july 2015 eyesonbc magazine

July 2015 vol 11 issue 07

John Beaton’s: “Qualicum Sunset” • 17

Serving Vancouver Island & the Gulf Islands

July 2015July 2015vol 11 issue 07vol 11 issue 07

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MAGAZINE

Bullfrogs and the Call to Higher Ground • 10The Great Cowichan Valley Tea Experiment • 7

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• J U L Y 2 0 1 5 • E Y E S O N B C M A G A Z I N E • E Y E S O N B C . C O M • 3

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Once a month on the Second Sunday of every monthfrom 8am ‘til noon, it’s been a long-standing

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YOU’RE INVITED!Lighthouse Community Centre, 240 Lions Way in Qualicum Bay

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4 • J U L Y 2 0 1 5 • E Y E S O N B C M A G A Z I N E • E Y E S O N B C . C O M

FEATURES 7 Teafarm: The Great Cowichan Valley Tea Experiment

10 Bullfrogs and the Call to Higher Ground

ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT, OUTDOORS 13 Book Review: Into the Mystic by Susan McCaslin 14 Tide Table 16 ECHO Players: The Upcoming Season 2015/16 17 Poet’s Corner: John Beaton’s “Qualicum Sunset”

COMMUNITY LIFE 15 From the Desk of Area H RDN Director, Bill Veenhof

21 Inspired by Community

THE REGULARS8 In the Stars: Georgia Nicols Horoscope

19 Classifieds 20 Community Events 22-23 At Your Service - Local Services & Trades

Articles and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the writers and published for general information purposes only. Articles are not intended to provide specific advice - the

publisher will assume no liability.

Articles and/or data may not be quoted or reproduced, in part or in whole, without permission from the publisher.

Freelance writers & photographersQueries can be directed to

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MAGAZINE

July 2015

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Our Contributors this month: David Morrison, Georgia Nicols, Joanne Sales,

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HOT OFF THE PRESS!!! 2015/2016 Lighthouse Country Community Directory

The Lighthouse Country Business Association (LCBA) is happy to announce that the 2015/16 Lighthouse Community Directory (phonebook) has arrived and has been delivered to your mailbox. This directory has been provided by the volunteers of the LCBA board for appoximately 30 years, is funded by the member advertisers and serves as a valuable resource of local

information to current residents and newcomers alike. It is free to the residents of Bowser, Deep Bay, Qualicum Bay, Horne and Spider Lakes as well as a few of the neighbouring communities. We hope you will use it and enjoy it!

We would like to acknowledge all of those whose eff orts have

gone into producing this directory. Thank you for your time and contribution to the community. To our members and advertisers, thank you for your support of the LCBA which enables our business association to engage in projects to support the health of our local economy. Not only this; we feel that the directory binds our spread-out communities together. Special mention to our production team, Dick Stubbs, Kris Masson and Sarah Hutchison for their creativity, talent and especially hard work as evidenced in the fi nal product. They have done Lighthouse Country proud! Additional thanks to Peter Mason for his great street maps, Sheena McCorquodale for her graphic contributions, Brian Kingzett and Linda Tenney for their photo contributions, Bill Veenhof for the RDN resource info and to each of our excellent “white pages team” for their painstaking updating of the telephone listings: Pat McLean, Deanne Kelsberg, Margie Grozell, Marg McIntosh, Sharon Waugh, Murray and Laurel Webster, Patt i Stubbs, Donna de Bellefeuille, Arlene Veenhof and Glennys MacDonald. Many hands truly do make light(er) work!

DISTRIBUTION - The directory has been mailed and if you haven’t received one, they can be picked up at Georgia Park Store Post Offi ce, Salish Sea Market and the Bowser Builders Supply. As they are classifi ed as unaddressed “junk” mail, their distribution is restricted in the same way as fl yers are – so if you have previously requested that no fl yers be delivered to your mailbox, you won’t receive a directory. Please let us know of any updates or corrections that need to be made for our next directory – contact information is noted below.

By mail to: LCBA Box 59 Bowser, BC VOR IGO or by email: [email protected]. Lighthouse Country Business Association www.lighthousecountry.ca

~ submitt ed by Betsy Poel, President, LCBA

On The Cover: "Leaving the Harbour" - Linda Tenney

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By David Morrison

Whether it was a happy accidentor an effect of journalistic

instinct, just over five years ago I found myself witnessing the beginning of what is gradually turning into a remarkable story. I say ‘gradually’ because by its very nature the story can only develop as slowly as its principal character. The character in question is a plant – more accurately, an evergreen shrub called camellia sinensis – commonly known to the world as the tea plant.

It was Valentine’s Day 2010 when my wife Susan and I visited the Victoria Tea Festival. It was interesting, colourful, and a pleasant way to

spend the Day of Romance with my girl. We met, chatted with, and learned about tea from a few vendors, buying some of their wares as we did so. Among them were Victor Vesely and Margit Nellemann, a couple from the Cowichan Valley running a business selling their own blended teas – sourced on a fair trade basis from organic tea farms around the world - and ceramic artist Margit’s amazing teapots. On the way home I thought about the charismatic Vesely, the svelte Nellemann, and what I considered to be their neat, compact business model. Mulling story ideas for another publication,

I decided to contact them to find out more, unwittingly stumbling into a far bigger story than I had bargained for!

