Issue2013 03

THE RURAL OBSERVER TURNS 10

Newsstands $1

Rural

OBSERVER Celebrating Our Rural Community Lifestyle

Serving Port Renfrew Jordan River Otter Point East Sooke Malahat Shirley

Cover Photo.by Noella LeDrew of Shirley

H OW T O B U I L D C O M M U N I T Y Know Your Neighbours • Greet People Buy From Local Merchants • Listen To The Birds (Frogs) Garden Together • Honour Elders • Barter For Your Goods Listen Before You React To Anger • Share Your Skills Help A Lost Dog • Ask For Help When You Need It Hire Young People For Odd Jobs • Bake Extra And Share Start A Tradition • Protect Wildlife • Plant A Tree Vol. 10 Issue 1 March/April 2013

The Juan de Fuca Rural Publication Society Mission Statement A group of Juan de Fuca residents formed a non-profit society to launch a news and advertising publication for the Juan de Fuca Electoral Area.

We provide a forum for our rural communities to share news, exchange ideas and develop a sense of community. At the same time the publication gives businesses within and outside the electoral area an opportunity to promote their products and services and reach potential customers. We also hope to make current information about the region and its services available to the many tourists who visit the area each year. Our goal is to protect, preserve and enhance rural life.

The publication will rely on community members to share their interests and points of view through articles, correspondence and photographs.

We welcome articles and letters reflecting the very diverse interests of our member communities and expressing all points of view. The editorial committee reserves the right to edit for brevity, accuracy, clarity and taste. Though every reasonable precaution will be made to verify the accuracy of material submitted, the editorial committee assumes no responsibility for the content of published articles. The responsibility is that of the writers. References and descriptions of products or services are provided “as is� without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied.

We’re online! www.ruralobserver.com If you wish to submit an article for an upcoming issue of the Rural Observer, please email it to: submissions@ruralobserver.com Or mail to: Juan de Fuca Rural Publication Society 2617 Seaside Drive, Shirley, BC V9Z 1G7

BECOME A MEMBER or RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP! Celebrate our rural community lifestyle by helping us share stories and information about our region. Become a member of the Juan de Fuca Rural Publication Society today. Our fee structure is as follows - you may renew/join at the basic level of $20, become a “Supporter� for $50, or a “Lifetime Member� for only $100. We recommend the lifetime membership - you won’t need to remember to renew each year! The Rural Observer needs your support to keep it strong, viable and independent.

Please make out cheques to the Juan de Fuca Rural Publication Society and mail to: 6602 Tideview Rd, Sooke, BC, V9Z 1A6

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2013 MEMBERSHIP / RENEWAL FORM

Name ____________________________________ Address _______________________________________ ______________________________________________ Phone ____________ E-mail ______________________ Are you able to help? _____________________________ Return to: JdF Rural Publication Society, 6602 Tideview Rd, East Sooke BC V9Z 1A6

2

March 2013

Buying Local Builds Community

by Vivi Curutchet

Buy local! We keep hearing this everywhere. The ‘buy local’ movement has reached mainstream. Like ‘eco’ or ‘green building’, it has become a slogan, even a fashion statement.

When I was working as an architect in Seattle, I was surprised to see how many big projects got Leed certification. This certification consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.

Sometimes, with just a green roof and a few other green solutions, structures become ‘green buildings’. On the other hand, we can say that they are introducing something good, however incremental.

When they need supplies or services, whether construction, web design, accounting and legal services, cleaning, or catering, they typically use local providers, thereby creating or supporting more jobs in the area.

One time, during a discussion course session from the Canadian Earth Institute on “Choices for Sustainable Living”, I heard something that stuck in my mind forever: “There is a big distance between 0% recycling action and 100% recycling, and you can be on any part of this path. Every step is important, as long as you are on the path.” So, no judgements.

The local businesses are also the mainstay of local advertising, helping to keep alive a vibrant local media that covers issues and politics of interest for the community. In an age of corporate media consolidation, that can mean the difference between cookie-cutter content and programming, to useful, on the ground news. So different from what typical corporations and chain stores do: purchasing, advertising, and charitable giving are decided by centralized headquarters. Their money goes outside to suppliers, national venues and national and international charitable organizations.”

Taking action on recycling, small footprint, climate change or sustainability is hard work, because we don’t see immediate results. However, when talking about buying local, it is a little different. The effect is direct. We can see it. But, are we aware?

How much do we follow it, or do we simply repeat the slogan as a gesture of good intentions? ‘Progressive’ people don’t necessarily shop locally. How many of us still go to the big box chain stores, from Wal-Mart to Costco because, well…..it is cheaper, it is convenient, whatever.

I asked RO advertisers to comment on this topic. David Evans from The Stick in the Mud is proud and happy of how it works for him. “The Stick features art on our walls by local artists with the curatorial duties performed by Elizabeth Tanner of South Shore Gallery. We have seasonal knit-wares made locally, gloves, toques, scarves. We use only local, free range eggs in all of our baking. We source local produce when possible and practical. Our coffee grounds and compost are used by local farmers, nearly 50 lbs per day. Our bulletin board is for the exclusive use of local art, entertainment and cultural events. We feature at least 3 local publications in the shop. When asked we make space for locally-made products on our shelves. We support local charities and causes virtually without exception, we sponsor events and teams throughout the year and we are a venue for selling tickets to many local concerts, events and fundraisers. Our coffee is served at a number of locations between East Sooke and Port Renfrew including The Smokin Tuna, 17 Mile Pub, The Lazy Gecko, MaiMai’s, Markus’, Point No Point, Déjà-Vu at the Breakers in Jordan River, Tomi’s in Port Renfrew. The Stick’s coffee is also served in local offices. We’re trying to move into venues further a field.”

Now back to reasons: why is ‘buying local’ deeper than just the feeling that you are helping a neighbour? As Amy Cortese said in her book, Localvesting: the Revolution in Local Investment, “For one, local business owners are more than business managers; they are residents and neighbours who have a reputation and a stake in the community. Their kids go to the same schools as the children of their customers and employees, and they rely on the same municipal and state services.

Independent, local companies are also good for local business.

And Jim Craven of James R. Craven and Associates commented, “We have purchased all our appliances from Home Hardware in Sooke for about 3

March 2013

Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Publishes A History of the Sheringham Point Lighthouse

20 years. Their prices line up well with what is available elsewhere. 90 percent of our groceries are purchased in Sooke and we find combining a shopping trip 3 times a week to the hardware, grocery and drug store with a walk on the Spit with the dog followed by a nice lunch makes for a very satisfactory outing for all 3 of us. It puzzles me how much zeal can be mustered up to run off to a big box store.

Many of these international monsters have gutted small towns everywhere in North America. They have turned shop owners into poorly paid overworked line managers with no participation in their business, which has died on the vine after they come into town. That is not my version of Canada or the USA. These monsters support no local events and when you have difficulty with a product they hand you a website address in Nebraska, Ontario, India or Thailand if you want someone to fix it.

