Newsletter - Volume 1 - 2001, November

Rebirth of the Lions Gate Bridge a Very Special Presentation
The Deep Cove Heritage Society was delighted to host a very topical, fascinating Historical afternoon with Donald Luxton, prominent Vancouver Historian. The show took place November 18th, 2001 in the Deep Cove Shaw Theatre.

Donald Luxton's presentation of the History of the Construction and Reconstruction of the Lions Gate Bridge brought us right up to date — it was a great afternoon.

The Presentation — Unique among our bridges, the Lions Gate was built by private English capital during the Great Depression. The story of its conception and construction was a clash of titans, pitting industrialists and investors against entrenched political forces, in a battle that raged all the way to the Prime Minister's office in Ottawa, marking the second largest land deal ever undertaken in Vancouver. Its current reconstruction has been no less controversial, pitting environmentalists and other activists against those seeking to relieve congestion on our "Car-Strangled Spanner."

Finally, after years of planning and construction, the rehabilitation of the Lions Gate Bridge is nearing completion. Local historian Donald Luxton, co-author of Lions Gate, provided an illustrated slide talk about how and why the bridge was originally built, and the dramatic story of its rehabilitation and rebirth.

An added bonus was the screening of rare film footage of the construction of the bridge, shot in colour in 1937 and 1938.

The Book LIONS GATE
Written by Lilia D'Acres and Donald Luxton, and published in 1999 by TalonBooks, Lions Gate tells the remarkable story of the construction of Vancouver's landmark Lions Gate Bridge. Widely acknowledged as a definitive work, it won numerous literary and heritage awards, including the Lieutenant-Governor's Medal for Historical Writing, 2000; the British Columbia Historical Federation Competition for Writers of B.C. History, First Prize; B.C. Book Prizes 2000, Nominee, Bill Duthie B.C. Booksellers Choice Award; the City of Vancouver Heritage Award of Honour, 2000; the West Vancouver Heritage Achievement Award of Excellence, 2000; the Vancouver Historical Society Award, 2000; and the Heritage Society of British Columbia Outstanding Achievement Award, 2000.

Thank you,
Mary!

Over the last year Mary Johnson has been our trusty co-ordinator. "My goodness" she said, "I had no idea how much time is involved in being the co-ordinator, it's quite a full time job really!" Mary put in many more hours and constantly was there for all our activities.

The quilting show was her very own event and we worked under her guidance to bring it together, well done Mary! "I want to still be a part of the group but have to let the position of co-ordinator pass to someone else" she said.

We have been very lucky to have Mary carry this position over the year and thank this very gracious lady again for everything she has done for us.

Busy Summer for Heritage — President's report
Co-Ordinator Mary Johnson and I spent many hours in the Heritage office this summer re-organizing files, applying for grants, planning events and talking with the community about ways Heritage can make a difference in Deep Cove. Our location in the Deep Cove Cultural Centre is very well placed and our dream is to be able to have the funds and volunteers to keep the office open on a more regular basis.

We have a great archival collection of photos and records of the history and evolution of the Cove and need to share it with everyone. We participate in as many local events as we can and welcome the opportunity to offer programs to other groups. We have obtained a very state of the art video projector and large screen which enables us to have some very exciting shows such as the event on November 18th. Mary and I attended the Woodlands Regatta on July 28th and were pleased to see that they still hold an event that has changed very little over the last 100 years! Great old fashioned fun! We did have a booth at Deep Cove Daze and thank everyone for supporting us with raffle and book sales. The event was a great success and special thanks were given to Pat Morrice, Pam Juryn, Audrey Jenkins, Harvey Burt, Robin Cameron, Mary Johnson and Eric Morter.

The big event was, of course, our participation in the North Shore Heritage weekend September 15th and 16th with our Stitches in Time exhibition. Mary and I attended many meetings with the North Shore group made up of representatives of the three municipalities. We are now busy working on November 3rd, Parkgate Craft Fair and our Lions Gate Bridge presentation November 18th. On December 10th we will be decorating a "Heritage Christmas Tree" and call on anyone who has an "Old or Heritage" decoration to bring it by on Saturday, December 8th, between 12:30 pm and 2:30 pm. Thank you all for your continued interest and support and I encourage everyone to renew their membership in order for us to bring to you interesting programs for the coming year. I wish you all a great Heritage Christmas!

Janet Pavlik, President

Welcome, Eileen!

We welcome Eileen Smith, who became our new co-ordinator in October. We are so fortunate to have this very community minded lady. Many of you know her already for her untiring involvement with First Impressions Theatre. In fact, Eileen and husband Michael have been an integral part of the Deep Cove Cultural Centre since its beginnings 10 years ago.

Eileen brings to us all her memories of the Cove, yes she was born here! Her parents' home dates back to the 40s. It will be fun to have Eileen around when we start on our second book — The Last 50 Years!

Heritage Education and the Great Heritage Trunk

Luciana Johnson is one busy lady! With school age children of her own she has successfully brought our Heritage into the local school classrooms. In fact, her presentation was such a success that she has been asked by teachers to return to Sherwood Park School and make a first visit to Cove Cliff School. Her presentation enhances the Grade Three's Pioneer Classes. The presentation consists of a slide show, talk and walk to heritage points in the area.

Luciana is also working on the Heritage Trunk project. The trunk is to contain artifacts from the 40s, 50s and 60s. If you have any heritage artifacts you can donate or lend to this project we would be very appreciative. You can call the office at 604-929-5744. The Heritage Trunk will be making the rounds to schools and other heritage events.

Gift Ideas!

Deep Cove Heritage Society offers many exciting and affordable gift ideas. There are a very few copies of our heritage book of the area Echoes Across the Inlet available for $20, our popular cookbook A Taste of Deep Cove is only $5, we have Christmas cards for $5 per package of 8, as well as this, that and the other thing. Drop by our office or purchase at the Seymour Art Gallery.

Volunteer Honoured

On Sept 16th, as part of Heritage Weekend, the group honoured one of their special volunteers, Pat Morrice with a "Volunteer of the Year award." Pat works tirelessly in the community and has volunteered her time and energies with many groups. She has worked on committees for many years and has, through her enthusiasm and support, encouraged us to move forward with our projects. She is always willing to come out and fill in for Saturdays and assist in all our projects. Deep Cove Heritage Society are proud to recognize Pat Morrice as a vital member of our community and honour her as our "Volunteer of the Year."