Milner Christmas Magic
Full of Spirit: with star drummer Vince Ditrich
Painting in Tokyo Peggy Burkosky takes top honours
Caring for Community: Tigh-Na-Mara helps SOS spread joy
Winter 2014
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Winter Edition
H
ome for a Rest was certainly a party anthem of mine. That up-beat genius-of-a-song by Canadian Legends, Spirit of the West, was consistently blasting from the pub speakers around Canmore when I worked there for a number of summers. It was also my “getting ready” song while living in Calgary when I was heading out for an evening on the town. How fabulous that Candace Wu was able to catch up with Spirit of the West’s own illustrious drummer, Vince Ditrich, who lives in Nanoose Bay. Catch that great story on page 24. And after you rock-out to that superb song, take it down a notch and embrace the sights and sounds of the holidays. Linda Matteson-Reynolds shines a light (or more appropriately, 50,000 twinkling lights) on Milner Christmas Magic, an age-old tradition to many local residents, and an unexpected surprise every year for thousands of others. Do make your way into the storytelling room. Nothing conjures up Christmas Spirit quite like it. A couple of other ways to get you into the Spirit: read Linda Tenney’s captivating story from her childhood (page 22), and learn about the intriguing man who started the Tigh-Na-Mara Toy Drive (page 30), helping to ensure all local kids have a gift to unwrap this Christmas, written by Brenda Gough. If you need a delicious holiday appy while you’re relaxing with Oasis, read Carrie PowellDavidson’s piece on making holiday appetizers using local products. While you’re celebrating local food, celebrate a local artist, namely the talented Peggy Burkosky. Her inspirational paintings are now being celebrated in Tokyo, and in my article on page 10 she also shares an incredible tale from her fishing life. So there you have it, reading for all your moods this holiday season.
-Lissa Alexander
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There’s no place like home...
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Contributors Lissa Alexander
Originally from Qualicum Beach, she completed her journalism training in Calgary.
Contents
Peter McCully
Photographer, publisher & broadcaster who has worked on both coasts.
Candace Wu
A Vancouver Island journalist and photographer.
Linda Matteson-Reynolds Her photojournalism career began while in Kuwait.
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Brenda Gough
A journalist for more than 30 years, she’s been in this area for 20 years.
Carrie Powell-Davidson
Linda Tenney
A local writer, editor, photographer and publisher.
Publisher Peter McCully publisher@pqbnews.com Editor Lissa Alexander oasismag@pqbnews.com Advertising Steve Weldon sweldon@pqbnews.com Design & Production
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Stuff 2 Do
10
Painting Peggy Burkosky
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Loco 4 Local
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Milner Christmas Magic
22
Just Sayin’
24
A writer, local food advocate, event planner & tireless promoter.
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Winter Edition 2014
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Great local Winter events around the community.
Capturing both sides of the Pacific Rim.
Creating local holiday appetizers with Carrie Powell-Davidson.
An insider’s look at this holiday spectacle.
An outlook on life with Linda Tenney, the publisher of Eyes on BC Magazine.
The Spirit of Vince Ditrich An in-depth chat with a celebrated musician.
TÊTE À TÊTE Question & Answer with Paul Drummond, General Manager of Tigh-Na-Mara.
Peggy Sidbeck, Brad Everest
Circulation Laurie Fairbanks circulation@pqbnews.com Cover Photo Linda Matteson-Reynolds CHRISTMAS 2014
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4-154 Middleton Ave. Parksville BC, V9K 1X3 PH: 250-248-4341 FX: 250-248-4655
Oasis magazine is published quarterly by the Black Press. The points of views and opinions expressed herein are those of authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher of Oasis. The contents of Oasis are protected by copywright, including the designed advertising. Reproduction is prohibited without written consent of the publisher.
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Stuff Do Milner Christmas Magic: Dec. 5-7, 12-14, 17-21. A family festival with thousands of Christmas lights, storytellers, local musicians, Santa, a Teddy Bear Cottage and more. Milner Gardens and Woodland in Qualicum Beach. www.viu.ca/milnergardens
2.
Winter Wonderland on Ice: Dec 13-Dec 31, excluding Christmas Day. Skate in an arena at Oceanside Place and you’ll feel like you’re on an outdoor pond at night, complete with a sleigh, trees, snow, penguins, polar bear and more. www.rdn.bc.ca
3.
Echo Players Theatre: Ethan Claymore is a play about love, loss and life, set during the holidays. Dec. 11-28 at the Village Theatre in Qualicum Beach. The Last Romance will warm your heart this winter, playing Feb.12-March 1. www.echoplayers.ca
4.
Lazy Mike’s House of Music: Whiskey Creek. Monthly shows, open mic nights and classes. 250-594-9951. www.lazymikerockinrecliners.com/ houseofmusic
5.
