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Letters
A large turnout in Cedar supported Reflect 4 Ryan.
Reflect 4 Ryan Memorial We would like to extend our extreme gratitude and love to the Cedar Community for coming out to the Reflect4Ryan walk, Jan 20, 2015. This walk was held in memory of our beloved son who lost his life a year ago in front of the Cedar High School. Our family felt it was important to mark the one year anniversary in a memorable way with the love and support of the community we love so much. We were overwhelmed with the amount of people who showed up to REFLECT!!! It was an amazing thing to see everyone in their reflective gear marching down Cedar Rd. to Ryan’s memorial. A positive message to drivers and pedestrians was sent out to everyone young and old. Our mantra is “ BE SAFE! BE SEEN!”, and there was no doubt that we were seen. The night was very overwhelming for our family and we are sorry we couldn’t thank every person that was there and those that wished to be there but couldn’t. There were many that came from outside Cedar Community as well, and we are truly grateful for the effort. Two of our friends travelled from Tofino! There are some very special folks who we MUST point out. Once again we thank Percy Tipping, chief of North Cedar Fire Department and all the fire fighters for providing man power
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and truck power to make sure everyone stayed safe. Thank you as well to Cpl. Norm Smith from the RCMP who took the time to accompany us on his motorcycle. We all wouldn’t have been reflecting without our reflective arm bands, provided with the help of Dan from JB’S AUTO PARTS PLUS in Ladysmith. Cedar’s very own SLICE PIZZA very generously donated some very delicious and most appreciated pizzas to the bonfire celebration and rumor has it the WHEATSHEAF PUB closed their kitchen to make more pizzas for us later that evening! We are also grateful to all the friends who helped build our bonfire. Special thanks to ISLAND PALLETS who provided much needed dry pallets to ignite the fire, and everyone who assisted in assembling, chain sawing and splitting wood. The bonfire was a labour of love. This letter is not complete without special mention to our beloved friend, Jennifer Jones, who has worked tirelessly on the Reflect4Ryan campaign. She has built a website, made a facebook page, and designed and sold reflective t-shirts and hoodies. All of these things have allowed us to hold Ryan close and to still feel his special presence every day. Lastly, thank you Mother Nature, for providing such a beautiful, clear night for our walk for Ryan. We are sure that Ryan felt and saw the love and warmth from his bonfire, his family, and his community.
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“Gratitude is the music of the heart, when it’s chords are swept by the breeze of kindness.” Much love to all, - Carol, Brian, Liam and Emma Wallace-Tarry
Affordable and good for you Thanks for printing my article on How to Eat Well on a Tight Budget in your Health & Wellness feature in Feb 2015/ TAKE 5. I have had so much tremendous, heartfelt feedback that has been very special. - Tricia Pearson, Step Up To the Plate Nutrition
Time’s a Wastin’ Thank you for featuring my new book Time’s a Wastin’ in the Feb 2015/TAKE 5. I have received many wonderful comments about the article. Thanks for this and the awesome work you do for Ladysmith and the community. – Alana Newton. Letters to the editor are welcome but subject to space and editing. Multiple submissions will not be considered. Include name, address and phone for verification. Letters do not necessarily reflect the opinion of TAKE 5, advertisers or contributors. Email editor@take5.ca. or submit at www.take5.ca. Facebook. com/take5publications
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Ladysmith Community Clean Up, April 22-26, 2015 Planning is underway for the third annual Ladysmith Community Clean Up, this year on April 22-26, in conjunction with Earth Day. Each year a specific area is selected for Clean Up and this year it’s the area surrounding the blue “Expo Building” on Oyster Bay Drive. This includes the waterfront, trails, trains, and buildings between the shore and highway, from Transfer Beach Blvd. to just north of the locomotive. This volunteer run event is sponsored by the Town of Ladysmith, Parks, Recreation and Culture Commission, Ladysmith Rotary, Ladysmith Maritime Society, Ladysmith Arts Council, TAKE 5, Ladysmith and District Historical Soci-
The Knights of Columbus Santa Maria Council 4582, after a year of fund raising, presented close to $20,000 to various charitable organizations in the area. (l-r) Denis Olynyk – Grand Knight, Jerry Poiluvre – Knight, Elizabeth Weiss – Ladysmith Food Bank, Dennis Lait – Ladysmith Resources Centre, Bern Muller – St. Joseph’s School Chemainus, Bob Erskine – Knight, Elizabeth Nicol – Nanaimo Crossroads Pregnancy Centre, Clover Burgas - Boys & Girls Club, Cliff Fisher – Ladysmith Festival of Lights, Art Gerrand – Knight, Ross Lubben – Knight, Ray Hedstrom – Disabled Sailing, Rev. Anthony Gonsalves, Carl Wandler – Knights, Jim McGarry – Knight. Representative for Ladysmith Post Secondary Bursary not available. Photo: Cindy Damphousse.
ety and other community focused groups. For updates and registration visit their Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/ LadysmithCommunityCleanUp.
Wounded Warrior
600 km in six days. They stopped at the Royal Canadian Legion Ladysmith Branch and were presented with a donation of $800. Money collected is used in Wounded Warriors programs across B.C. www.woundedwarriorrunbc.com
The Wounded Warrior Run BC rolled into town on Feb. 15. Running from Nanaimo to Ladysmith was Channing Krull. The team consists of six runners running
Accepting the donation from the RCL, Branch 171 Gary Phillips, President with Ron Mierau, Provincial Coordinator Wounded Warriors, and Roy Empey, Past President of RCL Branch 171. Photo: Cindy Damphousse
Chinese lanterns celebrate 110 years! Families and individuals gathered at Transfer Beach Amphitheatre to celebrate Rotary’s 110 anniversary on Feb. 19. One hundred and ten Chinese lanterns were lit and at 8 pm released. The event was a big hit with young and old, watching the lanterns take flight through the night sky. Photo: Rob Johnson
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Taking homeless off the streets Ladysmith Homeless Aid BY CINDY WARREN Long time Ladysmith resident, 65 year old Dave Alton, was found lifeless in a dugout in Aggie Field on Jan. 14, 2013. He looked like he was sleeping. The possible causes of his death were exposure, drug overdose or heart attack. Alton had recently become homeless, being evicted from his apartment on 1st Avenue. He was working with an advocate from Nanaimo Citizens Advocacy Association at the Ladysmith Resources Centre Association. She made arrangements regarding the payment of his rent, but he didn’t tell her of the eviction. People who knew Alton in high school remembered him as a popular kid, who was into drugs and alcohol. An old high school friend of Alton’s, Bruce Mason, ran into him a few days before his death, and was concerned to see he was in bad shape. He was wearing layers of tattered clothing, and looked very ill. Bruce was worried and asked if there was anything he could do to help, but Alton assured him he would be fine. After his death, three of his old schoolmates came to the Ladysmith Resources Centre Association to express their determination that this wouldn’t happen to anyone else. This first meeting of four people grew quickly into a committee of 25, which included politicians, citizen advocates, outreach workers, mental health workers, affordable housing activists, social planners from Nanaimo and the Cowichan Valley, Food Bank volunteers,
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managers of existing extreme weather shelters, Ladysmith Town Council members, a Ladysmith RCMP officer, four local churches, the John Howard Society, and concerned local residents. The second year, the Ladysmith Homeless Aid committee became a program of the LRCA. The ultimate goal was to create safe transitional housing in Ladysmith, to house the homeless, parents and children fleeing domestic violence, and at-risk youth. The immediate goal is to develop an extreme weather shelter. Doug Routley, MLA for Nanaimo and North Cowichan, advised that a needs analysis was required before applying for government funding. A survey was created to determine the number of homeless in Ladysmith. The Bethel congregation cooked and served food to encourage people to respond. Respondents described vulnerable housing conditions. They were living on boats, in tents, in cars, and there were groups, including children, living in encampments in outlying areas. Families with children were living in one room apartments. Many of them struggled with disabilities, mental health issues, and/or addictions. This count was validated by a more formal study done by Social Planning Cowichan the next year Facing the complex process of creating a shelter, the committee began to lose focus. The extreme weather shelter at the first Unitarian Fellowship in Nanaimo, offered to provide beds, if people in need of shelter could be transported on cold nights. The predominant answer on our survey indicated a lack of interest in this option. People didn’t want to leave their town. There were too many variables; where would they store their belongings? Where would they get a ride to Nanaimo? Who would make the decision that the
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weather was bad enough, and how would that message be conveyed to them on a day to day basis? Who would use the service? Who would drive them back and forth? It was back to the drawing board. In September, the committee decided the initial goal was unmanageable for this winter. Being aware that a solution was needed before the weather got colder, larger goals were temporarily redefined. Making cold weather “kits” accessible to people on cold or wet nights was a more achievable project. Working together with The Soup Kitchen, which had recently become a program under the umbrella of the LRCA, the Homeless Aid Committee agreed that the most efficient way to get these items to the people who needed them would be through the Soup Kitchen, who had a direct link to the people who needed assistance and who were already receiving generous donations of blankets and coats from the public and the LRCA’s Coats for Folks program. Early in December, a representative of the Ladysmith Homeless Aid Committee invited Doug Routley to discuss funding for an extreme weather shelter. Doug accepted the invitation, reviewed the work of the committee, and clarified their goals. Being sympathetic to the needs of the homeless, he contacted BC Housing on behalf of the Homeless Aid Committee. Within weeks, a meeting was arranged and a representative of BC Housing sat down with Dennis Lait, Executive Director of the LRCA, Glenn Calder, President of the LRCA Board, Tim Solloway, Chair of the Ladysmith Homeless Aid Committee, Don McConnell, advocate from Nanaimo Citizens Advocacy Association, Anne Balding, worker with the Canadian Mental Health Association, and affordable housing advocate, and Cindy Warren, Program Manager at the LRCA, and previous Chair of the Ladysmith Homeless Aid Committee. The discussion with BC Housing is a positive step toward the larger goal of safe, permanent transitional housing in Ladysmith. In the interim, the Resources Centre is currently in discussion with the Holiday House Motel to provide rooms for emergency extreme weather shelter, which would be made possible by funding from the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board.