In the Canadian Tea Industry section of the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada pages of the Government of Canada website, the introduction categorically states that “Canada does not have the appropriate climate for growing tea.” That’s as maybe, and generally correct, but – at least on a small scale - Vesely and Nellemann have proven the naysayers wrong. What started as an experiment when I met this adventurous couple five years

continued on page 18

Teafarm: The Great Cowichan Valley Tea Experiment

Photo: David Morrison & Linda Tenney

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Aries (March 21-April 19) You will swing your focus to home, family and your private life this month. You might want to cocoon at home; or you might tackle home repairs, redecorating projects and even renovations. Some will become more involved with family members, especially a parent. And because fiery Mars enters the picture on Wednesday, June 24, you will also have to be patient with family members to avoid arguments. And there you have it.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) This month the tempo of your daily schedule will speed up because of the demands you suddenly face. Short trips are a given. Plan for this. In addition, you will be busy talking and communicating to others, especially siblings and relatives. You’ll also be busy with errands and have an ambitious To Do list. Many of you will write or read and study more than usual as well. In a nutshell, you’ll be busier than a one-armed paper hanger, and very vocal, if not strident with others. “Move that mountain!” “Build that bridge!”

Gemini (May 21-June 20) This month your focus is on money, cash flow and your possessions. This could be because you are looking for a job or making a major purchase. You might focus on your possessions, cleaning, repairing or maintaining something. All this focus on money will make you equate your assets with your self-worth. If you’re rich – you feel good. If you’re broke, you feel like navel lint. Don’t do this because life is precious and you are not measured by your bank account. What really counts is your car where you eat.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) This month the Sun in your sign makes you feel energized! This is your chance to recharge your batteries for the rest of the year. The Sun also attract favourable circumstances to you. You’re a winner! You project your personality with greater force and make a strong impression

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on others. You’ll have a great need to express yourself. Lots of activity will take place in your life, which, in turn, will give you a chance to show the world what you can do.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) You will withdraw from the busyness of everything around you this month because you’ll be in planning mode. That’s because next month, the Sun will enter your sign, and you will present yourself to the world in full dazzle. Ta da! Use the month ahead to plan what you want your new year (birthday to birthday) to be all about. People who plan and set goals always achieve more. And of course, there’s Ted Turner’s advice: “Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise.”

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Start scanning your closet for snappy duds because your popularity rating will soar this month. Invitations for fun times will pour in; and interactions with others be based on fun times, dinners, lunches, get-togethers and parties. Your increased interaction with other will also be due to classes, sports events, meetings, conferences and conventions. Yes, you’ll be schmoozing! The important thing to know is that all these exchanges can benefit you.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) Holy VIP! This is the only time all year that the Sun is at the top of your chart casting a flattering spotlight on you. People in authority will notice you and ask you to take on a special job or increased responsibilities. Say yes because you won’t have to do anything special to dazzle them. Meanwhile, you’re up for this because Mars now arouses your ambition, the most it’s been aroused in two years. Just when you decide to reach for the brass ring, someone wants to offer it to you.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Keep a bag packed by the door because you’re going places this month. You want to broaden your horizons through travel, study, learning from books and film, and interacting with people from different countries and cultures. You’ll be bored with your routine. You want change! Stimulation! Adventure! You want to learn something new. Yeats said, “Education is not filling the bucket, it’s lighting a fire.”

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Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) This month is intense and passionate. You want to experience life at a gut level, not just as an intellectual abstraction. You want the nitty-gritty. You can also expect to be more involved with shared property, debt, taxes, inheritances and insurance issues. You might also feel challenged by someone. There could be disputes about shared property or inheritances. Confucius said, “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” (The butler Alfred said that, too.)

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) This month, the Sun is 180° opposite your sign, which is the only time all year this happens. Because the Sun is your source of energy, and it is now as far away from you as it gets all year, you will be tired. Discover the power nap. You might also be at odds with someone close to you. They annoy you! Could it be that you are wearing different glasses and seeing things from a different point of view? So much depends on attitude. Remember: Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) You’ll get a lot done this month because you want to productive, efficient and effective. You’re keen to be better organized and start each day with a To Do list. This desire for high standards will include thoughts about your health. Focus on a new exercise regime or explore a new way of eating. Basically, you are on self-improvement kick, which is excellent. These two planets will also highlight your focus on small pets as well. Woof!

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) Oh joy! Life will be exciting and romantic because for the first time in almost a year the Sun wants you to play! In the next four weeks, love affairs, romantic interludes and flirtatious tête-à-tête’s will thrill you. Beyond romance, your social life will be stimulated with fun invitations, picnics, barbecues, sports events, musical performances, the theatre, the arts and playful activities with children. And you will want to express your creative talents. Grab every chance to do this. ~

• J U L Y 2 0 1 5 • E Y E S O N B C M A G A Z I N E • E Y E S O N B C . C O M • 1 11 0 • J U L Y 2 0 1 5 • E Y E S O N B C M A G A Z I N E • E Y E S O N B C . C O M

by Joanne Sales

These are tough times on Planet Earth for all creatures. I’m gravitating again to what

appears to be the only reasonable solution. Save yourself – fall in love.

Bear with me, for I’m going to tell a very disturbing, nauseating story that is not about love. Only those with strong stomachs should proceed. Cover your children’s ears. Surround them with light.

It was another hot, dry day on the farm in June. (Did I mention dry?) Our six young ducks (80% grown) loved the pond, but it was getting shallower and shallower. On one sad evening, we couldn’t get the ducks to leave the pond. Finally we lifted them out of the water – to find that North American bullfrogs had been eating their feet! One foot was totally sucked off. Gone. Three others had a foot destroyed. It was horrible!

Ok, breathe easy. The bad story is told.

Days passed. I don’t know what kind of miraculous amphibian regrowth I was hoping for in a duck, but the feet did not regrow. Sometimes environmental damage is forever irreparable.

The North American Bullfrog is native to Eastern Canada and the US. Thanks to a restaurant owner who let them go in a lake near Victoria, the bullfrogs have been moving north,

eating native frogs, small ducks, each other, and anything they can put their giant mouths around – leaving a path of devastation behind them. Totally unwilling to graciously coexist, they are dominators – cold-blooded, selfish, greedy, heartless, and shortsighted. (Much like some multi-national corporations.) They don’t care about the suffering they inflict. They just want to satisfy their voracious appetites, come hell or high water - or hell in low water.