Qualicum Acoustic Cafe (QUAC): First Friday of each month throughout the winter. Open stage and a feature act. Organic coffee and baking. Rotary House, Qualicum Beach. www.facebook.com/ QualicumAcousticCafe
6.
The Errington Hall Concert Series: Top notch Canadian talent with music concerts and dances, coffee house nights, classes and more, happening throughout the winter. www.erringtonhall.bc.ca
7.
Nanoose Bay Christmas Crawl Studio Tour: Dec.13-14, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Held by the Nanoose Bay Studio Tour group. Artist’s studios are open both days for this self-guided tour. Download a tour map and find more info at www.nanoosebaystudiotour.com
8.
The Old School House Arts Centre: Qualicum Beach. Art exhibitions, live music, art classes and more. TOSH Artists’ Open House and Artisan Craft Fair: Dec. 6, from 10-4 p.m. www.theoldschoolhouse.org
9.
The McMillan Arts Centre (the MAC): Art exhibitions, events including a folk music night, storytelling, a jazz night, and art classes. www.mcmillanartscentre.com
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FROM TOFINO TO TOKYO
A painter's journey Story & Photography by Lissa Alexander
P
eggy Burkosky has been entranced with Asian art for decades and now her own Japanese-influenced paintings are attracting widespread attention in Japan and on Vancouver Island.
The Qualicum Beach artist submitted three large watercolour paintings to an art show at the National Art Museum in Tokyo this past summer, and not only were all three accepted, but she was honoured with a number of prestigious awards, including First Place (Kin-sho or Gold) and People’s Choice (Taishu-sho). “I am overjoyed and honoured at receiving the awards,” Burkosky said by email from Japan in October. She added that the national art group in the country has extended an invitation to fast track her membership to their club. “They have complimented my work by considering it as exemplary of traditional Japanese style of painting, so you can imagine how meaningful this is to me,” she said.
PLASTIC SIGNS, BOATS AND BABIES Burkosky’s affection for art was first roused in her Grade 7 art class in Vancouver. In collaboration with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), stories were read to the students and they were to paint the imagery. Burkosky painted a doctor and his stethoscope with a painting nailed to the wall behind him. “I won an award in Grade 7 and that made me think I could be an artist,” she recalls. CHRISTMAS 2014
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After design college, Burkosky was recommended to a commercial design studio where she was hired on as an apprentice. She worked in the illuminated plastic sign industry where she learned to do conceptual renderings of signs for use on
commercial buildings. Throughout her 10 years in that industry, she continued to paint. Before leaving Vancouver, she joined the Federation of Canadian Artists and showed her work in a number of exhibitions around Vancouver, and took part in painting workshops on Salt Spring Island. Burkosky married a commercial fisherman and they had their first child while living in Vancouver. And then, 25 years ago, she made the move with her family to Qualicum Beach. That’s when her time for painting began to diminish. “Sometimes my life was a composite of painting, raising children, fishing with my husband and then painting again,” she explains. Locals may have first seen Burkosky’s work 25 years ago when she exhibited some Asian-style art in a show with renowned local potter Larry Aguilar, who also has an affinity for Asian brush work. As she started to have more time, Burkosky returned to the brush, honing her craft and consistently incorporating Asian themes, water bodies and often, boats. Burkosky was one of the artists who helped save The Old School House Arts Centre (TOSH) building many years ago and since then, the centre has served her well as an artist, she says. She continues to offer lessons today from the location and has a shared studio downstairs. “I’m very grateful for the dynamic duo of Corinne James and Ron Hadley, she’s very good at what she does and Ron has brought in the fabulous music,” she says.
MEETING MR. MORITA About five years ago, Burkosky went back to school to upgrade her design skills. She was able to complete her >>>
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degree by doing a practicum for her son’s software com>>> pany in Japan. While there, she also developed an art program at a resort in Lake Toya, Hokkaido. Her artwork caught the attention of world class photographer David Middleton and the general manager of the renowned Lakehouse at Toyako Resort, Julien Fanton. The two introduced her to acclaimed Western-style oil painter, Morita Tetsutaka (Mr. Morita). “It was one of those providential moments where our meeting opened up a door for me,” she said. Mr. Morita invited her to enter the exhibition at the National Art Museum in Tokyo, and he was one of the adjudicators in the show.
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The image that won the People’s Choice Award is called Pacific Harvesters and it depicts a Japanese boat design that is well respected in the Canadian Pacific commercial fishery, called a Deltaga boat. Peggy and her husband Bob have used that style of boat for many years and have a lot of respect for the Japanese fishing fleet.