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side as the Bradmans and Kyra Moore as Edith the maid. This Noel Coward farce is helmed under the direction of Mort Paul and is one laugh out loud classic comedy you don’t want to miss! Tickets available at Ladysmith Little Theatre Box Office 250-924-0658, or online www.ladysmiththeatre.com
The man in black hits Chemainus stage
Spirited play Ladysmith Little Theatre’s new production is defenitely a spirited one. Running March 5 – 22, Blithe Spirit remains one of Noel Coward’s best comedies. It concerns Charles Condomine, a re-married but haunted man (literally) by the ghost of his late first wife, the clever and insistent Elvira who is called up by a visiting “happy medium”, Madame Arcati. The problem is that only Charles can see and hear Elvira which leads to misunderstandings with his current wife, Ruth. A bigger problem is that Madame Arcarti can’t seem to undo whatever she did that brought Elivra back in the first place. Ladysmith Little Theatre’s production has a winning cast with familiar faces: Greg Heide (Charles), Lynnia Clark (his current wife Ruth), Pamela Walker (Elvira) and Pat Zogar as the madcap medium Madame Arcati. Completing the cast are, Bill Young and Mary Lou Re(l-r) Ladysmith Little Theatre new production is Blithe Spirit featuring (left to right:) Lynnia Clark (Ruth), Pat Zogar (Madame Arcati), Pamela Walker (Elvira) and Greg Heide as Charles. Photo submitted Beatlemania lives at In the Beantime show
From the rockabilly roots in Arkansas to the hallowed halls of the Grand Old Opry, Ring of Fire: Project Johnny Cash, plays now to April 11. The show features over 30 hit songs matched with narrated insights that reveal how Cash went from a life of farming to one of influential fame. Ring of Fire, conceived by William Meade and created by Richard Maltby Jr., is more than a biography or collection of Cash’s songs. His story is told across a mingling of scenes that frame his rowdiness and redemption through his unforgettable music. The result is a sweeping portrayal of American life in the themes of love, faith, family, and resilience through hard times. “There is something appealing about Cash the icon - an untamed individual and still a community advocate through prison reform, concept albums and old time values” says show and Festival artistic director, Mark DuMez. Crooning their way through the lively stories and songs are: Jonas Shandel, Timothy Brummund, Scott Carmichael, Samantha Currie, Andrea Cross, Zachary Stevenson, music director, Kraig Waye, and Mark MacRae. “I’m pleased to welcome back some of the Festival’s favourite professionals, as well as talented new actors and musicians from BC and from the other side of Canada”. Tickets are available now for evening and matinee shows, playing February 20 to April 11, by calling the Box Office at 1-800-565-7738, or online at chemainustheatrefestival.ca.
Beatles Tribute “The Deaf Aids” an acoustic vocal Beatles tribute band will be performing in Ladysmith at In The Bean Time Cafe on Friday, March 27 at 7pm. The tribute band performs songs from the Beatlemania era and from the Beatles first album Please Please Me to their sixth album
Rubber Soul. The Deaf Aids replicate the John, Paul and George vocals as on the original recordings. All the songs are presented in order of how they were released in the UK as the group tells the exciting story of the Beatles early success. The Deaf Aids show tickets are on sale at the Bean Time Cafe.
Vaudeville and Variety Chemainus Seniors Centre’s annual stage production is An Old Fashioned Music Hall and Vaudeville Variety Show. Following last year’s successful show of “Way out West”, this year the CSC takes on a new/old theme in An Old Fashioned Music Hall and Vaudeville Variety Show. There are 20 different acts of comedy, music, funny skits, dancing and singing. A cast and crew of over 30 members will present a two-hour program of fun and entertainment for everyone. There’s three big production dance numbers and lots of short funny acts plus singers and musicians. Show dates March 27-29, at 7pm with a Sunday matinee on March 29 at 2 pm. Tickets are $15 each and available for reserved seating only at the Chemainus Seniors Drop-in Centre. For more info contact Ken McEwan, producer/director 250-746-4664 or Lesley Lambert, Co-producer/Dance Coordinator 250-924-4865.
YPDG serves up Trio of OneAct Plays Good things come in threes over three weekends as Yellow Point Drama Group (YPDG) presents a spring trilogy of oneact plays from April 2 to 18. YPDG’s triple-feature opens with Duet for Bear and Dog, an award-winning 10-minute
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Laplante is widely regarded as one of Canada’s greatest. Tickets to this rare Vancouver Island appearance are available from the Port Theatre box office, with proceeds directly benefiting Nanaimo Conservatory of Music. A public master class with performances by advanced students will also take place. This solo piano concert is produced by Nanaimo Conservatory of Music, a 35-year old organization offering classical music performances and music education of the highest caliber. Tickets cost $38/$25 students and are available from the Port Theatre box office at 250-754-8550 or online from porttheatre.com.
Bathing Beauties (Heather Gibbins, Joan Chaba, Bev Rawn, & Lesley Lambert in An Old Fashioned Music Hall and Vaudeville Variety Show at Chemainus Senior Centre
play by Sybil Rosen, directed by YPDG member and first-time director Marni Hastings. A treed bear and pampered dog banter while contending with three unfortunate humans. Judgement Call is a lighthearted play written by Frederick Stroppel and directed by well-known local actor Barrie Baker. Three umpires bat conversation around outside a spring training camp. Dapper Dan, inspired by a 1912 tune of the same name, is written and directed by award-winning local playwright and YPDG member Brian March. Chameleon-like Dan, a porter on the Pullman Railway line in the 1930s, charms and seduces three women he meets on the train. Two musicians on board play songs that recreate the romantic music of the era. Plays April 2-18. Tickets $20 or $18 for YPDG members and groups of five or more. Tickets in advance or at the door. Reserved seats are available by calling 250 722-3003. www.yellowpointdramagroup.org
Oriental Flavours The March show at the Waterfront Art Gallery is Oriental Flavours. In this case it isn’t just about food, it is about the influence the mysterious Far East has had on the present western Culture. Opening Gala is March 7, at 7pm with Guest Speaker Priscilla Brewer, an award winning landscape designer/ certified horticultural technician. The gallery is open Tues- Sun, noon to 4pm daily and located at 610 Oyster Bay Drive, Ladysmith, 250-245-1252.
