers, has been bringing good will, social interaction and art to seniors in various care centres on the North Shore.

“I have always enjoyed being creative with arts and crafts so sharing this with others added an extra dimension,” says Rosemary. “What I had not expected was the experience of listening to the amazing life experiences that seniors were eager to share with us. I feel it has added to my own life experience and helped me grow.”

The student volunteers initially relied on their own family contributions for arts and crafts materials. They are grateful to

“

“...these interactive experiences are as much fun and as life-changing for us”.

- StephEnie

donors who have provided materials or fi- over 900 tutorial sheets printed.”

“People commend us for the life-changnances for materials. As the services grow, donors become critical to the future of the ing experiences we bring to seniors by our interaction. We explain that these interorganization.

StephEnie would like to extend her active experiences are as much fun and thanks to Helen Murphy, who operates the as life-changing for us.” StephEnie Lieu, arts and crafts programs at the Seniors Ac- founder, T2SA. tivity Centre in West Vancouver for bringing her extensive experience to our team.

“We learned a lot from her teaching,” says StephEnie.

When COVID-19 prevented visitation and interaction, T2SA transitioned activities from in-person visits to virtual programs, with the most essential project being the Craft Kits Program.

With hopes of continuing to provide seniors with support during this difficult time, the team has been preparing and delivering self-assembly craft kits. The kits include a variety of crafts, ranging from canvas paintings to paper fans.

Each kit includes all the required craft materials, an instruction sheet, and a warm, hand-written message We are ready to start crafting! from the teen volunteers.

StephEnie says: “We sent out 250 craft kits to six local senior homes over the summer and are planning Photos provided to send another 1,000 Rosemary arriving kits in 2020. We alfor crafting, preready have all the COVID-19. crafts designed and

A donation of any amount would be appreciated so we can purchase the necessary materials to continuously deliver craft kits to seniors.

$10 helps us provide craft kits for three seniors!

Donate on the website: t2sa.ca/donate For cheque donations please email t2sa.org@gmail.com

Photo provided Craft kits ready to go to care homes.

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10

November/December 2020

Nearing the end of the journey BY

Ann Frost

Reflections from a diary

B

efore leaving Italy, we stopped in Verona to see the balcony of one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays. It’s reported to be the one where Juliet and Romeo first spoke to each other - never mind that they were both fictional characters.

Driving to Austria, along beautiful Lake Como, we headed for Innsbruck. With our memories of the rains and floods in Venice still fresh, we found a lovely gasthaus. Unfortunately, the room only slept four. After our host spotted me dragging a sleeping bag (which I subsequently discovered is called schlafsack in German) off our car rack, we were offered two small mattresses for the

girls. We settled down for a restful night and wakened in the morning to a breakfast of fresh croissants and hot chocolate. That night we went to Der Goldener Adler for dessert, as a special treat. Ray and I indulged in apple struedel “mit schlagobers” (whipped cream) but our children all chose the most expensive item on the menu – canned Canadian peaches!

Salzburg brought more rain, and another gasthaus, this one with “grossener zimmers” - huge rooms -and a wonderful evening watching the Marionette Theater performing The Magic Flute. We could only afford seats at the very back but it turned out to be the best place because we were far enough away that the marionettes truly looked real.

And then it was off to Munich, the sec-

ond largest city in Bavaria and home to the Deutsch Museum. Our children were so enchanted by the interactive exhibits and special displays that we abandoned our plans to see Switzerland to spend more time at the Deutsch Museum.

We visited the Star Show at the Planetarium after lunch. It was dark and three-yearold Janie decided it was time for a nap. Her wiffling little snores caused the man in front of us to turn around, quite irritated. When he saw our little girl, snuggled in her dad’s arms, he smiled and turned back to the program.

Such are the joys of traveling with young children. It feels like just yesterday, even though they’re all grown up now.

For more information, Google Marionette Theatre Salzburg and Deutsche Museum.

Photo: courtesy of Ray Frost Verona - alleged Romeo & Juliet balcony.

COVID-19 and the meaning of life Psyched Out Ian Macpherson

T

he life unexamined is not worth living. Or so said the great Greek philosopher, Socrates. Maybe so, but it usually takes a large pothole in the road to jolt us into considering where we are going and to contemplate changing direction. For many of us, COVID-19 has been that pothole.

Logan, like several of my clients, is questioning a value he has held dear for most of his adult life. He is a “workaholic” who, because of the pandemic, is now forced to work

from home and at a much reduced pace.