Peggy’s painting was created with the intent of honouring how both nations harvest and steward the Pacific Ocean, she explains. Two years ago Bob and Peggy collaborated on a book called Cooking Fish and Brewing Tales. The book is a compilation of true fishing stories Bob has collected over the years and some of the fisherman’s favourite recipes, like Grandma’s Halibut Steaks. Peggy created the stunning illustrations based on the stories. She says the book is a piece of West coast fishing heritage. “Let’s face it, when you look up and down the coast, a lot of these communities are ghost towns because there is no longer a strong fishery. And rather than get all political about it and fish farming, we just want to say, ‘look what we have’, and make it cause people’s hearts to go, ‘yeah, that’s worth fighting for.’” The couple is working on a sequel which will include colour, more stories and more recipes. >>>
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Photos: page 10, Peggy Burkosky at her studio at TOSH. Pages 12-13: from left, Peggy’s awardwinning patining Pacific Harvesters. Inset, Peggy with her and husband Bob’s book. Top right, Peggy explaining portraiture at her TOSH studio. Bottom right, Peggy’s painting Bounty.
>>>
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Peggy continues to accompany her husband on his fishing trips in the summer months and works as a deck hand, cooking, cleaning, dressing the fish and icing them down. Although it’s hard work, she has never had any major injuries, until this past summer. The crew pulled in a net and instead of lingcod they were face-to face with over 1,000 spiny, dogfish. “They were strung like Christmas lights in the net,” she explains. “They have spines and all kinds of prickly appendages coming out of them.” It was one of those appendages that came flying out of a fish, while it was being yanked out of a net by her husband, and went straight into Peggy’s cheek. “It was like shrapnel in my cheek,” she recalls. A week later her cheek blew up into a swollen, purple mass and she ended up in the hospital hooked up to an IV with what was determined to be fish poisoning. But it’s these fishing trips where Peggy gets the majority of her photographs which later become works of art. Many of her West Coast fishing pieces were recently featured in a fine art exhibition held by the Pacific Rim Arts Society in Ucluelet and Tofino, curated by renowned West Coast artist Mark Penney.
For more information on Peggy visit her website www.peggyburkosky.com or find her on facebook.
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Peggy says it was fitting to have her work displayed in that exhibition and then days later, have a show in Japan. And although she’s been a revered artist to West Coast art lovers for many years, her distinctive style is now farther reaching than she would have imagined, and being celebrated on both sides of the Pacific Rim.
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GR
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entertain GRE
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The holiday season is near! Our in-store party platter specialists will help you tempt the taste buds of your guests. Pick up our Entertaining Brochure or Visit ThriftyFoods.com/Entertain to see our selection of irresistible options.
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Note: In order to maintain our high standards, items may not be exactly as shown. Due to market availability, seasonal or otherwise, some substitutions may be necessary. Our Entertaining products are produced in an environment with peanuts, tree nuts, soy, eggs, wheat and shellfish.
Helping you entertain with amazing food.
LOCO 4 LOCAL Recipe for Smoked Salmon Pâté 250 gms Cream Cheese 1 tsp. horseradish 2-3 drops Tabasco 1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice 1 Tbsp. fresh chopped chives 1/2 cup smoked salmon
TO ASSEMBLE SALAD Story by Carrie Powell-Davidson
Mix all ingredients together and chill. Serve with crackers.
Carrie’s holiday appetizers made from local products including her Smoked Salmon Pate. PHOTO: Carrie Powell-Davidson
Pop-Up Parties for Locavors in pre-made tapenade, artichoke dip and tomato spread, and they grow many of their own ingredients right here on the Island. Eat Fresh Urban Market makes salsa, humus and Bruschetta right inhouse. Pasta - Deep fry some ravioli from Serafina’s in Qualicum Bay and serve with their Primavera or Putanesca Sauce for dipping. Seafood - Fanny Bay Oysters can be served fresh out-of-the-shell or wrap in some local bacon for Angels on Horseback, Vancouver Island-style. If you’re lucky enough to secure B.C. Spot Prawns, these can be served cold with a spicy dipping sauce or better yet, keep an eye on the Sidestripe Shrimp fleets. They often set up shop in French Creek and sell fresh on the boat. Island Scallops are amazing by themselves, wrapped in bacon or steamed with fresh ginger, soya sauce and sesame oil. Top with chives. Chicken - Many of our local farms sell frozen chicken breasts. Slice into strips; add your favourite coating and you have home-made chicken strips. Mix Myre’s Sweet Mustard from Nanaimo with a little local honey for dipping. Beef - Keep plenty of locally grown ground beef in the freezer for cocktail meatballs, lettuce wraps or sliders (mini burgers).
Spicy ground beef can be prepared ahead of time for tacos, pizzas and quesadillas. Pork - We are home to many wonderful sausage-makers and these tasty tid bits are delicious when sliced up, cooked and served with Myre’s Sweet Mustard. Vegetables - Echo Valley Farm outside of Qualicum Beach grows potatoes and potato skins, topped with local cheese and bacon, are quick and easy to make. Serve with Island Farms sour cream. You can also make your own potato chips! Cheese - Little Qualicum Cheeseworks’ award winning brie is amazing when melted and served with roasted local garlic on top of fresh local baguette. For super easy and quick entertaining, arrange an assortment of LQC cheeses with nuts and dried fruit. Eggs - Curried Devilled Eggs topped with Caviar. Wait a minute; you say…..who makes Caviar locally? Right across the water on the Sunshine Coast is Northern Divine Caviar and it is spectacular! Sweet Endings - Biscotti di Notte in Qualicum Beach, Island Highlander in Nanoose Bay, Coastal Cake Company in Coombs and Eat Fresh have the baking all done for you, but if what you really, really crave is chocolate, bring in the Denman Island Chocolate.
