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…
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10 years ago
"Lake food bank in desperate need of new location" was the big story on the front of the Aug. 8, 2014 edition of the Lake Cowichan Gazette.
"Lake Cowichan Food Bank is in desperate need of a new location as quickly as possible. The food bank currently operates out of the Lake Cowichan Christian Fellowship church but the church is moving on to new pastures in a new location further down the street and has told the food bank the building may not be suitable for them to come along. As a result, the food bank needs a new home by the end of the month or else it cannot operate come September.
"'We are in dire need of a new building,' said Katherine Worsley, who is on the food bank’s board. 'The church has invited us along (to the new location) but there is no storage space for us and that is vital to allow for our distribution.'
"The food bank hands out hampers to community people in need every fortnight from its current base. 'Most of the people that come to us don’t have access to a vehicle so the new building needs to be in Lake Cowichan really,' said food bank president Betty Sanddar.
In other news of the day "Council gives green light to community garden" was an encouraging headline.
"Lake Cowichan council has given the green light to a community garden for the town. Recently, Coun. Bob Day approached Judy Stafford at Cowichan Green Community to see if CGC would be interested in teaming up with the Town of Lake Cowichan to carry out the project.
"Stafford and her colleagues obliged and along with some aiding funds from Island Health, the garden looks set to come to life at very little cost to the municipal tax payer which was Day’s wish all along.
"CGC has recently been looking for endorsement from Lake Cowichan council in order to get the planning process started after confirming to the table earlier in the month guarantees of the funding from Island Health."
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25 years ago
Rails End shut-down was the top story in the Aug. 11, 1999 Lake News.
"The Rails End Pub and Restaurant, or the Last Spike as it was to be known, has served its last drink, and cooked its last meal. Doors closed Tues. Aug. 3. Pam Hieta, pub manager said the closure of the restaurant/pub has put at least 13 people out of work.
"'I'm just sitting here waiting to see if someone buys the building, hoping I can go back to work,' she told the Lake News Monday. The business was being operated by Cheryl and Danny Fielding of Duncan. The Lake News could not reach either of them Monday. The Rail's End was the dream of Ron Girard, the man who built the restaurant and operated it for several years before selling. Girard saw the restaurant and its location as an ideal setting for a place to display his model railroad collection."
"Firemen pull one ton of debris from river" was a page 3 headline in the same edition.
"The Cowichan River got its spruce up in town Sunday as 25 volunteers sponsored by the Fire Department sent down divers to pile boats full of trash. Nearly a ton of rubbish was removed from the river bottom. This was the fourth annual river cleanup, and there seemed to be just as much junk to cart away as ever bottles of all kinds, one roller skate, enough cutlery and dishes to equip a restaurant, an old oven, various inner tubes. Not all the workers were firemen. Some were firemen's friends and at least one was just a guy who was in the neighborhood."
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40 years ago
"Beach party tragedy claims 2 lives" was an awful headline to read on the front of the Aug. 8, 1984 edition of the Lake News.
"Police are investigating the circumstances of an accident that killed two young men and sent four others to hospital early Saturday, Aug. 4. Robert Bruce Berry, 18, of Mesachie Lake, and Daniel James Robinson, 23, of Parksville, died in the accident, which occurred on the highway about one kilometre west of Lake Cowichan.
"The six young men had been driving east to Lake Cowichan from a party at Ashburnham Beach at about 12:45 a.m. Aug. 4 when the pick-up truck in which they were travelling went out of control and overturned on a curve that has been the site of other accidents."
And finally, "Cancel all other plans, and circle this weekend on the calendar it's time again for the Youbou Regatta. Swimming races, a parade, lots of fun — and, hopefully, sun — are all featured this Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 11 and 12 in Youbou. The annual celebration is a family-oriented affair, with the majority of activities aimed at giving children a chance to let off steam and win a some prizes."