The gaps in his activity have given him the Socratic opportunity. He is beginning to doubt the productivity cult he has bought into. Logan muses that though GDP - the measure of our economic progress - continues to climb, measures of life satisfaction in society as a whole have remained generally mediocre. On a personal level, Logan is wondering what his real purpose might be and whether his work has any meaning. He is depressed and blames the pandemic, but it is the virus that has been the wake-up call.

For a large percentage of us, our career is a major part of our identity. This presents a conundrum because many of us do not really like our work. Some estimates are as high as 80%!

And then there are those who are not in the traditional workforce, such as stayat-home parents, who experience a similar feeling of alienation in their lives. The stresses of the pandemic have magnified their lack of direction.

The point is: there is increasing dissatisfaction with life. The pandemic is not the primary cause. Researchers in the psychology of relationships are becoming more attuned to the reality that couple and family relationship breakdown is a much more serious epidemic.

As one of the 3% who survived Auschwitz, the Nazi death camp, Viktor Frankl observed that those who refused to give in to despondency were those who held in

their hearts the visions of those they knew loved them. There were also those who, like Frankl, knew that though they were unable to change their situation, could decide to change themselves. This they did by devoting themselves to helping others.

We find our greatest purpose in belonging to something greater than ourselves when we feel connected to others and feel their committed attachment to us. Logan had put all his hopes on the world rewarding him. He is now beginning to focus on something bigger - his connections.

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

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PAGE 11

My experience with the Miss Canada pageant BY

Rose Lepin

Miss Teen Greater Vancouver 2019-2021

H

aving won Miss Teen Greater Vancouver last summer, I knew I wanted to go further in pageants and represent my platform of body positivity on a larger scale. I was apprehensive about being able to find a national pageant that had similar values to Miss BC. I discovered that the current Miss Canada (Christine Jamieson) and Miss Teen Canada (Natasha Chadney) are Miss BC sisters.

Backstage, at Miss BC pageant night, they educated me on all things “Miss Canada.”

The Miss Canada/Miss Teen Canada pageant is a personality-based competition held annually in Laval, Quebec. Beginning in 1946, Miss Canada was your classic beauty pageant. In recent years, under the leadership of Quebec resident Dominique Daoust, the organization has modernized its values to being entirely centered around personality, sportsmanship, charity, and confidence.

It is also a significant fundraiser for the Quebec-based nonprofit “Opération Enfant Soleil.” Titleholders are selected based on attitude, community voting, interview, and presentation during gala night. The organization puts a strong emphasis on internal beauty, community involvement and building connections with like-minded women.

My experience with pageant prep was unique, to say the least. The pageant started on March 4, 2020. On February 8, less than a month earlier, I lost my home to an electrical fire. This changed everything. Most of my belongings had smoke and chemical damage.

Walking through the place was like touring the set of a post-apocalyptic movie. I had to

start over with my preparation. This wasn’t just about finding the proper attire all over again. My life had changed and I was a new person than I was the day before. I brought with me new wisdom, but also new anxieties.

The pageant lasts four days. The first is spent on team building, introductions, and settling in. The next two days include breakfast at Canadian breakfast restaurant chain, Resto Coco Loco, a surprise group activity, and a fancy dinner with dancing! The fourth day entails private interviews, gala prep, and the final gala where the new titleholder is crowned.

Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, I knew many of the teens before we arrived in Laval. Meeting the girls felt more like a reunion. One thing I reminded myself repeatedly was to be 100% real. Being in the presence of such incredible women from across the country was inspiring, of course.

However, at the point of life I was in, combined with my age (15 at the time, the second-youngest contestant there) I had some serious self-inflicted imposter syndrome.

This dissolved when I had the honour of being called up as a Top 6 finalist on gala night.

Although I did not win this year, I brought home with me memories and friendships that will last a lifetime. I am registered for the 2021 pageant that is being held with strict COVID guidelines and I cannot wait to return and see the smiling (masked) faces that helped me get through such a difficult time in my life. All I can hope is to make them proud.

To support Rose on her journey back to Laval you can vote for her on misscanada.org beginning December 2020 or visit her blog, mapofmadness.home.blog to follow along!

Rose (wearing red) and her fellow contestants on an outing in Old Montreal.

Rose speaking about her platform of body positivity onstage.

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November/December 2020

A recreational passion leads to a lifetime of rescuing lives And I grew up surrounded by UBC mathematics professors, since my father was one.”

