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Into the night
UVic march sheds light on violence against women Page A3
NEWS: Fire damages Oak Bay home /A4 BUSINESS: New store opens in Athlone Court /A9 ARTS: Secret Santa takes the stage /A13
OAK BAYNEWS Wednesday, November 26, 2014
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Fostering the future by honouring the past Oak Bay High to recognize distinguished fine arts alumni Christine van Reeuwyk News Staff
Arts of the past will be present in the new Oak Bay High. While there’s some uncertainty about exactly how they’ll be honoured, the first 10 fine arts instructors and students of the past will be inducted into the Distinguished Fine Arts Alumni on Thursday night. “We thought that with moving to the new school next year we wanted to preserve a little history but also look ahead to what could happen in a new space with a new fine arts wing and theatre area as well as visual art area,” said Jeff Weaver, director of bands at Oak Bay High. “We’ve had almost 100 years of graduates come out of Oak Bay with some of the most amazing fine arts teachers. Oak Bay has always attracted high-calibre educators and I think that those educators have turned out some high-calibre fine artists.” As Oak Bay High gets ready to move into its new state-of-the-art school, complete with theatre, art, drama, music and dance spaces, the Distinguished Fine Arts Alumni is a way to celebrate the history and bridge the gap between the old and new. Hopes
Christine van Reeuwyk/News Staff
Dick Auchinleck stands in front of what was, in his Oak Bay school days, the junior high school. It’s where he met his (eventual) wife, friends he still enjoys a round of golf with, and where he enjoyed a music program that gave him skills beyond playing. are to have a prominent artist design something to display the alumni for the new school. For Oak Bay High grad Dick Auchinleck, being on the list of distinguished alumni is “unexpected”. “All I’ve really done is give some financial support for the music program,” he said, adding the artists themselves or developing young artists, are those who deserve the spotlight.
In fact, his support of the program is rooted in his days playing trombone under teacher Dave Dunnet, also among the 10 on the distinguished alumni list. “I played in the band from Grade 9 through to Grade 12. It was a great program,” Auchinleck said. “We had a phenomenal teacher who really got the most out of us. “I learned a lot of things in band that I took into business,”
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added the former CEO of Gulf Canada Resources. He learned that while there are some amazing individuals, a group dynamic can create something incredible, plus there were the bandleader’s leadership skills. “We had so much respect for him, you didn’t want to disappoint him,” said Auchinleck, who still calls Oak Bay home.
The music program provided lifelong friends, some of whom he still meets up with for the occasional round of golf. His return to the program at Oak Bay came a few years ago, in the days of court challenges over extra fees for students. “I was concerned, the band program was so important to me, and I worried it would go,” he said. So he started funding the program at his alma mater, subsequently he thought the new school would be in need and ponied up more to keep the program up to snuff. “I leave it up to them as to what to spend the money on,” he said. “They know better than I do what they need.” His former teacher, Dunnet, a longtime music teacher and promoter of arts education in B.C., will also be recognized at the event. Fellow teacher/artists on the inductee list include Bevan Bigalky, former Oak Bay art teacher; Colin Campbell, band director and teacher wellknown for his music in Victoria and his incredible inspiration of many former students at Oak Bay High; Eileen Cooper, choir teacher at Oak Bay and instrumental with the district music library; and Alana Charlton, former Dance Program co-ordinator and vice-principal who started the dance program in the Greater Victoria School District. PlEASE SEE: Former staff and students to be inducted, Page A5
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