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Bands team up for Mingus on Mars concert

Gail Sjuberg
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Bands team up for Mingus on Mars concert

When it comes to putting together a memorable musical event, the leaders of Salt Spring’s community concert and big bands don’t see a need to mess with success for their Mingus on Mars show.

Bandemonium director Ben McConchie told the Driftwood last week he is excited about next Sunday’s concert, which will see his band do the first 40-minute set, followed by the Swing Shift Big Band performing for the second half, and one piece done together. The concert band will present some classic works by composers such as Gustav Holst, Ralph Vaughan Williams and Eric Whitacre, as well as newer, innovative works by some current composers. Swing Shift, directed by Michelle Footz, will play pieces by jazz legend Charles Mingus and musicians who inspired him, and familiar songs from the band’s repertoire.

The two bands teamed up for a concert at Fulford Hall in May, and McConchie said it was “a big success.”

“We actually gained a whole bunch of new members as a result of that, so I’m stoked.”

McConchie, who is a Pender-based SD64 music teacher, has been Bandemonium’s director for almost one year.

“I’ve been blown away by how good they are,” he said of his members, who range from musicians who have been with Bandemonium since it was established 30 years ago to a number of younger players.

“We’ve got a really strong group of players right now . . . and I’ve been really focused on building the next generation of musicians and making sure that the organization stays strong and keeps with the high quality that it has been producing all these years.”

Footz, who is the Gulf Islands Secondary School music teacher, is in her first season of leading Swing Shift Big Band and is also loving it.

The Mingus theme for the Nov. 26 concert came from Footz’ interest in his music and arranging style, and the ability to explore pieces by Mingus’ contemporaries like Duke Ellington and Sammy Nestico as well. Improvization will be part of the performance.

“That’s something I’ve been having everybody do,” said Footz. “They learn that it’s not really a scary thing to do. Once you have the basics it’s about expressing yourself.”

Some Bandemonium members will also do some improvizing when the two groups team up for a Miles Davis piece.

Both Footz and McConchie observe that making music as a group strengthens the community, with people from diverse backgrounds, age ranges and different opinions coming together.

“Getting lots of people out to community art groups, or any type of group where you’re working on a common goal, is such a good way to build community here,” said McConchie.

Both bands welcome new members.

Tickets for the Nov. 26 show, which begins at 2 p.m., are $20 in advance at Mondo Trading or at the door.

LTC lands on ADU compromise

Robb Magley
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LTC lands on ADU compromise

Salt Spring officials may have found a way to accomplish one housing goal for the island — and if the details pencil out, the next meeting of the Local Trust Committee (LTC) could finally illuminate a path forward for legal accessory dwelling units (ADUs). 

While it would be an understatement to say there are many details yet to be sorted, the sense in the room from all three trustees — and of Islands Trust staff, tasked with the sorting — seemed a combination of relief, fresh optimism and more than a little satisfaction. 

“I think we had a really good day,” said LTC chair Tim Peterson as he — metaphorically — gavelled the meeting to an end Thursday, Nov. 16.  

After considerable collaboration — and by unanimous vote — trustees advanced a plan to build upon the arguably watered-down version of Proposed Bylaw 530 tabled last month, a new map-based approach for ADU zoning that showed just a handful of properties where they would be allowed (and recently nicknamed “530-Lite” by trustee Laura Patrick).  

Once that new map comes into effect through bylaw — Schedule “M,” according to planner Chris Hutton — the LTC hopes to establish a streamlined, lower-cost and lower-staff-time process for landowners who want to be added.  

Much concern sparked by early versions of Bylaw 530 surrounded its scope, in that an abrupt rezoning of hundreds or thousands of island properties to allow ADUs could run afoul of guidance in the Salt Spring Island Official Community Plan (OCP). One OCP policy in particular states that zoning changes should be avoided if they would likely result in a larger population than was expected under the island’s development potential as zoned in 2008, and that exceptions to that policy “are to be few and minor,” and only to achieve affordable housing or other OCP objectives specifically.   

