Issuu

THE No. 39

BEACON Shedding light on the communities from Lions Bay to West Bay

March/April 2020

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PETTIT

Travel

Helping the animals

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From the Inkwell

Community Personality

Looking Back

IN THIS ISSUE 5

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TEAM

Chris Stringer

Someone else’s shoes Opinion

Publisher

chrisstringer @westvanbeacon.ca

Lindy Pfeil

Lindy Pfeil Editor

lindypfeil @westvanbeacon.ca

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melissabaker @westvanbeacon.ca Please note that all contributing writers for The Beacon retain full rights and that the full or partial reproduction of feature articles is unauthorized without the consent of the author. Personal opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed are solely those of the respective contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Beacon, the publisher or the editorial and creative staff.

Submissions for The Beacon The Beacon is delivered bi-monthly to 5000+ households between Lions Bay and West Bay. For submission guidelines and queries, please e-mail the Editor: lindypfeil@ westvanbeacon.ca Please note that all submissions are subject to space constraints and editing. For advertising queries, please e-mail the Director of Marketing: pennymitchell@westvanbeacon.ca For all other queries, please e-mail the Publisher: chrisstringer@westvanbeacon.ca All editions of The Beacon (beginning in September 2013), can also be read online at: www.westvanbeacon.ca.

March /April 2020

recently attended a screening by the North Shore Restorative Justice Society (NSRJS) of the CIRCLES movie (circlesmovie.com), a documentary that follows Restorative Justice Educator and Activist, Eric Butler, as he works to keep troubled youth in school, fighting racial discrimination, replacing suspensions with restorative processes. After the screening, Eric joined Brad Baker, District Principal of Indigenous Education and Safe and Caring Schools (North Vancouver) and Tina Parbhakar, Interim Executive Director of NSRJS, in a panel discussion. Ignorance, it was pointed out, has been the excuse for racist behaviour for far too long. And suddenly I was reminded of Sharpeville. On March 21, 1960, a crowd gathered in the South African township of Sharpeville to demonstrate against the pass laws which required urban black residents to carry passbooks with them at all times. These contained their personal details, their employer’s name and address, and authorisation from a labour bureau. Any black person over the age of sixteen not carrying a passbook, was subject to detention, harassment and worse. Between 5,000 and 10,000 people converged on the local police station that day, offering themselves up for arrest – they

were not carrying their passbooks. There are contradictory reports about how, exactly, events unfolded. But at some point police started firing into the crowd. Sixty-nine people were killed, more than 200 injured. The Sharpeville massacre was not an ‘isolated incident.’ I grew up white in apartheid South Africa, and often wonder how I remained apparently oblivious to the injustices and suffering all around me. I tell myself, I didn’t know. With no television (until 1976) and frequent government declarations of a ‘state of emergency,’ the media was scrupulously controlled by the state. We knew only what we were told, I try to convince myself. Maya Angelou once said: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” It’s been sixty years since Sharpeville. We know better. But as I watch the news and listen to the different voices in all the communities I have called home, it seems that, despite the altered laws, the human rights champions, the international days declared, not much has changed. We are not doing better. There has been much talk and research around empathy in recent years. We have all heard the saying, “You can’t understand someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.” This brings me back to Eric Butler. In response to a question about empathy from a member of the audience, Eric noted that walking in someone else’s shoes is simply not possible. And, of course, he’s right. I can sit beside you, cry with you, hold your hand and breathe with you, but I can never know what it’s like to actually be you. To live inside your skin.

Even if I woke up tomorrow and put on your shoes instead of mine, I would be none the wiser, because the way my feet hit the ground, how my bones connect, the flexibility of my tendons– they’re all different from yours. How people look at me, the assumptions they make – all different too. The only way I can hope to have even an inkling of what it is like to be you – of your walk through the world – is to ask you, and then shut up and listen. The day after CIRCLES, I attended Weaving our Humanity at Presentation House Theatre. North Shore residents told stories about belonging and connection, vulnerability and courage. The stories were funny, poignant, powerful. And eye-opening. One mixed-race couple, together for decades, shared experiences of racism they had never talked about, not even with each other, because to say the words out loud meant acknowledging that in society’s eyes they – husband and wife – are deemed not of equal value. We have to do better. Racism is of course much bigger than me. Or you. There are systems and policies. And the slippery slopes of power and greed and fear. When I think about this it overwhelms me. So, instead, I focus on what is possible. Friday, March 21, 2020 is International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimi-

