VOL 01 ISSUE 07
JUly 2016
Good Things to do this
summer p8
Delta swimmers push for new pool p 4 Local clubs call for city to build Olympic-sized pool SOMETHINGGOODMAGAZINE.CA
Photo portraits of Ladner's Elders p 6
Interviews with Ladner's longest-living residents
Ashley Spires inspires young readers p 10
Children's author and illustrator comes home to South Delta july 2016
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A few words on Something Good Sarah Kelloway Publisher/Designer
Some time in early May I was speaking with a local businessperson and as so often happens they told me about a story idea for the magazine. Apparently, swim club leaders across Delta are urging various levels of government to commit to swimming infrastructure upgrades in our community. The former newspaper reporter in me was immediately intrigued. However, the editor of a good news magazine was concerned it might be highlighting deficiencies in Delta that wouldn't be altogether "something good." In the end I decided to run the story despite the fact it talks about what Delta is lacking instead of what it has achieved.
Adrian MacNair Editor/Photographer
I ran the story because part of what makes a
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Some fresh produce from Backroads Family Farm Market on display at the bi-weekly summertime Ladner Village Market.
community like ours great is the willingness of residents to improve it. Part of what bonds us and connects us to a place is identifying our wants and needs and working to achieve them. Delta didn't become a great place overnight. It has taken decades of hard work from residents committed to this community and the people in it. Just like these swim clubs. This is a good news story because these people care enough about kids and about Delta to try and make their dreams come true. And that is a story worth printing. For story ideas contact Adrian MacNair editor@somethinggoodmagazine.ca For advertising opportunities contact Sarah Kelloway publisher@somethinggoodmagazine.ca
Some good things to do
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There’s always something interesting cropping up in South Delta. Check them out.
Boundary Bay Airshow
A preview of the best free airshow this summer
New water park coming to Ladner
Rotary Club of Ladner partners with the Corporation of Delta to upgrade Memorial Park
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Something Good in sports
Delta Deas Rowing Club provides a team-building activity for people of all ages and abilities Tsawwassen soccer standout headed to Princeton
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Some good things to do Fridays from 3-7pm Tsawwassen Farmers Market There's now a farmers market in the heart of Tsawwassen! Come and visit dozens of vendors selling local and organic products. Featuring live music from various artists. Held in the RE/max Progroup Realty courtyard parking lot, at 5360 12 Ave.
wednesday, July 13, 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM Wacky Wednesdays! Ladner Outdoor Pool In celebration of the Rio Summer Olympics 2016 Delta will be holding competitions and games that are Olympic-themed in the pool! Come and compete for the gold! Regular admission applies ($2.75) and all ages are welcome.
Mondays until August 29 6:30 – 8:30 pm Sitting and Stitching
Do you want to learn how to knit or crochet? Are you an avid knitter, crocheter, quilter or weaver who wants to meet others and get inspiration or help? Drop in for an evening of crafting fun at the Ladner Pioneer Library (4683 51 Street). Activity not included August 1.
sundays: Jun 12 & 26, Jul 10 & 24, Aug 14 & 28, and Sept 11. From 10am to 4pm. Ladner village market With an emphasis on Make it, Bake it, Grow it, the Ladner Village Market allows you to meet local individuals who create their own products. Held in heart of Ladner Village.
Tuesday, July 26, 7:00 PM Concert in the Park - Delta Concert Band Enjoy our series of free outdoor concerts within a park setting. Concerts are cancelled in inclement weather. Please bring your own blanket or lawn chair. Experience the Delta Concert Band as they perform a wide variety of music for all ages in Ladner's Memorial Park.
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Delta swimmers push for new pool “Just keep swimming” is the advice given by Dory in the new summer blockbuster film by Pixar, but kids living in Delta might find that difficult.
According to Dave Colter, a member of the South Delta Swim Society, they have 550 swimmers and close to an equal amount on wait lists to get into the various swim clubs in Delta.
“We've reached a point where we no longer can grow and we actually can't even sustain what we have,” explains Dave. “We can't bring the next generation of swimmers into the clubs because we don't have any room to accommodate them.”
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It is a particularly difficult problem for the two summer swim clubs that have historically welcomed new kids into the sport. “That's where we're missing the boat. They don't even advertise when registration opens because they know that they can't accommodate anybody.”
There are really only two places to swim in South Delta most of the year: the 40-year-old facilities at Winskill Park in Tsawwassen, and the nearly 25-year-old Ladner Leisure Centre. And although swimming is still available at those locations, the focus is on leisure swimming and
july 2016
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not competition training.