Bullfrog behavior could destroy a planet. Regardless, they are not going to willingly grow up, wake up, or change their actions. We have to rein them in. (Just like the same aforementioned multinational corporations.)

We watch the bullfrog behavior with disgust. We are human beings, with hearts, and capable of caring for the least among us – ducks, fish, refugees, girls, the poor - the list of the ‘least’ goes on ad infinitum.

But still, when the pond waters get dark, we get afraid. We are well aware of the greedy bullfrogs under water crippling us, ruining the pond, and eating our grandchildren’s lunch.

In fear, we gravitate to the corner of the pond where we believe we will find safety, or some relief from our uncomfortable anxiety and fear.

I just wish that our ducks had gravitated to the side of the pond! But because they are so loyal to each other, when one was attacked, the other five refused to leave it behind. So they stayed in the pond. Now instead of one wounded duck, we have four.

Their self-sacrificing loyalty could be used to support the argument for

the dark side of “save yourself”. Actually, it’s proof of the argument to “Put the oxygen mask on yourself first.” and then get out of the pond to scream, quack or run for help! Don’t be a passive victim! (Thank you to all those who risk

their lives and imprisonment to speak up about bull frog attacks. It takes a lot of courage!)

Anyway, we are frightened people (peoples) hanging out in our favourite corners of the pond. If you swim around, you can find corners dominated by dogmatism, denial, extremist world views, intellectual

CONTINUED NEXT PAGE

BULLFROGS AND THE CALL TO HIGHER GROUND

“Many of those who possess more resources and economic or political power seem mostly to be concerned

with masking the problems or concealing their symptoms,” wrote Pope Francis

in his recent encyclical letter “On Care for our Common Home”. In a passage

certain to upset conservatives, he said “a legal framework which can set clear

boundaries and ensure the protection of ecosystems has become indispensable”.

~ Pope Francis

• J U L Y 2 0 1 5 • E Y E S O N B C M A G A Z I N E • E Y E S O N B C . C O M • 1 1

retreat, fantasy. Some corners are a flurry of activity; some are very quiet. Video games, drugs, alcohol, accumulation, social media, television, and micro-vision can make everything seem okay. Despair, anger, hatred, blame, manic activity … you name it, the pond has it. Fight back, go to sleep, stay busy, stay skinny, stay drunk, stay away - or just get depressed. There is a corner for everyone. Some join the bullfrogs – greedy, violent, and indifferent.

I heard of a couple where the wife recycled, but the husband wouldn’t bother. “The world is coming to an end anyway. Why bother?” Another man I know has given up on humans – believing in despair that we humans deserve what’s coming to us.

The first man needs some humility (maybe I don’t know the future?) The second man would probably change his tune if he had the opportunity to fall in love with a young person. Young people have just started their journey. When you love one of them, you can’t throw in the towel. Apparently, it was his grandchildren who moved David Suzuki to become such a vocal activist for the earth and a sane society - when he could have retired in peace.

But then we had a wonderful surprise in the middle of June. Who would have expected the new best friend of the earth would be the Pope! His 200-page “encyclical letter” sealed it for me - I am not Catholic but I have absolutely fallen in love with Pope Francis.

In his 200 page document, “On Care for Our Common Home.” Pope Francis speaks boldly, mincing no words, with incredible clarity, compassion and courage, about the difficult changes we need to make globally – if we want to save the earth. If you haven’t read excerpts from his proclamation, take the time to do so.

He has totally infuriated the Climate Change deniers and others who would prefer religious people to stay in their corner of the pond.

In the first papal document dedicated to the environment, he called for “decisive action, here and now,” to stop environmental degradation and global warming.

When I read Pope Francis’ encyclical, my immediate response was – “I’m with him!” I will steal the words of the Brooklyn Newsie from the movie Newsies: “I say that what you say is what I say.”

Thank goodness, someone with power and safety has the courage, conscience and enough love to care about the least and the not yet born. (I mention

“safety” because some politicians in these dark times are scared for their lives. I hear that recently non-profits have received death threats when taking on the ruthless global giant Monsanto.)

Nevertheless, with the Pope’s inspiration, I’m feeling a resurgence of hope – that more of us will be paddling our way out of the dark corner of despair and back into the clearer waters of love.

Karen Armstrong, the inspiration behind the global Charter for Compassion, was asked, “What is a compassionate city?” She answered, “A compassionate city is an uncomfortable city.” It isn’t easy to be compassionate – especially with such disparity of resources and wealth. But our choice is between the discomfort of love or the discomfort of greed, hatred and indifference. They are all uncomfortable. Love sure knocks the socks off of being closed off, isolated, angry and defensive. The City of Parksville took the bold step to be a Compassionate City.

Love transcends all religious differences because it is at the core of each of them. (Terrorists and hate-filled religious extremists missed that chapter of their scripture.) Love is a

Joanne Sales is a freelance writer, blueberry farmer living in rural Qualicum Beach, and Director of Vancouver Island’s Broombusters Invasive Plant Society. Questions about her articles should be directed to [email protected]. For information or questions regarding Broombusters Invasive Plant Society - www.broombusters.org. Ph: 250-752-4816, Email: [email protected]

proactive positive extension of the heart; there is nothing soft or weak about it. Love enables us to be deeply engaged but not overcome, for it is powered by a force over which the bullfrogs have no control.

Love un-cramps the heart and gives us something to do to counter the dark waters that frighten us. Love is applicable even in the tiniest “insignificant’ moments and places. The mind, in love, is a powerful force, and changes things that it can’t even see.

Don’t be fooled by a bullfrog in a suit. Love is the only corner with a future.