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March /April 2020

PAGE 3

Hiking and singing for hospice BY Yolanda

Brooks

or international recording artist Melanie Dekker, the 2020 North Shore Hike for Hospice has become a family affair. The North Shore born singer-songwriter, who will act as emcee at the event on Sunday, May 3, is joined by her brother Erik who has been a long-time volunteer at North Shore hospice. Her mother Irene is also busy signing up an army of volunteers for what is shaping up to be the biggest event on the North Shore in support of hospice & palliative services. Inspired by her brother’s volunteering, the uplifting vibe she encountered while visiting friends at North Shore Hospice and an incredible act of generosity that transformed the life of a family friend in need, Melanie was determined to do something that would make a difference. “I wanted to pay it forward and get involved with something in support of the community,” she says. “After seeing friends go through the hospice and my brother’s connection, I felt the North Shore Hospice was calling out to me.” With previous involvement in music therapy, Melanie was delighted to be invited to organize a music festival – a first for the Continued from page 2

nation, as declared by the United Nations in 1966. It is also the sixtieth anniversary of Sharpeville. The current Secretary-General of the UN, António Guterres, asks us to “reflect on how we can promote non-discrimination in every country and at every level. We are all connected by our humanity,” he

event. Thanks to her input, the Yacht Club pop-folk rockers from the North Shore and Reggae and R&B DJ One Love will be performing live. Talking about hospice and palliative care can be a tough sell but Melanie hopes the upbeat, family-friendly event will get people talking and inspire them to come out and support these vital community services. “I hope the event raises awareness around hospice and palliative services. We hope that people think about their own end of life and the comfort of their loved ones. I believe hospice and community can come together to ensure a better end-of-life experience for everyone.” North Shore Hospice provides end of life care for people from across the North Shore. It is part of a unique Palliative Care Hub which includes the Every Day Counts Centre (EDC) and the Palliative Outpatient Clinic. The EDC offers free outpatient services that provide physical, emotional and practical support through therapeutic activities, gentle exercise sessions and information seminars to people living with a life-threatening illness while the clinic gives patients rapid access to a team of palliative specialists including physicians, nurses, counsellors, occupational therapists and pharmacists. Many of the support services provided are made

possible through generous donations from local people. The whole community is invited to come out to run, walk, roll, sing and dance at the fundraising event hosted at Cates Park on Sunday, May 3, from 11am to 2pm. With routes for walkers, runners and wheelchair participants, performances by local musicians, food trucks and a host of fun activities, it promises to be the best Hike yet. All funds raised will support hospice and palliative care at North Shore Hospice.

Participants limber up for a past Hike for Hospice event.

says. “We are all equal. We should all be looking out for each other’s welfare.” I am a fair-haired, green-eyed, middleaged woman. My shoes are comfortable and familiar and well-worn. I am grateful for the paths they have walked, and the lands on which they have paused – from the northern suburbs of Johannesburg, to the mountains

of Vancouver’s North Shore, with more than a few pitstops in between. I will never be able to fully understand what it’s like to walk in your shoes. In anyone’s shoes. (Nor can you ever fully understand what it’s like to walk in mine.) But perhaps, for just a moment, we can remove our shoes. And then, perhaps, we can walk side-

Photo provided Canadian singer-songwriter Melanie Dekker has put her heart and soul into supporting the 2020 Hike for Hospice which will benefit local patients on the North Shore.

Photo provided

by-side, our feet naked, our toes knobbly, newly vulnerable. Perhaps we can ask each other questions. And then, with the ground uncomfortable beneath our softened soles, perhaps we can listen. It’s a very little thing, this. But if we each do this very little thing, together, perhaps we can finally do better.

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Lighthouse Park Preservation Society Volunteers needed for the Ivy Pull in North Piccadilly Park SATURDAY, MARCH 7 9AM TO NOON Meet at the intersection of Clovelly Walk and North Piccadilly

Forest walk with guide John Egan Davis, horticulturist and teacher SATURDAY, APRIL 4 10AM TO NOON Meet at Sk’iwitsut Hut. Follow Beacon Trail at the far end of the parking lot

March /April 2020

Local Voices speak up for Mother Earth BY

Laura Anderson

n April 22, 1970, the people of Vancouver marched in support of Earth Day, along with people all over the world. Fifty years on, that one day has become a month of action to celebrate and protect our home. In recognition of Earth Month, Local Voices will be talking with people helping to make sustainable practices a way of life in our corner of the globe. Local Voices is a collaboration between the West Vancouver Historical Society and West Vancouver Memorial Library. The format is simple: brief presentations from people whose passion connects them to their community, followed by conversation with the audience. It’s a winning combination that ensures that the voices of our locals are heard. On April 1, the Make It, Grow It, Fix It edition of Local Voices will begin the conversation with a rain garden. West Vancouver’s first rain garden, named in honour of community advocate Mary Bayes, was built in the fall of 2019. Once you see a rain garden - so easy to build, so effective in its results, and so ideal given West Vancouver’s climate (it could be said that we’re living in a rain garden) - you’ll want to see more, many more, of them. You may even decide to build one in your community. The folks from the North Shore Rain Garden Project will discuss the concept, design and story of the Mary Bayes Community Rain Garden in Horseshoe Bay which they built with the support of the West Vancouver community and a team of volunteers.

The next local voice will be Jackie Swanson from the Hollyburn Ridge Association, talking about the Hollyburn Mountain cabin community. Longtime West Vancouverites will remember hiking up Hollyburn to ski, snowshoe and enjoy the clean mountain air. In the days before there were roads, or ski lifts, they carried everything they needed up the narrow trail to Hollyburn Lodge. Everything. Wood and nails, hammers and saws to build their cabins, stoves and even pianos, to make those cabins warm and welcoming.

