FRIDAY AUGUST 14, 2015 VOL. 42, NO. 29
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Remembering Claus
Hans Behm pays tribute to one of the founders of BICS, Claus Spiekermann
How I Got Here: Dee Elliott Realtor’s tale is much like the ones being told by her clients
Dog Days
Bowen Island went to the dogs on Sunday in celebration of all things canine
Spear sisters win Twilight contest David and MARTHA PERKINS EDITOR
Bowen Island’s Kailey and Sam Spear were catapulted into a whole new universe of fandom after their film won the grand prize in The Storytellers: New Voices of the Twilight Saga. The Mary Alice Brandon File has been viewed more than three million times by Twilight fans (and, undoubtedly, every single person on Bowen Island.) Their screenplay is based on The Twilight Saga: The Official
Illustrated Guide by Stephanie Meyer. “I’m really proud to celebrate a new generation of female filmmakers. Keep telling your stories,” says judge Catherine Hardwicke, the director of the first Twilight Saga film, in a video announcing the winners on Friday. As part of their prize, they won a XC90 from Volvo, the film competition’s sponsor. The identical twins, who have BFAs from Simon Fraser University, grew up on Bowen Island and called upon several islanders to help with The Mary Alice Brandon File,
including their producer, Natasha Wehn. (Their laudatory thank-you letter is on page 4.) The haunting story, filmed in soft, moody greys, is about a young woman whose ability to see into the future — and discern who murdered her mother — is punished by having her memory striped from her through a series of electroshock therapies. During each treatment, she has flashbacks which piece together why such a bright, beautiful young woman disappears before the viewers’ eyes.
After a 14-2 mercy win for the Cruisers on Saturday afternoon, the Twins’ Julian Stevenson, Kevin Toews and Matt Gildersleeve congratulate their opponents. For details of the tournament, plus a list of trophy winners in the 2015 regular Men’s Fastpitch League, please see story on page 3. Martha Perkins photo
Island pitches in to help family after devastating fire on Hood Point MARTHA PERKINS EDITOR
The island is banding together to help a family whose house burned down on Wednesday morning. Susanne and David Koeplin and their two children were away when a neighbour in Hood Point heard the smoke alarms in their house go off around one in the morning. Fire Chief Ian Thompson says that the neighbour went over to the house to see if everything was okay. When she opened the door, letting oxygen, or fuel for the fire, into the house, “it blew her back.”
The neighbour suffered a fracture in her arm and burns to her face. Thompson got the call at 1:28 and was there about 15 minutes later, with the first fire engine arriving five minutes later. It was quickly discerned that the house could not be saved because the fire was so advanced. Concern then focused on preventing ash and sparks spreading the fire elsewhere. One fire truck focused on dousing the flames while another sprayed water on brush and trees in the neighbourhood. Thompson and neighbourhood volunteers went door to door to let neighbours know
what was happening. The fire chief praises the 18 volunteer firefighters who responded, not leaving until about eight in the morning. “The guys did an unbelievable job containing it to the one area.” Thompson says the cause of the fire is undetermined — and likely to remain that way. The fire started somewhere in the middle of the 70-year-old building. In the meantime, friends have kicked into high gear to help the family, who, while insured, lost everything in the fire. continued PAGE 9
Shirley Wrinch are Citizens of the Year
SELECTION COMMITTEE CITIZEN OF THE YEAR
Out of all the wonderful Bowen individuals who have been granted the annual Citizen of the Year award, two couples have previously won: Ross and Lois Meyers-Carter in 2007, and Don and Dianne Marshall in 2013. Among the flurry of submissions this year, another pair have shone through: David and Shirley Wrinch. The couple, who have spent countless hours donating their time and costumes to previous Bowfest parades, will now get to join the floats themselves. David and Shirley have David Wrinch volunteered on an ongoing basis at a variety of organizations on the Island. David has provided technical support for seasonal exhibits at the Museum, including the yearly Teddy Bear Christmas exhibit. He has volunteered for numerous Bowen festivals, Tourism Bowen, and with the Royal Shirley Wrinch Canadian Legion. From Friday Night Dinners to Community Lunches, David and Shirley have both devoted numerous volunteer hours to the Legion, where David served as president for the 20132014 term. As Chair of the Eagle Cliff Water System Local Advisory Committee and president of the recycling depot, David has strove to maintain the community’s sustainable connection to the island and its resources. Many visitors who stopped by the vintage photo booth during Steamship Days at the Bowen Island Museum and Archives can boast that they wore a variety of Shirley’s fine creations. Calling her on short notice, Museum staff had to plead that “we may prove to be worse than actors” when it comes to schedule changes and costume requests. While recently working on the new documentary for our exhibit, we arrived at her home hoping for four dresses and a few shirts: we came out with 12. To any occasion, Shirley arrives full of enthusiasm, warmth, and a hint of theatricality. Well known for her costuming talents and the ability to transform simple bedsheets into a fabulous gown, Shirley is not sparing when it comes to loaning out her creations. Tir-nanOg Theatre School, Theatre on the Isle and Green Man Festival would not have the same magic without her vast collection of pleated, beaded, hemmed and pressed costumes. continued PAGE 6