Where do you and I go when we leave the pond? I don’t know. But regardless of whether we return to this pond, or go to the Great Pond in the Sky, or simply leave a legacy for future pond dwellers – love is the wisest long-term survival strategy. It is in one’s highest self interest – and everyone else’s.

I just borrowed a prawn trap to try to catch those bullfrogs so that they will stop killing everything. We may believe in freedom, but any out of balance, oversized, heartless, untrainable bullies – like bullfrogs – have to be contained.

That is what government is for. To protect the land and all its inhabitants, the people including the least among us – with jobs, health care, clean water, clean air, food, and a future for the future generations. When the government is just protecting the bullfrogs, we have a problem. And we also have an election. ~

continued from page 10

Pope Francis calls for policies to “drastically” reduce polluting

gases, saying technology based on fossil fuels “needs to be progressively replaced

without delay” and sources of renewable energy developed.

For a link to read Laudato Si: On Care for our Common Home by Pope Francis,

visit www.eyesonbc.com


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Reviewed by Mary Ann Moore

Into the Mystic: My Years with Olga (Inanna Publications, 2014), is a spiritual memoir for which “field

notes” began in the late 1980s. Susan McCaslin of Fort Langley, an award-winning poet and retired instructor of English and Creative Writing, continued to expand on those notes which have become a mixed-genre spiritual memoir.

The book is “mixed genre” as it contains prose, poetry, and excerpts from her spiritual mentor, Olga Park’s, many self-published and unpublished materials. Weaving together her own life, Olga’s life and mystical practices, McCaslin prompts contemplation of one’s own spiritual journey.

As so many years have passed, McCaslin has had an opportunity to bring her knowledge of poetry, spiritual practices and traditions to her reflections as well as to her life.

As for the term “mystic,” McCaslin’s definition is “a person whose life is an embodiment of love, whose wisdom arises from the earth and aspires to the stars. . . . A mystic’s love begins with the self, the family, the local community, but extends to the planet and even the universe, grounded in an all-encompassing mystery.”

McCaslin writes clearly and well and shares her own story honestly. While she may be writing of visions, precognition, out-of-body excursions, nature epiphanies, experience of earlier incarnations and the like, all of it sounds grounded without devaluing or exploiting such mystical experiences in any way.

She invites readers to join her on “this journey out of curiosity, even with a healthy agnosticism.” Through Olga, McCaslin discovered that the Christian tradition of her childhood faith “held at its deepest core a path of non-violent, universal love that coincided with those of other religions and spiritual traditions.”

In the autumn of 1969, when McCaslin was twenty-two, her friend Patricia took her to meet Olga Park at the far end of the Burrard Inlet east of Vancouver. McCaslin had already embarked on a study of both Catholic and Protestant mystics so the timing was ideal.

Olga had left the institutional church and continued to see Jesus as her “lineage teacher.” She was born as Mary Olga Park on February 24, 1891 in Gargrave, North Yorkshire, England. She came to Canada in 1910, Vancouver specifically, and married in 1917. She lived many years as a hermit, attracting “seekers” to her small cottage. Olga died in 1985.

Olga believed in ritual as “containment for the psychic energies.” It was a way to set up an energy field for heightened states of awareness.

I agree with McCaslin that the process of writing is analogous. Making oneself available at the desk prepares one for, as McCaslin puts it, “visitations of the Muse when she comes with a sound pattern, image, or thought.”

“Mystics like Olga demonstrate the hidden potential in us all to live more holistically,” McCaslin writes. The contemplative, the activist, the praise-singer and the prophet were not separate in her. It sounds as if McCaslin can be described similarly. She has found the world around her to be “increasingly enchanting, wild, magical – integral to the divine unity” she sought as a child.

Mary Ann Moore is a poet, writer and writing mentor based in Nanaimo. She offers a mentoring program called Writing Home: A Whole Life Practice. Visit her website at www.maryannmoore.ca.

INTO THE MYSTIC: MY YEARS WITH OLGA BY SUSAN MCCASLINA REVIEW BY MARY ANN MOORE


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Phone: 250-757-8944Fax: 250-757-8654

Open daily 8am to 8pm

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK


Summer is upon us and I hope thatyou are all enjoying our fine weather.

This is a wonderful time of year. Below find a few things that I have been following:

FIRE DANGER

This spring has been unusually dry and this is forecast to continue. Please be very careful with fire at home and in the forest.

If you spot a fire, call it in by dialing 1-800-663-5555 or *5555 (cell).

DEEP BAY MARINE FIELD STATION- WHALES AND SEAWEED

• From July 1 onward, you can viewa grey whale skeleton at the FieldStation. Preparing and mounting thishas been a very positive communityeffort and this should be fun andinteresting.

• The Ministry of Agriculture hasreleased the Seaweed Study thatwas prepared by VIU. It is availableon-line on the Agriculture Ministry“newsroom” web site.

• There are many events planned forthe summer at the Station, for moreinformation go to their web site.

DISASTER RESPONSE IN AREA H

On 23 June, I attended an exerciserun by the volunteers of the

Oceanside Emergency Support Services (ESS) at the Lighthouse Community Centre, (LCC). This exercise was designed to practice setting up the LCC as an emergency reception centre, process a few people and establish emergency communication links. It was a very successful. Following are a few points that you will hopefully find useful:

We have two reception centres in Area H: 1) the Bowser Legion, and 2) the Lighthouse Community Centre. There are other centres in Qualicum Beach, Parksville and Area F.

Depending on the nature of the emergency, Oceanside ESS along with the RDN and the Province will determine which centres will be opened during a period of emergency.

ESS volunteers will proceed to the designated Reception Centre(s) and open them up to receive people at that time.