A third local voice, in the process of being confirmed, will join the rain garden and Hollyburn cabin folk for Make it, Grow it, Fix It, which takes place on Wednesday, April 1, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Welsh Hall at West Vancouver Memorial Library. Doors open at 6:30 pm. For more information, get in touch with Laura Anderson at West Vancouver Historical Society, 778.279.2275 and lander1@shaw.ca or Lynn Brockington at West Vancouver Memorial Library, 604.921.3496 and lbrockington@westvanlibrary.ca.

Photo: courtesy of Ben Bengtson, North Shore News The North Shore Rain Garden Project, pictured here at a North Van rain garden build, will talk about the construction of the Mary Bayes Community Rain Garden in Horseshoe Bay.

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March /April 2020

PAGE 5

LOOKING BACK

Lydia’s legacy, the Lodge in Horseshoe Bay Chris Adshead

organization know that if you ‘bring something up’ it means you are stuck with it,” Lydia is quoted as saying. “So I was appointed a s I gaze upon the looming high-rise committee of one with power to look into it.” buildings being constructed on the She assembled a dedicated team. The Horseshoe Bay waterfront for the founding committee members included new Sewell’s development, I wonder what Lydia as president; Vice-President Fay Gray; Lydia Libby would have thought. The mas- Treasurer Edna Carroll; Secretary Isabelle sive complex makes Libby Lodge look almost Craddock; and Directors Shirley Hagopian like a seaside cottage, backed up against the and Sharon Johnson. They realized that it hillside. would not be an easy task to assemLydia Libby and her husband ble the three lots needed. None Frank owned Libby’s Pharmacy of them were experienced real in Dundarave and they chose estate developers. There was Horseshoe Bay as the spot to planning, financing, municipal build their home in 1946. In approval, and overcoming the the 1970s, Lydia and a group of objections of some area resilocal residents – way ahead of dents who did not see the value most – started talking about ‘agof this type of ‘massive high-rise’ ing in place.’ development. Then, they had to Lydia Libby. In an article she wrote in the start building. early 1970s Lydia posed the quesThe official opening of Libby tion, “Why (build) a senior citizens’ complex Lodge was on October 21, 1978. Event atin Horseshoe Bay?” She then went on to an- tendees included architect Harry Le Blond, swer it, explaining that many seniors had to Senator Ray Perrault, MLA Hugh Curtis, leave the area when they were no longer able MLA Allan Williams, and Mayor Peter to cope in their own homes. Jones. In Lydia’s president’s report of 1979, For Horseshoe Bay residents the clos- she said, “It is with a great deal of satisfaction est facility was the Kiwanis building some and humility that I present this particular 12 miles away – if you were lucky enough annual report as a very small group of ladies to get in. Most locals went further afield to working together has produced a miracle. Burnaby, Vancouver, or wherever there was We have accomplished what was only a a vacancy. Sometimes husbands and wives dream many years ago.” were separated causing even greater distress Today, we see Libby Lodge with a well-deand hardship. served facelift, but I still wonder what Lydia Lydia brought up this topic at a Horse- and her team would think if they looked at shoe Bay Community Association meeting. the issue of ‘aging in place’ in today’s West “Any of you who have ever belonged to an Vancouver. BY

Photo: courtesy of Pam Best Fay, Lydia, Sharon, Edna, Shirley and Isabelle at the official opening of Libby Lodge on 21 October, 1978.

Photo: courtesy of Pam Best

Libby Lodge under construction.

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LEARN AND PRACTICE DEEP LISTENING

Through the practice of listening we gain clarity helping us to see more clearly our choices and direction in life. Join Mary Millerd to learn more about deep listening and to practice it. We will practice deep listening with ourselves and each other and we will share our experience of listening and of being heard.

March /April 2020

Developing new leadership at St. Francis-in-the-Wood BY

Ann Frost

Mondays, March 16, 23, 30 and April 6 1:30 - 4:00 St. Francis-in-the-Wood, church lounge Cost: $80.00 includes light refreshments To register: marymillerd@gmail.com Facilitator: Mary Millerd is a long-time resident of West Vancouver and member of St. Francis-in-the-Wood. She is a teacher, counsellor, an energy worker and a spiritual director, educated at UBC and VST.

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lecia Greenfield joined St. Francisin-the-Wood last September, the beginning of a two-year curacy. Since then, she has endeared herself to the parish. Her interesting background includes: Acting General Manager of the Railway and Forestry Museum in Prince George, project development consultant, fundraising and grant writing, a Master of Divinity at Vancouver School of Theology (VST) and an MBA at Royal Roads where her major project was “Marketing a Church.” But what led her to the priesthood as a married woman and the parent of two teenage children? Alecia says that while she has always felt drawn to the priesthood, the wide variety of roles and responsibilities felt overwhelming. But now that she has actually begun her curacy, it feels, she says, “unspeakably right.” She is enamoured of all parts of her work: preaching, where you present yourself as you really are and in great depth; pastoral care, which can arise even over a cup of coffee; and celebrating the eucharist, where her role is to bring parishioners together with God. And all of that has, blessedly, made her feel more fully alive. Then there are her visits, collar on display, to the local coffee shop to chat with teenagers, bringing Jasper (the rescue dog) to church on Wednesdays, participating in Women on a Journey, and so much more. She also has a devoted husband, an en-

gineer and a consultant with start-up businesses, a son, Lytton, working to become a car mechanic and daughter Hannah, volunteering in Cambodia at a circus school which is attempting to rebuild the lives of young people after the horrors of the Khymer Rouge. As much as you feel blessed to be with us, Alecia, we feel equally blessed to have you.