Canadian Pianist at the Port This March André Laplante, a pianist the Montreal Gazette has called an “artist of rare romantic inspiration” will appear at the Port Theatre in solo concert March 15 at 2:30pm. Lauded by critics such as the New York Times and the BBC for his “breathtaking” ability to “make the music glisten,”
March 1-7 1-7, Red Lights & Roulette forgotten stories of prostitution and gambling, Nanaimo Museum 100 Museum Way 250-753-1821 1-7, 7:30pm, “Project Johnny Cash”, Chemainus Festival Theatre, 250-246-9820 2, 7pm, Ladysmith Council Meeting, City Hall 410 Esplanade 250-245-6400 3, 9am, Food Bank Tuesdays, 9:00am – 12:00pm, 630 2nd Ave. 3, 6:30pm, Why I Love to Garden! Spring Edible Garden Series with Janice Peters, Ladysmith Library tickets at Salamander Books 3, 6:30pm, Drop In Texas Hold-Em, RCL 171 621 1st Ave. 250-245-2273 5-7, 12 – 4pm, “Oriental Flavours”, Tuesday to Sunday 610 Oyster Bay Dr. 250-245-1252 www. ladysmithwaterfrontgallery.com 5, 7pm, National Theatre Live: “Treasure Island”, Cowichan Theatre 250-748-7529 5, 7:30pm, Noel Coward’s “Blithe Spirit”, Ladysmith Little Theatre 4985 Christie Rd. 250924-0658 6-7, 6:30pm, Noel Coward’s “Blithe Spirit”, Ladysmith Little Theatre 4985 Christie Rd. 250924-0658 7, 3:45pm, Free talk – Historical Perspective on Islam by Fr. Anthony Gonsalves, St. Mary’s Church 1135 4th Ave. 7, 7pm, Opening Night - “Oriental Flavours” Guest Speaker Priscilla Brewer, 610 Oyster Bay Dr. 250-245-1252 ladysmithwaterfrontgallery.com 7, 8pm, Craig Cardiff at Short Close Song Shelter
March 8-14 8-14, 12 – 4pm, “Oriental Flavours”, Tuesday to Sunday 610 Oyster Bay Dr. 250-245-1252 www. ladysmithwaterfrontgallery.com 8-14, 7:30pm, “Project Johnny Cash”, Chemainus Festival Theatre, 250-246-9820 8, 8am, Cedar Swap Meet, Cedar Community Hall 2388 Cedar Rd. 8, 10am, Carols Craft Market at the North Oyster Community Center 13467 Cedar Rd. 250-7548905 8, 10:15am, Sharing our Seed Stories, Si’em Lelum Gym 5574 River Rd. Duncan 250-748-8506
8, 2pm, Jazz, Crofton Hotel & Pub 1534 Joan Ave 250-324-2000
Community Center 13467 Cedar Rd. 250-7548905
10, 9am, Food Bank Tuesdays, 9:00am – 12:00pm, 630 2nd Ave, Ladysmith
15, 1:30pm, Noel Coward’s “Blithe Spirit”, Ladysmith Little Theatre 4985 Christie Rd. 250924-0658
10, 1:30 pm, BC Government Retired Employees Association, Guest speaker from Elder College. Unitarian Fellowship Hall, 595 Townsite Rd, Nanaimo 250-722-3742 11, 10:30am, Painting Group, RCL 171 621 1st Ave. 250-245-2273 11, Wednesday Night Music Trivia, The Cranberry Arms 1604 Cedar Rd. 250-722-2120 12, 9:30am, Line Dancing, RCL 171 621 1st Ave. 250-245-2273 12, 11:15am, T.O.P.S. Chapter Meeting - real people lose weight, 1149 4th St. 250-924-4440 12, 7:30pm, Noel Coward’s “Blithe Spirit”, Ladysmith Little Theatre 4985 Christie Rd. 250924-0658 12, Thursday Night Karaoke, The Cranberry Arms 1604 Cedar Rd. 250-722-2120 13, 4pm, Meat Draw, RCL 171 621 1st Ave. 250245-2273 13-14, 6:30pm, Noel Coward’s “Blithe Spirit”, Ladysmith Little Theatre 4985 Christie Rd. 250924-0658 13, Friday Night Get Together, The Cranberry Arms 1604 Cedar Rd. 250-722-2120 14, 9am, Pancake Breakfast hosted by the Mah Jong Ladies, Chemainus Seniors Drop -In center 9824 Willow St. 250-246-2111 14, 3:45pm, Free talk – The 4 Pillars of Islam by Fr. Anthony Gonsalves, St. Mary’s Church 1135 4th Ave., Ladysmith 14, Saturday Night Live Music, The Cranberry Arms 1604 Cedar Rd. 250-722-2120 14, 7:30pm, VI Symphony - Nanaimo Bar None Variety Show, 125 Front St. 250-754-8550
March 15-21 15-21, 12 – 4pm, “Oriental Flavours”, Tuesday to Sunday 610 Oyster Bay Dr. 250-245-1252 www.ladysmithwaterfrontgallery.com 15-21, 7:30pm, “Project Johnny Cash”, Chemainus Festival Theatre, 250-246-9820 15, 8am, Cedar Swap Meet, Cedar Hall 15, 10am, Carols Craft Market, North Oyster
15, 2pm, Jazz, Crofton Hotel & Pub 1534 Joan Ave 250-324-2000 16, Happy St. Urho’s Day 16, 7pm, Ladysmith Council Meeting, City Hall 410 Esplanade 250-245-6400 17, Happy St. Patrick’s Day! 17, 11am, Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at Fox & Hounds British Style Pub 11 High St. 250-9241747 17-21, 7:30pm, Theatre One Welcome to Parenthood, Malaspina Theatre, 250-754-8550 17, 9am, Food Bank Tuesdays, 9:00am – 12:00pm, 630 2nd Ave. 17, 6:30pm, Drop In Texas Hold-Em, RCL 171 621 1st Ave. 250-245-2273 17, 7:30pm, Toastmasters, Upper Meeting Rm, 630 2nd Ave. 18, 10:30am, Painting Group, RCL 171 621 1st Ave. 250-245-2273 18,11:30am, St. Patrick’s Day Soup & Sandwich, Chemainus Seniors Drop -In center 9824 Willow St. 250-246-2111 19-22, “Hello Baby”, Theatre One, Malaspina Theatre 250-754-8550 19, 7pm, Ladysmith Search & Rescue Meeting, classroom behind Fire Hall 250-734-1897 19, 7pm, Ladysmith Saltair Garden Club monthly meeting, St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church hall, 314 Buller St at 3rd Ave. 19, 7pm, Spring Edible Garden Series – Gardening with Native Plants Todd Carnahan of Habitat Acquisition Trust, 314 Buller St at 3rd Ave. tickets available at Salamander Books 19, 7:30pm, Noel Coward’s “Blithe Spirit”, Ladysmith Little Theatre 4985 Christie Rd. 250924-0658 20 -21, 7:30pm, “Project Johnny Cash”, Chemainus Festival Theatre, 250-246-9820 20, 11am, Cotton Club Restaurant opens celebrate with 2 for 1 Golf all day 250-245-5157 20-21, 6:30pm, Noel Coward’s “Blithe Spirit”, Ladysmith Theatre 250-924-0658
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21, 10am, Lawn Alternatives, Beban Park Rm 7 2300 Bowen Rd. 250-756-5200
24, 7:30pm, Toastmasters, Upper Meeting Rm, 630 2nd Ave.
21, 3:45pm, Free talk – Living in a Muslim dominated Country on Islam by Fr. Anthony Gonsalves, St. Mary’s Church 1135 4th Ave.
25, VI Symphony of Roses Day to order your roses 250-754-6344
21, 5pm, Pot Luck Birthday Party, Chemainus Seniors Center 9824 Willow St. 250-246-2111 21, 7:30pm, VI Symphony – “Tonight...Piaf” guest artist Joelle Rabu, Port Theatre 125 Front St. 250-754-8550
March 22-28
25, 10:30am, Painting Group, RCL 171 621 1st Ave. 250-245-2273 26-27, 10am, Youth Film Camps Spring Break Dates, 1975, Haslam Rd, Nanaimo 250-714-2555 26, 7pm, Ladysmith Search & Rescue Annual General Meeting, classroom behind Fire Hall 250-734-1897
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29-31, 7:30pm, “Project Johnny Cash”, Chemainus Festival Theatre, 250-246-9820 29, 8am, Cedar Swap Meet, Cedar Community Hall 2388 Cedar Rd. 29, 10am, Carols Craft Market at the North Oyster Community Center 13467 Cedar Rd. 250-7548905 29, 10am, Palm Sunday Holy Eucharist and the Liturgy of the palms, St. Johns Anglican Church 314 Buller St.
26, Thursday Night Karaoke, The Cranberry Arms 1604 Cedar Rd. 250-722-2120
29, 10am, Palm Sunday Holy Eucharist and the Liturgy of the palms, St. Phillip Cedar 1797 Cedar Rd.
22-28, 7:30pm, “Project Johnny Cash”, Chemainus Festival Theatre, 250-246-9820
27-28, 7pm, Old Fashion Music Hall & Variety Show, Chemainus Seniors Drop -In center 9824 Willow St. 250-246-2111
29, 10am-12, Ladysmith Community Gardens Society AGM, LRCA Food Bank Room 250-2451436
22, 8am, Cedar Swap Meet, Cedar Community Hall 2388 Cedar Rd.