The proposed “spot zoning” process, which trustees unanimously voted to ask staff to develop, is likely as minor as practicable for this LTC’s goals — in theory affecting one parcel at a time. 

“You’d simply be applying to amend that map, rather than have your zoning changed,” said Hutton. “In order to provide a fast track, you’d have some criteria to meet.” 

Trustees asked staff to identify those criteria, and to find ways to make the process less expensive for applicants — hopefully resulting in more affordable rents as landowners seek to recoup fewer costs. 

“If it’s less work for staff, and we’re even able to waive a public hearing, there’s certainly rationale for seeking to amend the application fee,” said Hutton. 

The question of whether the LTC could waive public hearings may already be a settled matter. While many of the new housing-related laws being rolled out by the province will likely not apply within the Islands Trust, one part of the Housing Statutes Amendment Act probably will: in Bill 44, which outright prohibits public hearings from being held on any land use bylaw amendments for residential (or mostly residential) applications anywhere an OCP is in place, so long as that rezoning is consistent with the OCP. 

Moreover, Salt Spring may not have to wait for the province to sort it out, trustees argued. 

“We don’t need Bill 44 to pass,” said Patrick, “because we [already] have the right to waive a public hearing for projects that are compliant with the OCP.” 

What remains to be seen is how the new plan will land with the community; Thursday’s lightly attended LTC meeting was preceded by a robust town hall the night before, with several attending expressing disappointment with the pace and scope of this LTC’s efforts toward housing — as well as with the province’s exclusion of Salt Spring Island from much new legislation aimed at increasing B.C.’s housing stock, despite local trustees stating they wish to participate.

“If you’re saying it’s not the Trust Council lobbying the province to have us excluded, and our LTC is not lobbying the province, who is?” asked islander Corey Johnson during the Nov. 15 meeting held at the Salt Spring Golf Club. “Is it the lobbying groups that are currently opposing Bylaw 530? That concerns me greatly.”

“I can’t speak to what individuals or groups may have been lobbying the province, or not,” answered Peterson. “I don’t know.”

Others suggested they would be willing to lobby the provincial government for Salt Spring to be included in Bill 44.

At Thursday’s meeting, Salt Spring trustee Jamie Harris, who has long been an unequivocal supporter of the goals of Bylaw 530, told colleagues he was satisfied with the movement forward — particularly if plans can progress quickly enough to be able to approve an application process in time for the LTC’s December meeting. 

“It would be like a Christmas present for the community,” quipped Harris. 

Tsunami adds junior program with young leaders

Robb Magley
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Tsunami adds junior program with young leaders

It’s an exciting time of year for young circus enthusiasts: application season for the Tsunami Circus performance troupe. And Salt Spring’s 12-and-up youth — many of whom will perform in the storied program’s annual show — are eagerly looking forward to their next steps on practice mats and up ropes. 

But starting this January, three Tsunami Circus alumni and current coaches — Soleil Bennett-Peters, Jaqueline Wightman and Xzana Nesbitt — are helping to expand the Salt Spring program to include a younger demographic in part of the big show. And, if things go according to plan, they’ll also be helping to build the next generation of circus leadership. 

Generally, the performance troupe targets kids aged 12 and up, according to Salt Spring Circus and Gymnastics volunteer coordinator Michelle Bennett. Much of that level of circus involves a lot of choreography, and usually more self-led study — and rehearsal time — than younger students might have in them. 

But for some, the draw of the circus is strong, and can come early. Nesbitt remembers when the trio, who will be graduating from Gulf Islands Secondary School this spring, were elementary students and the administration would invite all the kids to watch the dress rehearsal.  

The lights, the performances, the sparkling costumes — it was positively hypnotizing. 