Photo provided Alecia Greenfield at St. Francis-in-the-Wood church.

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Behind the Power Ballard family loses matriarch BY

Chris Stringer

helagh Ballard’s trademark smile was not reserved for photos; it was readily shared with loved ones, friends and strangers alike. Accompanying the smile was her eye contact that conveyed a genuine enjoyment of the moment. A severe bout of pneumonia in January overcame an otherwise healthy Shelagh who had participated in her usual large family gatherings and church Christmas events just a few weeks earlier. During her funeral at St Francis-in-the-Wood, son Mark paid tribute to his mother’s zest for life, positivity and desire to always try new things, saying, “She was young at heart.” Shelagh raised her three boys while re-

locating every two years for nearly 20 years. Her husband, renowned geophysicist Dr. Geoff Ballard, co-founded Ballard Power Systems. His work, prior to Ballard Power, required that he re-locate from Turkey to Greenland and multiple locations in the U.S. The family settled in Caulfeild in 1978 and immediately joined St Francis-in-theWood church. Mark says, “Mom drew great inspiration from her church.” For forty years, until Christmas 2019, Shelagh performed almost every volunteer function with calm, enthusiastic, happy efficiency. Widowed in 2008, Shelagh maintained her active life well into her eighties. She had been known to play two matches of competitive tennis at Hollyburn before a round of golf at Gleneagles. She was socially active and she cherished her friendships.

The family consider their matriarch their ROCK. Her children and grandchildren all agree that she was their biggest supporter and most devoted sports fan, attending every game she could. “At any age we knew we could take our troubles to Grandma and she would listen,” says grandson Will. “Then she would help us find a way to deal with them ourselves, on our own terms.” It was ‘standing room only’ on February 1 at St. Francis, where the service began with the appropriate hymn for Shelagh: “All things bright and beautiful.” Retired Bishop, Michael Ingham, who was the rector here

Shelagh and her boys, from L to R/ Ed, Curtis, Geoff and Mark, circa 1998.

in the 90s, provided a touching sermon and made a reference to his warm friendship with the Ballards. The service ended with the family spreading Shelagh’s ashes in the church Memorial Garden, where her husband is, with the parting words, “Take our love to Dad.”

These ‘Rules to Live By’ are from Shelagh’s fridge door: • Be the first to say Hello. • Live beneath your means. • Keep your promises. • Never give up - miracles happen. • Treat everyone like you want to be treated. • Watch a sunrise at least once a year. • Never deprive someone of hope - it may be all they have. • Pray not for things, but for wisdom and courage. • Be tough-minded but tender-hearted. • Be kinder than necessary. • Compliment three people every day. • Learn to show cheerfulness even though you don’t feel like it. • Remember that overnight success takes about 15 years. • Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them. Ballard family Christmas, December 21, 2019.

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March /April 2020

COMMUNITY PERSONALITY

Giselle Portenier, changing minds, changing law Lindy Pfeil

here are those of us who see injustice in the world and want to make a difference, but somehow never get round to it. And then there is Giselle Portenier. An award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker, Giselle is passionate about human rights, especially those of women and children. She started her career as a reporter and anchor at BCTV News in Vancouver, before moving on to ABC News and then to CBS 60 Minutes in London. She joined the BBC in 1986, and during her twenty-year career there, she directed dozens of documentaries, bringing attention to the many violations of human rights occurring in different parts of the world. “It’s tough to get attention on all the human rights abuses endured by girls and women in the developing world in the name of culture and religion,” says Giselle. “I know,

Photo: courtesy of Fatuma Hakar Giselle’s Mother’s Day gift from Mumtaz, Munira and Maita.

because I tried for five years before I finally succeeded in getting a documentary titled Murder in Purdah commissioned about honor killings in Pakistan.” Her film about the abortion of female fetuses and the murder of baby girls in India, Let Her Die, was only marginally easier to get off the ground. “Both these documentaries had tremendous impact,” she explains. “Each resulted in changes in the law. In Pakistan, the first law against honor killings was introduced; in India, the government banned sex determination tests. Local activists in both countries had been working tirelessly to do something about these human rights abuses. But it was only when the BBC shone a light on these issues, that their governments, shamed by the attention, took note.” Both documentaries were also criticized for challenging other countries’ cultural traditions. It is this misguided sense of political correctness, Giselle believes, that is the biggest reason why the human rights of women in the developing world are largely ignored by the Western world. Speaking out is controversial, she says, “because the abuses are often vigorously defended by not only those committing them, but by their governments as well.” This has not deterred her and Giselle has been fearless in documenting some of the world’s injustices, heading into danger-