27, 4pm, Meat Draw, RCL 171 621 1st Ave. 250245-2273
22, 10am, Carols Craft Market, North Oyster Community Center 250-754-8905
27, Friday Night Get Together, The Cranberry Arms 1604 Cedar Rd. 250-722-2120
29, 2pm, Old Fashion Music Hall & Variety Show, Chemainus Seniors Drop -In center 9824 Willow St. 250-246-2111
22, 1:30pm, Noel Coward’s “Blithe Spirit”, Ladysmith Little Theatre 4985 Christie Rd. 250924-0658
27, 7pm, The Deaf Aids, In the BeanTime 18 High St. 250-245-2305
22-28, 12 – 4pm, “Oriental Flavours”, Tuesday to Sunday 610 Oyster Bay Dr. 250-245-1252 www.ladysmithwaterfrontgallery.com
22, 2pm, Theatre One Welcome to Parenthood, Malaspina Theatre, 250-754-8550 22, 2pm, Jazz, Crofton Hotel & Pub 22, 2pm, Chemainus Classical Concerts “Persian Spring”, St. Michael’s 250-748-8383 22, 2pm, Mezzo soprano Kristin Hoff: “Love Songs” Tickets: $20 advance $15, St. Michael’s Church 250-748-8383 www. chemainusclassicalconcerts.ca 23-25, 10am, Youth Film Camps Spring Break Dates, 1975, Haslam Rd, Nanaimo 250-714-2555 24, 7:00pm, How to Photograph Smoke – Tips & Demonstrations by Sean Sherstone & Brad Grigor Hardwick Hall 228 High Street, Ladysmith, ww.LadysmithCameraClub.com 24, 7:30pm, Brent Butt, Cowichn Performing Arts Centre 2687 James St. Duncan 250-748-7529
27, 7:30pm, 3 Show Series – “6 Guitars”, Cowichan Theatre 250 748-7529 27, 8pm, Pool, RCL 171 621 1st Ave. 250-2452273 28, 3:45pm, Free talk – The challenges of Christans to live with Muslims by Fr. Gonsalves, St. Mary’s Church 1135 4th Ave. 28, Saturday Night Live Music, The Cranberry Arms 1604 Cedar Rd. 250-722-2120 28, 10am, Vancouver Island Heather Society & Companion Grass Sale, Cobble Hill Farmers Institute Hall 3550 Watson 250-743-0956
March 29-31 29, 12 – 4pm, “Oriental Flavours”, Tuesday to Sunday 610 Oyster Bay Dr. 250-245-1252 www. ladysmithwaterfrontgallery.com
31, 10am, Senior’s Day Hearing Clinic with Connect Hearing, Ladysmith Pharmasave 441 1St. Ave. 250-245-3113 31, 1:30pm, Senior’s Day information on One Touch meter with Lifescan Rep, Ladysmith Pharmasave 441 1St. Ave. 250-245-3113 31, 6:30pm, Spring Edible Garden Series – “Timing is Everything!” Joy Story of Grow Food Network., 314 Buller St at 3rd Ave. tkts available at Salamander Books 31, 7:30pm, Toastmasters, Upper Meeting Rm, 630 2nd Ave.
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4, 10:30am, Ladysmith Lions Club Annual Easter Egg Hunt, Transfer Beach kids up to 8 years old (left to right) 7, Oriental Flavours exhibit opening at Ladysmith Waterfront Gallery 24, Brent Butt Cowichan Theatre April 4, Easter Egg Hunt, Transfer Beach
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Crisis for all BY ROB PINKERTON Before we left for Mexico in early December, we endured the concern of friends and family who were worried for us due to the unrest in this country. The usual fear is inspired by stories of gringos robbed and dismembered. It seems that there has been none of that yet this year. The unrest, demonstrations and riots in many Mexican cities is justified, appropriate and necessary in my opinion. A governor’s wife in the state of Guerrero was disturbed by a student demonstration. She had local police round up 43 young people. They were turned over to the cartel that killed them, burned their bodies and scattered the ashes in a river. When the truth became known, the people all over Mexico took to the streets, the horror and disgust triggering a simmering resentment at the treatment by cartel and governments and the lack of some very basic human rights. Social media plays a huge part in educating people in developing countries of the wrongs inflicted on them. In the past atrocities like this would be easily cov“Every family...knows of ered up and the local population cowed. some form of violence that Like the Arab Spring, women have endured.” the people have had enough. In parts of the country, the cartel has been expelled by locals and a militia organized who set up road blocks to protect their towns and their commerce. As we drove through the United States and watched the news at night in our cheap motels, I was struck by the similarity of the national crisis the Americans were dealing with. Here, American black peoples’ resentment against police treatment boiled over because of the deaths of two black men in separate incidences. The talking heads on American media seem obsessed with the legality or illegality of the police actions depending on which bias you watch. That seems to be a moot point to me. Again the simmering resentment of the black people is there. Segregation, inequality and racial hatred are still prevalent in many American areas and needs to be faced and dealt with. It looks to me as if they have a long way to go. I wish them well with this terrible dilemma. We spoke with friends...old hippies who live off the grid in the Siskiyou mountains. They told us there is fear in America, not just of their enemies abroad but in-
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ternal fear of Hispanics, blacks, whites, governments, regulatory bodies...you name it. We observed in northern Arizona, a nasty prejudice by older redneck motor home dwellers against a group of young white backpackers. One of the comments was “They’re probably from Oregon”. Many Americans seem to want to preserve the status quo. That is never an option. So, we live secure in our lovely little town on Vancouver Island, smug that we do not have these horrible deep seated problems. Don’t we? We have our share. What inspired these musings was the Ghomeshi situation. I watched and read dozens of opinions on this and the Cosby revelations. Titillating? It shouldn’t be. The positive in this is that it has forced the cancerous situation into public view and compelled us to talk about it. This is a problem that has been swept under the rug by our society for far too long. Forget Ghomeshi and his alleged sick hang up. Every family, if they care to look or admit it, knows of some form of violence that women have endured. I’m sure it has its roots deep in our past when the strongest male was the protector of the family and tribe and ruled with violence. It is tolerated, ignored, joked about and perpetuated from generation to generation. It has seeped into our language as in the “wife beater”, the Stanley Kowalski T shirt. Any man who has lived with a woman knows that they can be exasperating just as we are to them. They think differently from us and have different needs and desires. Generally, men are more attracted to competitive, hard hitting and sometimes violent sports than women. This physical and mental aggression and need for control when applied to a relationship has devastatingly destructive consequences. Women can demand proper treatment from the criminal justice system and refuse to be victimized by abusive males but they cannot do it alone. How about the male of the species acknowledging that this behaviour is wrong? How can we do that? Most importantly, fathers, brothers, uncles, grandfathers; talk to the boys and teach them respect for women. Violence is learned behaviour and the way to break the cycle is to teach the Photo:flickr.com/photos/68593573@N00/
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next generation that it is cowardly and unacceptable. Another way that can be harder is to take a stand in public. We were at a social gathering of gringos the other night and a wealthy white trash American told the same bad joke that he had last year about what constitutes foreplay in North Carolina. The punch line, “Git in da truck”, typifies the attitude that females are not valued, and are only sex objects to be tolerated. There was no laughter and some eye rolling but no one, myself included, called him on it. It is difficult when everyone is having fun to take a stand on a subject such as this. Women as sex objects, of course they are as we are to them. Our race wouldn’t last long if that wasn’t the case. My children were very close to someone who suffered physical and mental abuse in childhood and witnessed the lifelong damage and mental trauma. I am proud of them all and am thrilled that my sons are gentle and compassionate men. One of them is much more active and outspoken on this subject than I am. I admire him and pledge to take a public stand against this horrible wrong. If you need help please contact Cowichan Women Agaiunst Violence, http://www.cwav.org/ in Duncan, Haven House on Nanaimo http://www.havensociety.com/
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On the Garden Path With Carolyn Herriot Last summer my husband Guy and I moved into our new home in Yellow Point and we have been discovering the joys of mid-island living ever since. A week after arriving we took a deep breath watching the sun go down on the beach in Blue Heron Park and said ‘so what took us so long?’ As a ‘foodie’ last summer was a delicious experience made possible by attending the Cedar Farmers’ Market every Sunday. It’s so encouraging to witness the growth of local food production at thriving farmers markets in this area. Like so many of us, I am concerned about the state of the world, especially the impact of a changing climate on food crops. The solution is to grow as much local food as possible to insure security in uncertain times, especially for those of us who live on an island! When I ask myself what I can do to make a difference? The answer comes back as... grow more food, save seeds and collaborate with others to become as self-reliant as possible. For the past 15 years in Victoria I ran The Garden Path Centre where I planted a ‘Zero-Mile Diet’ garden and grew a seed business called ‘Seeds of Victoria’. I had to leave all this behind, but fortunately wrote a book about it, The Zero-Mile Diet, a year round guide to growing organic food (Harbour Publishing). Over many years I have made a good living from the land, so am distressed to hear today’s young farmers complain how hard it is. I intend to write another book at the end of this year
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called ‘Grow Your Own Business - Making a Living from the Land’ to tell the story of a new business starting this spring that will make a big difference to future food security by putting food seeds back into the hands of gardeners. I will grow out seeds from ‘Seeds of Victoria’ (since 1991) and share open-pollinated food plants that are well adapted to local growing conditions. IncrEdibles! will be heritage food plants you can save seeds from - a novel concept we need to embrace if we want to achieve regional food security for future generations. I invite you to grow along with me through the pages of TAKE 5. So much for semi-retirement - it appears that I am just getting started!