CHRISTMAS 2014
“Yes, we’d love to see you! Today? In an hour? Absolutely!” If there’s one time of year that friends are most likely to drop in with little or no notice —it’s Christmas. This season is the perfect time to entertain guests in our homes, but just because the company was unexpected, doesn’t mean we have to abandon our passion for local food. The following is a list of some great ideas for quick and easy entertaining using local products. It is by no means inclusive as there are so many wonderful foods being grown and made right here on Vancouver Island. A visit to the Qualicum Beach Farmers’ Market any Saturday morning or a trip to one of our local stores like Eat Fresh Urban Market located in Parksville, will provide a bevy of homegrown options and ideas. Happy Homegrown Holidays! Spreads & Dips - That Extra Touch and Catie’s, both from just outside of Qualicum Beach, make a broad assortment of jellies and sauces that perk up crackers and cream cheese. Smoke Masters in Hilliers have a Smoked Salmon Pate or pick up some smoked salmon and make your own—recipe above. Happy Trout Lodge in Parksville has smoked trout and they also make a smoked trout cream cheese. Golda’s, out of Mill Bay, puts it all together
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The Making of
MILNER CHRISTMAS MAGIC Story and Photography by Linda Matteson-Reynolds
I
t’s an enormous undertaking but it makes the Christmas season a little brighter in Qualicum Beach. What takes place behind-the-scenes at the Milner Christmas Magic? How long does it take to set up? Where do all the displays come from? On a fact-finding mission, I was determined to find out how they do it. Just how many LED lights and number of volunteer-hours does it take to create this magical experience? To truly shed some light on their lights, I made a visit in early October when the first section of lights was scheduled for its test run.
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Executive Director, Geoff Ball and John Coady, Creative Team Leader and Artistic Advisor, sat down with me for an insider’s look at the “tricks of the trade” and the true scale of this annual undertaking. >>>
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>>> Milner Christmas Magic has been a favourite winter attraction for local residents and visitors for 12 years and Ball has been there from the beginning. “In 2003, 1,500 people walked through the gates and in 2013, our numbers swelled to 6,500,” states Ball.
SWANS ON THE LAKE Coady and his team are responsible for constructing the large ornamental decorations that all started with the giant snowman so many years ago. The “Swans on the Lake” is one of Coady’s personal favourites. Around every path and junction, visitors find giant stars, candy canes, and igloos nestled into the woodland. Starting with a vision, crates of rebar and a welder, Coady’s team start to work in July assembling their new creations. For the past seven years on opening night, Milner has unveiled a new light exhibit, and this year will be no exception with the showcasing of two impressive and more intricate displays. No amount of coaxing could persuade Ball to divulge the secret
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of these new exhibits. “You’ll just have to come out on December fifth to share in the unveiling,” he says. Each year averages 1,000 volunteer hours to make the magic happen in design work and setup. For every night of operation, 20 volunteers and four full-time staff are on-hand to be greeters, ticket-takers, shuttle drivers, food preparers and storytellers. Full dress rehearsal with all volunteers at their positions takes place the night before opening. This is the final tweaking of the light displays, ensuring all electrical breakers are up and running and safety measures are in place. Anticipating large opening-night crowds, and two hours before the gates open, all is in readiness; signage is out, burn barrels lit, hot chili is simmering in the kitchen, last minute dry-run testing of all circuits is complete and then, the light show begins. Ball admits that the takedown is much easier and with all volunteers helping out, only takes about one hour after the last visitor leaves. The changeover to LED from incandescent has been slow and although the kilowatt-hours have decreased with the exchange, the increase in light strings each year sees the budget pretty much staying the same. >>>
IT’S GOING TO BE STOCKINGLOADS-OF-AWESOME FUN FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY! >>> “We have four large power feeds coming into Milner Gardens and every breaker is maxed-out for our Christmas light display,” states Ball. “We’re at 50,000 and counting.”
A MILNER BABY Looking back over the years to the funniest and scariest moments to share, Ball recalls in 1998 having to top-up five generators halfway through the evening to keep the old incandescent lights operational. “I was running back and forth in the pouring rain with jerry-cans to make sure the lights stayed on for the entire evening.” Recalling his scariest moment: “Well, we almost had a Milner baby born in the main house one evening and it took every volunteer we had on hand to light the pathway for the ambulance to come in and escort her to the hospital,” he recounts. “That was an evening to remember!”