ous territories and putting her life at risk. In northern Congo she was surrounded by an angry mob and in Zimbabwe the plane carrying her and her crew crashed. Condemned to Live investigated rape and torture during the Rwandan genocide; Killers’ Paradise focused on the murder epidemic of Guatemalan women; The Slave Children looked at child slavery in West Africa; The Disposables uncovered murders in Colombia of homosexuals, petty thieves and the homeless; and Dying for Sex, was about sex trafficking in Thailand, where villages survive by selling their daughters into prostitution. Many of Giselle’s films have been used in action campaigns by human rights organisations and she has received numerous international awards including two Peabodys, the television equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize. In 2014, she received an honorary Doctor of Law degree from Carleton University. Giselle returned to Canada after reuniting with her high school sweetheart, Chris Browne. They live in West Vancouver, and Giselle is now an independent filmmaker. Chris was an executive producer on her most recent project, In the Name of Your

Photo: courtesy of Abdikadir Farah Munira with the High Commissioner of Canada to Kenya, Lisa Stadelbauer, and Fatuma Hakar (Munira’s mum) after the February 20 screening of In the Name of Your Daughter in Nairobi.

Giselle with Mumtaz, Maita and Munira in Gariss, Northern Kenya.

Daughter, a film Giselle has wanted to make for more than two decades. “It’s about that most egregious of human rights violations,” says Giselle. “Female genital mutilation (FGM).” It’s estimated that 200 million girls and women have been the victims of FGM. Grassroots movements have made an impact in some countries but more than 4 million girls are still at risk each year. While there have been other films made about FGM, none have been from the perspective of the children. “When I found this story of young children risking everything to save themselves from this terrible fate,” Giselle says, “I knew I had found the right way to highlight this issue.” In the Name of Your Daughter tells the story of Tanzanian girls as young as eight who have to decide whether to submit to FGM and child marriage or risk their lives and run away from home, not knowing if they’ll ever see their families again. It is also the story of Rhobi Samwelly, a local hero who protects the girls in her Safe House, where they are provided with medical examinations and HIV testing. They are also offered free classes in vocational training, such as tailoring and computer skills.

March /April 2020

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ws, changing lives These new skills enable them to generate income and become valued providers for their families while also increasing their independence, thus making them less vulnerable to forced marriage and FGM. The film received financial support from almost 400 people in 30 countries and Giselle raised almost $100,000 in an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign. In the Name of Your Daughter had its world premiere at CPH:DOX, the prestigious documentary film festival in Copenhagen, Denmark in March 2018. It’s also been screened in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, England the Netherlands and on BBC World Service Television that beams into 200 countries. In November of 2018, Giselle received a message from a woman living in Garissa, a town in northern Kenya. A mother of three, she had made the decision to not subject her daughters to FGM, with its accompanying possibility of death. As a result, her daughters were being ostracized and bullied at school. So traumatized by the bullying and shaming, the girls had actually asked their mother to ‘cut’ them. She was desperate, she told Giselle. What could she do? Giselle took swift action and approached Mulgrave and Collingwood Schools, where she had previously spoken with students about FGM. She asked the children to write letters of support to Maita, Munira and Mumtaz, who were 5, 8 and 11 years old at the time. And so they did. In their letters, the West Vancouver students encouraged the girls to be strong. To resist the bullies. To stand firm in their decision. Giselle scanned the letters and sent them to Kenya via WhatsApp. On Mother’s Day last year, Giselle received what she says is one of the most precious gifts she’s ever received: a photo of the three sisters, each holding a handwritten sign, together forming the sentence, WE ARE SAFE. The letters had given them the courage to resist the pressure and to stand up to the bullies. Nine-year-old Munira has this message for the children who wrote to her: “Your letters encouraged me to be

strong, because when I first entered school I used to be bullied. But then I read those letters and I stood up for myself and started to be confident, and everyone started to like me again.” In the year of its release, In the Name of Your Daughter won numerous awards in North America and Europe, including the Amnesty International Award at Giffoni Film Festival in Italy. It has also been shown in the parliaments of the UK, Australia and the Netherlands, and is being used in village screening campaigns in Tanzania. “We all have an obligation to inform ourselves about these issues, and then speak out loudly and clearly on behalf of those who have no voice,” Giselle says. “ Women especially bear the burden of giving a voice, and lending support, to other women, because we enjoy rights and freedoms that for millions of women remain a very distant dream.” FGM is now happening on every continent except Antarctica. And there are thousands of women and girls in Canada who are survivors of FGM. “One young woman who came to Canada as a toddler, faced three women with a razor blade in a mud hut when she went back on holiday to Africa,” says Giselle. “She has been tormented ever since, and continues to suffer, in silence, knowing she is different, unable to enjoy the kind of fulfilling relationship we each have a right to enjoy.” There is a huge wall of silence around FGM in Canada. This is why, a year ago, Giselle started the End FGM Canada network with three other women including then-16-year-old Vancouver schoolgirl, Malaika Somji, who started a petition asking Canada to take action on FGM. The network estimates that there are over 100,000 survivors in Canada, and possibly thousands of girls at risk. They are advocating for a national action plan on FGM. To get the conversation going in Canada, the network applied to provinces and major cities across the country to declare February 6 International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM. This is a United Nations-designated day world-

