The Flagstone

Denman’s Village Voice

June 2016 Volume 21 Issue 6

$2.00

The Summer Gallery in June

Paul Bailey - “In Celebration of Flowers”

Jude Kirk - “Rejuxtaposed” Submitted by Roberta Pagdin

The Summer Gallery is a busy place this month. Guy Benoit and Alan Stoddart’s “Duo-Artese” show closes on the 7th, so if you haven’t been able to catch this one yet, there is still time. And it is well worth taking time for - their thought-provoking surrealistic paintings will pull you in and have you looking for deeper meanings. Paul Bailey’s show, “In Celebration of Flowers”, will grace the gallery from the opening night on June 9th until the show closes on June 21st. A keen and talented photographer, Paul has been dedicated to photography since he began work as a photojournalist in 1978. He refers to himself as a “photo-based artist” who, after moving to Denman Island, worked as a freelance magazine photographer and writer. In 1994, Paul began working at North Island College as a photography instructor in the School of Fine Arts. He later coordinated the college’s Professional Photography Certificate Program.

Paul Bailey's "In Celebration of Flowers" and two weeks later, Jude Kirk's "Rejuxtaposed" show in June

Alan Stoddart & Guy Benoit's Collaboration is still on until June 7th

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The Flagstone Address: Box 10, Denman Island, BC, V0R 1T0

email:denmanflagstone@gmail.com Advertising call Danni Crenna

Volunteer Staff

Production - Danni Crenna (250)335-0198 Accounting - Helen Mason (250)335-1603 The Collating Team - Louise Bell, Graham

Brazier, Mikell Callahan, Jean Cockburn, Danni Crenna, Cindy & David Critchley, Noni Fenwick-

Wilson, Sterling Fraser, Karl Goodwin, John Graham, Jane Guest, Harlene Holm, Helen

Mason, Jack Mounce The Flagstone is a non-profit newsletter put together entirely by volunteers. Our revenues do not cover our costs. Please consider making a donation - drop in the Flagstone box at Abraxas or mail to the address above. A donation of $12 is only $1 per issue - a bargain! OUR DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS is the Friday before we go to print; generally the 3rd Friday of each month. Check this page or the back page or the Grapevine calendar for that date each month. The Flagstone is printed monthly by the Denman Island Print Shop at a reduced rate, for which we are very grateful. Off - Island Subscriptions: Flagstone issues mailed monthly for one year -

$30.00 Within Canada $40 to US Addresses

OR you can now get on-line subscriptions ( a pdf

mailed to your email address) for free Donations Welcome

Deadline for July's Flagstone

is Friday June 17th

1 Roberta Pagdin Summer Gallery

2 Index

3 Roberta Pagdin Summer Gallery Continued

4 Laura Busheikin Islands Trust Notebook

5 Eli Hason Ron Sakolsky

DIRCS Report Tree Frog Birthday

6 Barb Mills World Oceans Day

7 Riane da Silva New Coordinator DW!

8 Various Writers Letters

9 Various Writers Readers & Writers

10 Continued

11 Lori Nawrot Bill Engleson

HDCHCS News 200 Words or Less

12 Sponsor Don Luckett Arts Denman Page

13 Kate Janeway DICES

14 Continued

15 Continued

16 Frieda Werden Dying at Home

17 Lee Andra Jacobs

Continued Rockin' Weekend

18 Max Rogers Ag Matters

19 Continued

20 Sponsor ReMax Kids' Page

21 Lori Nawrot Minding the Gulf

22 John Millen Karl Goodwin

This Place Cartoon

23 Slug Blume For the Love of Dogs

24 Esther Muirhead Life Matters

25 Dr Ron Wilson Fitness News

26 Sponsored by Union Bay Credit Union

Community Announcements

Editor's note:

Apologies for not mentioning that the gorgeous

picture of Max Matilpi in June's profile was taken

by Brian Grogan.

Also, re profiles - they are now history. The Union

Bay Credit Union will be sponsoring a different

community page starting in the summer.

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and use our hands to help us. The open palm also means generosity and her hands are shown palm up, usually containing a small object. Each piece is unique and spoke to her in a different way. Jude’s shape is the spiral, as it is universal. Shells, plants, animals and the universe itself contain the spiral. She has ideas in waiting and will continue to incorporate the spiral into her new work. As well, Jude loves to explore the theme of everything being connected and will express her ideas in new forms. Be sure to catch Jude’s opening night - Thursday June 23rd at 7 p.m. The show will run from June 24th until July 5th. Plan on spending time with each of these intriguing pieces.

Denman Island Art Centre 1016 Northwest Road, Denman Island

Summer Gallery hours: Monday to Saturday:

11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday: 1 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.

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Summer Gallery from Page 1 Over the years, Paul has had many solo and group shows at galleries here on the west coast. As well, he has had his work exhibited in salons around the world. Now that he has retired from his position at NIC, Paul has had time to work on designing and self-publishing travel and art photo books. “In Celebration of Flowers” is his most recent book. Paul has photographed a variety of garden and wild flowers - most have been shot from a close-up perspective with a muted background. Birds and a variety of insects are included in some, but in all the flower is the focus. Many qualities that attract us to flowers are evident in these vivid photos. And each flower has been captured by the lens at just the right moment, adding to the feeling of aliveness and movement. Paul’s exhibit will display the book as well as framed and canvas Giclee prints. Many photos have unique borders that complement each exquisite flower. Come and join us at the opening on June 9th at 7 p.m., you’ll be glad you did! Jude Kirk has been creating art from an early age. She has always been drawn to expressing herself using a variety of materials - language has never been her preferred mode of expression. Working with plasticine came first, before moving on to drawing and painting. One of Jude’s fondest memories is of her as a thirteen year old in her birth country, Australia. A professional artist held oil painting classes for five people who were keen to paint, Jude was the youngest. She says their elderly teacher was a darling woman who lived in a romantic setting - a tiny cottage in the country. Jude’s talent and passion were acknowledged, she was inspired by her classes and this gave her the confidence to blossom as an artist - experimenting and creating in different media. When Jude was twenty, she had her first show of oil paintings depicting aboriginal themes. After moving to Canada, she painted for a long time before taking up silk screening here on Vancouver Island, at North Island College. Jude’s present work is three dimensional and multi -media; metal objects that have been worked and then paired with wood. She likes mixing old metal (it has history) with new and likes the freedom of working with recycled materials. Old stuff has a character that doesn’t need changing. Her pieces are refreshingly spontaneous, she plays with the materials until satisfied with the results. The materials dictate where she is going with the piece, not the other way around. The theme of “hands” recurs in several pieces in this show. As Jude says, we express ourselves with our hands

The A ROCKalypse is Real!

When the corporate over-lords start

moving in and taking over everything that

we hold dear, when the drones start flying

over our peaceful island and threatening

to annihilate us, when the only thing you

have to hang onto is the hope that there

might be one special person who really

cares and that music could possibly save

us all, then you know you are on the

verge of an A ROCKalyptic event! Yes,

the rumours (that we started) are true: the

A ROCKalypse is coming! And thanks to

some very sophisticated equipment,

we've been able to predict with utter

accuracy that it will occur on Saturday,

June 25th

at 8pm. Wanna be prepared?

Then get your advance tickets now by

calling 250-335-1330.

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Trustee Notebook By Laura Busheikin

Building Bridges and Exploring Indigenous Governance Systems “In order to understand where we are today, and where we would like to be, we need to understand where we have been.” --- Nuu-chah-nulth educator John Rampanen Last month I reported on Chief Dr. Robert Joseph’s speech to the Association of Vancouver Island Coastal Communities, and as promised, this month I am sharing some highlights from another knowledgable and inspiring First Nations speaker. In March, John Rampanen, of the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nation, gave a workshop to the Islands Trust Council entitled Working Across Cultures: Building Bridges and Exploring Indigenous Governance Systems. The approximately 450 islands in the Trust Area overlap or border on the traditional territory of over 30 First Nations, so this is not just an academic exercise for us! Rampanen started at the beginning, with spirit, sky, land and water. These four elements, he explained, form the organizing principles of his people’s spirituality, and their spirituality in turn forms the organizing principle of their communities – including their governance systems. After giving us a glimpse of how the Nuu-chah-nulth honoured these four elements in their daily lives and social organization prior to first contact, Rampanen led us through a summary of what happened when Europeans arrived. Here’s an excerpt: 1778: Captain James Cook is discovered by the Nuu-chah-nulth 1847 – 1850: measles outbreak, and 1862: smallpox outbreak – up to 90 per cent of First Nations people don’t survive 1861: first residential school opens 1900: First Nation population in North America reduced from 15 million to 300,000 1922: RCMP seize over 600 objects and arrest chiefs and elders in a potlatch raid on Vancouver Island 1931: 80 residential schools operating in Canada (10,000 children aged six to 15) 1951: law banning potlatch is dropped; practicing culture becomes legal 1960: Indigenous people allowed to vote in Canada 1996: last residential school in Canada is closed After showing us “where we have been,” Rampanen

moved on to “where we are now:” a time of unprecedented

opportunity and challenge for indigenous/settler

relationships in Canada. Then he offered tips on how to get

to “where we would like to be” – assuming, as I think all

of us in the room were, that the goal is reconciliation.