MARCH GARDENING TIPS * Sort your seed packets into three categories - spring planted cool weather varieties, summer heat-loving varieties and winter cold hardy varieties. Filing in alphabetical order (using recipe cards marked A to Z) into three sections in a shoebox makes seeds easy to find and keep track of. * Most vegetables grow best in full sun, in well-drained fertile soil pH 6-7.5. A gently sloping site with full southern exposure would be ideal, but any site free of large tree roots, receiving at least 7 to 11 hours of sun a day would work. * Add organic matter to build humus in soil, increasing its ability to hold moisture and nutrients. If you add compost, manure, leaves and seaweed as amendments to soil I guarantee better results in food quality and productivity. * Cool weather crops - peas, lettuces, salad greens, broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts, onions and leeks, kale, chard coriander and spinach can all be seeded in March. * Make your own granular organic fertilizer by purchasing
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ingredients in bulk. Basic recipe: Mix four parts (by volume) seed meal (N) with one part dolomite lime (pH), add one part rock phosphate (P) and one half-part kelp meal (K). * Crop rotations break the life cycle of common pests and diseases because the host plant is no longer present. * Heat-loving plants such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cape gooseberries, tomatillos and basil need warmth for germination. Grow under lights, on top of heater cables or a heat mat. Carolyn Herriot can be found on “the Garden Path� in Yellow Point. 250-924-4478 or visit www.cyartisans.com
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RDN “Area ‘A’ I had hoped to be able to provide EA “A” residents with a reasonably detailed summary of where property tax monies were spent for 2013 and 2014 and to show proposed budget expenditures for 2015 - now totalling $1,889,470. However, it proved to be an impossible task within the space allotted to this column. For those who have an interest in viewing this information go to: www.rdn. bc.ca/dms/documents/rdn-financial-documents/2015_provisional_budget_summaries.pdf. You will find the information for Electoral Area “A” on Page 29 of this lengthy document. At the February 2015 Committee of the Whole meeting, staff presented a number of continuing or ‘new’ requests for funding. Of these requests, only one ‘new’ one had any application to Area ‘A’ and was related to Ladysmith RCMP Victim Services. Electoral Area “A” residents already contribute to the Nanaimo District 68 Victim Services which is conducted out of the Nanaimo Detachment of the RCMP; however, for the portion of EA “A” and EA “C” that is to the south of Spruston Road these services are provided through the Ladysmith RCMP Victim Services Program to which residents of the RDN have not previously contributed. The Victim Services Program is a police-based victim support program mandated by the Victims of Crime Act, RSBC. It is intended to provide emotional and practical support to victims of all types of crime. The primary funding for the service is from the Ministry of Justice with the expectation that these funds will be matched by the communities served. Currently, the funding will only support one part-time (30 hours per week) Program Manager. All other time spent providing these services is on a volunteer basis. In addition to the program Manager, the team includes two volunteer case workers. In 2014, for example, the Ministry of Justice contributed $35,640,
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the Town of Ladysmith $11,600, the Stz’uminus First Nation $5,000 and the Penelakut First Nation $1,000. For 2015, the RDN is committing to a $1,000 contribution split between EA “A” ($770) and EA “C” ($230) based on the number of residents in each of the areas served by the Ladysmith-based program. Carla Sampson, Victim Services Program Manager, Ladysmith Detachment presented the funding request to the Committee of the Whole. As a number of the Directors agreed, the briefing provided us with a comprehensive understanding of this vital program. The Victims of Crime Act gives all victims of crime the right to receive information on: The victim services available; available financial assistance and benefits; how the justice system works; the status of the police investigation, court outcomes and the administration of the offender’s sentence; and the victim’s right to privacy. As we go forward through 2015 and beyond, the funding for this program will need to be reviewed by all parties with a view to closing the funding gap. This is a regional program and, in my opinion, should be funded equally by the regional partners whose residents benefit from the services. alecmcpherson@shaw.ca
CVRD Area H Yellow Point/Cedar Watershed Management Plan: The Cowichan Valley Regional District staff are working with a wide range of partners to develop a watershed management plan for the 41 km Yellow Point/Cedar watershed. The staff was successful in receiving funding from Environment Canada for the important first step in this process. The watershed, which includes mainly residential and agricultural land and many rare eco-systems, is characterized by its mild, Mediterranean-like climate. It contains trees like Douglas fir, Garry
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oak and arbutus plus large numbers of species at risk. There are no significant lakes in the watershed; however, the topography is undulating and the location and importance of the key wetlands and permanent and ephemeral riparian areas is not clearly understood. With a lack of natural surface water storage, the area is more susceptible to periods of drought and flood. The effect of climate change in conjunction with population growth is expected to apply additional stress to critical ecology and supporting riparian ecosystems. The integrated Watershed Management Plan (IWMP) will provide the community with important information to manage the watersheds valuable water and ecological resources and ensure that all future decisions are based on best available information to allow the community to flourish in the future. The first phase of the project will focus on building a high resolution base map for the watershed upon which all other information will be draped and preliminary strategic planning will take place. The first phase is currently underway and will result in high resolution three dimensional maps of water curses, ecosystems, land use and other important variables. Three key steps will be undertaken: build, refine and verify the GIS modeling based on field verification, provide a set of analytical and interpretive maps and work with the CVRD and Partners. Small teams of two will be field validating the maps in early March, 2015 to ensure that the mapping is as accurate as possible. Look for them and give them an encouraging hoot if you can. The second phase will involve a community watershed planning process lead by CVRD staff and the Area H Director. The Region and its funding partners is putting substantial resources into the development of the important watershed management plan and anticipate that it will serve as a case study for other portions of our Region with similar conditions.
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I am very encouraged that this work is being undertaken. Climate change is happening and anything that can provide information and look for ways to mitigate the impacts to this area will make a large difference to current and future residents in the Yellow Point/Cedar areas. To this end, we are looking for volunteers to participate in the first phase of the project – that is, the field verification of the GIS modeling maps currently being drafted. If you are interested in volunteering to participate in the filed verification, please contact Kai Rietzel by email (info@cowicchanlandtrust.ca) or phone (250-745-0227).
CVRD Area G The Saltair Centre I am just back from a CommUNITY conference and would like to share a few ideas or my thoughts about how this relates to our community of Saltair. I approached all the sessions from the perspective of what can we do to make
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our community a better place now and in the future and in particular with respect to our newly purchased school. I also wanted to make myself a better decision maker at the CVRD with respect to being better informed about community development. I talked to dozens of people individually over the three days about our decision to buy the school as a community centre, especially the presenters of the individual sessions who have deeper knowledge of communities to get their take on the situation. 100 per cent of these people thought that buying the school and 5 1/2 acres was a great move. Of course, these people were champions of community and many were involved in successful not for profit organizations themselves. The whole purpose of the conference was communicating with people involved in community development. The keynote speaker, Gil Penalosa, and leader of three sessions believe that we have lost the human aspect of communities in the last 50 years. Fifty years ago Saltair was a social community at Gilly’s Hall with card games, dances, pot lucks, girl
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guides, boy scouts and many other activities. It had a rich social and cultural life. Today Saltair is a bedroom community for other towns namely Duncan and Nanaimo. With the recent school purchase we have an opportunity to get back some of that spirit of community where people can do things together. A constant theme of the conference was, “We need to protect, provide and enhance public spaces.� They are precious for a healthy community. So far Saltair has done really well as far as parks, trails and beach accesses but we lack the social aspect and need to take advantage of this current opportunity. We now have a committee working on forming a Saltair non profit society to operate this new Saltair Centre and will be rolling out some public meetings where the overall community can get more involved. They are taking their time so they can be thorough and get things done right. Presently the centre is being rented by a daycare that covers the heat, light and maintenance and it is hoped that they will continue to do so in the future. Partnerships with local companies, community groups, organizations and different levels of government are necessary for a stronger society. Saltair website Saltair has a website www.sunnysaltair.ca . It is up and running and has lots of information on Saltair like the history, businesses, resources, services and events. The website was a partnership between the Saltair District Ratepayers and the CVRD area director. Check it out. Also check out the community bulletin board at the Dayliner Cafe in Saltair. You can post ads and bulletins there.
