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.
This week around the Cowichan Lake area
10 years ago
“Couple tries to entice 11-year-old into car” was not the type of headline folks would expect in the Lake Cowichan Gazette, but there it was on the front of the March 9, 2016 edition. “The Lake Cowichan RCMP are asking members of the public for any information they may have after a couple tried to lure a child into their vehicle late last week.
“On March 3 at approximately 4:30 p.m. an 11-year-old boy and his 10-year-old sister were waiting for their mother to pick them up on South Shore Road near the A&W when a vehicle pulled up beside them, and its occupants (a male driver and female passenger) began speaking to the boy.
”’[He said] the female had invited him into the car, indicating that they’d found a good swimming spot,’ said RCMP detachment commander Sgt. Wes Olsen. ‘The young boy was adept enough not to get into the vehicle and he started making lots of noise and that apparently scared the people. They took off.’”
On the next page of the same paper, “Firefighter honoured for 30 years’ service”.
“The Lake Cowichan Volunteer Department recognized one of its longest-serving members Monday. ‘It’s something I’ve done my whole life for the community,’ said David Janzen, who is marking his 31st year as a volunteer firefighter. When he turned 18 he joined the volunteer fire department in Youbou and served there for 13 years before moving to Lake Cowichan and joining its department. As a child, Janzen said he had always wanted to be a career (full-time) firefighter.
“‘But I didn’t live in a city,’ he said. ‘My twin brother and I both applied to work in Victoria but we didn’t get hired because they were hiring within the city, not from outside. That’s why we didn’t get hired.’
“Like Janzen, his brother became a life-long volunteer firefighter, too, although he lives in Ontario. ‘If it’s a goal you have, it’s worth going after it,’ said Janzen.”
25 years ago
“New race set for this area” was the top headline on the front of the March 14, 2001 edition of the Lake Cowichan Gazette. What started last year as one race in Cowichan Bay has expanded to four races on Vancouver Island, including the finale at Cowichan Lake in August.
“The Ecowest Adventurers Race was held last May and was successful enough, say the organizers, to expand it this year. The racing begins April 14 with Mind Over Mountain, an eight-kilometre event on Mt. Tzouhalem near Cowichan Bay. Ecowest Adventure Race 1 will be May 5 in Cowichan Bay, followed by race 2 at Mt. Washington. The series will conclude Aug. 18 in Lake Cowichan.
“‘Renee Leger came to us about having the race at Cowichan Lake,” said Bryan Tasaka, one of the organizers. He admits they weren’t sure about Cowichan Lake, but after visiting the area quickly agreed.
“’We’re really looking forward to the Cowichan Lake race,’ said Tasaka.
“The adventure races feature a one-day sprint style format with racers expected to cover more than 45 kilometres of challenging terrain in four to seven hours.
“The Cowichan Lake event will include kayaking on the lake, followed by mountain biking, orienteering, and a cross-country run on and around Bald Mountain. The Cowichan Lake Education Centre will be race headquarters and accommodations for some of the competitors.”
On page three of the Lake Cowichan Gazette, “Land protected for Cowichan Tribes” was the big news.
“The Cowichan Tribes have secured protection for 1,700 hectares of sacred land between Cowichan Lake and Duncan, only two months after announcing they would be prepared to do blockades to protect the land.
“Known as Hw’te shutsun to the Cowichan, the land is located on part of Hill 60 within Timber West’s Tree Farm Licence 46 and is intended to be part of any treaty settlement because of its religious and cultural significance. The Cowichan people believe their people first fell from the sky at Hw’te shutsun.”
40 years ago
“Reports of sex assaults rise” was an uncomfortable headline on the front of the March 12, 1986, Lake News.
“Reports of sexual assaults on children in the area have been on the increase since the beginning of the year, says Sgt. Rod Derouin, of the Lake Cowichan R.C.M.P. detachment.
“He says some of the reports may not be due so much to real increases in assaults as to increased awareness due to the C.A.R.E. program recently introduced into the schools.
“Derouin says that the detachment is averaging 2-3 complaints of sexual assault a week.
“‘In February, every member of this detachment had at least one incident of sexual abuse under investigation,’ said Sgt. Derouin. Some reports are of incidents of adolescent curiosity rather than sexual assault, ‘but the incidents of assault are definitely on the increase,’ he says.
“‘It is a problem everywhere, and we do have a problem here.’”
“No beer in the Park for Lake Days?” was another front-page headline.
“The beer garden should be moved from Centennial Park, it was recommended at a public meeting discussing the 1968 Lake Days last Thursday. Before action is taken, it was agreed that the Kinsmen, who operate the beer garden, and the R.C.M.P., who enforce drinking regulations, should be consulted.
“Rod Peters had asked Tony White to serve as vice-chairman of Lake Days, with a view to becoming chairman next year. Peters said White had been expected to become chairman last year. White replied that he could not act in an official capacity for Lake Days because of the presence of the beer garden among the children at the Park, which constitutes a conflict with the objectives of Community Services.
“White urged that the beer garden be moved to the Community Hall level. He pointed out that under new laws of liability being introduced into B.C., anyone who gets a person drunk may be liable for damage the person may do.”
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