Obviously big box shoppers have never asked themselves why they want to make the Wal-Mart family the richest individuals in the USA at the expense of the small business neighbour in your own town. Just why is it that they have no desire to keep the local merchant in a state of equilibrium, choosing to forget their neighbour for a few bucks that gets pretty small once you honestly account for gas, wear and tear on the car, and the value of your time. We were away in the US when a freezer failed that we had purchased from Sooke Home Hardware with the food ruined inside as a result. They provided complete refunds and came out free of charge to pick up the defunct freezer.

I could give many examples of the care and excellence provided by the staff of the Stone Pipe, Sooke Harbour House, the drug stores, grocery store and all the others from the bike shop to the video stores and the barber shops. That is what makes the fabric of community.”

“Located on the rugged southwest coast of Vancouver Island, the Sheringham Point Lighthouse in Shirley, British Columbia has shone across the treacherous waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca since its construction in 1912.” And so begins the story of the iconic lighthouse, a story of dedicated people and a very special place that continues to fascinate today.

To celebrate the lighthouse’s 100th birthday, the Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society published a history of the lighthouse. Available to the general public for the first time, in a 20 page colour book, A History of the Sheringham Point Lighthouse, was written and researched by Rebecca Quinn and the volunteers of the Society. It features over 30 photos - historic and current - as well as maps, journal entries and drawings.

The book is available for $5 from the Society’s website www. sheringhamlighthouse.org as well as at the Sooke Region Museum, Royal BC Museum, Maritime Museum and several other locations around Sooke and Victoria. Publication was made possible by generous assistance from the Juan de Fuca Economic Development Commission.

There is no doubt that a healthy local economy with community-rooted businesses of all kinds creates balance, quality of living, civic engagement and a sense of place and identity. Let’s support our rural communities by buying local, using the local services, shopping at the corner store and locally owned businesses in Sooke, where we will get the connections, chats and encounters that we need as social beings. All these casual interactions are more than a friendly diversion. They are essential for building the relationships and civic bonds that make for a healthy, well functioning and happy society.

Vivi Curutchet

Advertising Sales Ph: (250) 642-1714 Email: advertise@ruralobserver.com

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March 2013

The Rural Observer: A Community Paper by Janet Caplan

10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE RURAL OBSERVER

Up until a few years ago, my husband and I had never even heard of East Sooke, much less thought of it as a place to call home. That would have been our loss. Now, five years in and neither of us can imagine living elsewhere.

WE WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK OUR NEIGHBOURS, MEMBERS & DONORS, CONTRIBUTORS, AND OUR LOYAL ADVERTISERS FOR MAKING OUR COMMUNITY PAPER SOMETHING OF WHICH WE CAN BE PROUD. HERE’S TO ANOTHER 10 YEARS!

I can’t say that’s because I’m such an involved resident; I’m just really comfortable here. I walk my dogs everyday and see and talk to the same people most mornings. I don’t even know all of their names. We simply chat or they honk their horns or call out from their gardens as I pass. Even the bus driver waves as he drives by us at about the same time each day. En route, I occasionally meet our mail carriers, Dan and Robyn and share a bit of conversation as they thread their way through our community. Quiet routine.

For those wishing for a little less quiet and a little more involvement, East Sooke offers many opportunities. There’s volunteering with the Fire Department or a local committee, Saturdays at Ragley Market, fitness classes, a meditation group and more.

Me? No, I don’t generally do much of the above, but I do participate in another East Sooke tradition. I volunteer some of my time and efforts on the paper you’re now reading… the much loved Rural Observer. Full disclosure… I’m on the Board; while I may have my bias, I know I’m not alone in thinking that the Rural Observer, now celebrating ten years of publication, fills a valuable role not just in East Sooke but in the Juan de Fuca region. News of each of the area’s communities appears in every issue: what’s going on, particular concerns, news from our local representatives, etc. To quote the paper’s own mission statement, the Rural Observer provides “a forum for our rural communities to share news, exchange ideas and develop a sense of community.”

I’d already been reading the Rural Observer for a couple of years when I decided to contribute an article. I appreciated the variety of stories, the regular columns, the valuable local advertising, and much else provided by the paper. And as someone with thoughts of writing, the paper presented a wonderful opportunity. It’s always open to submissions. These can take the form of opinion pieces, information on events, local history, profiles on individuals and businesses or simply some form of musing or personal essay. We all have the chance to share our thoughts, and I do, from time to time.

It’s been a privilege getting to know and work with the volunteers and others who staff the Rural Observer. Several have been at it since day one; I’m still a novice. Deciding on topics and themes, arranging for and gathering articles, selling advertising, editing and the general putting together of each issue is clearly not a simple matter. And of course, neither is the cost of publication.

But I haven’t written this as a plea for financial support for our paper, although that’s always welcome! I simply wish to reiterate what most of you already know. The Rural Observer is an integral part of our community, linking the areas of the Juan de Fuca and keeping us informed about our region. It provides a forum for your thoughts and ideas. It is community.

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March 2013

Picturing Life Together

market is open 5 days a week, it is easy to walk over a few times a week and pick up what you need. That’s especially true since it is always so much fun. The farm specializes in providing a full farm experience.

First and foremost is the huge variety of food products that grow from fields and gardens, from pastures and ponds, from greenhouses, hives and forests.

by Susan Nelson

We’re all in this together. And it seems these days that together we face no end of challenges to our future well-being: food shortages, water issues, soil loss, health issues related to chronic stress, bad food and pollution, climate change related disasters, environmental degradation, economic collapse, continuing armed conflicts, political corruption and extinction of many life forms among many others.

Even when opinions about causes or solutions differ, almost everyone agrees that the way we have been living has created a lot of problems, and changes need to be made.

Although just as real, it is not quite so easy to find evidence of the turning of the tide toward constructive, creative and sustaining ways of being, - ways that bring people together not so much to look at how bad things are but rather to explore the possibilities of creating something good - a way of life that is mutually supportive, productive, strives toward sustainability, and as a side benefit, addresses many of the issues in the first paragraph. Though they don’t get so much press, there are multitudes of examples in all parts of the world.

While you were shopping your kids joined a group entranced by demonstrations of farm animal work and play. Maybe the horses are out doing some harrowing in the pastures, or the pygora goats are getting a haircut, or the ducklings are on parade. There’s a farm friend acting as a guide of sorts with information and stories about the animals. During the week your kids enjoy the nature school taught by one of the farmers. And when you have friends or family with kids visiting you know that the best place for them is at the farm stay B&B.

One such example is actually sprouting in Sooke at the moment.

A group of folks mostly from the Sooke area but from as far away as Edmonton have gotten together to dream about, talk about and now plan something that has the potential to offer a bit of an antidote to the often bitter news of the day.

Here’s a picture for you. One hundred and fifty-three acres of beautiful farmland situated on the edge of a small town. A big rectangle, where you can stand at the front on a quiet dead end street and gaze about a mile over pasture and forest until you see the end rising up into the hills. In October, if you walk from the street along a path that slopes down through the pasture to the creek you will see scores of Coho completing their journey home.

