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Lake Flashback: Citizens of the year, oil spill, and an Easter egg hunt

Flashbacks this week features brings us some old names, plus the start of an ongoing saga
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Back in March 1978, these kids were getting the jump on the Ramcos Car Club’s annual Easter egg hunt, held at J. H. Boyd Elementary School. Hundreds of children participated, according to ‘The Lake News’ despite the usual Easter showers. Ramcos members hid more than 1,000 Easter treats on school grounds and along adjacent nature trail.

Welcome to Lake Flashback. Reporter Lexi Bainas has been combing through oldnewspaperswiththeassistance 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 weekaround Cowichan Lake in years gone by.

This week around the Cowichan Lake area…

10 years ago:

Lake Cowichan read the Gazette with keen interest March 26, 2008 as government officials searched for “the source of diesel fuel that spilled into Oliver Creek more than two weeks ago is still on after a pressure test done last week indicates it did not come from the nearby Payless Gas station.”

Oliver Creek flows through Friendship Park beside Village Market, goes under Cowichan Lake Road and into the Cowichan River near Stanley Road.

“Willi Jansen, a Department of Fisheries and Oceans officer from Duncan, told a fisheries meeting last week that other possibilities will have to be checked out.

“It’s a good thing for the gas station, but it’s not good for the creek because we haven’t found where the diesel is coming from,” said Jansen. “It’s a wait and see thing now. It (source) is likely close by.”

Jansen suggested earlier that another possibility is that at one time residential heating tanks used to be stored underground. If that’s the case, she said, it could be expensive for a proper clean up.

Bernie MacKay of Environment Canada said work won’t resume on locating the source of the diesel fuel until after the Easter long weekend.

“It can be tough to track down the source,’ said MacKay. “For now, we’ ll control it and contain it until we can track down the source.”

This was not the end of that story. Watch future columns for more.

25 years ago:

On Wednesday, March 24, 1993, The Lake News shared the news that two sisters had each been awarded the coveted Citizen of the Year award.

Jean Brown and Marie Bergstrom were surprised and delighted to be there together.

“There was a feeling of anticipation as Ray Miller the master of ceremonies for the Citizen of the Year award walked to the centre of the room at last week’s Chamber of Commerce meeting.

Councillor Jean Brown took her place beside Miller while her sister Marie hurriedly walked across the room carrying a large bouquet of flowers to present to Jean.

When Miller announced the joint award of Citizen of the Year, tears sprang to Marie’s eyes.

“I didn’t think it was for me,” she exclaimed.

Marie had just prepared dinner for 34 members of the Kiwanis Club in the Legion Hall, and had rushed to the Elks for the presentation.

The sisters were each presented with a plaque.

“I want to say thank you to a special community that always supports the town and shows initiative for new things,” said Jean.

“I have nothing to say,” said Marie. “My sister is the speaker, I work in the kitchen.”

“Marie works behind the scenes,” said Mayor Earle Darling. “She talks about her kitchen role. We are fortunate we have people like Marie and Jean in our community. On behalf of all of us, our thanks.”

40 years ago:

The sad headline, “Community hall mover Henry Lundgren dies” in The Lake News of March 29, 1978, told how the man who had been Citizen of the Year in 1971 had died at age 65, after never recovering from a stroke he’d suffered the year before.

He was “best known in the district for the tremendous energy he put into establishing the community recreation complex here. He was the chairman of the original committee formed in 1958 to acquire the property to build the Centennial Hall, the baseball park and later, the arena and curling club.

Friends described him as an extremely community minded person who went all out to get a job done.

After arriving at Cowichan Lake in 1947, he was a staunch member of many community groups, and worked at many jobs, the last being manager of the Henry-Ann Mobile Home Park. Lundgen also served as chairman on three centennial celebration committees.