“Soleil, Jacqueline and I remember having that experience — seeing the bigger kids doing all that,” said Nesbitt. “And still now, we have a lot of little kids saying, ‘I want to do that, that looks really cool!’” 

Last January in particular, according to Bennett-Peters, the Tsunami Circus program had a big influx of younger kids, many of whom showed that enthusiasm the coaches remembered from their early days. 

“So we thought, why not create a program where they could do that as younger kids?” said Bennett-Peters. “If we can support them in that, we could work with them to get them thinking about what they want to learn, and what they want to perform.” 

Thus began the planning and prep for the new ‘Tsunami Junior’ ground-based performance offering, said Bennett: an hour-and-15-minute session on Fridays for ages seven to 11 who have been in a circus class before, with the three current coaches/mentors for Salt Spring Circus and Gymnastics building the new collaborative, play-to-strengths program from scratch. 

“We already know there’s significant demand from younger children who are interested,” said Bennett, “but who aren’t ready for the commitment required to join the performance troupe. It’s really amazing that they are taking the initiative to create this new program.” 

All three of the junior coaches have been with circus since Grade 6. Nesbitt said circus often appeals to kids who might not always find success in more “traditional” sports. 

“For me, it developed that physical literacy,” said Nesbitt. “It opened a lot of doors, to go into theatre and music and performance; I was prepared for those kinds of things.” 

Wightman agreed. “We’ve always kind of been the odd ones out,” she laughed, and said the circus was a unique space where older kids are actively mentoring the younger ones, and that translates into their lives elsewhere. 

“Now they know that there’s these older kids that want to help them any way they can,” said Wightman. “It creates that community of helping each other; when I see them at the high school, they know that if they ever need anything, I’m there for them.” 

For Bennett-Peters, the circus experience has been nothing short of transformational. 

“I was very socially anxious when I was younger,” said Bennett-Peters, who now splits a good portion of her non-circus time between peer tutoring at the elementary school and teaching swimming lessons.

“Being a part of circus made me realize how much I can bring; that’s such a powerful thing. If we can give that to this generation of aspiring circus kids after us, it would be so special.”  

Bennett said the program would be putting a call out for expressions of interest for the ‘Tsunami Junior” program, and was also likely expanding its adapted gymnastics/circus offering for youth with extra needs, neurodivergence or physical disabilities, who might not be able to join the regular classes because they’re too busy, loud or overstimulating.    

“Circus is an inclusive place,” said Wightman. “It’s a place to make mistakes, and grow as a human being. Wherever I go, I know circus is always going to be part of my life.” 

For registration and information, visit ssicircusandgymnastics.com.  

This week’s letters to the editor

Contributed Article
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This week’s letters to the editor

A “broad-ranging” mandate

In 2017, Salt Spring residents voted strongly in favour of remaining under Islands Trust governance. But it didn’t end there. Those seeking to escape the environmental restrictions of the Trust have discovered a way of achieving their goal without the inconvenience of another referendum: hollow out the agency from within.

As reported in the Oct. 18 Driftwood, (“Islands Trust reveals mandate interpretation”), on Sept. 26, during a closed-door meeting, Trust Council, which consists of trustees from throughout the Trust Area, discussed legal opinions and ostensibly arrived at a “consensus” interpretation that the words “unique amenities” in the Trust mandate “are broad-ranging and may include issues such as, but not limited to, housing, livelihoods, infrastructure and tourism.” Who would have imagined that golfing, real estate sales, shopping and resource extraction would fall under the “preserve and protect” mandate (subject, of course, to “a reasoned recognition of all the elements”)!

Which lawyer would ever agree to such a perverse interpretation of the mandate? Did the Trust’s Governance Committee, which includes both Salt Spring trustees, put their own spin on the legal summary? (Trustee Laura Patrick has argued that interpretation of the mandate should remain “as broad as possible,” while trustee Jamie Harris vowed prior to his running for office to “Stop the Islands Trust.”)

