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This Was Then... With Old Ike Kinsmen Club serves Heritage Dinner to Seniors on Feb. 20 An Act of Parliament created Heritage Day back in 1973 and every year the Kinsmen Club show their appreciation for the Valley’s pensioners by hosting a special dinner at Echo Centre. This year, the annual Heritage Dinner will be held on Sunday, Feb. 20 for seniors (65 plus). “Seating starts at 4:30 pm,” Kinsmen Mitch Gardner explained. “Dinner will be served shortly after 5:00. As usual, we expect to serve about three hundred seniors.” Tickets are free for this event, and they will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis starting at 2:30 pm on Monday, Feb. 7 in the Dogwood Room at Echo Centre. This picture was taken during the 1992 Heritage Dinner held at Echo Centre. That year, three hundred senior citizens (65 plus) were entertained by the Harbour City Big Band, the Port Alberni Pipe Band and the MacKenzie Highland Dancers before being served dinner by the Kin-Kids. Seniors are reminded that free tickets for this year’s Heritage Dinner on Feb. 20, will be available at 2:30 pm this coming Monday (Feb. 7) at Echo Centre.
Found in the files This article, from the Twin Cities Times on Wednesday, April 30, 1958, will be of particular interest to Cherry Creek residents.
“Harry Woodward, 90, who first saw the Alberni Valley when he was a youth of 18 years, was guest of honor at a centennial banquet in the new Cherry Creek Community Hall Saturday night (April 26/58). The hall, product of three and a
half-years of volunteer work, was officially opened during the evening. Mrs. A. Hess, on behalf of the Cherry Creek centennial committee, presented Mr. Woodward with a pioneer scroll. Acknowledging the presentation, the veteran farmer of the district recalled that he had felt like Robinson Crusoe when he set sail from England in 1874 for the hinterland of Vancouver Island. Anecdotes of old times, and old
timers were told by Thomas Grieve, a resident of Cherry Creek since 1896. He was one of a number of persons receiving old-timer centennial scrolls. Other recipients were Mr. and Mrs. Tom Moore, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Crowley, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Chase, Mrs. J. Deadly, William Hannay, and F. Greenard. Les McKinnon, chairman of the rural district’s community association, presided at the
meeting. He expressed appreciation of the co-operation of Cherry Creek residents in the project of building the fine new hall and the financial assistance of MacMillan & Bloedel Ltd. Ian Brand, representing Western District of M & B, officiated in the formal opening of the new building. A centennial flag was accepted by Charles Haggard, chairman of Cherry Creek Improvement
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District, and was hung on the wall of the new building. Mr. McKinnon remarked that the hall is already in use every day and every evening throughout each week and has become headquarters for many group activities. Mrs. S.J. Squire, wife of Alberni District M.L.A., Mayor and Mrs. Loran Jordan, Port Alberni, Ald. And Mrs. George McRae, Alberni, were among guests of honor.”
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FEBRUARY 3, 2011
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This Was Then... With Old Ike What ever happened to?
Reader response Gale Cyr (nee Magnusson) responded to the 1950 Eighth Avenue School picture in “This was Then” on Jan. 13. Unfortunately, her email was too late to make last week’s column, so here it is now. “I am in the picture of Miss Renwick’s Grade 1 Class, front row, third from the left, next to Cheryl Davies,” Gale wrote. “Rolf is the first name of the third student from the left, in the back row. He was a playmate of mine while his family lived in town. My recollection is that his father was in management for M & B and they lived in one of the houses on 7th Avenue South overlooking downtown Port Alberni and I lived on Tenth Avenue. Keep up the good work. I enjoy your column very much.” Thanks to Gale’s response, I noticed that I had inadvertently left her name out when I put the article
It was late January 1982, when this group of youngsters from the Sproat Lake area, decided to hold their own Kidathon. They walked all the way from the West Bay Hotel to the Greenwood Hotel in three hours. They wanted to raise money for the Variety Club Telethon and after all the pledges were counted, $180 was raised. Dawn Morgan, second on the left, was the event organizer. “I started planning this over a year ago,” she told reporters at the time. If you know the whereabouts of Dawn and her fellow walkers today (left, Claudine Mueller, Tanya Haack, Kevin Morgan and Peter Haack) please contact me at: ikepatterson@telus.net
in last month. June Strang (now Hills) had included Gale in the list of names with the photo, so it was my fault. Sorry, Gale!