“

wide. Applications have been made from St. John’s, Newfoundland to Victoria, B.C. and in every province in between. So far they have succeeded in getting declarations in 20 cities and four provinces. “We have to take responsibility for what happens in the world,” Giselle insists. “We have to embrace the idea that we’re not just in this world for ourselves, our families, or even our country. We’re also in this world for others, far beyond our borders. What matters in the end is not how much money you’ve made, what job titles you’ve got, or how much power you grabbed. What matters is whether you have been a force for good. If we don’t speak up for what is right, then we are complicit in what is wrong.”

“If we don’t speak up for what is right, then we are complicit in what is wrong.”

If you would like to know more about FGM, or arrange a screening of In the Name of Your Daughter, visit the website: inthenameofyourdaughterfilm.com or contact giselleportenier@rogers.com

Photo: courtesy of Fatuma Hakar Nine-year-old Munira, with her plea for Canadians.

The three sisters holding letters from Mulgrave Elementary students.

Photo: courtesy of Fatuma Hakar

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March /April 2020

Writing with my grandpa BY

Isabella R. Haddad, age 10

(with Geoffrey B. Haddad)

hen I was around four years old my grandpa showed me the scrapbook that he had been making for me. It had all types of things: drawings, cut-outs and some of my school projects. Then there were photos, lots of them. Photos of us hiking and fishing, me blowing bubbles and feeding the fish in his garden pond – even ones of me making lunch for grandpa. Then grandpa showed me some of his own scrapbooks, with stuff, lots of stuff from when he was a boy. He said that his dad and mom mostly made them. He told me about things he did during and after school and stories of his childhood. Grandpa played many sports. He made boats, kites and planes, but most of all grandpa liked keeping beautiful tropical fish in his homeland of Jamaica. He hoped that one day he could have a very big pond with a river in his own back garden. When I was about five, grandpa read me this poem by Lillian Trujillo.

“When you are young, your grandparents try to tell you their history, and you don’t care because it doesn’t interest you at the time. Later on, you wish you had written what they said down.” This made me excited. I asked my grandpa if he would help me record all of these lovely stories and the fun times we had together. Our first book is called Bonga Bonga and Grandpa: A Fish Story. It’s about grandpa’s favourite pets, the fish and how to grow and protect them and how grandpa got his dream of building a fishpond in his own back garden, in West Vancouver, which is where I live. The book also has some beautiful illustrations of fish, cats, herons and raccoons. I really enjoyed working with my grandpa. It took almost two years to get it published. We plan to do a series. I still enjoy reading it and I hope that many children will, too. I wish that all the children of the world could have a grandpa like I have. You can read more about Bonga Bonga (the name by which Isabella is affectionately known), her grandpa and their stories at www.geoffreyhaddadbooks.com.

A Fish Story is the first book in the planned Bonga Bonga and Grandpa series.

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PAGE 11

FROM THE INKWELL

Murder of the Starlight Express David Roberts

he Starlight Express was the wheeled gem of BC Rail’s transportation system; a dinner train that ran on summer evenings from North Vancouver to Porteau Cove and back. You booked a table and boarded the train at the old PGE Railway station. It was one long restaurant car. The wine was of superior quality. All was served by neatly turned-out staff, who were efficient and cheerful. A jazz band played on the platform, and then accompanied the train to Porteau Cove, disembarked, and played while passengers danced on the platform. One summer, we decided to take my visiting brother and sister-in-law on the train. We booked passage for four and drove to the station. We found the jazz band playing a lively tune, putting the passengers in a jolly mood. We were shown to our table by a hostess who told us that she, like all the staff, was a student. This was her summer job, paying enough to put her through one more year—a sly hint that tips would be appreciated. The tables were set with crisp white tablecloths, shining cutlery and glassware; each table was decorated with a candle. The train set off, trundling through the marshaling yard between the station and the Capilano River, and then through Ambleside Park. We were viewing West Vancouver from a unique perspective. Another student served

us cocktails. We were beginning to enjoy our journey, looking forward to the dinner we had ordered from the elegantly printed menu. As we approached the police station, there was an ugly noise from up front and the train lurched to a halt, sending cutlery and glasses spinning across tables, into laps and onto the floor. Our hostess came by with the news that the engine had struck a car at the level crossing at 12th Street. “The car tried to beat the train across the crossing,” she said. “He didn’t make it. They’ve called an ambulance and the police are questioning the driver.” The train was stopped for a good hour. Ambulances came and went, their sirens heightening the drama. A tow truck dragged away a battered automobile. Because the train had stopped, the air-conditioning ceased functioning. We all grew hotter and sweatier in the humid air. The windows in the dining cars were not designed to open, so the temperature rose relentlessly to our increasing discomfort. Kitchen service was temporarily suspended, though we were supplied with more drinks, on the house, to mollify our collective irritation. I opted for a cold lager in an attempt to beat the heat. After what seemed an eternity, we set off again. The air conditioning was slow to reduce the heat that had been generated while we were stationary. We emerged from the tunnel above Eagle Harbour and passed Horseshoe Bay. The train slowed again, eventually stopping at Lion’s Bay. Once more the air conditioning was switched off. Sweaty time again. Another ambulance drew up, though we could not see what business it was bent on conducting. Our cheerful hostess explained that a pregnant pas-