Later that week you go to the farm’s commercial kitchen to do some canning and drying and maybe take in a class on cheese making. Lots of folks in the surrounding communities go to the wide variety of classes and workshops on farm related topics and sustainability (as well as Spanish classes). You have come to know some of the enthusiastic apprentices who have come to the farm for a season to learn all the skills necessary to create and maintain places like this.

Now let’s say it’s August and you have just arrived at the entrance to the farm. The first thing you notice is that people are scattered around participating in various activities. The farmer’s market is in full swing, but you haven’t had breakfast yet so you wander over to the café and order a mushroom, spinach, cheese and onion omelette with hash brown potatoes and a fresh baked scone (gluten free available too) with jam. The kids opt for corn cakes with big leaf maple syrup. All of your meals were raised and prepared on the farm except for the locally roasted coffee.

A good friend of yours lives on the farm, and you always like going to visit as the community of households that make up the ‘farm keepers’ is a lively bunch with meals often eaten together in the ‘big house’. While some things like the laundry room and tools are shared, they all have separate houses built with energy efficiency and sustainability in mind, and it is interesting to see what kinds of things are possible. You have gone home with and used a number of ideas and practical methods of conserving on electric and gas bills.

So off you go to the market to buy your next couple of day’s supply of food. You know eating fresh is best and, since the

The people who operate and maintain this farm are many. Some of the farmers and entrepreneurs live on the land and some live in the surrounding area. They all belong to the community service cooperative. And some come to simply contribute their time and money. They are people who like to eat good healthy food; people who want their kids to learn and grow while having great outdoor ‘real life’ adventures; people who see that living sustainably has many and diverse benefits; people who understand that when we learn to create lives together we create solutions that include everyone and our planet.

If you would like to help make this farm a reality, please take a look at our ad on page 20 and contact us.

Visit our blog at: villagefarmblog.wordpress.com Email: futurevillagefarm@hotmail.ca Call: 250-642-1714.

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March 2013

Moonscape to Paradise: Two Communities by Lou Allin

How privileged we are to gaze across the magnificent Strait of Juan de Fuca and see the majestic Olympics, snow dribbling down their peaks like vanilla ice cream. And of course, the freighters lining up, cruise ships in summer, and crabbers, shrimpers, and fisherfolk plying the waters. Where else in Canada could you be?

Canada is known for its pristine, jaw-dropping scenery, but one place has been a national joke: the moonscape around Sudbury, the Nickel Capital. At the opposite end of the country lies Paradise, aka Vancouver Island. They’re more alike than you’d think. My goal has been to bring these places to life in mystery fiction.

Many places are featured in my books, Botanical Beach in And on the Surface Die, and French Beach, Sombrio, and Sandcut in Twilight is not Good for Maidens. The Jordon River high country is a perfect place for a health spa with views in She Felt No Pain.

For my RCMP detachment, I “built” a cabin west of Shirley in the mythical town of Fossil Bay. The Sooke Detachment would have been too large for the intimacy I wanted. But I had to demote my main character to a corporal, who can’t undertake murder investigations on her own. Plotting gets more challenging. In book one, Holly Martin looked into a suspicious “accidental” drowning, in book two, she had suspicions about a homeless man found dead of an overdose, and in book three, the beaches are under siege from escalating sexual assaults.

Sudbury’s environmental degradation began with timber cutting in the 1880s. Discovery of nickel brought open-pit roasting followed by sixty years of acid rain. With no trees or ground cover, soil melted off the bare land, and the rocks darkened into a black wasteland the size of Manhattan. Beginning with the Superstack in 1972, and a monumental regreening for the next forty years, the land came back with rye grass and pines. It was a community project in the best sense.

I conveyed the chronicle, warts and all: Northern Winters are Murder, Blackflies are Murder, Bush Poodles are Murder, Murder, Eh? and Memories are Murder. Readers said, “It sounds so beautiful. I want to visit.”

Like Sudbury, the island has challenges. Needing off-leash dog walking, I turned to clear cuts. But over the years, the barren landscapes multiplied as hundreds of trucks per week began shipping raw logs to China. Jobs or real estate; do we have to choose? And what of the perils of Sooke/West Coast Road?

Will there ever be an interior route to provide escape from an earthquake or tsunami? That century typhoon from 2006 provided the ending to my first book. Even in all the havoc, the community was out the next day attacking the fallen trees with chainsaws.

Then I moved to Vancouver Island. “Welcome to Paradise,” the realtor said. It was time to learn about my new home. I studied the geology, from the gold deposits in Leechtown to the basalt rocks at the potholes to the Oligocene fossils at picturesque Muir Beach. The Sooke Story provided information on the pioneers and their legends, the Gordons, Milnes and Muirs. Learning about botany came easily with Plants of British Columbia, sinuous arbutus in sun-drenched spots, heralding bluebells and the secretive saprophytic gnome plant on the Anderson Road Pew Trail.

My novels are available at the Sooke library and at the Reading Room. Visit my website for sample chapters at www.louallin.com or email me at louallin@shaw.ca.

The lush island is a grocery store for foragers and a pharmacopeia for my Salish characters. I kept a monthly journal so that I wouldn’t feature blackberries in May or salmonberries in September.

Zoology books described the varieties of banana slug, even the rare jumper, and the scarcity of foxes and skunks. Elk, not moose, roam the backcountry, but black bears and cougars venture closer.

I’m glad I packed my bear bells, but I wish I had brought my snowshoes after I discovered the Kludahk Hiking Club. Even on their annual avalanche lily walk, snow remains in June. And who can ignore our teeming ocean with barking seals and pods of Orcas and humpbacks?

Forage for seaweed and mussels by the shore, but when your border collie starts munching on a rotting gumboot chiton, pay attention.

Even the night sky is different in the West. The Great Bear is doing a somersault in the winter, followed by three hunters in its tail.

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March 2013

Coastal Communities Inspire

traditional territory of the T’Sou-ke and the Pacheedaht First Nations, who both fished for halibut and salmon in the waters and hunted the nearby forests. In the late 1770s, the area was charted Rio Jordan by Spanish explorers and the name soon Anglicized to River Jordan by British explorers. As early as the 1880s, Jordan River was a hotbed for logging and supported over 1000 workers during the construction of Vancouver Island’s second hydroelectric plant in 1911. Today, Jordan River continues to be used as a base for nearby logging operations, and tourists have become the new coastal explorers who seek out the coast’s parks and trails.

by Kelsey Singbeil

The Pacific Northwest coast is a peculiar thing. It inspires people to risk arrest and lock themselves to heavy logging equipment (Clayoquot Sound, 1994) and form flotillas in protest of oil tanker traffic (Vancouver, 2012).

Many residents of the Pacific Northwest will tell you the coast is a part of who they are. And, that it has driven them to unexpected lengths to protect it. Over the last five years, the community of the Juan de Fuca coast has expressed its connection to the Pacific Northwest’s forests, ocean and wilderness through a commitment to the preservation of lands at Jordan River.