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From Cave Dweller to Modern Man, a tale of functional fitness
March is Kidney health Kidney Disease is a silent killer. People lose more than 50 per cent of their kidney function before they know their lives are at risk. The Kidney Foundation urges people at risk of kidney disease to get tested. Early detection helps prevent or delay the need for life-saving dialysis or transplantation. March is Kidney Health Month. Visit www.kidney.bc.ca
BY TYLER BUCK Like it or not, the undeniable truth of our evolution from monkey to man is part of our DNA. Our once hairy bodies and strong backs sheltered us from the cold and gave us strength to find food and fend off predators. Typically a bunch of bananas were enough to keep us happy. Skip ahead some thousands of years and we find ourselves parked inside a cave with the possibility of a warm fire and a nearly naked mate. Our bodies have evolved into our very own vehicles with food and water being the main source of energy. Walking, running, climbing, fighting, hunting, scavenging, and surviving became our world with survival of the fittest. The kill or be killed way of life molded our ancestors into lean mean fighting machines. Adaptations in the form of lung capacity, muscular endurance, and strength were determined by the tasks that needed to be done for survival’s sake. Needless to say, you didn’t find Homo-sapiens doing bicep curls and bench presses. Fast forward to today and where many of us have become so accustomed to the comfort of modern day living that we have lost the functional bodies we once had. Sitting, over-eating, and lack of exercise are just a few contributing factors that have softened us. But we can adapt, we are champions at it. Slow and steady add activities such as yoga, kettlebell workouts, or CrossFit will transform us back into functionally fit survivors.
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New Naturopathic Physician
Should the day come again when we are forced to live and die by our own physical ability I will feel much more confident knowing my body is up to the task. Will yours be? Follow Tyler Buck at thebuckpost.com
New to the neighbourhood is Dr. Jules Passy, a licensed Naturopathic Physician who offers a combination of nutritional therapies, acupuncture and botanical medicine to treat and address a variety of health concerns. Passy stays up to date with the latest advances in medicine to continually increase the services she can provide to her patients. Passy who recently joined the office of Active Solutions Chiropractic in Ladysmith, believes that maintaining your health begins with your mindset. A combination of education, awareness, and dedication provides the foundation to create an individualized path to optimize your health. Tyler Buck doing CrossFit. Photo Loyola van Rooyen Buck
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Guide to active living It’s not too late to add to your New Year’s resolution. In fact, if improving your overall health and fitness was your goal for this year then take note. There are endless ways to increase fitness, improve health, and maintain interest in staying active by adding variety to outdoor activities. A yearlong plan to add outdoor adventure to your health and wellness routine can look a little like this: Start with March. How fortunate are we to live a three hours’ drive away from one of the most beautiful places on earth? (Tofino, home to Canada’s best surf beaches.) Surfing offers an alternative to cardiovascular fitness. It strengthens shoulders and back plus is great for leg and core strength. There is something youthful about surfing. Ever notice surfers never look their age? March also marks a change in seasons when referring to outdoor activities but is a perfect time to play in the snow one last time. Snowshoeing will burn those calories while adding flexibility, stability, and muscular fitness. Two popular snowshoe
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locations in the Comox Valley are Mt. Washington and Mt. Becher. The days start getting longer in April which draws many of us back outside. Add hiking as a cardio workout and boost your mood all at the same time. Maybe you have no time during the day to hike so grab a headlamp, some friends and night hike Mt. Prevost or up to Heart Lake. Your blood pressure will thank you. May marks the beginning of camping season. Get a complete body workout, build endurance, and mental toughness by swapping provincial campgrounds for some backcountry sites. Start small and work your way up to bigger trips. Lake Helen McKenzie in Strathcona Park or a section of the Sunshine Coast in Powell River offer two great beginner backpacking routes. Kayaking is a low impact sport that increases the number of capillaries in muscles worked. It offers upper body cardio exercise and if kayaking is not your preferred choice in water sports try canoeing or stand up paddle boarding (SUP). June is a great time to get back on the water. Head down to Ladysmith Harbour and get paddling with Sealegs Kayaking. Backpacking in May was such a success so add another backpacking trip in July. Escaping your hectic life and reconnecting with nature does wonders for your mental health. Choices are endless. A few favorites of mine are Bedwell Valley, Cape Beale, and the Juan de Fuca trail. Mountain biking can benefit your health in three ways. It improves muscle
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strength, cardiovascular health, and increases lung capacity. Try planning for an August mountain biking adventure. Stay local and ride Mt Tzouhalem or Maple Mountain or a day trip to Cumberland. There’s nothing wrong with adding a bit of a challenge to your health and fitness goals. By September you will have day hikes and backpacking under your belt. It’s now time to summit a mountain. Every fitness plan must have rewards and standing on top of a mountain knowing how much work it took to get there is a great reward. Mt. Benson would be an ideal place to start with Mt. Arrowsmith being the ultimate goal. It is important to add strength training
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into overall health and fitness and rock climbing is the perfect outdoor activity. It works core muscles, strengthens hand and fingers, and is a low impact aerobic workout. October is usually the end of outdoor climbing season and will find local crags along the Nanaimo River busy. Beginners can head to the indoor climbing gym in Nanaimo and start training for the next season. Hiking is one of the easier outdoor activities to take up. But like many failed fitness routines, little variation can lead to lost interest. Don’t think of hiking as just the cardio workout on the same old trails. Find others to hike with that will continue to motivate you when you can’t motivate yourself. Choose hikes that offer a destination or point of interest to distract from the fitness. In November, join a community or online group of hikers. December can be one of the most difficult times to maintain the fitness routines you have worked so hard to build up. Holiday celebrations interfere but consider adding outdoor activities to your festive season. Plan a winter solstice hike with family and friends. If you travel for Christmas, like we do, embrace the outdoor activities that are unique to the area you are visiting. This past Christmas we travelled to Alberta and did what the locals do: ice fishing and pond skating. Something we can’t do here on Vancouver Island. By next January you will have created your very own calendar of outdoor health and fitness activities. You are never too young or too old to exercise when in fact it is the young and the old that benefit the most from leading active healthy lifestyles. So make next January the month where you grab grandma’s, grandpa’s, kids, adults of all ages and head out for a day of downhill skiing at Mt. Washington. In order to maintain muscle mass and strength, appropriate muscle use is required. Downhill skiing will provide hours of fun and resistance training all at the same time. Jill Collins is an Outdoor Family Blogger and proud KEEN Canada Ambassador. Details on all adventures and locations listed in article can be found on her blog.getonthebeatenpath.blogspot.ca Facebook.com/Onthebeatenpath, Twitter @Onthebeatenpath, Instagram @ Getonthebeatenpath
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Anna’s Hummingbird – the year round hummer Hummingbirds are surely one of the birds humans love best. They zip around from flower to flower, are beautifully coloured, visit our nectar feeders readily and have attitude. In spite of their small size they make themselves known. The America’s are the only home to hummingbirds. South America is particularly rich in hummingbird species. The ecological niche that hummingbirds fill here is filled by other birds and insects on the other continents. The flight of the hummingbird is perhaps what sets it apart most readily from other birds. No other bird can fly backwards, hover or rise straight up. The
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ball and socket shoulder joint can rotate 180 degrees. In regular flight the wings beat 70 times per second – though beat is perhaps not the best descriptor, since the wing beat is actually a rotation. The pattern is oval in regular flight and a figure eight when hovering. Because of this motion, unlike other birds, when a hummingbird flies its body stays mostly upright. They fly at speeds around 40 to 50 km/hour. Diving speeds are close to 100 km/hour. When diving the wings beat at around 200 times per second! Vancouver Island has two species of hummingbirds – the Rufous and the Anna’s. The Rufous hummingbird is identified by its smaller, slimmer build and an orange throat. The male Rufous is brilliant orange while the females are green and orange. Around here it is a summer resident and has a long history of occupation. The Anna’s hummingbird is larger than the Rufous and the male has an iridescent rosy crown and throat, which it displays. The traditional range of the Anna’s hummingbird is the northern Baja area to southern California. It is a rather recent immigrant to our area but has taken up permanent residency and its population is increasing rapidly. Some factors in this range expansion might include warmer winters, the planting of exotic flowering trees and shrubs, nectar feeders and the fact that the Anna’s is not a migratory species. As the population builds, birds move into new territories and so the range expands. Rufous hummingbirds by contrast migrate to survive winter. This means they need to re-establish territories. Also, it reduces the length of the breeding season.