The immediate purpose of the Reception Centres is to process people who can no longer live in their homes because of the emergency. I was “processed” and it took 10 minutes. The purpose of the processing is to:

• Get personal details (if you wish toprovide them) so that individuals canbe reunited with family members andconcerned relatives and friends candetermine if you are safe, and

• Receive vouchers for, hotels, meals,clothing, incidentals and pet care. Thissupport is for the first 72 hours afterwhich the Red Cross or the Provincewill take over.

None of our Reception Centres have the equipment to lodge people at the centre. If this is required, we will require support from the Province or the Military. This will take time.

ESS has a very dedicated group of “Ham” radio operators who are capable of establishing very robust communication wireless links, locally and provincially (world-wide, if necessary). They have built (mostly at their own expense) “grab and go”

kits that operate on dedicated Ham frequencies. Their signals are digital which allows for voice and computer-to-computer data communications. Expect that an established ESS will have this capability.

We have two local residents who have volunteered to support Oceanside ESS. But, most of our support comes from Qualicum Beach and Parksville. I am very appreciative of this support. This said, in a big emergency, some of these volunteers may not be able to get here or will be required at other centres. It is for these reasons that we still need another 10 local volunteers. These would be people who initially open the centre and then train “walk-ins” how to process arrivals.

All this to say, WE NEED VOLUNTEERS, if you are interested, please contact Oceanside ESS at [email protected].

Finally, Provincial and Federal guidance suggests that people should be prepared to live at home for 3 days without any outside support. In a rural area, such as ours, I think that it would be very prudent to be prepared to be self-sufficient for a week (food and water) without support.

SPEEDING IN THE SPIDER/HORNE LAKE AREAS

Complaints about speeding on localroads is something I hear about

often. When I get these, I refer them to the RCMP. Recently, I received a complaint from the Spider Lake area that was alarming which could have resulted in someone being seriously injured (or worse). Please respect our speed limits and the pedestrians who walk on our roadsides. ~

FROM THE DESK OF THE DIRECTORBILL VEENHOF Regional Director, Area H billveenhof.com - ph: 778-424-2810 ■ [email protected]

Follow me on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Re-elect-Bill-Veenhof-for-RDN-Area-H/601034586674892


ECHO PLAYERS 2015/2016

THE UPCOMING SEASON! “ECHO Players 2015-2016 season magnifies the power of the human spirit—sometimes in very unexpected and comical ways.

I am tremendously proud of the lineup this season, as it brings together artists whose work I’ve long admired with tremendous plays that I know will resonate with our audience,” Alistair McVey, chair of ECHO Players Artistic Direction Committee states.

Our season opens with Calendar Girls by Tim Firth directed by Don Harper. The play is about a group of extraordinary women, members of Knapely Village Women’s Institute, who spark a global phenomenon by persuading one another to pose for a charity calendar with a difference! As interest snowballs, the Calendar Girls find themselves revealing more than they'd ever planned. It is “A very British story, with a very British heart.” Calendar Girls is based on an uplifting and very inspiring true story that is quirky, poignant and hilarious.

Our Christmas play Merry Christmas George Bailey by Shirlee H. Shields tells the familiar story of a big-hearted but desperate George Bailey who, on a Christmas Eve filled with hardship and disappointments, is shown the true value of his own life and his value to others with an angel’s help. This heartwarming adaptation of It’s a Wonderful Life is sure to make the season sparkle. Director Lesley McVey and a large, talented cast of veteran actors recreate the familiar characters, provide radio sound effects, sing carols, and even spin catchy advertising jingles. If you want to savor the days of yore when family and friends gathered ‘round the radio to share in the storytelling, Merry Christmas, George Bailey is the perfect gift.

In a different vein The Sound of Murder by William Fairchild is a whodunit in the classic British fashion of Agatha Christie. Directed by Wendy Punter, this play features a writer of popular children's stories who has a decidedly dark side. When his wife asks for a divorce, he adamantly refuses for selfish reasons. The story spirals down to a thrilling and surprising conclusion involving the wife's lover, the author's secretary, the police, and a voice recorder. “The murderer is known, but can murder be foolproof?”

We close the season with James McFarlane’s translation of Henrik Ibsen’s classic A Doll’s House. “A woman doesn’t have the right to protect her old dying father, or to save her husband’s life! I can’t believe that’s true…” Torvald and Nora Helmer have it all: a loving marriage, three beautiful children, and a secure financial future as a result of Torvald’s new appointment at the bank. But Nora has a secret, and the arrival of an unexpected visitor on Christmas Eve threatens to tear their lives apart forever.

Don’t miss a single play! Call 250.752.3522 or e-mail [email protected] to order your Season Subscription. Buy your subscription by August 15th and enter your name for a chance to win an overnight stay in a suite at the Chateau Victoria, plus a $100 gift certificate. For more information visit our website at www.echoplayers.ca. Based at the Village Theatre in Qualicum Beach, ECHO Players is a community theatre society which has served Oceanside and beyond since the 1930s.

~ submitted by Sue Murguly


John Beaton lives in Qualicum Beach. His poetry has been widely published. He served for four years as moderator of one of the Internet’s most reputable poetry workshops and is a Spoken Word performer, a member of the band Celtic Chaos, and a co-organizer of local events, including a community showcase for musicians and Spoken Word performers, the Qualicum Acoustic Café (QUAC). You can find samples of John’s work by searching online for “John Beaton poetry”. To receive a monthly newsletter about local community events organized by John and his family and friends, email him at [email protected]. ~

About this Poem ...

Richard Wilbur is a poet I greatly admire. I took the form for this poem from a beautiful work of his called “Mayflies”. The stanzas each have eight lines with an abbacdcd rhyme-scheme. All lines are pentameter (five beats), except for lines three (three beats) and six (two beats). This poem appears in a podcast at http://www.ablemuse.com/erato/showthread.php?t=10317.