Here are some of his suggestions:

The most effective way to get to know another culture is through immersion. Attend cultural events and celebrations. Make an effort to learn the local language. Simple phrases and greetings are a great introductory effort that show your willingness to learn.

Introductions are a key part of indigenous culture. Generally, the indigenous custom is to not only introduce yourself by name but also to share your family lineage, place of origin and family connections. This honours the interconnectedness and importance of family, and ultimately demonstrates the connection we share globally as human beings. .

Learn and share more accurate depictions of indigenous history. Neglecting the true historical relationship between indigenous and non-indigenous people has been one of the biggest barriers to cross-cultural understanding and unity. These issues can be challenging to discuss, but doing so will help us move forward collectively.

Be prepared to make, and learn from, mistakes. Crossing the divide between cultures involves an element of risk-taking. Mistakes will be made along the way. Let these mistakes turn into lessons learned. Exercise patience and flexibility. Equally important is to celebrate successes and acknowledge that which is working well.

Self-care is key! When you take care of self, you are indirectly caring for all others around you. Find your role in the healing process of the extended, multi-cultural family that we are all part of.

This has been a very brief summary of an almost-three-hour presentation, which covered thousands of years of history and delved into matters that are about as complex as they get – legally, historically, politically, and emotionally. Rampanen assured us that “developing cultural awareness and competency is a life-long learning experience.” His workshop provided one step along that life-long path for me; perhaps this article has done the same for you.

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DIRCS Report By Eli Hason

Thanks to everyone for coming out and participating in shows at the hall. We love to have folks come out, dance, and enjoy. One thing we have been missing in recent years is members of the community putting on musical events at the hall, as we can’t do it all ourselves. I am helping to head a new committee for the hall to try and get more events going on that are not just under the purview of DIRCS. You do not even need to be a member of DIRCS to take part, but any help would be appreciated as more activities at the hall will only happen if more people take part in the organization and work involved. On this idea, we have been looking at doing a new event on July 2nd. It will be called “Cross Pollination - A Day in the Field.” I know the Day in the Field events were before my time on Denman, but I have heard many great things about them, including great music, good food, many artisans, and then some. We hope to create our own version of this gathering with music outside the norm and outside in the daytime, with the possibility of a show at night. There are many musical styles that are made on the island and under - represented (electronic/jazz/rock/avant guard), and we want to bring the weird back to the forefront. We are also looking for folks who want to do food vending, set up booths to show the act of their artistic creation, and sell their work. We also want to have Denman organizations represented as well if they desire. To do all this means we need volunteers to help get things happening as I currently have multiple jobs and can’t pull it off without help. Please give me a shout at elihason23@gmail.com or 250-792-5423 so we can make it happen.

Don Johnson 250-338-8822 www.ableandreadyseptic.ca ableandreadyseptic@shaw.ca

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Jammin’ at the 11th Annual Tree Frog Radio Birthday Party (Solstice Saturday Je. 18) Submitted by Ron Sakolsky Over the years, admission to the annual Tree Frog Radio Birthday Party has always been free of charge and open to the public. Though we do welcome your support in the form of any donations you are able to offer, we throw the party as our thank you to our community, and particularly our listeners, for another year of support. As usual we will provide the birthday cake, an idyllic off-the-grid outdoor hang-out setting at Lee Andra and Bruce’s farm located at 3333 North Central, and a variety of dance beats to rock the top notch sound system provided by DJ Eliazar. This year in addition to some of our regular Tree Frog DJs who will be spinning up a dancing storm as usual, a special one-off dance set will be provided gratis in support of our station by visiting Montreal radio DJ Aaron Maiden (Aaron Lakoff).Aaron has been active at McGill University’s non-profit campus community radio station CKUT since 2003 when he started up his Roots Rock Rebel show featuring ska, punk and reggae. In 2015, he revamped the show to create a broader "class war on the dance floor” format with REBEL Beat. Starting this July, he is leaving the terrestrial airwaves to reincarnate the REBEL Beat show as a monthly podcast <feeds.feedburner.com> but we get to hear him here first live on the rock! So come out and dance with us under the stars starting around 6PM, sample our cob oven pizza, check out our newly designed T-shirts thanx to Scot Bullick, and kick up your heels to celebrate the arrival of summer.

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Making a Difference for Our Oceans

One Project/ Vision at a Time!!

Presented by ADIMS on Wednesday Evening June 8, 2016 7pm at the Back Hall

Please come to this event as Denman joins other communities of the world in celebration and contemplation of

World Oceans Day on Wednesday June 8th.

Last year ADIMS highlighted the many factors threatening our precious oceans. This year we are focusing on

effective and creative community solutions and initiatives: both current, and as visions for the future. Please come

to this creative and positive evening of celebrating the heroes on this island who have already taken the initiative to

protect our shorelines and sea, while we explore ideas for community involvement. We are hoping to continue the

examples of such visionaries as Joanna Macy (“Be the Change you Wish to See”) and Bill McKibbon (“It is at the

community level, not governmental level, that effective action will be achieved to protect the earth”). Throughout

the evening we will honour the marine environment with video and song, all the time remembering that every

second breath we take come from the Ocean.

The evening will begin with a discussion lead by Taina Uitto and our committee to find realistic ways to reduce

domestic plastic use on Denman. Videos, displays and practical problem solving discussions will bring us together to

find solutions.

Jenny Balke’s talk on her bold and successful initiative of manual removal of spartina from our beaches comes next.

We want to honour Jenny for stepping outside of the vision of government, in order to implement a “Made-on-

Denman Pesticide-Free Solution”. She will also share her plans for community involvement to continue to remove

any feisty up-start spartina in the future.

We will also celebrate and be inspired by the dedicated “citizen-scientists” who spent five years collecting important

forage fish samples and data on Denman.

We will conclude the evening by “brainstorming” how, as a community, we can find creative ways to continue our

presenters’ leads in further fulfilling our community plan to preserve our W1 Marine Conservation Zones and

shorelines.

Please join us for an inspiring and positive evening!

Admission is Free, but Donations are always gladly accepted to cover expenses.

For further information contact Barbara Mills at 250-335-0775

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Denman Works! New Coordinator Introduces Herself Submitted By Riane da Silva

Denman WORKS! was created as a society in 2010 as a follow up to DICEEC (Denman Island Community

Economic Enhancement Committee). At that same time Wind Rombough was hired as the first Resource Centre Co-ordinator. She served cheerfully, faithfully and exceptionally in this capacity for 6 years, until March of this year. Denman WORKS! wishes Wind all the best of success in her new endeavours. She is missed! Please allow me to introduce myself, I am Riane da Silva, the (fairly) new Resource Centre Co-ordinator for Denman WORKS! Our office has recently moved (back) into the Denman Activity Centre (formerly Senior's Hall) and is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12-4pm, each week. You can reach me by e-mail at denmanresource@gmail.com or by phone, during office hours, at 250.335.3170. Or, we can set up an evening appointment at a mutually agreeable time. I have had many people ask me what it is exactly that I do, as Resource Centre Co-ordinator. In order for me to answer that question adequately I need to provide some information about Denman WORKS! (DW!). Much of the information that follows can be found on the Denman WORKS! website at denmanworks.wordpress.com/sitemap Every property owner on Denman is likely aware that a portion of their yearly property taxes is given to the CVRD (Comox Valley Regional District) to pay for a variety of services. Years ago the CVRD was successfully lobbied and convinced that some of those funds (specifically economic enhancement, tourism, recreation) would be better spent on Denman than in town. A portion of tax dollars is returned to the Denman community each year. DW! is a non-profit society tasked with overseeing the spending of the economic enhancement and tourism portion of these funds, and is bound by the terms of schedule A (found on the aforementioned website). Methods of delivery of these tax dollars include: direct grants to qualifying and carefully selected organizations via the annual Community Project Grant process; small one-off grants to meet short-term needs; a Visitor Services Committee which supports and promotes island events and visitor-focused businesses; the organization of workshops to both educate and stimulate island residents and businesses; the maintenance of an informative website; a physical Resource Centre and Job Board; and the assistance & support of DW! Society Directors (who have commercial and non-profit management backgrounds). Our new participation in the Grant Connect program offers access to a database of grants and our grant