Hummingbirds are always fun to watch. Photos: H. Masata
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Anna’s hummingbirds in our area can nest up to four times in a year. The nests, about an inch high and an inch and a half wide, are made of cattail or thistle down, small leaves or feathers and bound together with spider web silk. The outside is adorned with mosses and lichens. The nests typically contain 2 eggs, each a half inch long. The female incubates the eggs for 16 days and then tends to the hatchlings for another 20 days or so, feeding the young a predigested diet (a more palatable description evades me) of small insects such as midges and nectar. Around here nesting
typically takes place between January and July. Other than when feeding at flowers or at nectar feeders the most prominent visual displays are the males dive displays to attract mates. He hovers in front of the object of his desires (not always a hummingbird) then climbs over 100 feet, then dives and ends in a steep arc back at the point where he started. The rapid flaring of the tail acts as a brake and the spreading of the ten tail feathers also creates a resonance similar to its vocalizations, but considerably louder. The mechanics of this sound production is similar to the vibration of a reed instru-
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ment. Non-vocal displays are not common among birds but are employed by some species, for example by grouse drumming. Hummingbirds in general do use this technique. In addition the Anna’s have complex and learned songs, which are not common to the group of birds to which hummingbirds belong. The small size of the hummingbird creates some challenges for surviving cold temperatures or even nights. It does this by dropping its body temperature from 105 degrees Fahrenheit to 48 degrees Fahrenheit and also dropping its heart rate and breathing rate to enter a mini-hibernation state called torpor. Recovering from torpor can take up to an hour and as soon as they are up and about they need to recover the energy reserves lost overnight. The small size of hummingbirds is also thought to play a role in the reduction of some organs – the bladder, a gall bladder, and a penis in males (not usual for birds to not have a penis) and a right ovary in females. This reduction in organs reduces weight and thus makes flight more efficient and also reduces the energy that a bird must ingest. The easiest place to observe Anna’s hummingbirds is at a nectar feeder, but also keep an eye out at brightly coloured flowers (I’ve had them frequent my red handled pruning secateurs). In the spring males are frequently perched on the top branches of trees and shrubs and sing. Also, look and listen to their display flights – a harbinger at this time of year of spring. Reference: Ian Cruickshank, Allaboutbirds.com Jay Rastogi is a naturalist, hoticulturalist and educator living in Yellow Point. Reach him at ecoforestry@gmail.com
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“... details, like whether or not they were wearing Bermuda shorts at the time, or distinguished themselves at karaoke remain undisclosed.”
The White Elephant Centre As any small town mayor will tell you, it’s all about attracting tourists. That’s why our small coastal town of Nanaimo invested $75 million on a spiffy convention center that no one uses and $25 million on a cruise ship terminal that sees a ship about twice a year, usually in an emergency, say they should run out of beer. As with any project involving government funds, proper due diligence was performed. This involved a couple of city councilors going down to Florida where it was decided to build the convention centre first, then if no one showed up, proceed with the cruise ship facility, because, what the heck, it’s only money. Other important details, like whether or not they were wearing Bermuda shorts at the time, or distinguished themselves at the karaoke lounge remain undisclosed. Result: We built it; they didn’t come. Not to be deterred, it’s on to project number three, rebuilding the E&N rail-
road from Nanaimo to Victoria. This is a good project because if we plan carefully and whine loud enough, we can easily drop $200 million dollars on it, getting in return a cute little Budd Car running up and down the island with upwards of ten passengers aboard. As far as these things go, a good return on our investment. But I say we’re victims of shortsightedness. We’re not going far enough. If we want a return for our wasted tax dollar, we’ve got to waste far more of them. I’m proposing we lasso the convention center, drag it over to the cruise ship terminal, which we’ll make the terminus of our newly refurbished railroad. Now for the clever part, we turn the place into a museum, tourists love museums, but not just any museum, one that celebrates government ineptitude, a shrine for wasted tax dollars. We’ll call it the White Elephant Center, and since we’ve got the land and the dock, all we’ll need is a few gargantuan buildings with solid gold plumbing fixtures and we’re off to the races. Our first step is to reacquire the three fast cat ferries that we sold to the Saudis. Remember them, the three hot rod
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aluminum ferries that then Premier Glen Clark said were going to cost $210 million right down to the toilet paper, but toilet paper turned out to be a lot more expensive than he figured, so the total cost was $460 million of which we netted $20 million dollars when we sold them a few years later. Exactly the kind of performance we demand from White Elephant participants. So, assuming the Saudis haven’t melted them down to make aluminum camels, we buy them back but at the full $460 million price, which is the way it’s done at a museum that celebrates taxpayer waste. Though the fast cats were fun while they lasted-- wasn’t it a hoot taking out those rich guys docks with the wake--the project was ill conceived. For that kind of money we could have lined up cans of beer, shoulder to shoulder, all the way from Vancouver to Calgary and back, to promote beer tourism. The cats will of course require extensive renovation, which will start with a name change. None of this Pacificat Explorer nonsense, we’ll give them real names, names a tourist will remember, like the Pacificat Curly, Larry and Moe. Next we get rid of those bloody uncomfortable seats and replace them with equally uncomfortable beds. That’s right, we turn the ships into floating hotels, what our convention centre is missing. But not the Pacificat Curly, for the Curly we have a special mission, that of coastal marauder. Curly will be equipped with special tourist nets, and with her
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shallow draft will cruise Vancouver beaches for tourists, who can be shanghaied and brought back to Nanaimo where they can stay on the Moe and Larry, enjoy the museum, and if they get into the spirit of things, waste a lot of money. Like any museum we will have visiting exhibitors. Sara Palin, a woman of vision, could bring down a model of her megaproject that didn’t quite make it, a monstrous bridge, locally known as the bridge to nowhere. Taxpayers revolted when it came out the “locked and loaded” price was 398 million. “Get serious,” they said. “Even British Columbia spent 460 million on ferries they gave away. We can at least top them.” As consolation prize, Sarah was given 25 million to build a road to nowhere, which worked out fine, as hardly anyone used it. Sara will be a big draw, but so undoubtedly will other exhibits, like the Royal Flush for instance, where an attractive washroom attendant will flush a $10 bill down the toilet every 60 seconds, explaining to the enthralled public that in order to lose the $440 million we did on the fast cats, we’ll be flushing, every minute, for the next 84 years. Of course Glen Clark must be recognized. I was thinking about a Madam Tussauds quality wax figure, him seated on one of Moe’s toilet stalls, pants around his ankles, reaching for the toilet paper with a sheepish look on his face. The annoying part about Glen Clark is, after spending $440 million bucks on his education, the guy drops out of politics and uses his taxpayer funded education to make Jim Pattison richer. But hey, that’s the way things go at the White Elephant Centre. Now all we need is a mission statement to get started. Funny
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thing that. Fifteen years ago no one had ever heard of a mission statement, except maybe the guys from NASA (To determine once and for all that the moon is made of blue cheese.) Now your kid can’t cross the road without one. My wine merchant buddies who used to “flog product,” now must strive for excellence, realize potential, exploit opportunity, as well as bamboozle buyers into that tired old chardonnay they’re flogging. And speaking about wine… Poggio Al Tufo, a $20 Italian red, get some. Delbert Horrocks is a co-proprietor at Mahle House Restaurant. Follow him at Slightlycorkedandmore.wordpress.com
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take5.ca
MARCH 2015
FOR SALE
HOME & YARD
8 PIPE CLAMPS VARIOUS LENGTHS, 15 inch scroll saw, extra blades, 3” Rockwell belt sander, 15 3M sanding belts, Philips amplifier, 2 speakers, Pioneer tape deck, cassetts, stereo records, artists frames 250-245-8085
PAINT & SAVE OPTION- Do it yourself, with a little help from a pro. Together we can make your job more affordable and accomplish a great look. Making the world a brighter place for over 25 years. Call Harvey for information please. 250-245-2174
LOOKING FOR A GREAT CELL PHONE NUMBER? For information and offers leave a message at 250-756-5555
MID-ISLAND HOME SUPPORT since 2009. Personal and home care assistance available. Bondable, licenced and insured for your safety and ours. For a free in home assessment please call 250-924-2273 (CARE)
FOR RENT
EDUCATION
OFFICE SPACES Downtown Ladysmith, modern, reasonable rent or lease. 250-245-3395
SENSE OF PLACE YOUTH PROJECT LTD at North Oyster (Lic#KRIS-9MPPYV) Full day kids camps, Before and After School, Spring Break program spaces available. Full or part time, dropin spots, subsidy welcome www.senseofplaceyp. com patti@senseofplaceyp.com or 250-667-1222