Sandro is referring to will say without any doubt Martin’s program developthat, if I were lost on a ment for identifying and mountain, there is no one planning rescue operations scientifically. Over the past else I would want managing the search than Martin Colwell,” says 20 years, Martin has spent Sandro Frei, Search Manager, Lions Bay countless hours in research and Martin Colwell.

Search and Rescue. development. This is in addition Forty years ago Martin Colwell, an to being a first responder to emerexperienced mountaineer living high in Lions gency calls from the RCMP or North Shore Bay beside the main trail up to the Lions, be- Search and Rescue, where he and his team gan helping stranded hikers and climbers. His rescue stranded mountain climbers. home soon became the first stop for hikers With broad scientific training, he has puband climbers above Lions Bay who needed as- lished numerous papers on the theory and pracsistance. Washroom and telephone requests, tice of SAR incidents, has been a major conbroken-down vehicles, lost dogs, overdue hik- tributor to search management manuals and ing partners and requests for mountain rescue software programs, and has developed novel were regular late-evening requests. search techniques that are used world-wide.

During this period, Lions Bay was swept Through his company, SAR Technology by a debris torrent that killed two young boys Inc, Martin has mobilized and managed hunin the village. Later, another debris torrent dreds of response missions ranging from SAR swept away the M Creek bridge on Highway missions to wildfires, floods and evacuations.

99, luckily without anybody plunging into He has conducted major missions in Canada, the gully below. At this point, Martin joined the US and Australia, as well as provided cona handful of Lions Bay climbers that had re- sultations in Morocco, Benin, Kenya, New cently decided that Lions Bay needed its own Zealand and Argentina. rescue team. Lions Bay Search & Rescue was Martin’s life in the great outdoors began with a school trip as a young boy to the English Lake formed, as a registered charitable society.

Little did Martin Colwell know that this District. “The accommodation was spartan and event would influence the rest of his life. the class quickly fell into two groups,” he ex“Martin is a dedicated long term Lions Bay plains. “The majority that were content to walk SAR manager serving the community for de- the lower trails and a few of us that preferred to cades. His dedication is second to none,” says take on the more challenging mountain trails.

Sandro Frei. “However, there is much more to By fourteen I was a keen hiker and soon fell into Martin than just his dedication responding to the ‘rough’ company of a couple of young climbsearch and rescue calls: he’s a person who is ers, who taught me the ropes at Yorkshire’s Maltrying to make improvements in a field that ham Cove.” is still largely driven by volunteers. He’s also By sixteen he was a climber and, within a one of the most intelligent people I’ve met. couple more years, became the secretary of the BY

Chris Stringer

“I

Thames Valley Climbing Club, in Twickenham, England. “The next five years were filled with climbing nearly every weekend in every corner of Britain, along with annual summer trips to the Swiss Alps. I met Karin, my future wife, as our club boarded a 12-seater van for a weekend hiking/climbing trip to North Wales. Karin joined our group on the spur of the moment and together we climbed Mount Snowdon the next day. My life’s course was set.”

Within a year, he and Karin were married.

“We set our sights for her home town, Vancouver, BC, where there were lots of mountains! We moved to Vancouver in 1972 and later built our home in Lions Bay, right next to the Lions Trail.”

Karin describes life with Martin as one of being ready to make sandwiches for the next rescue. “How can one not be in awe of a person whose life is committed to responding to the phone whenever it rings, at any time of the day or night to save a life? He does this for no other reason than it being a passion for this service. And his humility causes him to shy away from recognition or the spotlight.”

When asked how they holiday, Karin’s response: “Hiking in the mountains of course.”

Brenda Broughton, who served five terms as Lions Bay mayor, offers her tribute: “Martin Colwell has worked tirelessly as an initiator of the Lions Bay Search and Rescue Society and a participant in its community service over the past 40 years. He has been a rescuer, something he continues to this day, as well as a leader and developer of the most efficient rescue procedures. His body of work and enormous contributions deserve recognition.”

Martin at Mission Management Centre.

Photos provided

Martin at age 18 in the Alps.

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ANNE BAIRD

PAGE 13

ANNE’S CORNER

Busby jumps the queue

R

ecently, I called my Vancouver bank’s US branch, “America’s Most Convenient Bank.” My US pension is deposited there. I wanted to know when my next check would arrive.

I love my bank, but its American division isn’t always convenient. Especially during a pandemic. People are calling everyone they know: bankers, hairdressers, long-lost aunties, old high school pals, just to hear another human voice. Hold times for America’s Most Convenient Bank can exceed 40 minutes.