facilitation program can help with grant searches and funding applications. At this time, by law, Denman WORKS! may not fund individuals or private business, and may only assist non-profit organizations or those sponsored by non-profit organizations. The volunteers who keep the Denman WORKS! society running donate countless hours to the benefit of all Denman residents. The Resource Centre Co-ordinator (me) is the only paid employee of Denman WORKS! In my twice weekly 4-hour shifts I maintain correspondences, the websites, the job board (on-line and at the General Store bulletin board), a social media presence (to get the word out quickly about any available jobs or funding opportunities), most of the records for the society, phone calls, assist visitors to the Resource Centre (RC) with any economic or visitor questions they may have, help direct folks to the person who can help them, organize, promote and run workshops of economic benefit to Denman residents - and much more! Economic enhancement can be defined as a sustained community effort to improve both the local economy and the quality of life by building the area's capacity to adapt to economic change. Successful economic development always uses a multi-pronged approach considering, in addition to economic needs and opportunities, the social, cultural and environmental values of a community. I humorously think of myself as one of the few "public servants" of Denman Island. As a 20+ year resident of Denman Island I have the good fortune to be acquainted with a large cross section of the Denman Island community. I have found this community knowledge to be very helpful so far in my capacity as RC Co-ordinator for Denman WORKS! I believe that regardless of how one views economic development most of us live in a world where money pays our bills. I hope to use my skills to help other creative, resilient Denman residents continue to find ways to contribute their own skills to their personal and our collective community enhancement. If you have a skill or service you offer and would like to be included in our skills and service directory (or update your existing listing), if you have a job that needs a worker, if you have a business and would benefit from a marketing or other workshop, if your non-profit is searching for funding, or if you have an idea that you need some assistance with and are not sure who to speak to next - please drop by the Resource Centre on Tuesday or Thursday between 12-4, or phone me at 250.335.3170, or e-mail me at denmanresource@gmail.com – I am happy to help! 7

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LETTERS

Driving on the Beaches My daughter-in-law's parents have worked an oyster lease on Denman Island's west side for nearly 20 years. They are Vietnamese. They work very hard at a very hard job. They have been luckier than some of Denman's other lease holders in that they were allowed to access the beach from the adjacent landowner's property but that property is now for sale, therefore access is no longer available. They could sometimes haul their equipment by foot down to the lease from the road but when they are bringing harvested oysters off of the beach to fill an order, they need a vehicle. I can understand wanting to restrict unnecessary traffic from the beaches, say the Sunday driver type, if there are that many. But to restrict the lease holders from their work sites seems a bit harsh for an already difficult job. Having to pay a Mac's Oyster employee $25 an hour to bring them over and back would double their travel expenses, as well as being a less than practical situation. I understand that 75% of BC's oysters come from Baynes Sound.

That is no doubt why Mac's Oysters and Baynes Sound Oysters are located right across the water from us. This is the oyster growing capital of the coast. Is Denman Island's coast as specialized a locale for the Pacific Sand Lance and Surf Smelt, or are they able to thrive up and down BC's west coast other than Denman Island? I believe we need to support the specialness of our local oyster and clam trade instead of making their work even more expensive or difficult than it is. These are not rich people. I would hope that lease holders would be willing to compromise their vehicle traffic on the beach. but if locked bollards are being installed to minimize the beach traffic, then give the lease holders keys to allow them access to their livelihood when necessary. Jayne-Ann O'Reilly cc DFO, Islands Trust, CVRD, Min of Transportation and Infrastructure Operations Riparian Rights! According to the BC Land Act, as a waterfront property owner you have the right to “ unimpeded access to and from that property to deep water for the purposes of navigation. This right of

access to and from the water applies to every point along the water frontage, including every part of the foreshore in front of the upland property. If there are “improvements” such as fences, nets, rock berms etc. made on the intertidal area in front of your property on a shellfish tenure that impede the launching of your boat (including kayak carts, trailers etc.) which you have not give written permission for, you should ask that they be removed immediately, as this is a violation of your Riparian Rights. Also worth mentioning is that the restricting vehicles from driving on the beach issue will not interfere with your riparian right to launch your boat as long as you don't plan to drive along the upper regions of the foreshore (which is potential spawning grounds for forage fish). Please remember that every part of our beaches is valuable habitat so make your impact as minimal as possible. This is also important when planning to protect your property from sea level rise. Excellent information is available at http://www.llbc.leg.bc.ca/public/pubdocs/bcdocs/368207/index Edi Johnston

Bruce Jolliffe

Director

Baynes Sound – Denman/Hornby Islands (Area ‘A’)

bjolliffe@comoxvalleyrd.ca

Tel: 250-335-1275

Submissions Policy Views expressed in the Flagstone may not represent those of the Flagstone team. We reserve the right to refuse to publish potentially libelous material and profanity. Please write with respect for your fellow citizens. The purpose of the Flagstone is community- building. If your piece is not deemed a contribution to community- building it may not be published. We require your full name and phone number (phone number will not be printed unless requested).

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Letters

Review by Del Phillips of spoken word performances by Barbara Adler on Youtube

Barbara Adler can really tell a story. She mesmerizes, she con-temporizes and she uses a complimentary literary arsenal of skills and routines designed to get the story across. The oral tradition she dances with can include hand puppets, with a predilection for Czech accents (a nod to her heritage), expert pausing and physical expression, to the musical runaway squeezing of her accordion. She draws the audience in slowly. The invite is cloaked in the guise of a first time performer on stage. Far from a first timer, this is one veteran performer, a Canadian spoken word community member of high esteem. She doesn't launch into the story, the song or the narrative. Instead it's an impish grin, a morsel of self-deprecation and a natural addictive smile that encompasses the compelling narrative. She draws you in as sure as a polished street performer. She's very good at her craft. She takes a scene sometimes, as simple as a question: "Are you a feminist?" put that question to her at 7:00 am after a long night socializing while on tour, and she'll tell you that it's just not a fair question. A real question would be: "Do you like peanut butter?" that, she insists, is a reasonable question for that hour of the morning. Her story can take off from there, splitting away like back roads off highway number one, eventually coming back to the intersection of entertainment and insight. When words dance together and the story is told, little nuggets surface in her presentation. Discussing a young woman on the bus: "A teenage girl will giggle like you're mining her for helium..." A simple line that rings like a crystal bell. I look forward to hearing her at the Denman Readers and Writers Festival in July. Her many Youtube offerings don't do justice to her magnetic performance, but you must Google her work, and avoid a Barbara Adler that sells jewelry that also pops up. Look for the real thing, Barbara Adler from Vancouver who brings the sparkle, impish grin and delightfully witty repertoire into her spoken word program. I hope she brings her accordion too.

Biography Brief Barbara Adler is a poet, songwriter, musician and storyteller from Vancouver. She has organized and participated in Spoken Word and Poetry Slam events and currently is a co-producer of the annual Accordion Noir Festival. She has recently completed her MFA in Interdisciplinary Studies at SFU and remains focused on engaging community in text based festivities.’ “Barbara Adler guides her audience with the easy charm of someone who loves what they do.” – CBC Memories of Past Readers and Writers Festivals Submitted by Stewart Goodings Over the last 13 years, the Denman Readers and Writers Festival has brought approximately 125 authors to the island. This July, we will have 10 more intriguing personalities who will join the list of BC and Canadian writers who have stimulated, challenged and amazed our audiences. What are some of the memories that stand out for Festival-goers over these last 14 years? Readers of the Flagstone may have their own special moments to recall as the latest version begins in a little more than a month. I asked a number of Denmanites to share their reminiscences and here are a few: Sara French recalls the 2012 Festival featuring world renowned environmentalist Tzeporah Berman. Co-author with Mark Levine of “This Crazy Time: Living our Environmental Challenge”, Berman is remembered by Sara this way: “I was struck by her passion, wealth of knowledge, and ability to articulate the damage done and the path ahead in our ongoing fight against environmental degradation and corporate greed. Tzeporah has been fighting this fight for over twenty five years and has numerous awards, honorary degrees and accolades. There are speakers of this calibre at the Festival every year.” Dennis Forsyth spent five years on the organizing committee and found it hard to choose just one wonderful moment, but has a great story from 2008 about bill bissett. “He single-handedly gave us all many moments to remember. Not least his sudden decision while participating in a main-stage panel to suddenly throw out a request to the audience. “Is anybody out there heading south tomorrow? I could use a lift to Victoria.” From the back of the house came an immediate response. “Sure thing, bill. I'll take ya.” The voice at the back turned out to belong to an old friend of bill's, a man who had shared a cell with bill many years before in one of bill's brief