Qualicum Sunset- John Beaton

Notes ...

I love to watch sunsets from the estuary of the Little Qualicum River. Other places have spectacular ones, some arguably more beautiful than Qualicum’s. Within the Arctic Circle, amid displays of Northern Lights, the sun sets for up to six months. According to this poem, the greenness of the grass on the other side of the world’s fences needn’t diminish our appreciation for local beauty in our own lives. That thought extends to other things too, including people.

This evening’s sunset, though ethereal rose,is not unique—I’ve seen its like before

emblazoning this shore;

others eclipse it, robed and grandiose,descending suns which, as they disappear,

draw a train

across the polar ice for half a year—long, silken night that lets in astral rain.

I see no Ellesmere, but islands smolder,anthracite to bank the sunset’s fire.

As twilight’s rays retire,

the ebb-tide bares a sandbar like a shoulderand ingle-benches empty—seabird flocks

seek nooks of calm;

they search for marsh and carr with goodnight squawksand sea and sky close like a carmine clam.

In another life I’d clamber Brooks Range talusor run the Sagavanirktok by canoe,

my paddle breaking through

a dusky, red aurora borealis.But this is my life and this fair coast, my home,

and this setting sun

deserves to be viewed, not with an eye to roam,but as if it were the first and only one. ~


For more information visit us at www.oceansidehospice.com or call 250-752-6227

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Support Team Oceanside Hospice

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July 25-26, 2015

Our family has proudly served the Oceanside

communities since 1998. We believe in providing

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service to our families.

continued on page 23

continued from page 7 - Teafarm: The Great Cowichan Valley Tea Experiment

will later this year result in a limited edition batch of Cowichan Valley-grown tea for sale to the general public.

“I don’t know whether to laugh or cry!” says the charming Vesely, a man clearly passionate for his subject. “It’s very emotional, and has been an amazing journey. It couldn’t have happened without people like yourself sharing our story, but also Margit and I devoting ourselves to it seemingly seven days a week, twenty hours a day!”

When I fi rst visited the couple at the helm of Teafarm back in 2010 they had only just put their tea plants in the ground, in terracing running along the side of the driveway to the tearoom element of their business. They had no idea what might happen, but sheer belief married to months of research as to how the weather patt erns of their section of the valley might behave convinced them it could be done. Back then Nellemann said to me, “We know we’re being a litt le ambitious in pushing the growing limits and that we’re going to lose plants, but we’ll focus on the ones that survive and take cutt ings from them. Over time we hope to have a hardier variety that has acclimatized, and then you have a new hybrid.” Vesely added, “It’s not so much rolling the dice, as we feel strongly and intuitively that it can work.”

It remains unclear whether or not the eleven acre Teafarm has been the fi rst to successfully grow tea on Vancouver Island, or elsewhere in Canada, but fi ve years after they started Vesely has this to say: “People have grown it, but our focus of the commercial growing of tea on a small scale isn’t tied to being the fi rst to do it, but to produce truly the fi nest quality Canadian tea we can. That’s what drives us. We’ve been made aware of some other folks growing tea on a small scale, and that’s fi ne, but Canada is still waiting for someone to do this on a bigger scale. Five years down the line, as we have seen with our experiment it’s all about time and terroir, and like with grapes it’s all about the minerals, the wind…everything that will aff ect the fl avour. It’s not a competition for us; we’re inspired by the tradition of growing tea, going back thousands of years. Ours is not about winning the game, but improving it.”

As can be gleaned from Vesely’s claim above, what shines through with him and Nellemann is that they appear to be pursuing their grand tea growing experiment as an extension or natural consequence of their deep love for, and embracing of, global tea culture and ancient traditions. This is beautifully realized via the ‘face’ of Teafarm, their gorgeous tearoom, fashioned out of a


ISLAND GOSPEL CENTRE“A house of LIGHT in Lighthouse Country”

Sundays - 10AM Worship

90 McColl Road, Bowser, BC (250) 757-8253

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FIRST RATE MASONARY – Over 15 years experience providing first-rate, creative workmanship within budget and on time! Old brick restoration. All stone and tile work. Fireplace facing. Retaining walls and pavers. Chimney construction, cleaning and repairs. FMI Call Jason Buxton (250) 802-5515.

THE FIX-IT SHOP – Repairs to all makes and models of lawnmowers and ride on lawn tractors, including John Deere. Pick-up and delivery available. Used equipment for sale. Call (250) 702-2191 or email [email protected]

DON’S HOME REPAIR – Plumbing repairs and installations, complete renovations, no job too small. Call Don at (250) 757-8757 or cell (250) 951-8757.

Parksville / Qualicum / Bowser - PICK-UP, TUNE-UP AND CLEAN-UP FOR SMALL ENGINE POWERED EQUIPMENT. Riding mowers, garden tractors, etc. Call Ron at (250) 937-0044 or email [email protected]

FOOTCARE – HYGIENE Soaking feet, cutting nails, filing calluses, treating dry skin – fingernails, too. Reflexology - one-hour sessions. Services offered from Nanoose to Courtenay. Please call Vikki at (250) 757-9244.

U CALL - I HAUL - You got it? I haul it! Yard waste. Appliances. Construction debris. Miscellaneous junk removal. Small furniture moves, too. 8-years experience. Call Ron for all your hauling needs. 250-757-2094 or 250-947-0572

ANTIQUES - expert appraisal services for insurance, probate, downsizing and dispersal. We also buy antiques. Summer sale now on - 20-50% off. Mildred’s Memorabilia.ph. 250-752-1700 3215 Brooklin Lane,Hilliers. (located on Hilliers RoadSouth, (off Hwy 4) 6km west ofQualicum Beach) www.rosewell.caopen Thurs - Sun 11-5. All other timesby chance or appointment- pleasephone ahead.