The wait period is enlivened by chipper elevator music and perky assurances: “We can’t wait to speak with you, and to provide you with our Legendary Service, but….”

Explanations follow. Like businesses everywhere now, the bank is swamped with calls.

But don’t hang up! Hang on! Your turn will come. Eventually.

I turned my portable phone’s speaker

up and got on with life. I brushed my teeth, started some laundry, and whipped up a pan of Mom’s Meatloaf for supper. I poured another cup of coffee, and sat, waiting for a real person to speak. Suddenly, one did! A frazzled-sounding man announced he was ready to brighten my day. What could he do for me? As soon as he’d verified my identity, progress! I grabbed my bank statements.

Then, I spotted my pet gull, Busby, on the patio railing. Responding quicker to my voice than the bank, he’d come for breakfast. He teetered on the railing with his flappy feet, and gave the seductive call of a baby gull waiting to be fed. I waved him off and returned to the phone. I gave my name, rank and serial number.

But Busby couldn’t wait. He dropped to the table and called again, giving his heartrending imitation of the Hunchback of Notre Dame. He bobbed and weaved, ducking his head up and down to provoke sym-

pathy and show that he was starving.

I ignored him.

“When will my US pension be in?” I asked.

“I’ll try to find out, Ma’am. But everything’s slow right now.”

He seemed doubtful. How much time might this take from his dispensation of Legendary Services?

Busby lost it. He marched over to the glass door separating the breakfast room from the patio, and began knocking with his beak. Rat a tat tat!

I gave up.

“I held forty minutes for you,” I said into the phone. “Can you hold five minutes while I feed my seagull, Busby? He’s hungry.”

I tucked the phone under one arm, snatched up a slice of bread, and tore it into gull-sized pieces. Busby guzzled them down and left. It took less than five minutes.

I spoke again, hardly daring to hope.

“Hello, hello? I’m back. Are you there?”

He was. He sounded like he was laughing.

“Busby OK now?” he asked. “While you were feeding him, I looked into your account. Your pension will be available this afternoon.”

“Great!” I cried. “You’ve made my day.”

“Have a legendary one.”

“I just did.”

Anne Baird is a West Vancouver freelance writer and children’s author/illustrator. (amazon.com/author/annebaird)

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November/December 2020

Do you have the recipe for that?

Small kitchen renovation tips BY

Despina Sotiriades

T

here are a few tried and tested tricks to transforming small kitchens.

Change the layout of the kitchen.

Implement innovative solutions to mitigate the inconveniences of a small kitchen footprint. Evaluate the deficiencies of your kitchen and remedy these to improve its layout and flow.

Consider the work triangle (the area between your sink, stove and refrigerator) and the specific work zones (wash, prep and cook) in your current kitchen. These should be strategically planned to accommodate multiple occupants in your kitchen, performing numerous tasks, while eliminating unnecessary distance and inconvenience.

Improve kitchen storage capacity and options. In a small kitchen, storage comes at a premium. Design ideas should address both storage capacity and storage options.

Consider base cabinets in a variety of depths. Wherever possible, incorporate full extension drawer units that provide storage for large dinner plates, casserole dishes and pots and pans.

Remove superfluous bulkheads to allow for extended height upper cabinets. These uppers, at 40” high, are installed to the ceiling. Not only do they provide additional storage, but also visually expand the height of a small kitchen.

For inaccessible spaces where storage is lacking, consider corner units like Lazy Susans and pull-out shelved cabinets. A wonderful storage alternative to fill otherwise impractical and inaccessible corners, these units are perfect to house an array of items.

Tall floor-to-ceiling cabinets are an excellent addition for customizable storage such as food pantries, utility storage and as the framework to house built-in appliances like wall ovens and microwaves.

Consider kitchen counters and work

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Durable kitchen materials are key. When renovating a petite kitchen, consider incorporating materials and finishes that are

hard-wearing and easy to maintain like porcelain tile backsplashes and flooring. Most spills can be wiped up with warm soapy water and a nonabrasive cloth. Narrow grout joints allow little space for the accumulation of cooking grease, dirt and bacteria buildup.

Hopefully these design tips will inspire you to think about ways to transform your small, impractical kitchen into one that’s large on functional charm and design.

Despina is a principle with RenovateMe! Design and Construction, www.renovateme.ca

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233 Bayview Rd, Lions Bay

PAGE 15

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