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incarcerations and who had come to the Festival from off-island specifically to re-connect with an old acquaintance. A joyful reunion ensued, the two of them left for Victoria the next morning, and the Festival saved itself some travel expenses.” Mikell Callahan remembers sitting around a table in 2014 in front of the Activity Centre on a beautiful day with a handful of Festival-goers in conversation with Maude Barlow and her husband, talking about a variety of things, the primary one being water of course. “To be in her presence was an honour and to experience this down to earth, energetic, brilliant woman with a gushing fountain (pardon the pun) of knowledge about her subject, was very special”. Mikkell also remembers when she and Tobey hosted several of the authors in their guest cottage, including George Bowering and his partner Jean, John Vaillant and his family, Steven Price (coming again this year for the third time), and Steven Galloway. “Each one was a wonderful guest and it was a real treat getting to know them. And they all loved Denman Island.” Roxanna Mandryk was head of the organizing committee for several years and has a strong memory about Sarah Dunant. “Several years ago, I was preparing for an overseas flight, and was looking for a good book to entertain me during the long hours. On the advice of Abraxas Books, but against my natural instincts because I didn't normally read 'historical fiction', I bought “The Birth of Venus” by Sarah Dunant. We were headed to France, and to my delight, Sarah turned out to be my new in-flight companion. While daunted by such a big hardcover book, I enjoyed every page and finally finished the book by 2am after arriving in Paris. The next morning we went to the Louvre and I was thrilled beyond belief to be seeing the original paintings which wove their way through Sarah's book. When we got home, and were planning the roster for the next year's Festival, I put forth Sarah's name. It took a few years but finally in 209, Sarah came to Denman. I was beside myself with joy. She wowed the audiences and became one of the Festival favourites that year. When I learned she needed a ride to Victoria, I was first in line with an offer to drive her there. We had a wonderful time, including a lunch by the seaside in Sidney and shared hugs at the airport when she left. Since then, we have met a few times and have become lifelong friends.” Sussan Thomson remembers Jack Hodgins in 2011: “I learned so much from Jack Hodgins in the Writer in Residence program. He is a highly-skilled, compassionate and humorous teacher who gave effective feedback to all of us with widely-varied levels of writing experience. Among the things I learned as someone new to the craft,

is the importance of the opening, and good dialogue in fiction, and the difference between showing and telling. I was pleased that my writing actually improved, as I had really signed up for the course wanting to hear more from the man who penned all of us who live along the shores of the Salish Sea as 'trenchdwellers'! Daryl “Grumpy” McLoughlin, writes “The General Store is privileged to be an unofficial participant in the Readers and Writers Festival. Our Poet Laureate Jennifer Lee's talent has been recognized by the Festival and she will be one of the Moderators this year. We have a lot of fun hearing Jennifer's creative musings during her readings at the General Store during the Festival. We really enjoy interacting with the festival participants. The enthusiasm, excitement and fun that the Festival generates makes it one of the highlights of the summer. Once again this year, we will have street music at the General Store during the Festival as well as our Poet Laureate's readings.” A last word from one of the Festival's younger attendees, Jade Callahan-Auger who remembers one of the most memorable writers to have graced the Festival stages. Jade writes; “Two summers past brought me the chance to meet someone I will forever admire: Zaccheus Jackson, the individual who inspired me to become an (amateur) spoken word artist. Zaccheus gave a workshop for aspiring writers, and after we had written and shared our pieces, I was told by my new hero that my writing was 'intricate, beautiful and detailed.' It was a priceless experience that we won't have again, as Zaccheus passed away two weeks later.” Anyone else care to share their memories of past Festivals? Please email me if you have a highlight you'd like others to see: sgsgood@hotmail.com Registration for this year's event is now open at www.denmanislandwritersfestival.com

R&W from page 9

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News from the Hornby and Denman Community Health Care Society Submitted by Lori Nawrot

Sorry, due to an error on my part this submission did not make into last month’s issue - Lori Community Forum – thank you! It was a thoughtful and interesting discussion about various aspects of end of life at the community forum on March 29th. See Frieda Werden’s summary article if you missed it. Thank you to Dr. Tetz, Pam Willis, Karen Etheridge and everyone else that contributed their knowledge and experiences. Several people indicated they were interested in us exploring hospice training opportunities and the formation of hospice groups on each island, so stay tuned for more information on this topic. The other area of interest was advance care planning. We will organize some community sessions on this but here are some good online resources if you want to get started: NIDUS.ca has personal planning resources including a free monthly webinar to guide you along. The BC government has information about advance care planning and links to their booklet My Voice at healthlinkbc.ca/healthfeatures/advance-care-planning.html. Finally, we have purchased copies of the book A Caregiver’s Guide for community caregivers. Free copies are available from the clinics

and our offices on both islands. Call us at (250) 335-2885 if you are having trouble tracking one down. Better at Home Coordinator for Denman If you have a passion for creatively connecting people and resources, we would like to hear from you. We are looking for a resourceful individual to help coordinate opportunities that make it easier for seniors to stay living in their own homes, like organizing seasonal gutter cleaning, ride shares and more. For more details about this part time position and to apply, please contact Sheena by email: sheena@hornbydenmanhealth.com. Closing date is June 15th. The following service providers will be on Denman in June please call to arrange an appointment: Adult mental health clinician – (250) 331-8524 Comox Valley Transition Society counsellor – (250) 897-0511 Foot care nurse – Sheila Cameron (250) 897-2153 Contact information for HDCHCS For general inquiries (250) 335-2885 Home Support, Home Assist Services or the Equipment Loan Cupboard (250) 898-0243 Children, Youth & Family Services (250) 898-0247 Youth Outreach (250) 218-6521

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In 200 words or less Bill Engleson www.engleson.ca “My uncle's dying wish - he wanted me on his lap. He was in the electric chair.” Rodney Dangerfield Di-etiquette Occasionally in my column I am tempted to combine two disparate thoughts. This is one such occasion. On the way to recycling recently, I was distracted by a radio comment by Tom Mulcair that a certain liberal policy was “baloney.” This nod to a once favorite food recalled my enchanted, carnivorous childhood. I immediately conjured sepia-toned Kodak images of my mother frying thick slabs of bologna. This searing, sizzling vision overwhelmed me. I pulled off the road in order to safely savour the pleasure. There is, for me, a magnetic pull to such memories. When, and if, I am on my deathbed, I can easily imagine wanting to sample, once again, a range of old vices, foods primarily, so that I can go out on a cholesterol-filled, decidedly sinful, high note. There will be no “Rosebud” squawking out from my vinegary lips. Nor will I be obsessed with interior design, as was Oscar Wilde when he uttered, “Either that wallpaper goes, or I do.” No! If I can eat, I will munch on a fried bologna and oyster sandwich and tweak Groucho’s final words, “This is no way to live,” into the more nourishing “This is the way to die.”

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DICES Community Programs

What Does DICES mean?

DICES stands for Denman Island Community Education Society; we are an advisory council that works

closely with the teaching staff and school district to create what you know as “Denman Island Community

School”. Community Schools reflect a relationship and partnership between the public school and the

neighbourhood community. The goal is to enrich the school environment through this relationship and to

create connectedness for the community as a whole. This is achieved primarily through our programming

office “Community Programs”, which acts as a bridge between the school and the community. The

community programs office facilitates community use of the school building, offers lifelong learning

opportunities that reflect the needs and interests of the community and partners with other Denman

organizations to improve knowledge sharing and accessibility in the community. The idea of community

permeates all of our programs and allows for a feeling of safety, accessibility and expression for the

community as a whole.

Why do we fundraise?

DICES is a small not for profit, charitable organization, with a budget around $80,000. Our primary, long

term partner, without whom we could not operate, is school district 71. Since our inception their support

has been crucial to our success. The school district generously supports our continued use of the school

facility, allowing us to open the facility and sports field with the community. Funding from the school

district currently makes up about a third of our funding, but this is down from past years where their

support accounted for up to 75% of our expenses. Our operating costs and program offerings have shrunk

in recent years to match the reality of our funding situation.

The remaining portion of our budget is the result of the Community School Coordinator leveraging those

core funds to find grants, donations and gifts in-kind. Some of our other grant sources are the Community

Gaming Grant, Comox Valley Regional District, Industry Canada, Canada Summer Jobs, the Union Bay

Credit Union and DenmanWORKS!. Having core funds, or donations to our administrative costs, also

permits the coordinator to develop and maintain partnerships with community organizations that directly

benefit your children, youth and island families, like with the Hornby Denman Community Health Care

Society Youth Outreach Workers.

Revenue also comes from programs fees and user fees, such as the $2 drop in for sports, these fees make

up about 10% of our revenues and tend to go straight into paying instructor wages, honoraria and staff

wages for their time and efforts.

Donations, like for to the Christmas Hamper Programs; events admissions, like to Quiz Night; and sales, like

from the Plant Sale; makes up a very valuable part of budget. These donations are so important to our

continued success because, in this time of decreasing financial support from off island, we can direct these

donations to where they’re needed most within our organization. Donations to DICES, whether you choose

to donate to a specific program, like the food bank, or let us direct the funds, are always welcome year

round. Donations over $20 also receive a charitable tax receipt.

