Welcome to Lake Flashback. Reporter Sarah Simpson has been combing through old newspapers with the assistance of the Kaatza Station Museum and Archives so we can jog your memory, give you that nostalgic feeling, or just a chuckle, as we take a look at what was making headlines this week around Cowichan Lake in years gone by.
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This week around the Cowichan Lake area…
10 years ago
"Chamber president wants residents to ‘step up’" was the top headline on the Lake Cowichan Gazette of March 15, 2015.
"The recent Cowichan Lake District Chamber of Commerce AGM saw the return of Jim Humphrey to the president’s seat.
"Humphrey said that the Chamber’s biggest priorities going forward this year will be to achieve a higher level of cooperation between businesses, as well as focusing more on promoting Lake Cowichan as a whole.
"'[Cooperation] is more important for a small community like Lake Cowichan than it is for more urban areas,' Humphrey said. 'There aren’t as many businesses here, and we need to get them to start sharing ideas.'
"Humphrey served the Chamber of Commerce as president from 2005 until 2012, when he officially stepped down from his position, stating the importance of new people and ideas to bring the organization in a different direction.
"Rita Dustow and Ron McKenzie both served as president for a year each. While several residents expressed concern over an allegedly shrinking business community during last month’s public meeting, Humphrey said much of the burden lies on the community itself.
"'The community needs to step up,' he said."
In other news of the day, "Town not laying columbarium project to rest, seeks public input" was also a story.
"Lake Cowichan’s proposed columbarium is steadily inching towards life, as town council discussed the project at last Tuesday’s (March 10) meeting. There has been some concern over the town’s lack of a cemetery, which has left even lifelong residents unable to stay in Lake Cowichan after death. As there is no suitable land to hold a cemetery, the town began looking at the possibility of a columbarium, which would hold the cremated remains of residents, bringing it forward to the public last April.
"Councillor Tim McGonigle is among those pushing for its construction.
“'It’s an excellent idea that doesn’t need to be a full-blown cemetery,' he said earlier this year. 'It’s also a provincially legislated service but you don’t need a lot of room for it.'
25 years ago
Here's a headline you likely wouldn't see today: "Exotic meal feeds over 250". It was on the front of the March 15, 2000 edition of the Lake Cowichan Gazette.
"The Valley Fish and Game Club have been hosting their annual banquet for longer than anyone around here can remember. Last Saturday night, the always sold out event packed the Honeymoon Bay hall as 250 guests and a number of volunteers took part in an exotic meal.
"The menu included rare meats such as cougar, bear, moose, pheasant and white and black tailed deer. The wild meat was served as roasts, sausages and in casseroles. Another favourite dish was oysters, skillfully prepared by Dave Anderson with help from Mandy Hancock and Maria Henry."
Also, "Hundreds of jobs at stake in sale" was on the same front page back in 2000.
"Hundreds of jobs are on the line in a high stakes gamble that involves two forest companies and the provincial government. TimberWest is negotiating a sale of the Youbou mill and Tree Farm Licence 46 to JS Jones. If the deal goes through, the union that represents the 200 mill workers says they've been told by the potential buyer that the Youbou operation will be shut down. If that happens, the government will look at revoking the rights to the TFL, said Cowichan-Ladysmith MLA Jan Pullinger at a meeting with mill workers last Friday."
40 years ago
"Beefs about horse droppings nothing but hogwash, says steed's owner" was a top headline of the Lake News on March 20, 1985.
"The owner of three horses that have been the subject of concern to a Hundred Houses resident wrote last week to Lake Cowichan village council to correct what she called 'misleading' statements made about her animals. Marlene Nichol said Thursday that she thought a wrong impression had been given by Sylvia Haldorson, who had written to village council complaining about the horses.
"'Haldorson implies that our horses have been wandering at large over a long period of time. The truth of the matter is, with the exception of a single incident in October, the horse 'escapings' occurred between Feb. 22 and March 5, 1985,' Nichol said. Nichol said that she and her husband, Frank, made every effort to try to stop the problem.
And finally, "Barbara Butts in again with smoking ban bill" was another story.
"MLA Barbara Wallace is a determined crusader — no ifs, ands or butts. Although legislators nine times have stubbed out her attempts to regulate smoking in public places, the doughty campaigner has once more girded herself for battle. Air purifier in hand, Wallace introduced her bill for the 10th time, stating that she had more than mere puffery behind her.
"The idea has support on both sides of the House. Once the smoke had cleared, she said there was enough evidence of the harmful effects of second-hand smoke to support the argument that such legislation would significantly reduce costs in the workplace and in health care. And that's not just hot air, she insists."
