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
Family Literacy Day made headlines on the front of the Feb. 1, 2012 Lake Cowichan Gazette.
“Nine-year-old Jewel Jamieson of Skutz Falls was the proud winner of Vancouver Island Regional Library’s Cowichan Lake branch Family Literacy Day contest winning a copy of Robert Munsch’s Just One Goal. She and her family entered by checking off five activities in their VIRL Passport. Family Literacy Day is a nation wide celebration that takes place on Jan. 27, each year. It’s goal is to encourage adults and children to read and learn together by spending at least 15 minutes each day enjoying some kind of learning activity together.”
Also in the Feb. 1 edition, “School board wants cash, not modulars for the Lake” headed page six.
“Despite an overlap in two very important meetings concerning our community on Jan. 16, attendance was still high at School District 79’s public consultation meeting. The meeting was with respect to the modular classroom proposal by the Minister of Education George Abbott, at our elementary schools as an interim measure until a new school can be approved and built.
“At the Jan. 18 school board meeting, a unanimous motion was carried by the board to reject the funding for modulars. A letter has since been composed by the board to the minister, which states, ‘The schools at the Lake are in need of more care and upkeep than our dwindling budgets allow. Our Board in Cowichan therefore calls on the Minister to provide the funds which he would have allocated for the installation of modular classrooms to our district to permit us to proceed with much needed maintenance to the Lake Cowichan Schools.’”
25 years ago
“Seniors find support from MLA Pullinger” was the headline atop the Jan. 29, 1997 Lake News.
“Where the federal government has disappointed local seniors, the provincial government has promised help and support in principle towards the Cowichan Lake District Seniors’ Association’s housing project.
“Sam Beldessi, president of the Cowichan Lake Seniors Association (CLSA), said they are working towards building a seniors housing complex, next to the seniors centre in Lake Cowichan. Beldessi, along with other representatives from CLSA sat down with MP Bob Ringma Thursday to ask him for support. The seniors need $10,000 in seed money to get their project off the ground.
“Presently they have a model of the new housing complex which has been constructed by LCSS students, but Beldessi said in order to apply for funding they need architects’ drawings to scale etc., which he suspects would cost around $10,000. Ringma told the seniors that while he commends them for their efforts, they were talking to the wrong government. He suggested the group talk to the provincial government and the municipality.”
According to MLA Jan Pullinger, she will set up a meeting with the Regional Health Board. Pullinger said she will also look for funding for the seed money the seniors require.
In Jan/Feb 1997 school news, “the heating system at A.B. Greenwell School is expected to get a $26,000 facelift. At last week’s meeting of School District 79, Eric Clifton, Works superintendent, described the upgrade and modification designed to improve the heating and air quality in the school.”
Meanwhile, the costs to amalgamate the two Cowichan school districts into one were still unknown.
“An assessment will be done to identify any additional costs associated with the amalgamation in an ongoing process.”
40 years ago
“Yes, have some bananas” was a curious headline and the story was odd as well in the Feb. 3, 1982 Lake News.
“A disgruntled Lake Cowichan businessman attempted to take Lake Cowichan village council by storm Tuesday, Jan. 26. Mo Sanddar failed in his attempt, but he added a graceful note with his departure: he left councillors with a bunch of bananas.
“Council had been under the impression that Sanddar had come to the meeting to discuss his car wash with councillors, [Mayor Ken] Douglas said, adding that in the course of the discussion, Sanddar had tried to introduce four other subjects.
“Before leaving Sanddar told councillors he had one more thing for them. He opened a large white bag he had brought and produced a bunch of bananas which he put on the council table. He then left, with the two men who had accompanied him.”
And finally the Lake News of Feb. 3, 1982 also had big news about a big debt.
“The Cowichan Lake Sports Arena — a big project for an area with a small population — has now officially been paid off, 11 years after it was built. The original cost of the arena was $572,000 but it is now insured at close to $2 million according to arena manager Buck Hollingdrake.
sarah.simpson@cowichanvalleycitizen.com
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