In 2008, oceanfront lands at Jordan River were slated for development. But, in late December 2012, the same lands were transferred to the Capital Regional District to be protected as public parklands. This evolution is in direct relation to the work and dedication of the Juan de Fuca community to preserve and share the beauty and bounty of their coastline.

The history of Jordan River shares a path similar to many other coastal Pacific Northwest towns. The town site is part of the

The historical yield of the lands around Jordan River speaks to the bounty of the Pacific Northwest coast and its ability to provide for local communities. Over the last five years, residents concerned about the impact of large-scale development at Jordan River have spoken to the environmental, social and financial significance of these lands. Homeowners in Jordan River and Shirley have stood alongside citizens from Victoria and Saanich in support of sustainably conserving the lands for future benefit.

The efforts to protect the lands at Jordan River brought together local residents, surfers, unions, environmental groups and First Nations for a common cause. These community members wrote letters, attended countless meetings and organized rallies in support of the conservation of the lands. Ultimately, the community was successful.

In 2010, the Capital Regional District (CRD), in partnership with the provincial government, The Land Conservancy of BC and local citizens, acquired the Point at Jordan River and surrounding lands for $9.9 million. These lands will be managed by the CRD as a regional park reserve for years to come and are an important piece of the District’s vision to protect green space from the Strait of Georgia to Port Renfrew as the Sea to Sea Green Blue Belt. In total, the Jordan River Park Reserve is 110 hectares and stretches from Jordan River to Sandcut Beach.

And you thought history was boring...

This will change your mind. Available now at the Lighthouse Store (www. sheringhamlighthouse.org) A History of the Sheringham Lighthouse authored by Rebecca Quinn.

Today, the community that worked to protect the lands at Jordan River is still involved in planning its future. The Capital Regional District is set to discuss improvements to the shoreline and park amenities at community meetings this spring and the T’Sou-ke and the Pacheedaht First Nations have the opportunity to purchase some of the lands now under District ownership.

A History of the Sheringham Lighthouse is a full colour, detailed history of the land, lighthouse, and the light keepers and their families. For the first time, in one place, Sheringham Lighthouse history is told in an interesting and fast paced narrative. Over 30 historic and current photos of the light keepers, the structure, maps, and more.

Looking ahead, the creation of the Jordan River park reserve will ensure that the nature of the Juan de Fuca coast is available to all to enjoy. And, as the site continues to evolve, it will serve as a lasting example of the power of the coast to bring community members together for a common goal.

Order your copy today. The lighthouse comes to life in this 20 page book. $5.00 plus shipping

ISBN 099186440-9 The book is made possible with the generous assistance of the Juan de Fuca Economic Development Commission.

Printing by Digital Direct Printing Ltd. Design, layout and art by Noella LeDrew

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March 2013

From the desk of John Horgan, MLA Juan de Fuca Building Stronger Communities

It is six years since the BC Liberal government, without consultation or compensation, dismantled the Tree Farm Licence (TLF) that for over 50 years allowed economic activity to take place in the public interest. On a regional scale, the public response to the forest lands debacle speaks to the power of people from all walks of life coming together to make the best of a bad situation.

We can all agree on the natural beauty of our region. Southern Vancouver Island is unparalleled when it comes to our forests, rivers and beaches. Each year more and more people come to visit for the first time.

With each new visitor the prospect of more permanent residents follows.

I have written about the impact of the arbitrary decision to put the interests of a private company ahead of the people and land in our region. What is relevant today, when I write about the power and strength of community, is how well we have worked together to find positive outcomes. Like other places, we are populated with people of widely divergent view points. However, I believe our sense of community supersedes our differences and has lead to cooperative outcomes whenever possible.

Equally extraordinary are the people who make up our vibrant communities. From Metchosin to the Highlands and all the way to Port Renfrew, I am always struck by the sense of pride our people have in our lands and our rural neighbourhoods. Many people take leadership roles, most without acknowledgement.

On December 17th I had the honour of presenting Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medals to four of our Juan de Fuca residents – Bob Beckett, Jean Boivin, Phoebe Dunbar and Flo Tickner. The medal, which commemorates the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne, signifies outstanding achievement and contributions to one’s community. I participated in several events to honour these fine individuals, and on each occasion it occurred to me that our communities, our province and our world have been made better simply because they chose to make a difference.

In the case of the TFL, absent of any significant leadership from the provincial government, the Capital Regional District put cash on the table to secure some of the most precious lands for public use. The residents of Shirley, Otter Point, Jordan River and Port Renfrew continue to work hard to plan for growth and new forms of economic activity and local First Nations continue to patiently negotiate fair and just land settlements.

When you look at the dislocation and distress in so many parts of the world, I marvel at the good fortune and common sense of our people and our institutions. Do we have room for improvement?

Of course we do. But in this Diamond Jubilee year we can take pride in ourselves and our community. I was only able to recognize four very worthy representatives from our area, but I want to thank all of the residents of Juan de Fuca for making our communities strong and vibrant.

We are so fortunate to live in an area that is filled with people who see a need, roll up their sleeves, and just get on with helping out.

Whether it’s creating a new initiative or simply filling an existing gap and bringing others along the way, people coming together strengthens the fabric of our communities.

The growth of local farmers’ markets and the continuation of fall fairs at Luxton, Sooke and Metchosin speak to local pride. Shirley Days and the Highland Fling are moments of celebration and cooperation. In every corner of our region people are working together to make a difference, to require more locally grown food and crafts, to strengthen food security, and showcase talent in the region. The work and organization take time and energy.

They also provide economic stimuli in entrepreneurial cottage industries. Linking producers and consumers on a personal level strengthens community in a very positive manner.

I am interested in hearing your thoughts about these or any other issues of concern to you. My Langford Community Office is open to help with any provincial government issues. Drop by, call or email john.horgan.mla@leg.bc.ca anytime.

9

March 2013

Exercising In Rural Areas

rake leaves or play a sport. Strength exercises like lifting weights (otherwise known as dumbbells) and using resistance bands (giant rubber bands designed to give your muscles a good workout when stretched and pulled) can increase muscle strength.

By Marita Harinen

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”

Increased muscle strength can maintain your ability to climb stairs, carry groceries, open jars or lift bags of mulch in the garden.

Exercise and physical activity can have a positive effect on your everyday life. People are living longer and living healthier due to changes in lifestyle. Becoming active on a regular basis will give you more energy and the ability to do things more easily, faster, and for longer than before.

Balance exercises (with stability balls for example) can improve your ability to control and maintain your body’s position, whether you are moving or still. Good balance is important to help prevent falls. Improving your balance can help you prevent falls, stand on tiptoe to reach something on the top shelf, walk up and down the stairs or walk on an uneven sidewalk without falling.

Some people may wonder what the difference is between physical activity and exercise. Physical activities are activities that get your body moving such as gardening, walking the dog and taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Exercise is a form of physical activity that is specifically planned, structured, and repetitive such as weight training, or a cardio/aerobic and strength class. Including both in your life is the most beneficial to all round health and fitness.