What was the exact wording of the motion, and why was the political discussion on such a critical matter not public? Was there really a “consensus” and were First Nations consulted?

The Sept. 26 “determination” has no legal force, but will guide development of the new Trust Policy Statement, which in turn will shape each island’s official community plan. These documents are legal and determine what can happen on the ground.

Trustees and others who can’t accept the Islands Trust Act as it is written should say so rather than engage in a costly and elaborate game of “let’s pretend.” There can be no open and honest discussion about the future of the islands until the political fog clears.

FRANTS ATTORP,

Salt Spring

Portlock Park track threatened

On Thursday morning the Salt Spring Local Community Commission (LCC) will vote on a master plan for Portlock Park recommended by the Parks, Arts, Recreation and Culture (PARC) department that will lead to the elimination of the only track on Salt Spring. This track is heavily used by many people of all ages and abilities throughout the year who are mostly not organized or affiliated with any user group.

PARC claims to have consulted with all user groups and had two community surveys. The surveys could be filled out multiple times by any one person so the results are not a fair representation of public opinion and likely highly biased.

There is room for compromise to accommodate all the needs of the potential users of Portlock if the LCC were to vote to ask PARC to go back and start fair and inclusive consultation with the public that includes opportunities for compromise.

Once the track is gone there is no plan to create one anywhere else. It will be a significant loss to our community. The LCC meeting begins at 9 a.m.

Karen Clark,

Salt Spring

Centennial Park work should have waited

I attended the candidates’ night preceding last fall’s elections of four island community commissioners and two island trustees, and was impressed by their commitment to bring stronger leadership to what was described as dysfunctional island government.

As a veteran who has marched in at least 30 Remembrance Day ceremonies since moving to Salt Spring, I was shocked and disappointed to discover that a plan had been approved to fence off and dig up the area around the cenotaph at Centennial Park on the days immediately preceding Nov. 11.

Surely one of our new commissioners, island trustees or our Capital Regional District director could have stepped in and insisted on at least the postponement of the work and fencing in progress until Nov. 12.

Ken Lee,

Ganges

Cariboo Express evening something special

With missing Salt Spring Folk Club concerts so much in these past few years, it made us appreciate Sunday night’s wonderful show featuring Barney Bentall and The Cariboo Express even more.

It’s been four long years since this amazing group of musicians was last here playing at the Fulford Hall. Every time they come they deliver, and the Bentall family’s Hawthorne Foundation matches all donations made to our local food bank.

The audience responded to the performers’ enthusiasm, talent and humour with three standing ovations. Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better we were treated to an unexpected guest appearance by our own Bill Henderson. Accompanied by the musicians in the band, Bill absolutely rocked his song Fly by Night, bringing the audience to their feet again, roaring, clapping and cheering.

I think anyone who was there could feel the magic and know we were all part of something very special.

Our sincere thanks to Barney Bentall and The Cariboo Express, Bill Henderson, Trish Nobile and her army of folk club volunteers that made it all happen. It was truly a night to remember!

Ann Marie Davidson &

Tom McKeachie,

Salt Spring

Island’s generosity impresses again

Sincere appreciation is again expressed to this caring community. Donations related to the Help Ukraine raffle of the past August were sent to Dr. Vitaliy Kubatskyy, a Vancouver friend of islander Igor Darmokhid’s. Our $3,200 was added to a Vancouver campaign.

Vitaliy emailed: “Big thank you to all donors . . . we were able to buy about 60 kg of life-saving medical supplies for battlefield medics operating near Avdiivka, Eastern Ukraine.” The needs expressed include stretchers, slings, elastic sleeves, bandages and medicines.

And, my personal thanks to all who helped celebrate my 90th birthday at Fulford Seniors two weeks ago. Your donations, an amazing $645, will be going to Myroslava in Lviv, to be spent on the children at an orphanage.

