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
"Kaatza Museum hoping to keep history of logging alive" was front and centre on the cover of the Lake Cowichan Gazette of July 22, 2015.
"Back in April, the Kaatza Station Museum found themselves the proud recipients of a treasure trove of documents and photographs pertaining to the local and national logging industries courtesy of Industrial, Wood and Allied Workers of Canada (IWA). Now the Cowichan Lake Community Forest Co-operative has announced that they will be stepping up to help fund the storage of these documents, and are also asking current and former loggers to lend a hand as well.
"The collection, packed by a thoughtful IWA member before it was destroyed, consists of 240 banker’s boxes filled with documents, photographs and film.
"Kaatza Station Museum curator Barb Simkins said that the collections consists primarily of documents from the 1930s to 50s, though some documents dating back as far as the turn of the century were also included. The documents originate from both the British Columbian and national Canadian branches of the IWA."
In other news of the day, "Palsson pilot program a hit with kids" was a page 3 headline.
"Palsson Elementary School’s recent Activity Before Learning (ABL) pilot program proved to be popular with students and staff alike, and now principal Jan Bradley is hoping that enthusiasm will carry over to report cards and attendance records when the full program, planned for September, starts.
"The ABL pilot program included 20 minutes of exercise and a healthy snack for all students before their classes began and ran three days a week during the last three weeks of classes. Each teacher designed their own activities for Wednesdays and Fridays, which included dancing, using exercise videos and an obstacle course. Classes cycled activities each day, giving each student an opportunity to try each activity. On Mondays, each class met in the gym for a school-wide aerobics class."
25 years ago
"Woman dies in Marie Canyon" was an awful headline to read on the front of the Lake Cowichan Gazette of July 26, 2000.
"A recreational outing turned into a tragic event on Sunday as the rapids of Marie Canyon on the Cowichan River claimed the life of a 55-year-old Victoria woman. The woman, whose name has not been released by police, was with a group of six other people. They entered the river at Skutz Falls and planned to exit at a pull-out before Marie Canyon.
"Apparently exhausted from the trip, the woman was unable to prevent herself from being pulled into the rapids. Another member of the group, who was on an inflatable kayak, was also pulled underwater but managed to resurface on the other side. A number of adults were on the shore and watched as the tragic accident unfolded at about 2:30 pm."
"Standin' in line for Sizzlin' Summer" was the other front page story.
"No one was seriously hurt in a traffic accident on the Cowichan River bridge that tied up traffic throughout the town for more than 45 minutes. A white 1981 Volkswagen convertible rear-ended a green 1987 Pontiac sedan at about 3:35 pm on Sunday. The Pontiac, headed east, had stopped on the bridge to let a group of children cross. It took almost two hours to completely clear the accident as three ambulances were called in to transport six people who suffered neck trauma. All were later released from hospital."
40 years ago
The Lake News of July 24, 1985 featured a story on the front page titled "Homecoming... "
"Former Yount School pupils and Youbou residents are being urged to 'come home to Youbou' to celebrate the school's 50th anniversary August 10 and
11.
"Irene Proulx, who is helping to organize the celebration, said Thursday: 'it's a total weekend, Saturday and Sunday.' The Youbou Regatta will be held Saturday Aug. 10 and the Yount reunion open house, on Sunday, Aug. 11. The present school building has been built in several stages, but part of it dates back to 1935. Youbou residents first began calling for a school in the early 1920's, according to J.F. T. Saywell's book 'Kaatza', which recounts the history of the district.
"'The James Logging Co. failed in late 1922 and closed down. The company had suffered some losses in a fire, but perhaps the main reason was the slump in markets that followed the postwar boom. The slump was to last until late 1925. 'Some families moved away and the need for a school was not evident.' By 1925 however, the situation had changed. A rail line was laid from Lake Cowichan to Kissenger and the mill, which had been closed two years, re-opened and began to ship lumber out on what was later to become the Canadian National rail line."
In other news "Campfires [were] banned" this time 40 years ago.
"The Lake Cowichan RCMP this week reminds everyone in the area that there is a ban on campfires. This past weekend there were numerous calls reporting campfires burning in the area, police say. At present, campfires are banned in 'all unsupervised campgrounds' said Tom Walker from the Ministry of Forests. Mr. Walker said this ban will be in effect 'until the day it rains.' The only place where campfires are not banned is in privately-owned campgrounds. Mr. Walker said at the present time there are patrols out every day. There is no set fine for failing to comply with the ban. It is left up to the judge."