Begin your coastal journey at the Salish Market, where the powerful stories of the art created with “insight” of the Salish Sea unfold. Discover west coast expression in all mediums: pottery, wood, glass, metal, culinary, fabric, paint, literature, photography, body care and jewellery.
It is justly becoming a Christmas community tradition as well and businesses and groups volunteer their time and expertise to assist both in the operations and the evening entertainment. Mr. and Mrs. Claus have been delighting visitors on-site every night for 11 years. Mid Island Floral Arts Club members assist in making the gardenwalk floral light displays and Vancouver Island Regional Library provides their storytellers for children in a cozy corner of the main house. Tree Works donate their manpower and cherry-picker lift equipment to help run those treetop strings of lights. Volunteerism is the driving force behind this community initiative, and much of their success is due to the hard working volunteers. One tiny bulb by itself may not shine very brightly but make that 50,000 + and it’s one awesome light show. Inclement weather can play an important role in the success of the season’s attendance and participation. A heavy snowfall or extremely high winds will oblige Ball in his Executive Director’s role, to cancel the evening. He encourages all visitors to check the Milner Gardens website and homepage where a notification of closure will be posted.
Upon arrival, the Milner Home is bejewelled with lights, and the candles shimmering through the windows, gives off an inviting warmth to come inside from the cold and taste the home-made goodies and hot >>>
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The forested pathway is lined with flickering candles, guiding the enthusiastic visitors to the main house as every night; Ball and his volunteers hand-light the coffee-can lanterns.
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Milner Christmas Magic Dates: December 5-7, 12-14 & 17-21 5-8:30 p.m Price of Admission: Suggested Donation $5 Adult, $2.50 Children Please visit their website for additional information: www2.viu.ca/milnergardens/
Photos: page 16 (Top) Light displays made from plastic bottles leading to the Pool House Gift Shop, (below) a view from outside the main house. Pages 18-19, from left, inside the main house, right, more plastic bottle light creations. Bottom left, tea service in the main house, right, the Pool House Gift Shop. Page 21, tables in the main house, right, Swans on the Lake.
>>> chocolate served up in the Tea Room. Milner’s famous jams and jellies are also to be sampled and are available for purchase. It’s an interactive wonderland for every visitor, as around each corner, there are a variety of activities happening nightly: * Instrumental and choral music in the main house dining room will feature this year, the McShane Family, the Cantando Chamber Singers, Serendipity Jazz, Fouray Quartet and many more. * The Teddy Bear Cottage, a favourite with young and old with its huge collection of stuffies, has a contest to guess the number of bears and a chance to take home a furry surprise. * This year the students from Vancouver Island University’s Baking and Pastry Arts Program will be silent auctioning a variety of their impressive gingerbread houses. * Volunteer storytellers delight the children with Christmas tales and folklore and it’s an opportunity to pull-up a cushion, sitdown and relax in the warmth. * The Pool House Gift Shop will be well stocked with Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers for those last-minute shoppers.
Ball’s vision for the future is to keep the mood and spirit as a “home-town light show”. He is dedicated to the long-term creativity of the Christmas display that enhances and improves in quality each year. The pride and enthusiasm that Milner Christmas Magic brings to the citizens of Oceanside is evident in bringing about a spirit of community pride that transcends economic and social barriers. Virtually every citizen can enjoy and feel a part of this magnificent event. Favourite moments shared by Ball and Coady: after 11 years of volunteering and setting up numerous displays, Coady has a difficult time pinpointing his most favourite, but heartedly admits that the bottomless cup of hot chocolate he is able to share with his fellow volunteers tops the list. For Ball, he enjoys lurking about the gardens incognito and listening to the oohs-and-aahs of families delighting in the exhibits. “Milner Christmas Magic is the holiday spirit of our community and close to people’s hearts,” states Ball. Make Milner Gardens Christmas Magic a time-honored tradition for your family beginning this year, embrace the magic of a woodland enveloped in twinkling lights—that makes holiday dreams come alive.
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* Have a visit with Mr. and & Mrs. Claus, tucked away in the Ursus Den, and be sure to bring your list for Santa.
