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.
This week around the Cowichan Lake area…
10 years ago
We had a look at the Aug. 3, 2011 Lake Cowichan Gazette last week too, but it was jam packed with news so let’s take another gander at this week a decade ago, according to that edition of the local paper.
“Lakeview Park Campground celebrates opening of new tenting sites” wrote editor Tyler Clarke.
“It was all smiles as Lakeview Park Campground manager Dalton Smith presented the opening of seven tenting camp sites, recently. Located down an isolated-feeling walkway, inaccessible by vehicle, the campsites are well spaced from one another, and help fill out an otherwise unused piece of wilderness. The sites were the brainchildren of five local out-of-work residents and one supervisor hired through a $100,000 job creation grant the campground’s heads were able to procure.”
“This is going to turn into their legacy to the town,” supervisor Shawn Carlow said. “I’m very proud of the work they’ve done. They’re here to the bitter end every day.”
“The employees are all from the Cowichan Lake area, he said, and are from all walks of life.”
“It’s nice to have diversity. They all work well together. I’m very proud,” he said.
Also in Gazette back in early August 2011, “Learn about local geology at the Kaatza Station Museum”.
Yet again, Tyler Clarke explained:
“Months’ worth of rock hunting around the Cowichan Lake area has paid off. This week, the Kaatza Station Museum is set to unveil a new temporary display of the Cowichan Lake area’s geology. Finding the rocks was no easy task for the museum’s summer student Katie Hedden, who was busy last week putting the display together. Although she has various guide maps, rocks sometimes show up where one would least expect them to.”
“It’s not always like that,” she said, pointing at the map. “There are always some rocks that will throw you off.”
”During her spare time over the past few months, she’s been travelling around the Cowichan Lake area, seeking example rocks for her display. In addition to teaching people about local geology, an underlying motivation behind the display is to encourage people to go rock hunting themselves.”
25 years ago
Well, it finally happened, according to the Lake News of Aug. 7, 1996. “SD #66 will be SD #79” was the headline. Amalgamation happened.
“The name of the new amalgamated districts School District #66 (Lake Cowichan) and #65 (Cowichan) will be School District #79. The new name was announced Friday by the Ministry of Education, Skills and Training. Also announced is that the Cowichan Lake area, known as Electoral Area 2 will have three elected trustees on the new school board and there will be nine from Electoral Area 1, (Duncan and area).”
Also making the front page of the Lake News of Aug. 7, 1996 was: “Safe house an immediate need” which talked about the completion of a study showing that Cowichan Lake was in urgent need of a transition house for battered women.
“Amanda Riley of Community Services says a drawing of a new building has been designed but the group is seeking housing in the mean time. The study was carried out by the Women’s Support Group of Cowichan Lake. A transition house is a temporary shelter for women needing to remove themselves from the home due to abuse.”
40 years ago
“More parking”. That was the headline in the Aug. 5, 1981 edition of the Lake News.
“Lake Cowichan village council has decided to allow all-day parking in front of the Lake Cowichan Secondary School playing field on South Shore Road. Previous village regulations had permitted only two-hour parking on the road in front of the school, and the School District 66 board of school trustees had written asking that the rule be changed to help alleviate the overcrowded parking situation at the high school.
“Councillors expressed concern that some space be left within the two-hour zone in front of the store at the corner of South Shore Road and Stone Avenue, since otherwise, customers might not be able to find a place to park. This problem was solved by wording the changes so that parking all day is only permitted along the section of South Shore where the playing field comes right down to the street.”
And finally, remember those loggers at Pacific Forest Products who were laid off ‘indefinitely’ before the strike by three forest industry unions began back in July of 1981? They “still have not learned if they will be able to collect unemployment insurance.
“Jack Reiser, vice-president of Local 1-80, which has been fighting for the workers’ right to claim unemployment said Tuesday that he has not heard from the Unemployment Insurance Commission on this complaint yet. A ruling came down however, in favour of Pacific Forest Products workers at Ladysmith, who have been laid off since June 19. They will get their unemployment payments.”