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An overview of our programming:

Community Education

DICES offers three programming cycles per year that are meant to facilitate community building, lifelong learning, creative positive outlets for knowledge sharing, provide a living wage to instructors who are members of the community, and Increases sense of belonging to community, regardless of socio-economic background

Offer courses in areas that range from general interest and culture to training and education certificates

Partnerships and support come from Arts Denman, Denman Island Residents Association, Hornby Denman Health Care Society, Denman Island Recreation Commission Society, Volunteer Comox Valley and the Denman Island General Store

Run approximately 20-30 courses per year on evenings and weekends

Facilitate use of school building and grounds to community groups for sports, education and festival events

Summer Programs

Summer day camp is offered in July, four days a week

Four, week long specialty camps that range from Rookie Rugby, Soccer, and Mask Making to Screen Printing art camps.

Partner with Youth Drop in for summer drop in programs

Early Literacy and Childhood Education

Parent & Tot with Veronique Eriksson

Facilitating connections to community and parenting resources

Literacy programs include Bedtime stories, 1000x5 books

Partner with Hornby Denman Community Health Care Society to offer parenting classes

School Support

Enrich the school day program with learning experiences that embrace community involvement

Art for Others, Feasty Friday & Fruit & Veggie Program

Farm to plate learning opportunities with our own Community School Garden

Youth Programs

Wednesdays School: One day a week, Vanier students attend a self-directed study day at the Denman Island Community School.

Youth Outreach Partnership for Girls’ Group and Boys’ Group during lunch hour at our school

Teen Night with Philippa Joly, Toby Hewton and Youth Outreach worker Matta Schaal

Food Security Programs in the Community

Coordinate and operate the community Food Bank once per week, year round.

Comox Valley Food Bank partnership to improve islanders access to perishable goods

Coordinate and operate the Denman Island Christmas Hamper Program

Community Recreation

Denman Island Community Education Society, as the governing body for the Denman Island Community School, is the main provider of recreation programs and opportunities in our community.

Facilitates and supervises drop in sports in the gym 6 times per week in sports and wellbeing activities such as volleyball, soccer, and tai chi

Facilitates sports events on the sports field and coordinates rental of community sporting and recreation equipment

Leadership opportunities for youth on island, as assistant coaches, and coaches, working with community members of all ages, and opportunities for part time work afterschool and in summer

Partnership with Sports Field Committee and SD71 to maintain and care for sports field, including coordinating more than 200 volunteer hours.

After School Programs

Minimum of three afternoons per week, often more.

Examples include: Soccer, Basketball, Floor Hockey, Mad Science, Makerspace, Dance, Cooking

Provide both opportunities for long term volunteer relationships and paid positions

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Community Programs Staff

Philippa Joly is one of our two Teen Night facilitators, helping provide a safe

and fun place for island youth to hang out on Friday nights. She has recently

also started teaching an afterschool dance program at the school. Philippa

brings her calm nature and …to everything she does here at the school.

Toby Hewton is our other Teen Night facilitator and has worked with the

Community Programs since 2011. Toby’s passion for play and approachable

demeanor have made him a great role model for the Youth Outreach

sponsored Boys’ Group and our SPARKS programs in the past too.

Veronique Eriksson has been involved with the school for many years. She is

currently our Parent & Tot facilitator. Early childhood education is important

to Veronique, and under her guidance the program, for children aged 0-6

and their parents, continues to flourish. She has also led after school

activities, and taught French classes at the school.

Max Dabbs was our Computer Access Program’s youth intern this winter.

You may have gotten to know him if you needed help with your computer or

used the CAP site. It’s always great to have someone who can help with

those technical questions, and we’re grateful this youth internship continues

to be funded!

Matta Schaal is the Community Programs Support Worker. This means she

works in the office and runs several programs per year, such as the popular

Makerspace and Summer Day Camps. Her other hat, as Youth Outreach

Worker, makes her uniquely placed to help and have fun with kids of all ages

on Denman.

Community Programs Volunteers

Our programs have always benefited from the involvement of volunteers. While we are careful to strike a

balance between paid opportunities and volunteer work, volunteers are an irreplaceable part of our

Community School fabric. From quiet background work on the advisory council, to action packed filled

mornings packing hampers or selling plants for the school garden, there is a range of ways to get involved, and

the need for these committed volunteers doesn’t decrease over time!

A detailed account of the volunteers and all their acts would be too numerous to list here, but we truly

appreciate these individuals and their commitment to our community.

Keith Porteous, Dennis Lavalle, Mike Nestor, Helen Mason, Shelley Ord, Karla Neufer, Lanna Kroening, George

McRae, Danielle VanderMolen, and Colby O’Neill currently make up our advisory council, with Kate Janeway as

the Community School Coordinator. Feel free to get in touch with any member of our council to find out more

about what we do and ways to you can help out in our community.

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Report on the Dying at Home Workshop hosted by the Hornby and Denman Community

Health Care Society, March 28, 2016 at the Denman Activity Centre – by Frieda Werden

"It is trending now to have Death Cafes," said Dr. Doreen Tetz in her opening to the public discussion on Dying at Home. She says she read about it in The Economist magazine. But she didn't need a magazine to tell her the topic is important to many people. The lounge venue for this mid-day discussion was packed to the gills with an estimated 60 participants. Dying at home is not new, Dr. Tetz explained. A few decades ago, most people died at home, but now most die in hospital. During her medical training, Dr. Tetz saw people dying on 4-bed wards, nurses having to quietly spirit their bodies to storage closets where families would come say goodbye before the funeral home collected their loved one's remains. At that time there was no med school teaching about palliative care or about death at all, she recalled; the idea was to keep doing everything possible to save the patient's life, and to shield families from the experience of death. Early in her practice, Tetz said, a woman patient asked for supervision for her husband to die at home - a decision that his own doctor wouldn't support. This patient was a former judge, and he and his family had everything planned; the doctor only had to prescribe pain relief and at the end to pronounce death. When she came to the family home at the end, she found it filled with people celebrating the man's life. She said when she reported the death to the coroner, he gave her the third degree because the situation was so unusual, but he finally signed off on the death certificate. These days, there is wide acceptance that dying is a part of life and needs to be planned for. Two important terms are palliative care and hospice. Palliative care means making the patient comfortable as they progress towards death. According to Dr. Tetz, palliative care takes time and attention - listening to the patient and understanding their immediate needs and desires. Some hospitals now have palliative care wards, and there are also free-standing hospices. Where patients very near death can go for palliative care, even in the Comox Valley. But it is also possible to have hospice type care at home, and there are doctors and also home care providers on Denman and Hornby islands who can help the person and the family of the person who prefers to die at home. Dying at home is most often not easy, Dr. Tetz warns; in most cases, "it's a lot of work to die," work for the patient and also for the family. But most people who

choose it tell her they are glad they did it that way. To make the process as good as possible, she says the doctor has to consider: What will the patient die from? How can I help make it a gentle death? And, is what I am doing prolonging living, or dying? "We are trying to marry family death with medical death," she concluded her initial presentation. During the Q&A, Dr. Tetz and Dr. David Scruton both answered questions. One issue that came up was physician-assisted dying. Dr. Scruton said presently the patient must apply to the courts for permission, two doctors must sign off and the patients must show that they are competent adults with intolerable suffering and that they consent to their own death. After June 6th, new law will come into effect. (As of this workshop, the details of the law had not been revealed.) One of the issues yet to be resolved, Dr. Scruton said, is what medication will be available for physician-assisted dying. In Holland, oral barbiturates are used, which "kill you in seconds." Canada does not allow prescription of oral barbiturates, so three intravenous drugs are currently used - one to put the patient to sleep, one to render them unconscious, and one to stop the heart. Home care support is essential for dying at home, Dr. Tetz said. Home Support Supervisor Karen Etheridge, from the Hornby and Denman Community Health Care Society (HDCHSC), said that Island Health (VIHA) currently gives about 4 hours a day in free home support for patients in palliative care that are expected to die in three months, and up to 8 hours a day for those nearer death. Overnight assistance is not usually covered by VIHA, but can be hired through HDCHCS's Home Assist program for $125 a night, and HDCHCS has an emergency fund if 24-hour care is needed to keep from sending a patient off-island in the last few days of their life. The Society also lends medical equipment such as hospital beds. According to Dr. Scruton, doctors have to fill out a form certifying a patient has less than six months to live, in order for them to qualify for palliative care. However, there is no guarantee that the prognosis will be accurate; one patient he certified lived another five years. Dr. Tetz added that good home care support, such as we have on Hornby and Denman, can keep people alive for a long time. Asked what would be reasons for not dying at

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Haircuts By Riane $25 in your home Seniors' Discount

250-650-6079

home, Dr. Tetz mentioned that some patients don't want to die at home and that it doesn't work for some families. Also some conditions are difficult to manage at home. Among these are delirium and combativeness, bowel obstruction, fragile bones. According to the book Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, patients who accept the hospice model have fewer medical procedures, live longer, and have a better quality of life. However, a member of the workshop audience said that the process of dying at home "is not always pretty and it may not happen as soon as you think. Don't be surprised if the person is struggling." She advised: "hold your emotions in check or whatever you need to do. To be at home is the right way. We're just not prepared." Pam Willis, the Programs Manager for Comox Senior Peer Counselling Society, offered that her organization trains and supports volunteers and organizes support groups for caregivers. "You need to be able to pace yourself," Dr. Tetz said. She said many people ask if they can help, and you do need a lot of help, but that help needs to be organized. Formerly, both our islands had hospice volunteer groups, trained by the Comox Valley Hospice Society; but the groups had few requests and have ended.