A Howe Sound sunset from the railway tracks at Lions Bay.

senger had gone into labour. The ambulance would be taking her to hospital. As we were about to start up again, we heard a scream from the next carriage and no little commotion. Anxious to see what was going on, one passenger had leaned over her table to peer out of the window. She moved too close to the candle, which set her long brown curls alight. The flames raced up one side of her face until a waiter had the presence of mind to fling a jug of water at her head. Yet another ambulance attended and took the victim to hospital. Two hours late, we finally reached Porteau Cove. The passengers clambered into the cool refreshing air. The band emerged, assembled on the platform, and began to play. This went some considerable way to restoring our morale, which had deteriorated sadly in the face of

Photo: courtesty of Max Wyman

the accidents, the delays, and the stifling heat. Most of us danced. The train crew, anxious to get back on schedule, ushered us all back into the hot carriages, long before we were ready to go, and we stared the return journey to North Vancouver. Thankfully it was an uneventful return trip and the air conditioning kept us comfortable. In July of 2004, the Canadian National Railway bought BC Rail, and to our dismay, killed the Starlight Express. No consultation. No apology. No explanation. What had been a serious tourist attraction was now stone dead. The staff were fired, a couple of dozen students lost their summer jobs, and the band was forced to go in search of other gigs—all victims of the corporate bottom line, ruthlessly pursued. The ghosts of the robber barons haunt us still.

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March /April 2020

BRIAN POMFRET

JOE GARDENER

March showers and April flowers March is when Spring begins: • Start weed control. The best way is to pull them up by hand, spending just a few minutes a day for great results. • Move shrubs or ornamental trees now. Rhododendrons move well too. • It’s a good time to prune roses, as buds are about to burst through. Prune just above an outward facing bud at 45 degrees to attain the desired height and remove crossing branches. • When the soil is a little warmer, plant summer bulbs such as lilies, dahlias and gladiolas.

• Prune early-flowering shrubs like Forsythia and Witch hazel just after flowering to encourage new bud growth for next season. • Aerate lawns with a ‘plug removing’ machine and follow up with a half inch top dressing of ‘turf mix’ soil, then over-seed at double the package rate . • Apply a fast-acting pelletized lime early and don’t fertilize for 2 or 3 weeks before or after the lime application. In April, the cherry trees mark the full flowering of spring: • Edge garden beds; it looks so great to see them well defined from lawns.

• Try an herb container garden with Greek oregano, French tarragon, rosemary, plant mint (peppermint or spearmint); separate container right in the garden as it spreads. • Mulch around roses with a well-rotted manure. Put banana skins, with all their trace elements, in the soil to feed them. • Shear back winter flowering heathers slightly, to promote growth and new buds.

they are a great nitrogen supplement. •M ulch garden beds with a good soil amender (pure compost) or composted bark mulch; but don’t dig in the bark. •T ime to care for rhododendrons. They need an acid-like soil to perform well (ph range 4.5 to 6). Roots should be in welldrained soil and be kept moist for best performance.

• All evergreen hedges should be trimmed now. • Continue lawn care with the first few cuts made at higher level. Sharp blades are an absolute must! Leave cuttings, because

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March /April 2020

PAGE 13

TRAVEL

Travels through Crete ravelling through Greece, one gets used to the presence of the gods. Crete is no exception. The exploits of Zeus and his princess, Europa, the epic adventures of their son, Minos, and legend of the Minotaur, are central to Cretan mythology. More fascinating is the ‘recent’ Greek history, starting with the rise of the Minoan civilization in 2600 BC. The Minoans constructed advanced cities at Knossos, Phaistos, and Malia, but were eventually replaced by the Mycenaeans. They were followed by centuries of Dorian, Roman, Byzantium, Venetian and Ottoman occupation, and finally by the German army in 1941. Each civilization left behind magnificent reminders of their presence in Crete in the form of ancient cities, marble statues, temples, palaces, amphitheaters, medieval fortresses, mosaics, and minarets – the Germans left behind ruins. We started our travels on the Akrotiri peninsula in the town of Stavros, a simple

one-goat town with a few tavernas. It has an extraordinary setting on a circular bay with warm, translucent water, fronting a small mountain. The town basks in silence, the only sound coming from cicadas and sheep and goats roaming freely on the hills. Occasionally a sheep wanders down to the shore to stare disapprovingly at a swimmer who is perhaps contemplating ordering lamb souvlaki for dinner. If you love the 1960s movie, Zorba the Greek, written by Greece’s greatest modern author, Nikos Kazantzakis, this is the place to visit – restaurant menus, street names and a large billboard on the beach where the famous dancing scene was filmed, herald Anthony Quinn as ‘Zorba.’ Our second stop was Crete’s secondlargest city, Chania, with its maze of cobblestoned streets, facing a Venetian harbour and lighthouse. We avoided the commercialized harbour front with its boorish touts trying to lure tourists into dreadful restaurants, and instead discovered the inexpensive, authentically Cretan tavernas in the back streets. We took the bus to Falasarna on the West

Evening in the beautiful cobblestone town of Chania.