THE SPIRIT OF THE COMMUNITY
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JUST SAYIN’
Story & Photo by Linda Tenney
D
A Gathering of Strays
uring a recent chinwag with a friend, she blurted out the ideal title for this article, “A Gathering of Strays”. The perfect description for many of us who live alone and are solo for the holidays. It’s actually quite a large group. But I’ll get back to the strays ... One December day a long time ago, I was scooted into my father’s emerald green Ford Tudor and driven through the snowy streets of Toronto to a family-owned hardware store ... a store with a huge single-paned display window that fronted onto the street designated for the Santa Claus Parade that year. Cleared of an assortment of all things hardware, the window’s interior platform was decorated with swags of garland, silver tinsel, multi-coloured Christmas lights filled with churning bubbles, and a wing-back chair covered in red velvet. CHRISTMAS 2014
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“Santa is coming,” my Aunt Mildred assured me as I crawled up and onto the plump cushioned chair. I could feel excitement growing as snowflakes swirled in the winter wind outside. A crowd of people had
gathered and lined both sides of the parade route. Men, women, children and a dog that weaved its way through the mass ... sniffing at mittens, hoping for a treat. A young girl dressed in a cobalt blue coat turned to look at me snuggled on the red chair in the window. She smiled and waved. She was too small to see the street past the barrier of legs that stood fast to their treasured spot along the route. I watched as she moved a few inches to the left, then a few inches to the right, trying to find a sliver of view to the street as high school bands, stilted clowns and colourful floats streamed by.
and guided my new friend back to the shop. We jumped up on the window platform and snuggled into the red chair together—there was room for both of us.
We clapped and cheered as the parade of floats and entertainers slipped past— we had a clear view above the crowd. We pressed our noses against the window when the last float ... the one with Santa and his eight prancing reindeer moved into view. We held hands—she told me she wanted a pony for Christmas. I wanted a pair of skis. It was an exciting moment in the lives of two children who didn’t know each other. A moment indelibly imprinted on my mind—one that still conjures a smile about I slipped off the chair and placed my hand that December morning. on the shop window. It was cold. The next second I was off the platform and standing We all have stories like mine. Stories that outside, snowflakes whipping up and warm our hearts and linger in our minds around me in a tornado of air created by decades later. If you’re alone this season, the warmth of the shop meeting the cold gather a circle of strays—invite solo souls of the street. to celebrate the season, share memories of the past, tales of the present, and We didn’t know each other, but the girl in hopes for the future. That’s what this season the blue coat was already my friend. It was is all about. Warm hearts and treasured the look. It was the wave. Kids are like that. moments. You can create them, solo or not. Quick to make friends. I walked over to her, Just sayin’ took her hand, looked up at her mother
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t i r i p S PLAYING with
Story by Candace Wu Photography by Brian Argyle and submitted by Vince Ditrich
V
ince Ditrich had his first “pro gig” at age six.
It came by way of a birthday present from his father, who hired young Ditrich—brimming with energy and youthful excitement—to sit in and play the drums with dad’s band, The Bridge Brass, at a wedding they were headlining at the German-Canadian Hall. To this day, Ditrich credits his father as his biggest fan. “He was determined that I would succeed in music,” says Ditrich about his late-father. “I think I was meant to make up for where he failed.” Ditrich says by the time he was 16 years old, his father had taught him “how to read, how to play every style, how to play in every imaginable environment, properly—everything from super-loud concert halls to tiny little corners on a postage-stamp sized stage—modern music, old-fashioned music, rock, formal music with an orchestra, jazz combo, everything you could imagine.”
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He says “the rest of my life since then has been an attempt to continue mastering and perfecting what I learned as a boy.”
And that sixth birthday present would later become a gift for Canadians all over the nation who consider Home For A Rest one of their favourite party anthems. “We played a wedding combo and I made $15,” recalls Ditrich of his debut to stage and first paid job. “In 1969 that was big money.” But bigger money was yet to come — along with bigger hits, bigger shows and of course, much bigger struggles.
GETTING TO THE BIG CITY Like all classic novels, love stories, success stories and tragedies, Ditrich’s began in a small Canadian town famous for hockey, bar fights and booze: Medicine Hat, Alberta. He affectionately calls himself “a recovering Albertan.” Needless to say, Ditrich moved out when he was 17 and headed to B.C.’s big city: Vancouver. And in 1980 the metropolis was thriving with invention. Musicians, artists, actors—anyone seeking a creative outlet— came to the city to chase their dreams. To revel in anonymity. To get discovered. To discover themselves. At the very least, to get out of their hometown and never look back. Ditrich moved to Vancouver with his friend, Richard Sera, who he met at age 15 when they played in a teenage garage band together. The two of them took the city by storm—embracing severe struggle, and later on, tremendous success. “One of the great struggles is starvation,” says Ditrich when asked about the trials and tribulations of chasing a career in music. >>>
t
>>>
“I mean literal starvation—no money for food.”
He remembers a time when he was “so broke (his) entire diet for one weekend was three Seven Eleven hotdogs for $1, once a day.” Looking back now, he laughs at the memory. “We had nothing,” he says.
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Sera went on to play with Loverboy and Tom Cochrane; Ditrich went on to play with Spirit of the West and Sue Medly. Ditrich says there were many aspiring musicians in his life at the time, including Doug Elliot and Steven Drake, better known today as members of The Odds. He says the tight-knit network of up-and-coming musicians he kept company with all went on to become great professional musicians. But in the early 80’s, “we all just supported each other so strongly and we were always there—dancing to each others music.”