Jennifer Wilson, president of the Ladner Stingrays swim club, says they currently have 162 swimmers and are struggling to squeeze in any more. She says that a few weeks ago they were allocated just two lanes of space for 130 swimmers at the Ladner Leisure Centre. “We have a waiting list of four to six years olds who want to get in here but we have to keep telling them, nope, we'll have to wait and see if somebody drops out.”
Michelle Rapier, past president of the Boundary Bay Bluebacks swim club and current secretary with the Winskill Dolphins, says it's “concerning on a lot of levels” that swimmers have nowhere to go.
The clubs are even forced to rent pool space in Richmond for training.
Michelle is an assistant regional director of the Fraser South Region of B.C. Summer Swimming Association and says while Ladner's outdoor pool adds some extra capacity in the summer it's not enough. In fact, it's a problem not just in Delta but across Metro Vancouver.
“We arguably have the best climate in Canada but have the fewest outdoor swimming pools of all the major cities in the country.” But despite the obvious problems facing swimmers there's a good news plan in the works to address it.
The South Delta Swim Society is proposing a solution to this capacity shortfall, asking all levels of government to help contribute to an $8 million, 10-lane Olympics-sized facility dedicated solely to training and competitions.
Although $8 million may sound like a lot of money, Dave says when put into context with infrastructure upgrades made in other cities it's quite reasonable. UBC is finishing up a $38.5 million aquatic facility, South Surrey recently finished their Grandview Heights facility for $53 million, while Guildford's newest pool was $38.6 million.
The South Delta Swim Society believes Delta will recoup a lot of the money in
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tourism dollars by hosting swim meets, which can bring up to 700 swimmers and their families to the area. The Delta School District has also indicated they have high hopes for such a facility to add a swim academy for the high school kids. Jennifer says swimming is a great sport for kids who don't fit into the team sports model but offers a great social component nonetheless.
“The kids are hanging out together, making these lifelong friendships and they have these summertime memories,” she says. With the support of the community and government perhaps this story will have a happy Pixar ending, too.
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Ladner portraits
There was a time when all the families in Ladner knew one another, helped each other through tough times, and came together for seasonal dances at the old City Hall. In the winter, boys and girls would go skating and play hockey on the frozen cranberry fields, while in the summer they would play hide and seek in the hay lofts and walk around in their bathing suits and jump into the slough when it got too hot.
Lorraine McKinnon (nee Guichon) with her brother Jack Guichon. Photograph by SHARON WRIGHT and story by Adrian MacNair
T
hose days may be long gone but the memories remain firmly etched in the minds of the elders in this South Delta village. Two Ladner women, photographer Sharon Wright
and writer Anne Sanders, have set out to document those stories in a project they call “Ladner Elders.” “The more I learn about Ladner the more I realize it's more about
the people,” explains Sharon of the project. “There's a lot of families that have been here for generations and generations and I thought it would be wonderful to do a project that
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highlights those people.”
The concept is to interview people who have lived in Ladner for at least 50 years, who are over the age of 75, and yet are still of sound mind. And if you find it hard to recall what you did just last year, imagine trying to reach back 80 years in time.
“Some of the people we photographed, their memories were way better than ours,” says Sharon, who has called Ladner her home for 24 years. “We were just amazed at some of the stuff they remembered growing up in Ladner, not only raising their families but when they were little kids.” Geraldine Swenson, 90, is a retired school teacher who has lived on her family farm on Westham Island all her life. She recalls the days when commuting over the bridge was tricky because sometimes the cars had to wait for the swing bridge to crank open and closed to allow the passage
of ships. Sometimes an impatient mariner would collide with the bridge, leaving the residents of the island cut off from the rest of the world. “When it was knocked out they had to put their car on a boat to get it across the water and the kids had to go on a fishing boat to get the school bus on the other side,” says Sharon. Anne says one of the most interesting interviews was Lorraine McKinnon (nee Guichon), the 93-year-old granddaughter of one of Ladner's most famous pioneers, Laurent Guichon. Lorraine tells stories about helping her mother serve three big meals a day to their farmhands during the Great Depression, feeding them pies and buns and pots of soup and roast chickens, even during a time of scarcity. What struck Anne most of all, she says, is that the women of this generation remember all the good
times and don't dwell on their great hardships. “Some of these ladies remember being the queen in the Ladner May Days parade,” she says, adding many stories of how they met their husbands are quite romantic.
Public dances and events were the “social media” of the day and women met their future husbands at these community-building get-togethers. To date, the duo have interviewed and photographed seven elders, with the Facebook page “Ladner's Landing” as the source for people reaching out to Sharon and Anne.