Flexibility, or stretching, exercises can help your body stay flexible and limber, which gives you more freedom of movement for your everyday activities. Stretching exercises can improve your flexibility. Improving your flexibility makes it easier for you to look over your shoulder to see what’s behind you as you back the car out of the driveway, make the bed, bend over to tie your shoes, reach for a food item on a kitchen shelf or swing a golf club.

Four areas that are important for staying healthy and independent are: cardio-respiratory fitness, strength, balance, and flexibility.

Research suggests that you can maintain or at least partially restore, if you have become inactive, these four areas through exercise and physical activity.

The goal is to involve each of the four components of fitness into your exercise routine. Mixing it up will help you reap the benefits of each type of exercise, as well as reduce the risk for injury.

Exercise and physical activity is beneficial to those of all ages. But there’s a lot of research that documents the benefits of exercise

Cardio-respiratory fitness or aerobic/cardio activities like brisk walking or swimming increase your breathing and heart rate and improve the health of your heart, lungs and circulatory system.

They can make it easier for you to vacuum, work in the garden,

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March 2013

of belonging. Exercise does not feel like a chore when you’re working out in a group.

programs for the mature exerciser in reducing and even reversing the effects of aging. It has been found that older people who are physically active are faster at cognitive tasks such as encoding, recognition, rehearsal, and initiating commands than those that are non-active. This suggests that aerobic fitness has positive effects on cognitive aging. Recent research has also shown that regular exercise can increase strength. Weight bearing exercise increased muscle mass at about the same rate as in younger people and non-weight bearing exercise resulted in increased flexibility.

Marita Harinen is a Certified Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor through the British Columbia Recreation and Parks Association (BCRPA). She is studying to become a Certified Holistic Nutritionist and is passionate about teaching wellness and inspiring others to live a healthy, happy life. See the East Sooke Calendar for courses offered by Marita.

“A balanced mix of physical activity and stimulating recreation with social aspects is an important part of a preventive health model aimed at promoting successful aging.”

But for many people who haven’t been active, the challenge is getting started. Fitness experts say the secret is finding something you enjoy doing, and then sticking with it.

As fitness a professional, I focus on creating wonderful opportunities of lifetime fitness, for students of all ages, and provide a broad overview of health to a population with diverse interests and backgrounds.

It is really amazing to have a suitable space in our small community of East Sooke for fitness activities that can help people get out of the house, meet new people, and feel a sense

Doug Read Licensed Realtor 26 years experience~18 years *Selling* in *East Sooke* Benefit from my LOCAL EXPERIENCE and LOCAL SERVICE. Doug Read Pemberton Holmes Real Estate 250-361-7939 or 250-642-2705 or toll free 1-866-536-7169 email: info@dougread.com web site: www.dougread.com

East Sooke Community Calendar

Unless otherwise indicated, events & classes are held in the East Sooke Fire Hall downstairs meeting room

St. Patick’s Day Concert Saturday, March, 16t ,7:00 - 10:00 p.m.

Hosts & Entertainers: Patrick & Patricia Tickets $15 @ E.S. Country Grocer (formerly Bill’s Store) Easter Egg Hunt & Pancake Breakfast Saturday, March 30th, 9:00 - 11:30 a.m.

Egg Hunt, Colouring, Breakfast & more Hosts: Friends of Coppermine Park Soc. East Sooke Volunteer Fire Department Fire Practice, Thursdays 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Chief Roger Beck: 250-642-4411

East Sooke Fire Protection And Emergency Services Commission 3rd Mondays, 7:00 - 9:00p.m.

Healthy Bodies Fitness Cardio & Strength Class Mon., Wed. & Fri. 9:30 - 10:30a.m.

Beginners Cardio & Strength Class Mon, Wed & Fri. 10:45 -11:45 a.m.

Outdoor Fitness Class Tuesday & Thursday. 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm Marita: 250-589-3947 East Sooke Women’s Meditation Group Meets Mondays Not held in the Fire hall meeting room Call for info - 250 642-7282

11

Karate Classes For All Ages Tuesday 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Armin: 250-642-3926 Friends of Coppermine Park Society Contact: copperminepark@telus.net New Members Welcome Moms: Interested in a Stroller Fit Class? Marita: 250-589-3947 Puppy Training Class May be starting in E.S. Michelle: speakdog101@gmail. com

March 2013

Light Keeper’s Journal: Where’s the Water? by Rebecca Quinn

the water off the roof of our house and it would go down to the eaves troughs and into the first tank, which held six feet of silica sand. That would filter the water. It would go through that sand and then go into our giant cistern tank. And that was our water supply.”

In a place that is dryly known as “the Wet Coast”, it’s difficult to imagine anyone having issues with a water supply--generally it’s the excess of water not the lack of it that the West Coasters find themselves battling. But back when Shirley’s Sheringham Point Lighthouse was still manned water was, in fact, a problem for the keepers.

“At some point somebody discovered that there was [a spring] back into the woods a ways,” Elanie Bruton explains. “So, the government put a line in [that] came down to our house and the junior keeper’s house.” But the keepers still preferred to use the rainwater as they didn’t really like the taste of the spring water. It might have had something to do with the fact that “if you turned on the tap outside, salamanders came out of the hose!”

The issue was there there was no artesian water supply. “You can drill into that rock all you want,” says Elanie Bruton, daughter of Sheringham’s last official light keeper, Jim Bruton, “and you are not going to get water.” In fact, the first light keeper, Eustace Arden, who came to the light in 1912, wrote that water was in such short supply that on occasion his wife used seawater for washing and cooking. Things hadn’t improved much by the time Alfred Dickenson took over in 1946. Writing in his logbook, he moaned, “Oh for some God’s fresh water, and a hot bath!”

But the salamanders were just a small glitch. “Once in awhile a bear would get into [the water crib]. He would bathe in there and pull the line out. Made a bit of a mess,” says Elanie Bruton.

Later, “when Sheringham Estates was built, there was a problem with the water [again]--there was all this muck coming out of the hose,” recalls Elanie Bruton. Unaware that a subdivision was going in, she and her sister hiked into the woods and were really surprised when they found a massive bulldozer sitting in the water source. At this point, a bear would have seemed trivial.

The government later made a deal to sell Sheringham Estates the water rights so long as the lighthouse would always have water. “The bear doesn’t bathe in there anymore,” Elanie Bruton adds, laughing.

Mike Cross, a junior keeper in the mid 1960s, said he generally used the water off of the junior light keeper’s cottage roof. “It was collected into a cistern and then you pumped it from the cistern up to a tank in the attic. That provided the pressure for the taps and what not.” Elanie Bruton says there was a similar set up in the head light keeper’s house. “In our house was a cistern, built into the basement, and a water pump. We would catch

Since 1989, the water supply has ceased to be a concern.

The lighthouse was de-staffed and fully automated, and all the houses and buildings on the property are gone except for the tower and part of the fog horn engine room. The Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society hopes to preserve what remains for future generations.