5 BEDROOM 2000 sq. ft. apartment available March 15/15 above Friesen’s Rentals on Cedar Rd. call 250-722-2737 for details. HELP WANTED TAKE 5 PUBLICATIONS is looking for a community minded person who has good organization and communication skills and enjoys working with the local business community. This is a permanent part-time sales/office position possibly leading to full-time. Sales, office, bookkeeping, computer skills and experience helpful but not as important as enthusiasm. Please email your resume to editor@take5.ca or drop it off to the TAKE 5 office at 622 First Ave., Ladysmith from 9:30-4pm Monday to Friday. LOST &FOUND HAVE YOU LOST A RING outside the Phoenix Restaurant in Ladysmith the first week of February or know of any one who has? Contact Loyola at the TAKE 5 office 240 245 7015 ads@take5.ca BUSINESS NEED HELP WITH MARKETING? Call TAKE 5 for a free conultation. We can help you design a marketing plan within your budget. 250-245-7015 FOR ALL YOUR SEWING NEEDS – bedding, window treatments, couch & chair covers, cushions, pillows, special accessories and décor, dressmaking and alterations – what ever comes to your mind, Elke 250-618-1172 or info@ egrstudios.com KEN’S MOBILE MARINE SERVICE, over 25 yrs licensed Marine Mechanic, repairing & maintaing diesel, inboard, outboard, stern drives, electrical & plumbing. We come to you. Call Ken 250-210-0756 BARNACLE BILL’S CHARTERS Fishing, prawning , crabing and sightseeing. Call 250-210 0787 or 250-245-4185
TAI CHI - For mental and physical health. Beginner class starts September and February, Mondays, on-going class Wednesdays. Both classes 10am - 12 noon, Cedar Heritage Centre, 1644 McMillan Road. $20/mo. Sara 250-2451466 or www.nanaimotaichi.org HEALTH & BEAUTY ISAGENIX DISTRIBUTOR - Get Lean & Healthy Fast - Less than $5/ meal. Our protein shakes are amazing! - No Gluten, Wheat, Barley or Trans Fat. www. taketimetoday.com Suzanne Deveau 250-245-8407 BOWEN TECHNIQUE is a gentle soft tissue remedial therapy that resets the body to heal itself. Useful for joint, back and neck pain, frozen shoulder, asthma, chronic fatigue and many other problems. For information and appointments call 250-245-7738. Lilja Hardy FMBAC in practice since 1994. www.bowtech.com
INTERIOR PAINTING - Refresh your walls... and your spirits! Careful, respectful work. Attention to detail. Help with colour choice. No job too small. Reasonable rates. Kari 250-245-2751 NEWLIFE YARDWORK and PAINTING – Lawn mowing, weeding, power washing, rubbish removal, gutter cleaning. Prompt, courteous, reliable service for your home or business. Call Terry, 250-668-8383, newlifeyardwork@gmail.com ISLAND KING RENOS LTD. - Kitchen-BathTile-Backsplash-Countertops-Flooring-DrywallPaint-Siding-Fences-Decks INTERIOR and EXTERIOR. Quote by JOB not by the HOUR. www.islandkingrenos.com 250-924-4924 QUALITY RENOVATIONS Big or small. 25 yrs exp/journeyman, affordable. For free estimate call Lars. 250-616-1800 DARREL ESSAR RENOVATIONS Over 30 years experience, certified journeyman carpenter. No job is too small, from fences, decks, tile work, hardwood flooring, painting, drywall etc. For free estimate call Darrell 250-714-3823 NEED YOUR LAWN MOWED? Experienced local student, friendly & reliable with own vehicle, mower & weeder, very reasonable rates, satisfaction guaranteed call Ladysmith resident Connor 250-245-5518 THE HAPPY GARDENER. Weeding, digging, raking, cutting back, etc. I also do Window Washing and Odd Jobs. Cheerful and Conscientious. Call David at 250-618-9217
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SASSA’S HOME AND GARDEN CARE. No job too big or small. Affordable honest work. Duo team. Cleaning, Gardening Painting, and Gutter Cleaning. Outside and inside your home or business. 250-924-4735 or 250-218-4735 RAISED GARDEN BEDS, planters, railings, decks, benches, woodsheds, greenhouses. Enhance your enjoyment of the home and yard you love. Namaste Home Improvements, 250245-2751 (see display ad in Home & Garden section of TAKE 5). BOOK-PUBLISHING? Need help with your book project? Editing, writing, photography and production. Everything you need to get it to press. Includes post production promotion. Corporate reports, etc., TAKE 5 Publications, 250-245-7015 PETS KITTY KORNERS CAT HOTEL - Purrsonalized Quality Kitty Care. Daily health checks, experienced with special needs kitties. Reasonable rates. Available 24/7. 2 km north of Nanaimo Airport. Take a virtual tour www. kittykorners.com 250-740-KATS (5287) HOME BUDDIES - PET & HOUSE CARE since 1994. Licensed, Bonded, Insured. Professional, kind-hearted, experienced and reliable. Pet First Aid and CPR Certified. Certified Security Professional, Animal Care Aide certified, VIU. For loving care and security, Peggy Wildsmith- 250245-0151 PROFESSIONAL PET CARE SERVICE: leash ‘em & walk ‘em with Marlena. Insured and bonded. Animal First Aid and CPR. Service for all pets including dog walking, home care visits, overnight with pet in your home and much more. As my love is yours! 250-246-3394 TOO CRAZY BIRDY HOTEL , travel with peace of mind, parrot boarding in a home setting, birds and only birds, budgies to macaws, nightly rate $5,$10,$15, sml,md, lrg. Prebooking visits welcome. Diana and Kip Slater 250-722-2201 www.toocrazybirdyhotel.com
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“Feminism is the radical notion that women are people.” - Marie Shear, 1986
Sweet Hearts & Fiery Conviction The year turned with anticipation, followed shortly by the passing of a friend. Admittedly I didn’t know her that well, but Jackie did. In fact Jackie had to run out after the Board interviewed her, so she wouldn’t leave too quickly, being absolutely the best person for the job. The Board of the newly formed Haven Society for the protection of abused and battered women, back in the early 1980’s, was about to hire it’s first staffers, and Sharon Hirt would be a mainstay, a force to be reckoned with for years to come. The City of Nanaimo had offered a house that was to be torn down, and the Society gladly accepted it, dirt floor and all. In fact the basement became the place where the donated clothing, and home needs for new starts were laid out for whoever needed them. There were meagre pickings at times, but so very important to the women who had escaped their husbands with only the clothes on their backs. Many a cold and dreary night, mostly in the dead of night around 3 or 4am, I remember the phone ringing, and Jackie getting hurriedly dressed and into the car. I would hope, every single time, that she remembered the baseball bat in the back seat, just in case. For Jackie wasn’t one to ignore a cry for help. Nor were the others of Haven when the word came. There was a woman in need, one who finally couldn’t put up with being beaten and bruised. Her life threatened, her children terrified by a man who felt he had
Sharon Hirt of the Haven Society would be a force to be reckoned with. Photo submitted.
“There was a woman in need... Her life threatened, her children terrified by a man who felt he had the right to smash and strike out at ‘his’ wife and family whenever he was drunk or despairing his lot in life.” the right to smash and strike out at ‘his’ wife and family whenever he was drunk or despairing his lot in life. Time to go. Those were the days when women were blamed for being beaten - what had they done to deserve their black eye, cuts and bruises? Why hadn’t they just shut up and not said anything when their children were being yelled at or hit for something they hadn’t done? Just who did women think they were anyway? Equal, not likely. Having rights... not in my lifetime. Being a good wife meant finding excuses for that split lip or broken tooth ...and a lot of women admitted to being clumsy back then, somehow falling down the stairs and bashing their heads against a post, or two. High-collared blouses with lots of makeup, and changing the subject when questions came too near the truth. The victims of abuse sim-
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ply held on, and hoped for a normal life. All this, while society looked the other way. Wars, empires and economic turmoil needed attending to, and men would be the bread winners and lords of their homes. Let the women take care of themselves. So it was when Sharon was hired, and what she and other Haven House staff and Board faced long into the dark nights. Reasoning with a bully or a drunk was not the answer. Getting battered and abused women and their children out of a violent and sometimes deadly situation was. A safe house, where no one could find you, a haven to heal and have a little time to think about life, that was the first step to recovery, to getting some little control of life. And that was what the Haven Society was all about. The rosy image of family life was fine and all, but the women of Haven House weren’t about ignoring the realities and victims scattered around the promise of a bright and beautiful future. Having considered the plight of so many women and their families who were living in fear and quiet desperation, hounded and beaten into silence, these women decided it was time that society no longer turned a blind eye. They took the issue to heart, put themselves in the front line, and formed a society that would address the problems, establishing a Haven where women and their children could be safe, protected. So Sharon, I’ve been remembering you and other brave women of Haven House this past month and more. Your sweet heart and fiery conviction made a difference. Your willingness to stand up to the bullies and batterers brought hope and new lives to those who were trapped and voiceless, unsure what to do or where to turn. Your spark ignited a flame and passion that exposed injustice and ignorance, and led to many long-overdue changes in society. Thank you. We’ll meet again. Laurie Gourlay and Jackie Moad have worked with environmental, social justice, women’s and community groups for thirty-odd years, farm 20 acres organically, stand up for their rights as well as those of others, and seek local solutions to global challenges!
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