VINCE’S BIG BREAK It came at age 23. The audition that changed everything, saved Ditrich from starvation and launched him into the big leagues. Long John Baldry was looking for a drummer. Ditrich, who describes Baldry as “one of the most legendary figures in music,” knew this was the perfect role for him. Asked about the audition, Ditrich says, “I was shitting myself.” It wasn’t because he didn’t think he could play well, he says, but because of his intense desire to impress Baldry. “I wanted him to be totally satisfied,” says Ditrich, who managed to get a cassette tape with some of the recommended material on it. He learned it “inside out and backwards” and came to the audition “thoroughly and completely prepared.” Jimmy Horowitz, a well-known producer, took note of Ditrich—saying he’d done his homework. Ditrich got the gig. “I mean, I went from being a 23-year-old unemployed kid to being the drummer of one of music’s most legendary figures all in one swoop,” he says. “I was playing with people who had played with people who had made some of the most important pop records for the last twenty years before that—the bass player was Alan Parsons’ bass player!”
SPIRIT OF THE WEST Ditrich’s career is dotted with highlights. Alongside playing with Baldry, he also did stints and tours with Sue Medley, Doug & the Slugs, BTO, Mae Moore and Paul Hyde to name a few. But the drummer is best known for his role in Spirit of the West—a connection that happened, like all great things, serendipitously.
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It was the late 1980’s, Ditrich explains, and Spirit of the West was coming to the realization that they needed more power; specifically, they needed a drummer to help translate their sound to the back of big concert halls. About six months before that, Ditrich said he had seen the band play at a Christmas party—however he didn’t personally know any of the members.
Half a year later, Paul Hyde—a mutual friend—connected Ditrich with Spirit of the West for an audition. >>>
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“At the time, I remember wondering what would happen if they had a drummer,” he said. “I thought they were an inventive group, but they would be more effective with a real strong, rhythmic background.”
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December 1 - 23, 2014 Monday-Friday • 10:00 to 4:00pm 210 Crescent Rd W, Qualicum Beach 250-752-6227 Visit the Memory Tree at Valhalla to honour the memory of a loved one and enjoy a cup of mulled apple cider with us while learning about hospice services. Decorations provided through the artistry and kindness of the MID ISLAND FLORAL CLUB. Oceanside Hospice Society offices will be closed from Dec. 24 to, Jan.4, 2015. CHRISTMAS 2014
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>>> The synergy was there and Ditrich was pleasantly surprised at how much freedom the rest of the band was willing to give him. Shortly thereafter the new group hit the road and played in Banff and Jasper. They toured well as a group, sounded phenomenal and fit together like it was meant to be—the rest was Canadian history. Spirit of the West has released 13 albums since 2008, five of them gold and three platinum. Their hit song Home For A Rest was rated by the CBC as one of the greatest Canadian songs of all time and is often referred to as “Canada’s unofficial national anthem.” CFNY ranked it number eight on their Top 102 Canadian New Rock Songs of All Time chart. It has become the country’s definitive party song, and Canadians all across the nation consider it a classic frosh week anthem at universities, a popular dance tune at weddings and a quintessential song to a sing along to at your favourite neighbourhood pub.
And these additions were a lot louder than drums. “The fact of the matter is something happens when you join Spirit of the West,” says Ditrich. “You start having babies.” As soon as he joined Spirit, Ditrich started dating Marion, a woman he soon married and had two children with: Perry and Sam.
It was like a village of poopy pants— everyone in the band was just procreating at the same time.
CHILDREN CHANGE EVERYTHING While the addition of a drummer vastly changed the landscape of Spirit of the West, many more additions were on the horizon.
“That’s like, a demographic in itself,” he says. “It was like a village of poopy pants—everyone in the band was just procreating at the same time.” The band started touring less, and when they did tour it was for much shorter periods of time.
“When you’re away for weeks at a time and your wife has learned how to survive without you and the house smells like a diaper you feel the festering hotbed of resentment,” he says. “You just can’t do that to your wife if you want to keep her.” Ditrich says the members of Spirit made a dictum not to go on tour for more than three weeks at a time. Ditrich and his family now live in Nanoose Bay in a cozy little cabin, where his two boys, now 17 and 21 years old, were raised. And these days Ditrich wears many hats.
>>>
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Asked if he ever gets sick of playing Home For A Rest, Ditrich, without missing a beat, says, “do you ever get sick of having sex with your boyfriend?”
Ditrich says between all the members of Spirit of the West, the band had 14 kids.
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Photos: pages 24-25, Vince Ditrich performing with Spirit of the West at the Edmonton Folk Fest in 1998, photo by Scott Sandeman-Allen. Bottom left, Vince in Nanoose Bay, photo by Brian Argyle. Pages 27-28, Vince at the Birds Nest studio in Nanoose Bay (Argyle). Right, Spirit of the West on stage on Canada Day in Waterloo, Ontario in 2013. Bottom right, Vince in Nanoose Bay, photo by Brian Argyle.