Juan de Fuca Electoral Area Parks and Recreation Commission

For more information, visit the SPLPS website www. sheringhamlighthouse.org.

The Commission meets on the fourth Tuesday of every month at 3pm, Juan de Fuca Electoral Area Office, #2 – 6868 West Coast Road Public Welcome to Attend For more information, visit www.crd.bc.ca/jdf/parks.

For meeting confirmation or enquiries, please call 250.642.1500.

12

March 2013

On Our Cover

Now

Shirley Community Hall Today Photo by Noella LeDrew “How To Build Community” was inspired by the SCW Community

Then

Shirley Community Hall Circa 1976 Photo provided by the Sooke Region Museum

CONTRIBUTE TO THE RURAL OBSERVER If you have an activity of a rural nature in the Juan de Fuca area that you would like covered, please send it to us. We cannot promise to print every article, but we try to, if and when space allows. Email us! submissions@ruralobserver.com

Calendar of Events for Shirley Unless otherwise indicated, events are held at the Shirley Community Hall

Shirley Fire Department Practices held Wednesdays 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

To volunteer – 250-646-2107 Shukokai Karate for all ages Mondays, 6:30-8:00 p.m.

Alida – 250-642-4631 Pilates Mondays, 10:00-11:15 a.m.

Saturdays, 9:30-10:30 a.m. svakayoga@gmail.com 250-646-2651

Shirley Quilters and Crafters Thursdays, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Nia Dance/Movement Thursdays, 6:45-8:00 p.m.

Sundays, 11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. movingmelody@gmail.com 250-646-2995 Shirley Women’s Institute 3rd Tuesday of the month: 10:00 a.m. stephaniecroft@hotmail.com Shirley Fire Commission Meetings 3rd Wednesdays, 7:00 p.m 13

Shirley Community Association AGM Wednesday, March 13th, 2013 7:30 p.m.

Shirley Spring Craft Fair Sunday, March 17th 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Fern: 250-646-2009 Shirley Fire Protection Society Meeting Sunday, April 9th, 2012 7:00 p.m.

March 2013

The Silent Spring Chorus: Western Toads Article & photos by Rosemary Jorna Compared to other parts of North America that host multiple species of frogs and toads, our spring evenings are quiet as we have only three species calling. The tiny Pacific Treefrog (Hyla regilla) makes the night ring from February to June, as it celebrates its wonderfully long and loud spring mating season.

Its song covers the quiet calls of the Red-legged Frogs’ (Rana aurora aurora) short breeding frenzy. The third player in this mating game, the Boreal or Western Toad, (Bufo boreas boreas) rarely calls; when it does it makes a soft peeping sound, like a chick. This peeping is made by the males to let another male know that he has made a mistake in his frenzied grab for a partner - “Let me go. Find a female”. They rarely call to mark territory or to attract females. Western Toads are our second set of explosive breeders meeting only once a year, for a few days at the community breeding sites. In the Juan de Fuca Electoral Area Western Toads breed later in the year starting when the communal breeding water warms to near ten degrees centigrade.

Immature Bufo boreas boreas near Red Creek Fir

damp ground through special patches of thinner skin in the pelvic region. On the Western Toad this looks like a pair of grey dotted boxer shorts against their pale underside. All mature Western Toads have a light stripe down the centre back and they can have great colour variation from silver grey, through green to brown or red.

The Western Toad (Bufo boreas boreas) can be found from Baja California to Alaska and east to Alberta, from sea level to above 3000 metres. In colder regions they can dig in as deep as a metre and a half to hibernate through the winter, and emerge with the warmth to reproduce. Outside of the short breeding season these toads are largely terrestrial animals, surviving by spending a great deal of time concealed in leaf mould or in burrows. Their feet are modified for digging. Western Toads are generally active at night, but have been known to bask in the sunshine.

Another survival skill is the irritating toxin they can excrete from the parotid glands. This milky secretion can be irritating to some people. If you do pick up a toad expect to hear the peeping sound signalling you grabbed the wrong guy, and you can also expect to be urinated on. The toad’s habit of urinating when feeling threatened can be quite disconcerting. When threatened they draw up on their hind legs, puff themselves up with air and tuck in their heads presenting their parotid glands. Most predators, other than garter snakes recognise these glands will produce the unpalatable toxin and leave the toad alone.

Toads are known for their thick, stubby bodies and ‘warty’ skin.

Those ‘warts’ contain the parotid glands above their shoulders.

Their ‘warty’ skin is thicker than a frog’s and loses less moisture than a frog’s. Toads need moisture and can absorb it from the

Toad tadpoles are vegetarians, but toads are avid predators themselves, eating a wide variety of insects, spiders, worms, slugs and crayfish. They reach maturity in two to four years with the male maturing more quickly. They grow larger than our other two frogs reaching an adult size of 5 to 14.5 centimetres with the female generally larger than the male. Their life span is around 10 years although 36 years is the record held for a captive toad.

Like all amphibians, Western Toads are declining in numbers particularly in settled areas. In the 1960s & 70s, I would see toads around Sooke. Since then I have only seen them around

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Port Renfrew in the San Juan River system. In mid August 1994, swarms of toadlets emerged from two warm, two centimetre deep pools in the wide gravel bars of the San Juan River at Lens Creek. Since 2003, I have seen the river bed black with tiny, one centimetre long toad tadpoles in the shallows of the river at the San Juan forest campsite.

On our last visit to the campsite on Sept 19, 2012, I was again lucky to witness the mass exodus of fragile toadlets crawling over the gravel heading for the forest. You had to be careful not to crush them as you walked. Their dark colour and tiny size made them blend right into the gravel; they were visible only when they were moving. The San Juan River seems an unlikely place for a toad community to breed. The river’s uncertain water levels expose the breeding sites to summer droughts or flash floods after a rain.

When we toured the Greater Victoria Watershed last May we learned that they close a section of the road system near Deception Reservoir for a few days each year to avoid the massacre of migrating toads intent on reproducing. The large female can lay 12,000 eggs in long strings but only a handful, three or four of these, will reach maturity. The tadpoles emerge after three to ten days but need a further 30 to 45 days to complete the transformation to toad. The community of toadlets scatter for the three plus years it takes to reach maturity.

Knowing they breed in the watershed, I kept an eye open for them in the Sooke Hills but have not seen one. I hope that they are hiding in the litter on the forest floor and not succumbing to disease and habitat destruction. You can help track the health of Bufo boreas boreas by reporting breeding sites and emerging times to BC Frogwatch at bcfrogwatch@ victoria1.gov.bc.ca.