Photo provided

Johann van Rooyen

C U S TOM PLAN

One of the many stray cats we encountered in Aya Galini. Photo provided

coast, a rather desolate area amidst vast olive groves, a turquoise sea and windswept beaches. The strong, hot Meltemi winds literally blew us off our feet making it a challenge to enjoy the warm, but rough seas. We used the time to hike to nearby ancient Roman and Greek ruins dating to 800BC. Our next stop was the cultural capital and university town of Rethymno. Towering above the medieval streets is the 16th century Fortezza, a huge Venetian fortress with lovely views of the town and surrounding area. Like Chania, the maze-like old own is built around a Venetian harbour, and to the east of the town is a built-up hotel zone with a long, but gritty beach. From Rethymno, we again travelled by bus, this time towards the Libyan Sea through the lush Amari Valley. Our destination was the fishing village of Ayia Galini, popular as a base to explore the unspoiled southern Cretan coast. This friendly, laid-back town has plenty of seafood tavernas and a sizeable population of stray cats – we fed the impatient cats with scraps from our dining table, but the gourmands among them waited in the

wings for the canned sardines that were dished out later. We rented a car to get to Pheastos, the second-largest Minoan ruins after Knossos. We also visited the former hippy town of Matala, with its ancient limestone caves and stunning beach. Apparently, some of the 1960s flowerchildren never left. Today they live in derelict Volkswagen campervans in a carpark next to the beach. We travelled to Crete in October. Temperatures during that time of year hover around 25-30C, the sea is lukewarm and hotel prices half the cost of high-season making for a thoroughly enjoyable and affordable escape from Vancouver’s October rains. Johann van Rooyen recently published his fifth book, Global Mobility and Migration 2019: A Guide for Skilled Workers, Entrepreneurs, Retirees, Investors, and Refugees. More information can be found at globalmobilitymigration.com

Photo provided

The stunning limestone caves of Matala.

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March /April 2020

Helping the animals in Australia BY Vanessa Volker

ver the holidays our family spent a month in Australia. We saw the devastation of the forest fires. Our kids were saddened by what they saw on the news and decided they wanted to help (with no parental input). Our daughter, Finley, and a few of her girlfriends in grade 3, organized a bake sale at their school, Gleneagles Ch’axáý Elementary. They wanted to raise funds to help the injured wildlife in Australia. They held a second bake sale at St. Francis-in-the-Wood Church.

In total, the girls raised $640 dollars – the equivalent of $710 Australian dollars! This was donated to WIRES Australian Wildlife Rescue Organization (wires.org. au). The bake sales were a huge success in the children’s efforts to help the animals injured and orphaned by the catastrophic wildfires in Australia. We want to thank everyone who donated to this great cause! Way to go girls!!

Photo provided Gleneagles students bake for the koalas.

ANNE BAIRD

ANNE’S CORNER

Early birds or night owls?

t’s time to think about time. Are you an early bird or a night owl? I’m an early bird. I can’t imagine anything worse than having a roommate who can’t be disturbed till noon. Needing to tiptoe round the apartment, afraid to rattle a teacup or flush the biffy, for fear of waking a sleeping prince or princess? Nope. Wouldn’t work for me. Some parity in waking and going-to-sleep times is essential in my opinion. My roommate Janice and I are early risers and early-to-bedders. This is comforting and comfortable. We usually stagger into the hallway between 6 and 6:30 am.

Unless I have an unusually long prayer list to march through. One of my many peculiarities is that I can’t leave the apartment for my 7:30 workout if I haven’t first made my bed and said my prayers. If we’re in high spirits and have had a good sleep, we greet each other by singing the “Good Morning” song. If not, we nod with as much civility as we can muster and slouch off to get ready for whatever we’re doing that day. Hopefully, a shared cup of tea or coffee, a bite of breakfast, and a bit of a chat will perk us up if we’re not at our sparkling best. But at least we’re in synch in the sandbox. And if we’re not? We don’t

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sweat it. Every day can’t be perfect. We’re a work in progress. What about you? Are you up with the birds or do you rise with the noon-day sun? Whatever suits you is fine. Just make sure that your roomie has similar circadian rhythms. Unless you’re sharing a very big space. Why add another possible irritant to your period of adjusting to each other’s quirks?

Anne Baird is a West Vancouver children’s author/illustrator (amazon.com/author/annebaird). Her Corner shares humorous, practical snippets about the senior roommate experience, ably assisted by her roomie, Janice Zaharko.

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PAGE 15

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