To see the stories and photos you can visit “Sharon's Photo Expressions” on Facebook. And if you don't use Facebook there's no worries. It will be on her website soon (sharonsphotoexpressions.com) and the project will be on full display at the Ladner Pioneer Library in April 2017.
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Some good things to do this Summer in starry night saturday, august 20 7 - 9:30 pm
Ladner Quilt Walk & Car Show
Experience the magical transition of day to night as the park comes alive with lanterns. Drum, walk along a lantern-lit trail, visit discovery stations and listen to the night sounds. Dress for the weather, bring flashlights and your own mug for hot chocolate. Allow at least one hour to complete the quest!
sunday, August 21
Grand Prix of Art July 17, 2016, 09:00 AM Hosted by Artists in the Village Society and the Corporation of Delta, The Travellingbrush.com presents the Grand Prix of Art in Ladner. Artists of all levels are invited to register for participation in this "plein air" event. Or come and see the artists work on their masterpieces!
The Ladner Business Association presents the 12th annual Quilt Walk and Car Show located throughout historic Ladner village. The unlikely combination of beautiful quilts and classic cars makes this the perfect outing for couples.
Tsawwassen Sun Festival July 30 - August 01 Tsawwassen's annual moment in the sun features a variety of fun family activities from a slopitch tournament, skateboarding competition, a fair in Winskill Park and a parade down 56th Street. Wear your sun block!
匀甀瀀瀀漀爀琀 眀椀琀栀 氀椀昀攀ᤠ猀 攀猀猀攀渀琀椀愀氀猀 倀攀爀猀漀渀愀氀 挀愀爀攀 ☀ 洀攀搀椀挀愀琀椀漀渀 洀愀渀愀最攀洀攀渀琀 䄀氀稀栀攀椀洀攀爀ᤠ猀 ☀ 搀攀洀攀渀琀椀愀 挀愀爀攀 䌀愀氀氀 琀漀搀愀礀 琀漀 戀漀漀欀 礀漀甀爀 䘀刀䔀䔀 䌀愀爀椀渀最 䌀漀渀猀甀氀琀
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The Boundary Bay Airport is located at 7800 Alpha Way. Visit boundarybayairshow. com for more information on directions, parking, attractions, performers and more.
Boundary Bay Airshow
Look up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... actually, it's several planes and it's all part of the annual Boundary Bay Airshow held July 23.
The airshow, sponsored by the Corporation of Delta and Alpha Aviation, is back and it's bigger and better than ever. As one of the few remaining free admission airshows in the country, this event offers something for all families, from the excitement in the skies to plenty of activities to keep the kids busy. As the airport is celebrating its 75th birthday in September, it's appropriate that the airshow will be featuring relic aircraft from an era when the region was a training ground for the Royal Canadian Air Force. Featured airplanes includes the 1944 Lockheed P-38L Lightning, a unique twin boom design used by
the U.S. to win the epic battles of the Pacific theatre against the Japanese in the Second World War. It was also nicknamed the “Fork-Tailed Devil” by the German Luftwaffe in North Africa.
Speaking of the Japanese, there will be a Ki-43 Hayabusa fighter plane made famous for heavy use in Kamikaze suicide attacks against the allies. Just 5,919 of these planes were made and few exist today!
There will also be many famous aviators at the airshow who you can meet and talk to about their lifetime of experience including Bud Granley, Ross Granley, Jon Melby, and David and Drew Watson. Veteran airshow pilot and performer John Mrazek will wow spectactors with his Harvard Mark IV, "Pussycat II" which makes a spectacular aerial ballet that includes noise, smoke and
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It's not all about booming airplane engines and whining nose dives though. Come and see Grace Borsari take to the sky in her unique Eurocopter EC 120, the world’s quietest helicopter. So bring your folding chair, sunglasses, sunscreen and hat and enjoy the show. For free!
Remember, the Boundary Bay Airport is located next to the ocean and can be windy throughout the day so dress or pack for the weather. The Boundary Bay Airshow offers handicapped parking and washroom facilities. And while family pets are not allowed on site, service dogs are welcome.
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Ashley Spires inspires It isn't a question my eight-year-old would ordinarily ask me but by chance that she happened to inquire where I was going in such a hurry. I told her I was off to interview a children's author and illustrator for the magazine. “Oh, What's her name?” “Um, Ashley Spires.”
“Wow, it's Binky the Space Cat!”
Yes, this conversation really did happen. And while the name Ashley Spires may not mean much to adults, children across Canada are extremely familiar with the adventures of her furry protagonists.