And an important reminder: Two unwelcome imports from Eastern Canada are Rana catesbeiana, the Bullfrog that reaches an adult size of 9 to 20 cm making it North America’s largest frog, and Rana Clamitans, the Green Frog measuring about the same size as the native Red-legged Frog at 5 to 10 cm. Like all adult frogs they are pure carnivores and will eat smaller frogs. Both species present a major threat to the local amphibian population, especially that Bullfrog. They remain closer to water than our

Toadlet, San Juan River

own frogs. However, our frogs and other amphibians have to enter the water to breed and increasingly they become prey to these invaders. If you hear the banjo twanging of the Green Frog or the chug o’rum, chug o’ rum of the Bullfrog from your local waterhole it is the beginning of a murderous party. Please report it to The Bullfrog Project at UVic, HYPERLINK “http://web.uvic. ca/bullfrogs/” http://web.uvic.ca/bullfrogs/ This website gives you great information, photos and sound bites for all of these frogs, native and invader.

We LOVE everything LOCAL, especially YOU Our focus is always fresh, natural, and very local.

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Our menu is written on a daily basis and is available by 5:30p.m.

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Toadlet, San Juan River

15

March 2013

Rural RECIPE

Had enough roasted root vegetables? Tired of stew? Here is a simple and elegant soup for those late winter ingredients. When I have a hot, puréed soup, I like to add crisp, acidic garnishes with an oil that is complementary to the soup. I have provided a few suggestions here.

Start with Fresh Local Vegetables

by Oliver Kienast and Brooke Fader

Sunchoke & Celery Root Soup, with Pickled Sunchokes, Orange-Allspice Oil & Fresh Apple

I think most of us feel lucky to live on Southern Vancouver Island. This winter has been somewhat mild, and we are still buying local vegetables and greens from our favourite farms in Sooke and Metchosin. It is fascinating to note the subtle different flavours in the root vegetables or the salad greens from these neighbouring regions and how the terroir of each farm is evident and unique.

Stock: 1 cup sunchoke, medium rough chop 1 cup celery root, medium rough chop 1 large onion, chopped 1 large garlic clove, smashed whole Bay leaf, fresh if available ½ tsp. neutral oil like grapeseed Ample liter of cold local tap water

When I start to compose a menu for my Wild Mountain Supper Club, it always starts with vegetables, which is contrary to the North American, “what are we having for dinner” conversation, which usually starts with the protein; beef, chicken or pork.

Vegetables tell me the story of the season. Their flavour and texture dictate what proteins to put with them, and then the dish starts to come together, with a sauce or an oil, additions of herbs and wild ingredients, the pairing of BC wine or fresh juice. Each dish begins to tell the tale of the meal, of the season and of the place from which it came.

Briefly sweat onions in the heated oil. Add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a simmer, turn down to a low simmer for 45 minutes. Skim if necessary. Strain and reserve stock.

Soup: 2 medium onions, sliced thin 1 large clove of garlic, sliced thick 1 medium peeled white potato, cut thin 1 small celery root, cut thin 2 cups peeled sunchoke, cut thin 1 Bay leaf, fresh if available ½ lemon, organic if possible ½ cup crème fraîche or sour cream 2 tablespoons olive oil

This time of year, we talk to our friendly farmers to find out what they have available. We look deep into our pantry to check our preserves and our freezer for our own pork, or lamb and duck that we have traded with friends. We look at the weather and wonder what people are craving to make up for this grey day.

Inevitably, as Canadians, we love soup and it sets the stage for a wonderful feast by warming the palate, or as a meal unto itself, with home-baked Red Fife wheat bread.

Sweat onions in heated olive oil with a good pinch of salt with the lid on to steam, do not brown. Cook until onions are opaque. Add garlic and Bay leaf, cook briefly. Add the rest of the ingredients, including the stock. Bring to a light simmer, cook until vegetables are very tender. Puree when it is still quite warm in a blender without the bay leaf. Pass through a fine sieve. Wisk in crème fraîche. Season to taste with a balance of acidity (lemon), sweetness (honey), and sea salt, to your preference.

The cold nights, warm wood stove, and abundance of fermentable vegetables also inspire us to ferment kimchi, sauerkraut, and crème fraîche. These preserves add a delicious tang as condiments to an array of dishes, as well as being beneficial to digestion.

So as we all anxiously await the beginning of spring and the bounty it brings, it’s easy to be bored with winter ingredients.

16

March 2013

Sooke Region Women’s Cancer Support Society by Mary Dunn

Crème Fraîche: 500 ml whipping cream with no additives 2 tablespoons buttermilk (ratios can be adjusted if you want to make more)

Statistics note that one in nine women will have breast cancer (given the population of Sooke Region that means more than 300 women). Approximately one in 23 women (118 in the Sooke Region) will be diagnosed with a gynecological cancer.

If you have cancer, the oncology team will tell you that having a mastectomy, radiation or chemo or all three will give you an XXX% chance of survival. This is the dreaded numbers game that women diagnosed with cancer often face.

Put in a sterilized jar with a clean cloth covering the top of the jar and held by a rubber band. Put in a warm spot for 48 hours until thick like sour cream.

(If you have a food dehydrator, set it for 110 Fahrenheit for 24 hours or until thick like sour cream.) Crème fraîche will thicken when cooled in the fridge.

The Sooke Region Women’s Cancer Support Society has a different focus…the women; with their families, careers, hobbies, and a roller coaster of emotions and feelings. The group was started by five women who have been impacted by women’s cancer (either personally or through family or friends). These women are volunteering to support women who are dealing with breast or gynecological cancer. So they invited anyone impacted by breast or gynecological cancer to meet with them. This invitation resulted in 13 women attending a focus group to tell their stories. These stories revealed an overwhelming need for a local support group where women could talk about their fears, insomnia, grief, the fatigue that plagues them daily, as well as their real feelings. These women identified the need for a forum where they are able to talk in the ‘language of cancer’, where others can understand and validate and support.

Pickled Sunchokes: 1 cup sunchokes, thinly sliced, loose packed ¾ cup water ½ cup sugar, organic if possible, not brown ½ cup rice wine or white wine vinegar good pinch of salt Bring sugar and liquid to a simmer. Pour over freshly cut sunchokes. Store in a sterilized jar for at least 24 hours.

Orange-Allspice Oil: 1 cup grapeseed oil Rind of 1 orange with as little pith as possible 8-10 whole allspice Heat oil until extremely warm (120F). Put peel and all spice in sterilized jar. Pour oil in jar. Leave for at least 24 hours in a cool dark place, but a week is better.

(Any spice or clean herbs can be exchanged to match your flavor profile. Avoid any water or dirt in the oil.)

From this focus group a support group was born, and 6-9 women currently attend monthly meetings at the Potlatch Room – donated by the Sooke Harbour House. The group is co-facilitated by a psychiatrist and nurse. Guest speakers, that have expertise in cancer and the multitude of issues these women are facing, are invited to share their knowledge with the group. An incredible weekend retreat was held – featuring a physician from Calgary whose life has been dedicated to helping women with breast cancer. Dr. Ardyth Taylor donated her time, paying for her own travel expenses to get to Sooke from Calgary. The level of understanding and exploration she was able to facilitate moved the group a long way on their journey to healthy recovery. Funding for food and accommodation was made possible through the funds raised from this year’s annual Lily Walk (sponsored by the Kludak Club). EMCS and Ocean Wilderness cut their costs to make the event possible. Marlene Barry (reflexologist), Christine Hopkins (aromatherapist) and Shayna Chamitoff (psychiatrist) also generously donated their services.