Another question was about how to deal with the body of a person who dies at home, in particular if you don't want to call a funeral company but want to have them buried on the island. There is some paperwork required, but people on the island can help you. Since the workshop, Denman Island Natural Burial Cemetery has posted a page with everything you need to do to get permissions for a natural burial of a loved one, who may have died at home. https://dinbc.ca/fast-track-for-burials/ For more about the Hornby and Denman Community Health Care Society, visit the website hornbydenmanhealth.com or call Karen Etheridge at (250) 898-0247. For Comox Valley Senior Peer Counselling, email seniorpeercounselling@shaw.ca Text of federal Bill C-14 on assisted dying, introduced April 15, 2016: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2803276-C-14-Medical-assistance-in-dying.html

DYING AT HOME FROM PAGE 16

Bruce and Lee Andra's 21st annual Rockin' Weekend! We want to rock your world! Bruce and Lee Andra announce the official season's opening of their rock shop on June 4 & 5 2016 from 10am to 4pm. We created this event called "Rockin Weekend" back in 1996, inviting the public to view and purchase crystal specimens we'd collected all over Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. Our travels took us from the headwaters of the Skeena river where we dug quartz crystals with phantom inclusions to the Whitesail mountains, where we dug opal and agate. In the hills of Virginia we unearthed amethyst clusters. In the Arizona desert we gathered fire agate, petrified wood and jasper, as well as sparkling amethyst crystals. In Arkansas we came away with boxes full of amazing quartz crystal clusters and clear points. This just lists a few of the localities and minerals you'll discover in the rock shop. We also host a large selection of beautiful Brazilian material from huge amethyst cathedrals to zeolites. EVERYTHING IN SHOP 20% OFF THIS WEEKEND ONLY! No cover charge anytime. To add to the festivities visitors to the shop will discover the Rockin' Cafe open and ready to serve breakfast until 4pm. The coffee will be on and wonderful delectables both sweet and savoury available. Some folks wait all year for the opportunity to order their Huevos rancheros and then peruse the rock shop while their food is prepared. For the uninitiated Lee Andra's version of Huevos rancheros consists of two corn tortillas covered in our home grown black beans, farm eggs, aged cheddar cheese and farm made salsa both tomato and

tomatillo based. Gluten free by default. Black bean/ yam burritos. Shiitake mushroom asparagus frittata, an assortment of sweets and drinks hot and cold fill out our menu offerings. To find us come down North Central (at the top of which is the green cemetery) almost 2 kilometres, go over the bridge and bear left at the fork in the driveway. Follow signs saying "parking" and "rock shop". Check out Bruce's new 30'x36' greenhouse with all the potted trees and plants he has ready. It's easy to lose hours wandering around the gardens and talking to your fellow communitarians. Please come carry on a 21 year tradition in fine style! Questions? 250-335-1802.

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Submitted by Sara French

The Denman Store

(your community store for over 100 years)

Agriculture Matters By Max Rogers

Sheep Tales My sheep are psychic. This is the only explanation I can come up with for the following story. Last summer, I had my four pretty ewes on their halters and we were walking up from their pasture to the house so I could milk them at the tiny milking parlour Kevin Mitchell built for me on the end of my laundry room. I love having electric light and hot water on hand. I even have a bar fridge in the laundry room to cool the milk down. So as we walked up to the house, I told the ewes that I wanted them to behave like good little girls from the convent. Well, I was not prepared for the near riot they put on when we got to the house. Normally, they wait dutifully with their halters looped over cleats on the outside of the milking parlour until I am ready for them. This time, they kept flipping their halters off the cleats and coming into the milking parlour and trying to eat the other ewe’s grain and knocking over the iodine teat dip and similar. I really had never seen the like. It was as if they had turned into goats. When the milking was finally over, I got their halters in my hand and stood over them and said, “I made a mistake and I don’t want you to act like convent girls. Just go back to being yourselves.” From that moment on, they were reformed sheep and never gave me any trouble except for Lenticula. I think they must have scanned my mind for the convent stories my mother told me. Convent girls are notorious but I didn’t think the ewes would know that. I often talk to my sheep because I am never sure how much they understand but they seem to understand a lot. They seem to listen better if a person sings to them. My Godson is just 12 and the last time he was up, he helped me bring the ewes to pasture. He looked at the sheep very intently and started to sing to them. They seemed to like it. I read in an ancient text on Scottish folklore that in the highlands, the milk maids used to sing to their cows so they would cooperate in the milking. Some cows refused to be milked unless their girl sang their favorite song. This leads us to Lenticula because I cannot figure out which song she wants me to sing. She is a brazen beast, freckled but otherwise a really good-looking German girl with a naked tummy and Dachshund tail. She utterly lacks the sweet personality and gentle ways of the famous Frisian milk sheep, the best milking ewes in the world. This is too bad because of course, she is my best milker. Every single day, I brush her, talk to her, pet her and lead her into the stanchion where I have a big bowl of grain for her. I wash, dry and oil her teats and begin to milk her. I tell her that as soon as she kicks, I will tie her leg up. We attend our respective job, me milking and she scarfing down the grain. As soon as her bowl is empty, she lifts up her hoof and

gives the milk bucket a ringing kick. Then she looks at me. I ask her if we have to do it and sometimes I try to carry on milking but she kicks even more vigorously the second time, a definite threat that she can and will put her hoof in the bucket. Then, I put a loop of soft rope over her foot and raise it up, not too high and then we get on with the milking. My sheep is into bondage! I am at a loss. Now, I know a lot of people are starting to keep sheep on Denman and I am thrilled because Denman was once home to great flocks of Dorset sheep, lovely Southern-English girls with shy, sweet personalities and wonderful mothering instincts. The only thing to be said against the Dorset is their tendency to kick or jump at the wrong moment such as when they are being sheared or having their hooves trimmed. Because of this, English shepherds tend to call them, “f__king Dorsets,”. It seems that every breed is being tried but the Dorset. So we will have to see which breed comes out as the definitive Denman sheep. I am trying Texel crosses this year because they are stocky and produce nice meaty lambs when bred to the skinny Frisian milk sheep. The lambs are vigorous and stocky and have a tendency towards being carnivorous. When I am handling them and giving them treats, the Texel crosses will give sharp bites if I try to attend another lamb. This year for the first time, I also had problems with the lambs cutting their dams teats, something that never happens with the gentle Frisians. I think I must spend 70% of my working time with the sheep and cheese making. I got into dairy sheep because I was allergic to cow’s milk. Then I became allergic to goat’s milk. After three years of having dairy sheep, I could no longer hide from the fact that I had become allergic to their milk too. I say this to warm all other allergic-to-milk types that their inevitable fate is to end up with a milking flock and be unable to have any of the excellent milk, cheese and yogurt. So just don’t go there. For anyone else, I think having a couple of milking ewes is an excellent idea as long as you are prepared to devote your life to them. People might think that is kind of crazy but so many people devote their lives to their dogs and as far as I can see, dogs are useless. A sheep gives refined company, wool, milk, lambs and excellent manure. Yes, dogs give unconditional love but they do so for anyone with treats. I think pet sheep make a lot more sense. This looks to be a serious drought year so I wanted to talk about grazing. I have improved all the pastures I have grazed with my sheep. The soil is more fertile, retains water better and recovers quicker from grazing. There is more clover, fewer buttercup and broom plants and the

(Continued on Page 19)

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The Denman Store

(your community store for over 100 years)

Denman Organic Practices Produce coming in daily!!!

Sunday June 12: BC Hydro has put a new spin on the

slogan "Power to People" and is scheduling a power

outage from 8 am to 8 pm for both Hornby and Denman

Islands. The General Store will be open but we may only

have limited offerings. Please check the Grapevine and the

General Store Facebook page for updates.

Canada Day Friday July 1: General Store

open: Noon - 4 pm. Post Office will be

closed.