HEALTHY LIVING

KOMBUCHA - Make Your Own Kombucha Workshops offered in Coombs by Joanne Sales who has been making Kombucha for over 20 years. joanne@glasswing. com, www.islandhealing.ca

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LIGHTHOUSE COMMUNITY CENTREAvailable for RentalsCall 778-424-9900

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Community Event CalendarJuly 2015

LIGHTHOUSE COMMUNITY CENTRE (LCC) - 240 Lions Way, Qualicum Bay. FMI Hall rentals Call Sheena McCorquodale: (250) 757-9991. FMI on Events at the LCC visit www.communityhall.ca.

SECOND SUNDAY MARKET at the Lighthouse Community Centre in Qualicum Bay – Sunday July 12th - 8am-Noon, Pancake Breakfast - $5 or $7. Enjoy live music, breakfast, shopping for a treasure. The Hall Board will be serving breakfast.

TAOIST™ TAI CHI Every Monday 9:30-noon Susan Finlayson 250-757-2097

LIGHTHOUSE SPINNERS – Bring your Spinning Wheels and fibre and meet the Lighthouse Spinners at the LCC, Tuesdays at 10:30am. FMI Call 778-424-1001.

CARPET BOWLING – 12:45 to 3:00pm at the LCC. FMI Call Layne (250) 757-8217.

AA LIGHTKEEPERS - Fridays at 7:00pm at the LCC. FMI contact (250) 757-2300.

BRIDGE – Nordin Room 1:00 to 4:00pm Friday afternoons at the LCC. FMI Call: Sheila Steele (250) 757-8307.

LIONS REC HALL – 280 Lions Way, Qualicum Bay. FMI on Hall rentals Call Bert Carter: (250) 240-4538.

QUALICUM BAY LIONS CLUB – Meet at 7pm, every second and fourth Tuesday in the Lions Den at the Lions’ Rec Hall.

LIGHTHOUSE COUNTRY SCRAPBOOKERS – Meet 3rd Saturday monthly at the Lions’Rec Hall, 9:30am- 4:30pm. $10. Door prizes.FMI Call Jorgie 250-757-8358 or Shirley(250) 757-8384.

FLOOR CURLING. Be active this summer. Join us on Mondays until August 31st, 1-3 pm at the LIONS RECREATION HALL,in lovely Qualicum Bay. No equipmentrequired. A game of fun and challenges.For all ages, a mixed group. Only $2drop-in fee. FMI call Fred or Lorraine:250-752-0216.

BOWSER TENNIS CLUB - info: [email protected], or ph 250-757-8307

LIGHTHOUSE TRAILS GROUP - Needs your help! FMI Call: Val Weismiller: (250) 757-9667.

RDN RECREATION PROGRAMS - View recreation programs online at www.rdn.bc.ca/recreation. FMI call Chrissie at (250) 757-8118, email at [email protected] orcall Oceanside Place at (250) 248-3252. Pre-register for all programs to avoid programcancellation.

HENRY MORGAN PARK FAMILY PICNIC AND PLAY - Kids bring your adults and your dinner to play at Henry Morgan Community Park. This is a fun family evening and a great way to appreciate your community. Games and activities provided by RDN Recreation and Parks leaders, but if you have a favourite family game bring it along. Propane BBQ’s welcome. Fridays from 5pm-8pm on July 24 and August 28. This event is free. Phone RDN, Recreation and Parks at 250-757-8118 FMI.

MAGNOLIA COURT SUMMER MARKET in Bowser (6996 W. Island Hwy)– Wednesdays from 5:30-8pm until August 26th – Contact Corinne 250-947-5231 or Sarah 250-937-1879 for vendor opportunities and info.

Saturday July 4 - 7pm. DANCE! REGGAE SUNSPLASH at the Lighthouse Community Centre in Qualicum Bay. Featuring FREDLOCKS ASHER and the ULTRA FLEX CREW. $20 advance/$25 at the door. Tix avail: Salish Sea Market and Georgia Park Store in Bowser, Mulberry Bush Books in Qualicum Beach, and Cranky Dog in Parksville.

LIGHTHOUSE SLO PITCH - Fridays at 6:30pm at the Lighthouse Community Ball Field behind the Lighthouse Community Centre at 240 Lions Way in Qualicum Bay. Popcorn, treats and refreshments available from the Lions Concession stand. A fun, family-oriented event. Bring the kids.

Thursday, July 2 - 7PM - The OCEANSIDE BREAST CANCER SUPPORT GROUP meets

at The Gardens, 650 Berwick North, Qualicum Beach. Ladies living with breast cancer are welcome. 250-752-8066 or [email protected]

Tuesday, July 7 - 7PM - The OCEANSIDE PROSTATE CANCER SUPPORT GROUP meets at The Gardens, 650 Berwick North, Qualicum Beach. See something special this night. Those newly diagnosed or affected, their family & friends are welcome. Contact 250-752-7489 or [email protected]

EAGLECREST GARDEN CLUB - July 22, 7pm, Qualicum Beach Civic Centre. Exotic Orchids You Can Grow, presented by Chuck Morin from Paramount Orchids. All welcome.Non-members:$2.

ERRINGTON FARMERS’ MARKET - Every Saturday 10am-1pm from May to September, in the Errington Community Park. Live music in the bandstand. Market basket with donations from vendors, tickets only $1. Fresh produce, baking, arts and crafts. For more info please contact:Salareena (250) 586-0099www.erringtonfarmersmarket.ca

ARTIST or CRAFTER? - VENDOR SPOTS ARE AVAILABLE at the Lighthouse Country Fall Fair in the popular Artists’ Hall. September 5 - 10am-4pm. Reserve your spot today! All fees must be pre-paid to secure your spot. Contact Marcella at 250-752-8554 for fees and space availability.

