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
"Ts’uubaa-asatx pole raising ceremony postponed" was the only front page headline on the Lake Cowichan Gazette of Sept. 2, 2015.
"Residents eagerly waiting to see the completed totem pole commissioned by the Ts’uubaa-asatx First Nation will have to wait a little longer, as the band’s operations manager Aaron Hamilton recently announced that the pole raising ceremony, originally scheduled for this Saturday (September 5) has been postponed. Though Hamilton could not provide a firm date for the ceremony and unveiling, he said he hopes to be ready by the first week of October.
"The reason for the delay, Hamilton explained, is that the cement being used to keep the cement pole in place, in the centre of town’s recently renamed Ts’uubaa-asatx Square, would need more time to cure before the security of the large pole could be guaranteed.
"'It’s a matter of public safety, without the core cement being set,' he said. 'If we poured it now and the surrounding would still be liquid, nothing would be there that’s to keep it in the ground.'"
"Cougars, elk and bears spotted in Cowichan Lake" was the page 3 story.
"Nature has been wreaking havoc in the Cowichan Lake area lately, with no fewer than three encounters close to town involving those unpredictable — and sometimes wild animals recently.
"On Tuesday night, a hungry bear wandered into a garage in Lake Cowichan while two boys were skinning a deer, scaring them off and then making off with the carcass.
"'A bear actually entered the garage and took the deer that was hanging and the larger half of the body and bolted out of the garage,' Lake Cowichan RCMP detachment commander Sgt. Wes Olsen said. 'When the person came in the garage, the boys actually were already in the rafters of the garage, up and out of the way. The bear got the deer and headed off, and was gone.'
"The boys, ages 13 and 18, weren’t hurt in the incident and were going to bring the deer to the dinner, one way or another."
"But this first Lake Cowichan bear isn’t alone.
"'We had one break into a chicken coop yesterday but we couldn’t track them down today.
"'We’ve also been getting some cougars recently. When I was in the area yesterday I didn’t pick up or see any sign but we’re pretty sure they’re around. I always tell people never turn their back on a cougar. You’ve got to fight back.'
"Norris said the Elk, meanwhile, are becoming very active and can look pretty threatening as well."
25 years ago
"Tina Lum leaves Sept. 10 for the Sydney Olympics" was one of the top headlines on the front of the Lake Cowichan Gazette of Sept. 6, 2000.
"Tina Lum still can't believe she is leaving for the Sydney Olympics in less than a week. The 17-year-old Lake Cowichan Grade 12 student qualified for the Olympic Youth Camp in March and will be one of 400 youth from 186 countries to attend the two-week event, Sept. 12 to Oct. 4. She leaves Sept. 10. All Canadian high schools received application forms for the Olympic Youth Camp just before Christmas. The deadline for entries was Feb. 11. It required writing nine essays on a variety of subjects, from sports to volunteer work to some personal background and culture."
"Apollos' slo-pitch tourney a hit again, with 70 teams doing battle over weekend" was another front-page headline.
"It's hard to imagine that 19 years ago the Apollos' hockey team started a slo-pitch tournament to help raise money. It was a relatively small affair in those days. Now, with 70 teams from Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland, the Apollos' tournament is the biggest single event in the Cowichan Lake area.
"'Oh, no, no, I never thought it would get this big when we started back then,' said Ross Forrest, manager of the Apollos. 'We started out on one field Mesachie Lake with eight teams. I tell ya, it was a lot easier to organize than it is now.'
"All that extra work sure has paid off — and not just for the Apollos and the ball players. With several hundred ball players from out of town, along with their supporters, the tournament is great for the area. Lake Cowichan Village Market, for example, was hopping busy for much of the weekend, as were many local restaurants and pubs."
40 years ago
"A great sports weekend" perfectly explained life around the lake this week in 1985, so says the Lake News of Sept. 4, 1985.
"Competition was hot in the blazing sun this weekend as sports were spotlighted on the last holiday of the summer. Many visitors thronged the Cowichan Lake area to attend events on the lake and in district towns.
"Pat Coyne of Lake Cowichan had a weekend to remember. He shot a hole in one during the Mixed Best Ball Golf Course named the Elmer Tenney tournament August 30.
"Meanwhile the Lake Cowichan Water Ski Club held its annual Barefoot, slalom, marathon tournament at the club’s Cowichan Lake facility.
"But one of the big events that drew large crowds to witness the competition was a six all-participant fastball bonanza held at Mesachie Lake. In total 86 viewers also saw how a total of 37 teams took to the diamonds in the tournament."
And finally, another headline was: "May oust our firemen".
"Lake Cowichan volunteer firemen told Lake Cowichan village council last week that they don’t want to have to move out of their recreation hall to make way for the town’s new employee.
"Discussions are under way in an attempt to find more room for municipal staff to work. Council members have [said] the lack of privacy and space in the office [is a problem]. One of the suggestions has been to move the village’s new hire into the firemen’s recreation hall while the firemen take over the present office."