Victoria Olchowecki,

Salt Spring

Viewpoint: Evening of imperfect, amazing grace

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Viewpoint: Evening of imperfect, amazing grace

By ANDREA PALFRAMAN

When I arrived at last Saturday’s Middle Eastern dinner in support of Gaza citizens, my first conversation was with a friend who said, “I wasn’t sure I was going to come. I have terribly mixed feelings about this. But I’m here.”

I thought, “Oh dear. This is going to be hard.” 

But how could an evening dedicated to dialogue about the war in Israel and Palestine be anything but hard?

And it was. Hard, compassionate, messy: and transformative. 

The program began with the panel moderator, Eva Peskin, walking slowly through the crowd, singing  Leonard Cohen’s Come Healing. She sang,

“Behold the gates of mercy

In arbitrary space

And none of us deserving

Of cruelty or the grace.”

This was the first sign of how vulnerable, and painstakingly careful, the organizers would be. Before the discussion, we were introduced to a care team comprising counsellors, present to support people overwhelmed by grief, and — though there was no need — to mediate in case conflict erupted. Attendees were asked to read, and sign, a community agreement outlining respectful rules of conduct.

We heard  from people who’d spend time in Israel and Gaza acting as human shields, as aid workers, and as peace negotiators. Though they shared a variety of perspectives, many of the speakers repeated a similar entreaty:  we can disagree with one another, without tearing each other down. 

My friend, who’d been so reluctant in the beginning, ended up staying for the wonderful feast of lamb and tagine. After more challenging but compassionate conversations, she shared that though she’d found it difficult, she was glad she’d come. 

It is devastating, even so far from the conflict, that the bombs keep falling, and the hostages remain incarcerated. It must be unbearable to be living in Palestine, or Israel, with the horror unfolding day-by-day.  

But when we gather, in all our diversity, with a shared commitment to respect one another’s points of view, we create more than safety for one another. We create the conditions, in our hearts, for peace to take root. 

I admit: I was also nervous to attend. I am so grateful to Omrane Hassan, Eva Peskin and the emergent Arab-Jewish Coalition for Peace in the Middle East group for helping us to overcome our fears so we could break bread together.

Of course the evening was not perfect  — though the baklava absolutely was! But: because we took the time to listen to, and honour, each others stories, we found a way to be with one another — in imperfect, amazing grace. 

KODALY, Chris

Driftwood Obituary
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KODALY, Chris

Chris Kodaly peacefully passed away on October 31st at 3:33PM in Lady Minto Hospital on Salt Spring Island after a short battle with cancer. He is survived by his loving wife, Melissa, and children Laylah, Daeman, Zoltan (Trina) and Nova, and grandchildren Daylin, Jace, Sarah and Aiden.


Since moving to Salt Spring Island in the early 1980s Chris Kodaly helped establish Soya Nova Tofu Shop with Deb, (mother of Zoltan and Nova), volunteered countless hours to help establish the Dharma center on Mt Tuam, and accompanied Tuned Air Choir for over 25 years.


Chris touched the lives of countless islanders through his classical piano instruction (along with his wife Melissa at their B Natural School of Music), and his many memorable performances over the last four decades. He was a brilliant accompanist and a masterful soloist. His recitals moved audiences to tears and made their hearts swell.


Chris was a caring, loving husband, father and friend. He is profoundly missed and forever loved.

Sold-out screening of The Road to Patagonia followed by The Last Waltz at ArtSpring

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Sold-out screening of The Road to Patagonia followed by The Last Waltz at ArtSpring

By STEVE MARTINDALE

For SS Film Festival

The Salt Spring Film Festival’s annual Best of the Fests film series continues at ArtSpring with one-night-only screenings of the award-winning documentary The Road to Patagonia on Nov. 29 and the classic 1970s concert film The Last Waltz on Dec. 6.