“I walk into a school in P.E.I. or I walk into a school in Ontario and the kids are going nuts for my books,” explains Ashley, “so it's really exciting and it's really cool to go back to my old school and say, 'I went here! Look what I do now! You can do this, too.'” Photography and story by Adrian MacNair
Ashley grew up in the Beach Grove neighbourhood of Tsawwassen and went to Cliff Drive Elementary and graduated from South Delta Secondary. I ask her what it's like to come back to those schools and read to kids in classrooms she once sat inside.
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“It's a bit surreal, especially when I recognize the teachers! I'm like, how have you not aged? I have!”
Ashley became “obsessed” with animation and illustration at a young age and would write her own stories about animals and present them to her parents. And although South Delta isn't directly referenced in her books, she says it certainly influenced the subject matter. “My parents have a pet wholesale food place so there was a lot of cats that would be dumped there,” she explains. “My dad has a giant heart so they would just end up coming home.”
Becoming a children's author and illustrator can be hard at first, or as Ashley puts it, “dipping your toe into the world of creativity.”
Despite her obvious predilections for art and writing, Ashley ran into the typical self-doubt and insecurity common of the teenage years. At one point she even convinced herself she wasn't any good at either and resigned herself to doing something else with her life. But fortunately her years at Emily Carr University in Vancouver and Sheridan College in Toronto invigorated and inspired her to create the books now so beloved by Canadian children. Today, she lives with her husband and furry friends (Gordon, Penny and Fran) in Neilson Grove in Ladner.
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However, for a brief time she lived in Saskatchewan where her husband is originally from. It took some convincing before they hitched their wagons back west.
“That was the deal,” says Ashley, laughing. “I'll move to Saskatchewan provided “I walk into a school in we're going to come P.E.I. or I walk into a school back. Saskatchewan was lovely, it really was, but in Ontario and the kids are this is home.” going nuts for my books,” Even when she explains Ashley, “so it's really was living in another exciting and it's really cool province, Ashley says to go back to my old school she flew to visit her and say, 'I went here! Look parents in Boundary what I do now! You can do Bay as often as possible. this, too.'” “I'd bring my dog, Gordon, who I acquired in Saskatchewan, so I felt it was important that a little prairie dog get to come to the beach. And so we came out every couple of months because I missed it so much. I missed Boundary Bay Beach, that is my favourite place in the world.” So what does the future hold? Ashley would like to see one of her books made into an animated show and she's currently optioning her “Binky the Space Cat” books.
I won't need to follow up to find out when that's on TV. I'm sure my eight-year-old will let me know.
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New water park coming to Ladner Ladner's favourite summer retreat to beat the heat is getting a facelift, thanks to the efforts of the Rotary Club of Ladner in conjunction with the municipality.
Modern playgrounds now make use of recycled tires as padding to soften and minimize injuries to children, just one of the many features proposed in Rotary's new park. It will be designed in such a way that it's user friendly for everybody regardless of age or ability. The water park will likely be in high demand in the years to come with uncertainty surrounding what will happen to the existing Splashdown Park in Tsawwassen when it closes its doors at the end of this summer. “This particular water park is more about self-directed play,” says Irene Forcier, chair of the water park committee
for Rotary,. “You don't have to buy a ticket and line up to get in. You can go in with your kids and sit down in the middle of the water if you'd like.” People can still purchase benches in support of the project and their names will be put on the placards where visitors will come and sit and watch their little ones play. Irene says the timing of the project is wonderful with the impending construction of the Reach Child and Youth Development Society building, to be located on the site of the existing Kin House.
Memorial Park was purchased from Paul Ladner by the Memorial Park Association in 1919 and given over to public use in 1956. It has since become a vibrant part of the community and has been supported in part by service clubs like the Kinsmen Club of Ladner-Tsawwassen, which in 1990 funded the current water park.
Rotary will be dedicating the park to the farming families of Ladner, honouring their role in the community by creating water spray dispensers resembling farm equipment. You can find more information about the new splash park at the Rotary Club of Ladner's website portal.
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Something Social A metaphor often used for teamwork is the image of a rowing quad, pulling together in unity and with precision, the strength of the group relying on every member giving their all.
Susan Macdonald of the Delta Deas Rowing Club can appreciate the metaphor all the more because she rows competitively with her quad teammates, Mick Bates, Sandi Gauvin and Jim Norris. “It's very much a mental sport as well as a physical one, so you have to connect that way for the crew to gel,” explains Susan. “So over time you find those people you work well with and you pair up for crews.”