Gale Magnusson (now Cyr) in 1950.
An unselfish gesture remembered It was August 1960 when Ricky Sloan won a new bicycle after receiving the highest marks at a Safety Rodeo sponsored and organized by the Valley Bike Shop, which was located on Southgate Street. “In a gesture which displayed the
essence of brotherly love,” a reporter wrote in the West Coast Advocate. “Ricky passed up the opportunity to have a new bicycle himself and instead chose a smaller model for his younger brother.”
Historical Society meets this coming Wednesday The Alberni District Historical Society’s first public meeting of 2011 will be next Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 7:00 p.m. in the Museum. Following a very short business meeting, two featured speakers will take to the podium. Peggy Hartman will discuss the Girl Guide movement, now
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101 years old and then Ike Patterson will reflect on some remarkable Valley residents, whom he has termed Friends of the Community. Everyone interested in keeping our past alive is invited to this meeting, and ten-dollar memberships to join the Society can be purchased at this time. Membership renewals can
also be paid next Wednesday ($20 if you wish to subscribe to BC History). Remember the Alberni District Historical Society “Archives”, located in the Museum, are open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday. You can stop by, call at 250723-2181 (LOCAL 267) or email aadhs1@gmail.com
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FEBRUARY 3, 2011
This Was Then... With Old Ike February over the years
Shane Power was serious about getting the most horsepower possible back on Feb. 25, 1975.
It was Sunday, Feb. 6, 1994 when Mayor Gillian Trumper cut the ribbon and turned some sod to mark the beginning of Westporte Place, just off Falls Road. The Mayor shared the shovel with Burnaby developer Carmello Mattiazo at the sod turning ceremony and open house.
It was 29 years ago when these members of the South Port Business Association’s clean-up committee rolled up their sleeves and put some elbow grease to one of the empty buildings on Third Avenue. From the left, Knox Copeland, Gessie Schmidt, Betty Argotow, Judy Eyford, Pat Bradshaw, Ald. Bob Eyford, Ted Smith and Ald. Art Wynans were hard at work inside the Goddard Building on Feb. 9, 1982. As you may remember, MacMillan Bloedel and the Port Alberni Harbour Commission placed displays in two of the vacant storefronts – an idea that came out of a downtown revitalization think-tank held by the association.
Members of the Sunshine Club really dressed the part at their Pioneer Tea back in Feb. 1996. The ladies served tea in period costumes made by Lil McFarlane, Pearl Critchlow and Pam Aspinall. The servers were: (front row left to right) – Ann VanIngen, Mary Kirzinger, Rose Morrison, Mary Black and Sharon de Waal, (back row left to right) – Bea Nickel, Bev Kirkman, Kay Wiwcharyk and Laura Chase. By the way, those costumes were later donated to the Museum.
Do you remember “Yuki” the weather dog? He is seen here with weatherman Stu Wood in a photo that ran in the AV Times on Feb. 28, 1995. Yuki’s job was later eliminated when the old Airport Weather Station became an automated operation.
FEBRUARY 3, 2011
Pennyworth • 29
This Was Then... With Old Ike More Franklin River memories Jacquie Bjornson (nee Harris), who grew up in Franklin River’s Camp B, discovered this 1952 May Day picture, probably taken by her mother, Pat Harris. “That’s Doug Richmond in the kilt,” she told Don Watt, who brought the photo in for me. “I believe that’s me with the patch over one eye, on the decorated tricycle.”
Horseplay - Port Alberni style
This rare picture from Don Watt’s father’s Franklin River collection shows the Bridge Building crew hard at work in Bear S**t Canyon back in 1939.
There was plenty of action and a lot of laughter on Sunday, Feb. 18, 1973 when members of the Alberni Riding and Hunt Club saddled up for a game of broomball on horseback. The late Willie Salisbury, left, of the Riders Club and Cyndi Boudreau of the Hunt Club were caught by the Times photographer as they were zeroing in on the ball. The Hunt Club won the game 5-4 in overtime. There were no scoring details provided and the location of the battle wasn’t mentioned when this picture appeared in the paper 38 years ago. If anyone can add those details or any other memories of the event, please email me at: ikepatterson@telus.net
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