After last week’s well-attended screening of Swan Song featuring the National Ballet of Canada’s Karen Kain, advance tickets for The Road to Patagonia have already sold out. Co-presented by the Gulf Islands Horse Association, a limited number of tickets to this film will be available at the door when the ArtSpring box office opens an hour prior to the screening.

Salt Spring residents will be among the first people in the world to see Matty Hannon’s incredible documentary about what begins as a daring solo surfing adventure from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego on a motorcycle, and which becomes so much richer when he meets Heather Hillier right here in B.C., who risks it all for love by selling her house, buying a motorcycle of her own and following the handsome Australian adventurer south.

After crossing the treacherous Darién Gap, they eventually trade in their motorcycles and continue their arduous journey through South America on horseback, with their surfboards strapped to their saddles, meeting Indigenous people along the way who provide them with new perspectives on our relationship with the natural world.

Tickets are still available for The Last Waltz, Martin Scorsese’s revered 1978 documentary featuring the final performance of The Band at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom, although this rare opportunity to see what is widely considered to be the best concert film of all time — now with HD video quality and remastered 5.1 audio — is also expected to sell out.

Canadian music legends Joni Mitchell and Neil Young join Robbie Robertson and his beloved bandmates on stage in The Last Waltz, along with an astonishing array of talented performers such as Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Neil Diamond, Eric Clapton, Muddy Waters, Emmylou Harris, Ringo Starr and the Staples Singers. Co-presented by Gulf Islands Radio, this masterpiece of music cinema is being re-released across Canada on its 45th anniversary to celebrate the life of Robertson, who died in August at the age of 80.

All Best of the Fests screenings are on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. at ArtSpring. More information and tickets via www.saltspringfilmfestival.com.

Fulford Creek coho run impresses

Robb Magley
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Fulford Creek coho run impresses

A record number of coho salmon have been spotted this year returning to Salt Spring Island’s Fulford Creek, according to volunteer counters. 

Island Stream and Salmon Enhancement Society (ISSES) biologist Kathy Reimer said the group has counted nearly 100 spawning coho along the length of the stream — the most ever, she said, and a happy result given reports from other salmon counts in British Columbia this year. 

“Goldstream Hatchery were quite worried,” said Reimer, adding that officials at Vancouver Island’s Goldstream River had seen just 98 coho on their initial count this year, a fraction of the number tallied at the same time in 2022. “I mean, they’ve got 10 times the creek we have.” 

The record return of both of adult fish and the “jacks” — the smaller salmon that have matured earlier and return to their home streams before the more typical three-year schedule — were the follow-on result of a high return of 55 fish the group recorded in 2019.  

“We feel that the reason Fulford Creek has a stable population of fish is that almost all the landowners along the creek are taking good care of the stream,” said Reimer, “and many have helped as volunteers.” 

Fulford Creek is the largest fish-bearing stream in the southern Gulf Islands and one of just 15 “sensitive” streams listed by the provincial government — a designation meant to protect fish populations at risk from damage to the stream’s aquatic ecosystem. 

That means residents and visitors need to take extra care near Salt Spring’s small streams; Reimer said it’s a good idea to be mindful year-round, but especially in the spring after the eggs hatch and the salmon are particularly vulnerable. 

“The eggs are pretty resilient,” said Reimer. “But the little alevins — that have the little bubble of the egg hooked to a fish-like body — they’re easily killed by squishing.” 

Reimer promised an update when final counts for all the island’s salmon streams — including Cusheon and Duck creeks — are completed. ISSES plans to take a few eggs for the hatchery at Cusheon, Reimer said, letting the rest spawn naturally. 

Classical and Indigenous voices merged in Echo

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Classical and Indigenous voices merged in Echo

BY KIRSTEN BOLTON

FOR ARTSPRING

It is often said artists serve as the custodians and storytellers of our shared heritage — their creative expressions transcending time and space to connect us across generations. Yet, throughout history and today, certain memories and voices have been marginalized, silenced and stolen.