Mike Lindsay Denman Art Wall Artist of the month:

Denman Community School

Store telephone: 250 335 2293 Post Office telephone: 250 335 1636

Top notch fun loving staff. Boss, who when heard that his

son's ambition was to drive an army tank, said "I won't

stand in your way".

AG MATTERS FROM PAGE 18 grass is tighter. Part of the secret is to not beast the grass. I have seen some fields already grazed down to a ¼ inch tall and that is really hard on the grass. You are better off moving the animals from paddock to paddock quickly in the spring. Only slow down your rotations when you have no other choice. Moving the sheep frequently to clean paddocks is good for the grass and excellent for the sheep. Clean grass harbours few parasites and sheep eat clean pasture with relish. A pasture that smells of hooves puts them off eating. Remember, sheep never overgraze; bad farmers overgraze. Any grazer of livestock who would like to see my grazing system and its results need only call me to be given a tour. I am happy to share my success. For the ornamental gardeners, I suspect you should prioritize what you really need to keep and focus on watering those plants because watering 40 acres of ornamentals is only fun for the first couple of months of 16-hour days.

The Garden Club will meet at 2 pm on Wednesday June 15 at Shonna Janeway's Orchard at 1830 Scott Road. Shonna is a master orchardist and will show us how she produces a new apple tree from start to finish. This is an excellent time to shop for new apple trees and fruit bushes. This event had to be canceled in May. It is only $3 for a drop in or $10 for the year's membership. We will be serving lemonade. Bring hats and water bottles as this is an outdoor event.

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Remember you may need to walk with this so having a small luggage tote with wheels could help you evacuate your pets. Make and practice a meet-up plan with your family members and neighbours, especially the elderly or families with small children who may need extra help. In the event of a forest fire, the Fire Department or the RCMP will alert each neighbourhood with clear instructions for evacuation if that's necessary. The priority in a forest fire is human safety. Make sure your house and property are resistant to fires by clearing away dry brush and by not having fuel or piles of kindling stored right beside the house. For further information on disaster preparedness, have a look at getprepared.gc.ca. Additionally, the website ruralwildfire.ca has some interesting reading about rural community resilience and coping strategies. If you're interested in reading more about psychological preparedness for natural disasters, the Australian Psychological Society has an excellent information page at psychology.org.au. www.getprepared.gc.ca http://www.ruralwildfire.ca/

Preparedness and Managing Anxiety Submitted by Lori Nawrot re Minding the Gulf Forest fires are in the news again. Images of people fleeing their homes with little to no notice is a solid reminder that preparing for natural disasters is key to managing stress before, after, and during one of these events. Based on research on past forest fires (Slave Lake 2011), a number of key actions can help each of us minimize the stress associated with anticipating a natural disaster. Studies have shown that communities with disaster planning in place were more resilient after an event and had many fewer incidents of PTSD. Here on our islands, with our extensive experience with power outages in the wintertime, most of us are very well prepared for infrastructure interruptions. With just a bit more planning, we could also be prepared for earthquakes or a forest fire. Have “Grab and Go” bags ready for each member of the family. Information on what to put in these bags can readily be found at getprepared.bc.ca. Ideally, the bags will be a small back pack with the same essentials you would take on an overnight hike with the addition of a small battery pack to charge a cell phone, photocopies of important I.D., and extra medications, if you take prescription drugs. Have a pet carrier ready with some basic supplies.

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THIS PLACE by John Millen

Fall Fair Centennial Denman Island Farmers Institute was functioning by 1913 when the records held at the Denman Museum show it keeping account of stocks of explosives – used for blasting stumps as well as rock during land clearing. The Institute held the first Fall Fair on the Island on September 23, 1916. Judging of garden produce, cooking, needlework and livestock was the focus of the Fair. Home production of all the necessities was a feature of Denman life at that time. This first Fall Fair was held in the ‘old hall’ that had been built in 1897 in the centre of the Island on the land now occupied by the Fire Department. In 1917 the Fair was held in the new, larger hall known as the Athletic Club Hall, a building that after many rebuilds and additions is now the Community Hall. The Fair became a larger event in the following years, helped by a government grant to the Farmers Institute to support it. By 1922, as reported in the Comox Argus of Thursday September 28, it was a grand affair. The Argus took four and a half columns of its broadsheet to describe the Fair and report all the results of judging the different classes of produce and handwork. The headline summarized: “Denman Island is Self-contained: Fair shows that Islanders have not lost Home Craft skills.” Mrs. F. Bonavia came from Victoria to judge cookery and kindred classes such as preserves and needlework. Mr. P. W. Anketell-Jones, from Chemainus judged the fruit, vegetables and field crops and there was a third judge for livestock. Mr Anketell-Jones had won many prizes for his own entries in exhibitions and became well-known for judging fruit and produce at fairs held in Vancouver,

Victoria and even as far away as Spokane, Washington. As well as classes for garden produce, flowers, field produce, fruit, poultry, calves and pigs, entries were judged for ‘machine sewn garments’ (by both adult and child 12 – 16) and ‘handkerchief by child aged 9 – 12’. There were 10 categories of lace; and for crochet, knitting and embroidery. Several of the entries came from Hornby Island. For the 1925 Fair the Denman Island Agricultural & Industrial Association published a 16 page booklet as a prize list. As well as the ‘Rules & Regulations’ on page 1 there are 5 pages listing the 162 classes which could be entered. A silver cup, to be competed for yearly, was offered for the ‘Best Jersey Cow’. Advertisements from local businesses filled the remaining pages. One that caught my attention was: “Tip Top” Taylors Made to Measure suits $27, fit guaranteed by J.N. Mcleod, Courtenay. A copy of this booklet is held in the Museum. The extravagance of the 1925 Fair apparently could not be topped. That series of fairs came to an end. Being self-sufficient on the home farm had become less important as good wages were offered in the logging industry, dairy farmers shipped cream from their Jersey cows to the Comox Creamery and much produce found a good market off-island. The Blackberry Fair, held on the Sunday of the September long weekend continues the traditions of a Fall Fair on Denman Island. This year we can celebrate the centennial of its origins.

Cartoon by Karl

Goodwin

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For the Love of Dogs By Slug Blume

Living with a member of the canine species and sharing as many parts of our lives together as possible can be a fun, rewarding adventure. It can also be frustrating and confusing for humans/dogs alike. We have different ancestry, driving forces, methods of moving through excitement and distress, but the biggest barrier? We speak different languages. Learning how dogs see the world and ways they communicate with each other helps us build a deeper, more meaningful relationship, and understand their interactions and needs with other dog/human friends. Seemingly simple dog behaviours like panting styles, nose licking, yawning, sleeping positions, vocalization pitches and more have much deeper meanings than we may realize. Learning any new language is never ending and seems daunting, my hope is that with “For the Love of Dogs” some light can be shed on ways we may become calm and confident teams with our dog companions, able to explore and enjoy more parts of the worlds and the lives we share, as well as give us the tools to face challenges head [or flank] on. First let's look at a normal greeting ritual between two lone dogs. When two dogs acknowledge each other, they use a small tail wag, and scent the air. They are actually staring beyond and around the other dog, using their own scent and body language to communicate various necessary factors [remember, direct eye contact can be fearful, a warning, confrontational, or overexcitement]. They turn away from or continue towards each other. Instead of forcing a greeting [and potential confrontation] by running headlong up to the other's face, they approach each other in a curve or zigzag pattern, exposing their flanks, showing consideration for space, keeping themselves safe, and communicating. Both dogs have the opportunity to suss the situation, to see intentions and needs, and to communicate their own. Before the dogs get within touching [or biting] distance each can tell if the other is friendly, aggressive, timid, afraid, young, old, sick, in heat, where they have been, who they have visited, what they have eaten, and how to further approach the other without causing any undue stress/tension, or get themselves into a situation they are uncomfortable/unsafe in. They might meet, sniff butts/noses and then decide to go their own separate ways, or begin play posturing, mating/urination rituals or dominance testing. Before these two dogs come face to face with each other each has gathered information to make decisions on what they want out of the situation, and what to expect from another dog. Think about humans meeting, a first glance, a crowded room. Asking friends of the other, circling the idea of approaching, weighing pros and cons, and finally introducing oneself to learn more. Dogs have

the ability to process complex levels of info input, just differently. Now think about dogs meeting with their humans, on leashes; Head on. There is no option of moving away, very little information's being exchanged. Add stressors like tight/tangled leashes, and nervous humans giving confusing/contradictory vocal cues, most likely a negative greeting occurs, though if you're lucky, a squealing spinning friendly explosion happens. Either way, neither dog is acting from a calm and confident place, humans are caught up in the anxious/rowdy behaviour, unable to greet each other and everyone departs flustered. Have you ever noticed that at the beach or park your dog companion has no trouble greeting other dogs? But on a sidewalk or park trail sweet Daisy turns into Cujo? Unknowingly/unwillingly dogs feel threatened and emboldened by the head on confrontation. We can mimic/teach healthy dog greetings by approaching a strange dog/human on a curve/zigzag. Or walk on by with the dog on the outside of our bodies. Everyone's body postures lets us know what we are getting into. Briefly; [adult/child] greeting a dog. Head on to dog's body, eyes open/bulging, hand extended [equivalent of teeth], touching the top of the head or muzzle [without the dog's permission], squatting down to the dog's eye level, staring intently, excited high pitched voice. Think on it.... Dog's are living, breathing, thinking, feeling creatures. With their own desires, joys, fears. Together humans and animals can learn/teach tools to enjoy fun, relaxed and safe lives together, fulfilling everyone's needs. questions/feedback brokenstapledwings@gmail.com

