Editorially speaking…
I frequently receive queries which I try to answer reasonably promptly.
But it isn’t always easy. If I have to dig into my files it can be a while as my days are programmed—and long.
This isn’t meant as a complaint or a plea for pity but a statement of harsh reality.
That said, I also receive helpful information from readers. But, back to queries: More often than not I can come up with an answer. But not always, and, twice lately, I was stumped by the same lady who wanted to know more about the pioneer families for whom two Chemainus landmarks are named.
I didn’t have to dig for the answers—I didn’t have them. At least, my mea culpa made for an immediate response.
It took me a while—I have 1000’s of photos on file, both film and digital—and proper filing has always been a time-consuming challenge for me. So when Helen Tilley, resident historian for South Wellington, asked if I had photos showing the Morden Colliery headframe/tipple’s woodwork, now rotted away, I really had to dig.
Look closely and you can see all of the original timber work as it was, 60 years ago. —Author’s Collection
I’ve taken more photos of Morden Colliery and the Kinsol Trestle than I have of any other subjects over the years, going back to 35mm film and black and white. Which is where the accompanying mid-1960’s photo hails from. The recently rehabilitated concrete structure, the only one of its kind surviving from B.C.’s coal mining days, is built of concrete—precisely what saved it from decades of exposure to the elements and neglect.
Partial restoration came too late for the wooden part of the structure. As my photographic record of this historic structure graphically shows, anything of wood simply fell away. Today, there’s none to be seen.
Although the above shot isn’t great photographically, it’s the best I can come up with of the now-vanished timber work.
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Closer to home, the fate of one of the Cowichan Valley’s few designated heritage structure is up in the air. The 1895 Elkington House on Maple Road is steadily deteriorating and in need of major repairs.
Elkington House, Duncan, B.C. —Toad Hollow Photography
This is ironic for a structure given official heritage designation in 2008.
It’s owned by the Nature Conservancy of Canada, custodians of the Elkington Oak Preserve. But the NCC has no mandate to spend money on a peripheral such as this one, even if it is historic and heritage.
Their proposed solution is to sell the house and its three acres to the Municipality of North Cowichan or the province, who’d then accept responsibility for the costs of restoration and maintenance.
At present, it’s all up in the air with no one volunteering to act as White Knight. All the while, of course, the 128-year-old structure continues to deteriorate.
You can read and sign the Oak Park Heritage Preservation Society’s petition at Paul Considine – Change.org.
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We’re rapidly approaching Remembrance Day.
Besides its obvious significance, Remembrance Day is always on my calendar because I must prepare ahead to write the special Remembrance edition of the Cowichan Valley Citizen.
This is very special to me, so I’m always on the lookout for subjects to write about. One that just caught my eye is new—and really cool!
Parksville is going to mount large commemorative banners along the Island and Alberni highways. Each banner will have the photo and name of a local serviceman who’s listed on the Parksville Cenotaph.
What a truly wonderful way to honour them. Thank you, Parksville Council, and may your idea catch on. With almost 300 names on the Duncan Cenotaph, a project such as this could go on for years in the Cowihcan Valley without repetition of names.