Seeking to explore these themes and create an inspiring new narrative for the future is the aim of the ambitious multimedia concert project Echo: Memories of the World, presented by Gryphon Trio and a diverse array of Indigenous and non-Indigenous collaborators.

After an extensive process of research, creative residencies and “work in progress” presentations, Echo makes its world premiere at ArtSpring on Thursday, Nov. 30 at 7:30 p.m. before touring Canadian cities and abroad.

“I have been following this project with great interest and am thrilled to be able to bring it to Salt Spring for its debut,” said Howard Jang, ArtSpring executive and artistic director. “It is very powerful, and its message about the complexity and dignity of the human experience is something I know will resonate within our community.”

Inviting audiences on this remarkable global journey, the classical piano-cello-violin ensemble Gryphon Trio, mezzo-soprano Marion Newman Nege’ga, and narrator čačumḥi Aaron Wells unite with a team of multi-national composers, poets, researchers, theatre artists and filmmakers to share powerful stories from Canada, Norway, Mali and Ukraine.

It promises to be an emotionally charged experience that delves into the ways history has been erased and manipulated, while simultaneously celebrating visionary artists who have defied suppression and breathed life into enduring works of profound significance. Issues and voices about conflict, the environment, culture and reconciliation are all brought to the fore.

Spoken word from Sámi poet/playwright Rawdna Carita Eira is interwoven with music from Valentin Silvestrov, the internationally renowned composer from Ukraine, alongside Euro-based compositions by Bach, Beethoven and Mendelssohn. Film, pre-recorded voice and audio, live musical, operatic and spoken performance all come together for this unique experience.

This daring “mash-up” project not only tackles, but engages, in the process of establishing and maintaining mutually respectful relationships between artistic genres, timeframes, spaces, histories and peoples.

“In a world where beauty and horror coexist, the urgency of healing and reconciliation has never been more pronounced,” said Gryphon Trio co-founder Roman Borys, cellist and concept and content creator. “In that spirit, Echo illuminates a potential alternative approach to producing and creating both classical and traditional works in the 21st century in Canada. In that diversity, I think we find the key to healing and unity.”

A post-show talk back will also take place.

Thank you to the Reinette Foundation for sponsoring this performance.

Tickets are on sale for $35, with the new Angel Ticket program opening up seats for only $15 a week before the performance, and youth, as always, at $5. Angel Tickets are available in person or by phone only during open box office hours.

Remembrance Day unfolds under clear skies

Gail Sjuberg
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Remembrance Day unfolds under clear skies

Salt Spring’s Remembrance Day ceremony may not have taken place in exactly the same spot as planned due to construction that began in Centennial Park on Nov. 7, but organizers say they are happy with how things turned out on Saturday.

“Saturday’s Remembrance Day service was certainly one for the ages,” said Royal Canadian Legion (RCL) Branch 92 Remembrance Day committee member Ken Jackson on behalf of the Legion executive. “We are most proud of helping to foster such a tremendous amount of heartfelt support from the community and the guests we honoured.”

“We knew that the community was having difficulty envisioning how we would be able to pull together a full ceremony,” he said, “so we thank the community members and parade participants who showed up,  knowing they could face heavy rains.”

Instead, the skies cleared in time for the proceedings, which took place on Fulford-Ganges Road in front of the park, and included a parade on a shortened route, honoured guests sheltered under tents, and musicians and singers. Except for the wreath contributed by the Government of Canada, all 76 others were pre-placed at the Cenotaph in the park, which was made accessible during the day.

“The skreal of the pipes and the thump of drums, the brass band bolstering our voices, Viva Chorale!’s serenade and special guest Tudor Davies’ return to the island to deliver a thunderous rendition of In Flanders Fields were individually brilliant, collectively overwhelming,” said Jackson. “And a remarkably well-timed flyover!”

He thanked all volunteers and contributing agencies and sponsors for their contributions to the day.

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