Fresh, local, crispy apple cut into matchsticks, season with a little black pepper and olive oil. Toss in the pickled sunchokes, as many as to your liking, with some fresh chopped parsley or celery leaves. Pour soup into bowls, garnish with as much oil and apple-sunchoke salad as to your liking.

Oliver Kienast is Chef of Wild Mountain. With his wife, sommelier Brooke Fader, they have a private supper club holding farm table lunches and dinners at Glenrosa Farm in Metchosin (March 10th and April 7th) and pop-up dinners at Ulla Restaurant in Victoria’s Chinatown (March 24th). Visit their website to make a reservation: www. wildmountaindinners.com

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When asked what the group means to them, group members said: “I was a six year breast cancer survivor when I attended our initial meeting to see if there was a need in our very small town. I joined in the hopes that I could help other women travel through the maze of learning when a woman has received a breast cancer diagnosis and various treatments available by sharing my personal experiences and by helping the group spread the word of the importance of early detection. Little did I know that I was soon to be diagnosed with a recurrence. Now I need the support of my group even more as I navigate the road to health once again ...... mind, body and spirit. Our support group really does give us the opportunity to share and learn, openly and freely, in a safe environment, with each other. Most of all it’s important to know that with our support group you do not need to travel along this road alone.”

And, “I heard about the group from a friend when I was just diagnosed and it meant that I had somewhere to turn to right away. When emotions are high and all energy is used up from coping, it is great for me to have a group right here in Sooke, only a short drive and a familiar environment. To be not alone with it, to speak freely and hear the stories of the others, supports like nothing else.”

And, “I would just like to say that it really helps to meet and talk to people who understand and know what you are feeling and going through. Also it is a great place for learning more about what helps and what works. Great support and understanding no matter how great or small the problem is.”

And, “I have found the group to be a tremendous source of support, caring, and understanding from other women who have lived through cancer treatment. Going through that kind of experience can only be truly understood by others who have done something similar. The facilitators are kind and skilful, and the setting lovely and healing. I really appreciate this being available in my home community.”

And, “So much is not understood about breast cancer...so many think we are “cured”....cause we had something cut out, or cut off, to me the journey is all about living with it....and being supported through the journey. The journey is frightening and worrisome - but best of all knowing you are not alone, is so incredibly comforting. It brings such HOPE, and allows me to ultimately deal with the big existential stuff of how I live.”

It’s a good thing when those affected by a life changing event, like getting sick with a not so good disease, can come up with their very own ‘made in Sooke Region solution’ - a support network to help us with our healing journey. Although our cancer stories are very different from each other, we share many, many common themes. This is the thread that keeps us together. It is the bond that makes us feel like we are all sisters in this together. No one needs to be alone on this journey.

Already in 6 short months we are getting much better about learning to accept what is, discovering more about this disease (and not being overwhelmed), and forming new friendships. When one is undergoing treatment & recovery for cancer it’s not easy to go back into town for more support, if one needs that. Not everyone wants to do “four lanes” (Sookahalla) after a long day.

Sometimes we refer to this special support group as the “we don’t do 4 lanes” group. Now that is a rural attitude well worth hanging on to!

While the support group is the only service this society presently offers, it is hoped that eventually funding will be secured and the society will expand to offer other support services. This program once again shows what a small community is able to accomplish when a group of committed people get together to work towards a common goal….the betterment of our community. For more information people are invited to call Mary Dunn at 250-646-2554.

18

March 2013

FREE

INFORMATION FOR THE ASKING

Our advertisers are happy to provide any information about their products or services. Please feel free to use the phone numbers below to contact them directly.

A Sea of Bloom p.4 250-642-3952 Alice McLean Pottery p.9 250-642-3522 Aristos Mail Tech Inc. p.2 250-384-7678 Coastal Crunch Granola p.10

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Ragley Organic Farm p.18 250-642-

Custom Digging p.11 250-413-7685

Randall Garrison, MP p.17 250-405-6550

Digital Direct Printing Ltd. p.2 250-388-7082

Ronén Landscaping Services p.5 250-891-8188

Doug Read - Pemberton Holmes Realty p.11 250-642-2705

Rural Observer - Advertising pp.2,19 250-642-1714

East Sooke Yoga p.11

Sheringham Point Lighthouse Pres. Soc. pp.8,20 250-646-2528

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Felix Irwin - Chartered Accountant p.13 250-642-5277

Sooke Ecovillage Farm p.20 250-642-1714

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From the Garden... at French Beach p.12 250-646-2425

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James Craven & Associates p.3 250-744-9455

The Stick In The Mud Cafe p.3

JdF Emergency Program p.14 250-642-2266

Victoria Alarm Service p.9 250-721-0266

JdF Parks & Recreation Commission p.12 250-642-1500

Vivi Curutchet - Architectural Drawings p.10 250-624-1714

John Horgan - Juan de Fuca MLA p.20 250-391-2801

Walk, Sit & Stay - Dog Walking p.10 250-642-0458

Juan de Fuca Veterinary Clinic p.5 250-478-0422

Westshore Design & Delvelopment p.7 250-413-7935

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Marlene Bowman - Seagirt Pottery p.18 250-642-7620

The Rural Observer’s Publication Schedule for 2013:

Mosaic West Consulting Services p. 10 250-642-0399 Noella LeDrew, Graphic & Web Design pp.2,19 778-528-2282

May Issue - May 2, 2013

Numa Farms p.16 250-474-6005

July/Aug. Issue - June 27, 2013

Otter Point Electric p.14 250-588-4324

October Issue - Oct. 3, 2013

Race Rocks Automotive p.5 250-478-1920

December Issue - Dec. 5, 2013

Vivi Curutchet

Advertising Sales Ph: (250) 642-1714 Email: advertise@ruralobserver.com

19

March 2013

John Horgan

“Congratulations Your Rural Voice Rural Observer in the Legislature

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At the farm -­‐ 6600 Helgesen Rd.

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If you can't be there in person, please visit us aJH-RurObs-0909.indd t our blog: 1 villagefarmblog.wordpress.com

Just published and available for the first time A History of the Sheringham Lighthouse

by Rebecca Quinn.

A full colour, 20 page fascinating look at the people, the land and the buildings that made up Sheringham Lighthouse complex including over 30 photos, maps, journal entries and more.

MLA Juan de Fuca

9/24/09 12:41:00 PM

SHERINGHAMLIGHTHOUSE.ORG Please join the Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society.

Every day Society volunteers are working to preserve and protect the lighthouse building, access and surrounding property. Your membership can make a difference.

Go to sheringhamlighthouse.org, click on the book cover and order your copy today.

Just $5.00 plus shipping order it today.

The Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society was established in 2003. The Society is incorporated under the Society Act of British Columbia, File #S47588 - May 17, 2004. The Society is registered as a charity by the Canada Revenue Agency, #858885940RR0001, July 29, 2004.

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March 2013