Welcome to Lake Flashback. Reporter Sarah Simpson has been combing through old newspapers with the assistance of the Kaatza Station Museum and Archives so we can jog your memory, give you that nostalgic feeling, or just a chuckle, as we take a look at what was making headlines this week around Cowichan Lake in years gone by.
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This week around the Cowichan Lake area…
10 years ago
The front page of the July 1, 2015 Lake Cowichan Gazette declared that "Saywell restoration project [was] halted due to ‘miscommunication’" and that's where we begin this week's Flashback.
"An ambitious project in June 2013 saw the restoration of the shoreline at Saywell Park. Carried out as a joint project and led by the Cowichan Lake and River Stewardship Society, the project saw a group of volunteers remove a number of Himalayan blackberry bushes, an invasive species, and replace them with over 1000 native plants, including dogwood and willow. Though the groups involved hoped that the reintroduction of these native plant species would restore the area to a healthy state, they saw some of their hard work come undone this past June.
"Due to what Stewardship Society spokesperson Diana Gunderson referred to as 'miscommunication,' a large number of native plants were removed from Saywell Park by Town of Lake Cowichan staff. According to Gunderson, a stand-in crew supervisor ordered the plants to be removed, unaware that they were part of a restoration project."
The story mentioned it had been a $2500 project with many volunteer hours included.
In other news of the day, "Low turnout for public hearing highlights lack of engagement" was another story.
"Last Tuesday (June 23), town council hosted a public hearing regarding a zoning change request to a business in downtown Lake Cowichan. Though council designated a part of the process to public input, the floor was quiet, as only one member of the public was present at the hearing.
“'I have certainly no objection to the [proposed] change, but I do question the process,' resident David Ridley said at the public hearing. “'There’s nothing in writing saying who this applies to or what the process is. From the point of view of the public, something on what is proposed would be helpful… It’s not really open to public debate if the public isn’t aware of what it is.'
"Though town council’s weekly meetings are open to the public, residents seem to take little interest in what transpires."
25 years ago
"Raising the weir attracts controversy" was above the fold on the front of the July 5, 2000 Lake Cowichan Gazette.
"Personalities clashed as much as opinions during an information meeting last week with husband and wife biologists Ray and Carol Demarchi of EcoDomain Consulting. The couple brought a slideshow to town to explain their reasoning for wanting to raise the weir that controls the storage capacity of Cowichan Lake. However, few slides were actually shown as a friction developed almost immediately between Demarchi and some of the audience he was presenting the information to. The weir was constructed in 1957 to ensure water storage for the Crofton pulp mill. In the early 1990s, a move to raise the weir's level died after it failed to get enough support. The thinking is raising the weir by one foot will help manage fish stocks in the Cowichan River."
Folks, however, didn't like the idea of their property being underwater.
"'When you're talking to someone about losing 25 per cent of their recreational property, that's a red flag,' says Town Councillor Claude Ruggieri."
In other news of the day, "Union says concessions still the issue in Coastal Forest strike" was below the fold.
"On the first full day of the strike, last Wednesday, the morale on the picket lines was still pretty high. That could change if workers stay off the job as long as they did during the last big strike in the 1980s.
"'I went through a five month one last time in '86,' says Freddie Polkinghorne, a grapple-yarder operator for TimberWest. 'It was pretty brutal on the pocketbook.'
"More than 12,000 forestry workers in coastal British Columbia are on the picket lines, even though deals have been made to keep workers in the north from joining in the strike. The IWA reached a deal with Canfor, CONIFER and will likely get a deal with Weldwood today or tomorrow. The sticking point on the Coast continues to be concessions the union does not want to make to its pension plan, mandatory vacations and flexible scheduling."
40 years ago
"Firms bid for contract" was one headline on the front of the July 3, 1985 Lake News.
"The first major step towards revitalization of downtown Lake Cowichan will be taken July 12. That day, the Lake Cowichan revitalization committee will decide which of three engineering firms will be given the contract to draw up a design for the main street. Members of the committee have, in the course of three hour-long meetings, heard presentations by Doran Musgrove, Jerome Mins and David Reid, all of Pacific Landplan; by David Spearing and Jim Trayner of David N. Spearing & Associates; and by Lee Rome of Milman Ker Ltd.
"The revitalization group has secured a $5,000 grant to pay for the initial plan, and will meet next week to discuss the various proposals."
"Vandals damage books" was another headline.
"At least $200 worth of books were damaged by vandals who poured yellow paint through the book slot of the Lake Cowichan library Thursday night. Jean Brown, a library worker, said that when she arrived at the library Friday morning she found approximately a quarter-gallon of paint which covered the carpeting and many books."
