Welcome to Lake Flashback. Reporter Sarah Simpson has been combing through old newspapers with the assistance of the Kaatza Station Museum and Archives so we can jog your memory, give you that nostalgic feeling, or just a chuckle, as we take a look at what was making headlines this week around Cowichan Lake in years gone by.
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This week around the Cowichan Lake area…
10 years ago
"Artist hopes pole will stand as symbol of cooperation" was on the front of the April 29, 2015 Lake Cowichan Gazette.
"With the official opening of Lake Cowichan’s Ts’uubaa-asatx Square drawing closer, the park’s anticipated totem pole is beginning to come to life as well. Artist Ron Hamilton arrived in town early last week, spending his time putting the finishing touches on his final sketch of the pole’s design. While the project will add a splash of colour and culture to South Shore Road, Hamilton said he hopes it will also stand as a symbol of cooperation between the town and the Ts’uubaa-asatx First Nation, and serve as inspiration for other communities."
"Aaron Hamilton named Citizen of the Year for bridging gap between town and First Nations" was the headline on page 2.
"The Cowichan Lake District Chamber of Commerce announced the recipients of its annual community awards last week, with the two awards going to three Lake residents this year. Aaron Hamilton, operations manager for the Ts’uubaa-asatx First Nation, was named the Citizen of the Year for 2014. The Nichole Stock Community Award went to two recipients this year: Denise Allan, chairperson for the Lady of the Lake Society, and Darlene WebergPohn, whose volunteerism has spanned countless organizations and families across the Lake."
25 years ago
"Usual suspects at Town Hall" sounded more like a movie title than a headline but that was the top story on the front of the Lake Cowichan Gazette of April 26, 2000.
"It was supposed to be a chance to bring the process to the people. An attempt to make mundane protocol come alive with interaction. However, the 30 people who sat scattered among ten desks at last week's Town Hall meeting were pretty much the usual suspects. Mayor Jack Peake and Town Council, with the exception of the holidaying Garth Sims, were there. So were the local regional district directors Joe Allan and Tara Daly. In fact all but a handful of those present were there because they had to be. Administrators and managers of public services. Employees of community organizations. The dozen topics set out for the meeting included everything from the annual Valley Link Cavalcade to VisionQuest to local youth needs.
"This meeting is your meeting not ours," said Mayor Peake to the few ordinary citizens. "Tonight is your opportunity to give us a lot of information we can deal with for the next three years."
"River water below drinking standards" was also a top headline.
"The Cowichan River is one of two valley waterways that fails to meet drinking water standards, according to a study by the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks. The report says that, while drinking water within the Cowichan area remains safe, water from the Cowichan and Koksilah rivers fails to meet fecal coliform bacteria standards for drinking. Drinking water in areas of the Cowichan outside municipalities usually comes from wells. 'However, campers should boil or disinfect water taken directly from the rivers,' says a statement from the Ministry of Environment."
40 years ago
"Ako tries teaching here" was the big headline on the Lake News of April 24, 1985.
"An 'intern' teacher from Japan has arrived in Lake Cowichan for a three-month stay. Akiko Yoneda, who prefers to be known as 'Ako,' will learn as well as teach during her stay here. She will be working mainly at Stanley Gordon School, and will be staying with Wanda and Rick Merriman of Lake Cowichan, and their family. She learned to read and write English in school in Japan, and now teaches English there".
"There will soon be a $35,000 'cold war' under way at the Cowichan Lake Sports Arena. A problem with frost heaves at the west end of the arena this year lifted part of the arena so that the roofline 'looked like a Chinese pagoda' according to arena manager Buck Hollingdrake.
"The arena commission has decided to take $35,000 from the arena's reserve fund and spend it on a number of renovations that will solve the difficulty and save money on energy at the same time."
And finally, "Village Settles Violation" was a top story.
"The Village of Lake Cowichan has now paid a $7,600 settlement to two young men who took the village to the B.C. Human Rights Council after they were fired from a job creation project. The lawyer acting for Joni Johal, 20, and Raj Grewal, 21, wrote to village council last week to say that the judgment, which awarded each man $3,800, 'has now been wholly satisfied.'
"Grewal and Johal, both of East Indian origin, disputed the cause of their firing from a job-creation project in the spring of 1984. The job foreman had claimed that they were uncooperative and not working hard enough but they thought racial discrimination had been the cause of the firing."