Susan began rowing 12 years ago at the age of 45 but in rowing not only is beginning at that age rather common, it's still quite young. Her quad is composed of rowers all over the age of 55, while her mixed doubles partner Mick, who started rowing at 15, is still a beast on the oars at 67. Unlike other sports which can be
quite demanding on certain parts of the body, rowing is aerobic and anaerobic so it doesn't put stress on any one area, explains Susan. It strengthens the overall body and so people are able to pick it up later in life and carry on well into their senior years.
club. I was really attracted to the people.”
Even though he's not able to row anymore, some of the club members will pick him up in White Rock and bring him to the club to socialize and go out for coffee afterwards.
Fun is a key word. Despite the competitive nature of many of these rowers who participate in Regattas throughout the year, Susan says there are times to just get on the water and revel in the beauty of the Deas Slough.
“You can do it regardless of your age. We have a fellow here who participated in two Olympics for Germany and he's in his late 80s now and was rowing up until a few years ago,” says Susan.
The social aspect is also a big draw for Susan. She says it's more than just a club, it's a community that supports one another outside rowing, going to weddings and graduations and helping out when somebody falls ill.
“I love the water, there's something about the water that I'm really attracted to. But I think, too, this is a very social
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When Susan joined she saw other moms her age and was able to organize rowing crews of similar age and experience, so learning and improving wasn't at all intimidating. She also loves the idea that regardless of what people do in their careers or personal lives, once they get on the water they become one in their goals and passion for rowing.
The eagles soaring overhead, the herons in the shallows or the seals swimming alongside the boats add an element of wonder to this sport.
“It does so much for the soul to get out there and just take that time to be here in this beautiful environment with other people.”
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Her dedication to the sport over the past dozen years has paid dividends with numerous awards, championships and appearances in the national team's underage ranks.
Olivia joined the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite club in September of 2014, and it was during her time with the club that she was scouted by Princeton, while playing in a tournament in California.
She was later promised by a coach of the university that if she fulfilled all her academic obligations the institution would welcome her to its hallowed grounds.
Although Olivia was granted an early release from her Whitecaps contract to play for Princeton, I ask why she didn't stay and play soccer here?
Something good in sports
South Delta has long been known as a hotbed for sports talent, but perhaps its strongest export in recent years has been girls soccer. Tsawwassen's Olivia Sheppard, 18, is the second player in the last three years to become accepted to an Ivy League school in the U.S., and will soon play for prestigious Princeton University. The centerback and holding midfielder began playing through the South Delta soccer youth programs as early as six years of age.
“I've always loved soccer,” says Olivia on a sunny June day out on the soccer pitch at Winskill Park. “It's kind of been that thing that takes me away from everyday life. So whenever I get that stress or I'm not feeling great, every time I play soccer everything just fades away.”
“The professional options for a woman is quite limited unless you really want to go overseas or play in the U.S.,” she says. “But other than the national team there's not a professional league here right now.” Although she's going to be playing soccer in the U.S., Olivia does have her eyes on a golden prize on the global stage. She's twice been part of Canadian National teams as an underage player and hopes she'll get that chance again. “It's always been a dream of mine to play in a World Cup or wear the national team badge. So I think as I continue to grow as a player hopefully I'll get called back into that pool of players.”
In the meantime, Olivia has been playing with the North Shore Girls Soccer Club to prepare her for university. Perhaps the biggest adjustment will be leaving her small town.
“I'm definitely going to miss seeing familiar faces. Because everybody knows everyone in Tsawwassen. People all have some kind of connection. So I think being thrown into New Jersey is going to be a little bit different not knowing everyone I pass by.” The good news is that her parents will fly out to watch her games. And as for us, we'll be cheering her on from home.
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Something else
There were plenty of events in South Delta since our last issue. Visitors took in the Ladner Village Market on opening day (top middle and right). Murray from the Tsawwassen Boundary Bay Lions Club makes balloons for kids at Diefenbaker Park's Canada Day celebration (bottom right), also attended by MLA Vicki Huntington and Delta Mayor Lois E. Jackson. The Tsawwassen Farmers Market was also a popular venue for shoppers (top and middle left). Photos by Adrian MacNair
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H
a
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OUR TEAM CAN HELP WITH: CHRONIC HEALTH CONCERNS PREVENTION & WELLNESS DIGESTIVE DISORDERS IE: CHROHN’S, IBS,
PEDIATRIC HEALTH CONCERNS LYME DISEASE FOOD AND SEASONAL ALLERGIES
COLITIS, EATING DISORDERS
STRESS AND ANXIETY SUPPORT
WOMENS AND MENS HEALTH ISSUES
SKIN DISORDERS... AND MORE
New patients always welcome! 2016 | Something Good #7 1363 56th Street, Delta | 778.434.3072 | july thevillageclinic.com
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