Creative Threads Conspiracy

Registrations Open

www.creativethreadsconspiracy.com

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"As a society we have identified the limitless power of the sun, water and wind but we haven't begun to tap the untold power hidden in the hearts and minds of children." Mary Gordon

There is a job that only a fool would sign up for, and yet millions of adults, including myself, have agreed to these impossible conditions: no training, a salary that is zero dollars, 24/7 responsibilities, endless sleep disturbances, on-going emotional upsets and ethical dilemmas that make you question many societal norms such as competition, efficiency and cleanliness!! This job is called parenting. I view parenting as a form of activism, since it is unpaid work, and it is a service essential to the health of society and the future of this world. If I were in charge, I would pay parents a living wage just to remind them that their job is more than a hobby. Children have inspired musician Raffi Cavoukian to commit his life to protecting the sacred trust of childhood. In his book Child Honoring, he asks us to reflect on the scary fact that millions of children in wealthy nations are "routinely subdued by psychiatric drugs so that they can fit in to deadening systems of education while consuming many hours of violent media" each and every day. He condemns corporations that are "conducting a vast climate and toxicological experiment in which the research animals are our children." How do we prepare our children for some heavy duty challenges ahead? The Dolphin Way, a new twist on child-centered play therapy, is very cool. Humans need to emulate Dolphins' emotional intelligence, which are revealed in these observable behaviors: 1. cooperative team efforts to care for young and to find food, 2. energetic and playfulness, even among adults, 3. strong attachment to other dolphins, and when in captivity to humans, 4. extreme curiosity and 5. elaborate communication systems. The Dolphin Way is a book by a Harvard trained psychologist, who is also medical director of Vancouver Health and a UBC child and youth professor. Her name is Dr. Shimi Kang, http://drshimikang.com, and she is a parent of three children. She is offering an alternative to two common unskillful parenting styles; Tiger (controlling and authoritarian) and Jellyfish (permissive and apathetic). She uses the acronym POD to highlight the 3 most important innate needs of all human beings, i.e. Play, Others and Down Time. Kang's extensive, cross-cultural research confirms the old adage that an ounce of prevention, aka

Living Matters By Esther Muirhead proactivity, is worth a pound of cure. P. stands for Play; when spontaneous and unstructured, Play fulfills our need for collaboration, curiosity, creativity and wonder. O. refers to Others: our need for attachment, for reliable/flexible collaborative relationships, for unconditional love and respect, compassion and safe touch. D. is about Down Time; our need for solitude, rest, sleep, meditation, contemplation and reflection. She claims that adults must walk the talk and model to children how to live these POD needs, i.e. monkey see, monkey do. Kang reminds us that over-scheduling, over-protecting and micro-managing our children result in a compliant but angry child who has no access to internal control and self motivation. So, every day, we take the oath to be impeccable in our conduct since children copy our actions much more than our words. When I hear myself judging, whining, lecturing, using threats, shaming or bullying, to try to get my child, husband, friend, boss, employee, etc. to follow my orders, goddamn it, I know I need to shift my attention into prevention mode, i.e. Play, Other or Downtime. When I was a parent, sometimes my kids and I would agree that if anyone was being negative, the one caught would have to get down on the floor and pretend they were a chicken, earthworm, snake, you name it or sing a song or ask for a hug. Good God, how did we ever get anything done? "Empathy is taught not by telling children to be nice to others or to try to understand others but by parents having the patience to listen to children." Brazelton and Greenspan I am offering a family playdate to learn more about The Dolphin Way. By donation, Sunday, June 26th from 1-5 p.m.Location TBA. Contact me at http://esthermuirhead-counsellor.ca or ejmuirhead4@gmail.com.

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Health Update by Dr Ron Wilson

You may have heard the latest news on a study done by Harvard that started back in 1976 and followed 8900 female nurses and 46000 male health professionals. They were followed through until 2012 so over 35 years. It turned out that if they followed the 4 healthy lifestyle habits, they had 20-40 percent fewer cancer cases and a 50% reduction in cancer deaths. What were those 4 healthy habits. Can you guess them. They were not smoking, moderate alcohol consumption defined as no more than 1 drink/day for women and 2 per day for men, a body mass index (calculated by your weight and height - over 30 is obese) between 18.5 and 27.5 and of course by being active (150 min of moderate activity per week or 75 min of vigorous activity per week). Are we there yet? Are we following these healthy habits? Well, it turns out that only 18.5% of women and 25% of men followed these habits. So, yes, we have a long way to go. I know we get confusing messages from the media. Like, being active won't help you lose weight so why bother being active. We also have a new habit that may become a cause for concern, and that is what we refer to as sedentary behaviour, which means sitting around too much. With the

advent of more screens to look at and the change to jobs that involve a lot of sitting. The experts are telling us that all the bad things all this sitting is doing to us cannot be reversed by hitting the gym for a good workout. We are better to get up and move around for a few minutes every hour or two. So while over 6 million Canadians still smoke, there are good things out there that can help us quit if we do. (see you doctor for help or check out quitnow.ca. If you need help with drinking too much, get some help. Eating can be more problematic, but focus on healthy eating - more fruits and veggies and don't worry too much about the weight, it will come off. And finally, we can be more active, not for losing weight but because of all the good things it does for us such as improving the way our bodies handle the sugar we eat, improving our mood, and helping prevent all those chronic diseases that might otherwise impact our functioning. So there you have it. Dr. Ron

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Concert Ad

Flagstone

Deadline for July's

Paper is Friday

June 17th

Community Events Listings Sponsored by Union Bay Credit Union

Saturday & Sunday, June 4 & 5 from 10am to 4pm at Bruce & Lee Andra's farm, 3333 North Central Rd, "Rockin Weekend" (page 17)

Monday June 6 7-8 PM Front hall DIRCS General Meeting Thursday June 9th 7:00 pm - June 21st.at the Arts Center - Paul Bailey's photography show, "In Celebration of Flowers" (page 1 & 3) Wednesday Evening June 8, @7pm at the Back Hall, World Oceans Day celebration (page 6) Friday June 10 ?? PM Front Hall Luke Ohearn & Michael Laronde

Saturday, June 11, 10:00 a.m. - noon, at the Old School. Island Trustee office hours

Sunday June 12: BC Hydro is

scheduling a power outage from 8 am to 8 pm for both Hornby and Denman Islands. (page 19)

Monday June 13 @ 7:30-9:30 PM Back hall DIRA

Wednesday, June 15th. Closing Date for part time position with HDCHCS for Better at Home coordinator. (page 11) Wednesday June 15 @ 2pm,The Garden Club will meet at Shonna Janeway's Orchard at 1830 Scott Road (page 19)

Thursday, June 16 @ 7-11 PM Back Hall Open Stage

Saturday June. 18 at Bruce & Lee Andra's farm, 3333 North Central

Road, 11th Annual Tree Frog Radio Birthday Party (page 5)

Monday, June 20 @12-3 PM Back Hall Preschool Meeting

Thursday, June 23rd 7:00 pm - July 5th at the Arts Center - Jude Kirk's show "Rejuxtaposed" (page 3) Saturday, June 25 Community Information Meeting and Public Hearing on proposed bylaws 219 and 220 (density transfer). Details TBA. Saturday June 25th @ 8 pm, Front Hall, the A Rockalypse (page 3) Sunday, June 26 @ 1 p.m. til 4 p.m. The Dolphin Way Family Playdate. Location TBA. Contact Esther atwww.esthermuirhead-counsellor.ca. (page 24)

Friday July 1: Canada Day, General Store open: Noon - 4 pm. Post Office will be closed.

July 2nd. Community event “Cross Pollination - A Day in the Field.” (page 5)

Denman Island Art Centre 1016 Northwest Road, Denman Island

Summer Gallery hours: Monday to Saturday: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday: 1 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.

Denman WORKS!

(in the Denman Museum) Office Hours (excluding holidays/storms/outages):

Tuesdays: 12 - 4 pm Thursdays: 12 - 4 pm

Phone office hours: 250-335-3170

Job Board: www.denmanresource.com

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