DEEP BAY MARINE FIELD STATION - Looking for something fun to do this summer? One-hour Drop-In Tours every Thursday, 11am. Learn about the Station’s research, experience the touch tanks, and learn about our LEED Platinum Certified building. $10 per person. No reservation required. Lunch will be available following the tour from 12pm-2pm. Menu: Chef’s Choice @ $15 per person. No reservation required. 370 Crome Point Rd, Bowser. Tel: (250) 740-6611 Email: [email protected]







The Foster Secretary Association is again giving all its proceeds to the Cancer Projects of the Order of the Eastern Star, to be used for either Cancer Research

or Cancer Dressings. Our cheque this year is for $6,717.22. The cumulative total of stamp sales to date (1954-2015) is $450,747.86.

Here’s my cheque for the past year.It isn’t very big I fear.

My stamp sales are down,It makes me worry a frown.

I keep thinking ... next year will be bett er.But did you know, it costs $1 to mail a lett er?

So, for stamps, I urge you all to fi nd a new source,I depend on all of you for this, of course.

I know you will come through, like you always do.Then we will STAMP OUT CANCER

because of dedicated folks like you!

~ Gladys Pierce, PGM, General Stamp Convenor

Editors’ Note: Collecting cancelled stamps seems like such an insignifi cant thing. How could it possibly matt er? But it does. Over the years, EyesOnBC Magazine has saved and passed along hundreds and hundreds of cancelled stamps clipped from envelopes received by mail throughout the year. It’s an easy thing to do, and helps the Association raise signifi cant funds for the Grand Chapter of British Columbia & Yukon, Order of the Eastern Star’s Cancer Project. It does make a diff erence! I’ve been touched by cancer personally, and it has taken members of my family as well. I urge you to collect your cancelled stamps this year and every year. It’s a simple matt er to clip, save and deliver them to the Salish Sea Market at Magnolia Court in Bowser (6996 West Island Highway) where the Foster Secretary Association’s volunteer Gwen will pick them up for the Cancelled Stamp Project. ~ Linda Tenney, Publisher

HELP STAMP OUT CANCER

Hall Rentals 250-757-9222 • Tue to Fri 9am - 12 noon

WHAT’S HAPPENINGIN JULY!

MEMBERS, GUESTS & PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS WELCOME Closed Mondays

250-757-9222 • website: www.rcl211.ca • email: [email protected]

Men’s Pool Thursday ........................................... 6:00 pmHorseshoes Sundays............................................. 1:00 pm

Meat Draws - Every Friday at 5:00 p.m. & Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

July 21 – Branch 211 Executive Meeting

July 1 – CANADA DAY CELEBRATION starts @ 11 a.m.July 4 – See the ‘Military Vehicle Restoration Convoy’ @ 4 p.m.July 19 – Whacky-thon @ noonJuly 25 – Pub Nite with ‘10-66’ tickets and info @ the Lounge

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continued from pg 16 - Teafarm: The Great Cowichan Valley Tea Experiment

converted barn. Here, they set out to create a ‘tea experience,’ sharing the ‘Way of Tea’ with the thousands of visitors that now visit this increasingly famous destination annually. My wife Susan and I have visited several times, on our last occasion sampling delicious Green Tea Chiffon Cake, Earl Grey Chocolate Cake, Black Cream Tea and Lemon Ginger Tea. Yes, it was as lip-smacking as it sounds.

The tearoom also displays and sells Nellemann’s wondrous teapots (which, functional or otherwise, are beautiful works of art) and other ceramic creations, as well as a huge range of artisan blended loose leaf organic teas, single estate and estate-grown loose leaf teas, and all manner of tea-related books and paraphernalia. It is a tea lover’s paradise.

“Our teahouse has evolved and become a special little world that people from all over are continuing to discover,” states Vesely with understandable pride. “Part of our journey has been growing our awareness of what we actually are, and defining it; we are purveyors of fine teas, blending organic fair trade teas from all over the world, which is the integral ethos of Teafarm.”

Juggling the different aspects of Teafarm has demanded incredibly long hours from the couple since deciding to grow tea in 2010 but, as Vesely reaffirms, “Certainly, at the end of the day, growing tea is our focal point. We’ve planted four hundred more tea plants, which are doing extremely well, with another two hundred holes dug for more seedlings going in. Eight hundred-plus plants is the path of our vision.”

Considering the difficulties of growing tea in Canada, over the five years it has taken for the plants to inch towards maturity, I had imagined there must have been a whole raft of challenges and frustrations to contend with, but Vesely explains that it has been a smoother passage than they anticipated. “We’ve had a few setbacks to learn from,” he admits, “and it’s been a day-to-day, hour-to-hour monitoring scenario, but we’ve been lucky in that we have not encountered any kind of pest or disease, and we’ve managed to keep the deer away. The plants seem to be thriving in any extreme, but there hasn’t really been anything that has stood in our way. If anything the greatest challenge has been finding the time to grow all three parts of the business – the farm, the clay business, and the tea business, and we justcouldn’t have done any of this without our fabulous staff.”

It is yet to be determined exactly when the first harvest Teafarm tea will be launched, but it is getting closer and closer. When it is finally ready it will be a joyous, momentous occasion, one to celebrate and raise a glass… er, cup of tea, to the vision, determination, sweat and patience of this amazing couple. “Now we’re here it’s magical to be sharing it with the world,” laughs Vesely, hardly able to contain his excitement. ~

Teafarm is located at 8350 Richards Trail in the Cowichan Valley. For further information, visit www.teafarm.ca or call Victor Vesely and Margit Nellemann on (250) 748 3811. That said, I highly recommend a visit to the wonderful Teafarm over a phone call or mouse clicks.

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july 2015 eyesonbc magazine

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