>>> “I’m developing artists, managing, producing, drumming and I write the odd song—I guess I’m the classic Canadian in that I have to do everything,” he says. “That’s the cross we bear as Canadians.” He says one of his current projects is looking for young, new musicians with something unique to offer. “I know everyone in the Canadian music industry,” he says. “We (Spirit of the West) have been around long enough that we’re well enough known as an entity.”
THE SPIRIT OF SPIRIT Though Spirit of the West has endured its share of changes, nothing could prepare the band for lead singer, John Mann’s diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer’s disease. It was announced in September and took the country by surprise. Ditrich, who now manages the band, called the news “sobering.” He says the diagnosis will “bring about the cessation of our activities eventually … I hope not too soon.” In Mann’s recent performances there were hints: he didn’t have a guitar and he used an iPad affixed to a microphone to read the lyrics for hits like Home For A Rest, a song the band has no doubt performed thousands of times in the past. “Once you’ve done something for so long it becomes part of your very fibre,” says Ditrich. “I’m saying you want to give it an appropriate goodbye … I don’t want to say when that will happen, but with this diagnosis it has to happen.” CHRISTMAS 2014
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Until then Ditrich will continue doing what he’s best at: making music, encouraging artists, writing lyrics, playing the drums and being “the classic Canadian” by doing everything all at once. Ditrich encourages those interested in a career in music to contact him via his website: www.vinsynch.com.
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TÊTE-À-TÊTE
PAUL DRUMMOND Story and Photo by Brenda Gough
General Manager, Tigh-Na-Mara
O
n November 26 Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort in Parksville served breakfast to more than 1,000 people and another mountain of toys were collected for the Society of Organized Services’ Caring for Kids at Christmas Campaign. It’s a toy story that’s worth telling and the man who initiated the event couldn’t be more thrilled that each year it gets bigger and bigger and the pile of toys grows taller and taller.
would be having a bad Christmas. That was in 1990. The event was always in the back of my mind and in 2009 we (TighNa-Mara) had an opportunity to make it happen for a community that would need it. Question: People come from all over the Island for your event. Why do you think it is so popular here?
Answer: It is unique. We have a giving community that supports it and it is a cool venue to do it. There is a camaraderie Paul Drummond, General Manager of about it … people come with friends or as Tigh-Na-Mara, launched the SOS Toy Drive a group. The SOS is really well known in six years ago hoping that people would the community for the good things they do drop by the resort for a complimentary and a lot of people think, if I can help a breakfast in exchange for a toy donation. child at Christmas, then this is pretty cool The first year saw around 650 people and is in the spirit of giving. turn out and those numbers have easily Question: So many of your team members doubled resulting in a great number of volunteer for the event. Where does that donated toys to help fill the SOS toy shop. sense of community come from? There, low income residents are able to select presents for free that their children Answer: We had 45 volunteers last year or grandchildren might otherwise not and they came in on their own time. It is pretty amazing. We have 280 team receive. members and 20 per cent of our staff came Drummond decided to put the event on in to volunteer as well as running the hotel. after being part of the Pan Pacific Hotel It is easy to say it is the culture but I truly team in Vancouver that has put on a believe it. I believe if you hire someone similar event for the last 24 years. with the attitude that fits in with your He explained the back story behind the culture and your organization they can be toy drive and why he thinks the Oceanside trained to do any job task. We try to create community and his staff continue to a positive feeling here. We do a lot for our team members and when they give back it embrace it. Question: What was the inspiration is genuine and it is real…it is not coerced. Question: You have been at Tigh-Na-Mara Answer: The original toy drive at the Pan for about seven-and-a-half-years now. Pacific was triggered by the recession. Back Was that team-building operating-style in those days we (the hospitality industry) something you started? When you come into an was hurting real bad. We were worried Answer: about people who were also hurting and organization there is always a core that behind the breakfast toy drive? CHRISTMAS 2014
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exists, but my style is definitely very different. I think I have contributed to that. If you look back you can see we do more than we have ever done before and we believe that if you look after the community, the community will support us. That is my firm belief. Question: You have worked all over the world in the hospitality industry. Any favourites? Answer: My resume reads like you can’t keep a job but I am actually relatively loyal. I worked with Pan Pacific for 13 years, five in Vancouver and eight overseas between Malaysia and Singapore. I worked in Egypt for a little while with Sonesta Hotels. Prior to coming to Tigh-Na-Mara, I worked in Chicago worked for a company called Hostmark Hospitality Group. I managed Harrison Hot Springs, moved to Minneapolis for a year, and then Chicago for four-and-a half-years prior to coming here. I learned a long time ago that every place has its pros and cons and if you don’t focus on the pros, then the cons take over. Egypt is probably the one I least enjoyed because it was challenging to run an organization in that country, whether it was politics or culture.
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