Editorially speaking...
I see ‘history’ is in the news again.
Close to home, Duncan has ditched its town crier and North Cowichan its coat of arms, both symbols of our European roots the casualties of “inclusion” in our new age of colonial atonement, racial awareness and reconciliation.
According to Wikipedia, “The town crier was used to make public announcements in the streets. Criers often dress elaborately, by a tradition dating to the 18th century, in a red and gold coat, white breeches, black boots and a tricorne hat (think Paul Revere—TW).
“In English-speaking countries, they carried a handbell to attract people's attention, as they shouted the words "Oyez, Oyez, Oyez!" before making their announcements. The word "Oyez" means "hear ye," which is a call for silence and attention.
“Oyez derives from the Anglo-Norman word for listen...but has been largely replaced by the verb écouter. The proclamations book in Chester from the early 19th century records this as, "O Yes, O Yes!"
Kenny Podmore, wearing the traditional costume from the 1700s, has been Sidney’s town crier since 1998. —Sidney By the Sea
An American town crier in 1909. His ‘costume’ is nothing like that of Victoria’s or Duncan’s town criers. —Wikipedia
One of the most colourful—outrageous even—town criers ever was Victoria’s John Butts. There was never a dull moment while John was on the job—or off it, when he supplemented his meagre income as crier by bootlegging then serving his time in a jail cell.
But John Butts is a story for another day. Duncan’s Ben Buss certainly gave his all to the role and will be missed by many.
On the Mainland, a proposed class action lawsuit alleges Canadian Pacific and Canadian National railways caused or contributed to the fire that destroyed the historic town of Lytton. The suit asks for damages to cover losses for property, housing, business income and pain and suffering.
There’s a touch of deja vu here; our own Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway (then owned by the CPR) was accused of causing a major fire that consumed much of ‘downtown’ Shawnigan Lake Village, including the landmark community hall. In this case, I believe, the resulting lawsuit found in favour of the plaintiffs but to what extent, cost-wise, I’m not certain.
Duncan United Church’s 120-year-old pipe organ was recently given an overhaul. With over 500 pipes of varying sizes it requires a very specialized professional tuner who had to be flown in. What makes the Duncan organ of particular interest historically is that it was originally used to accompany silent films at the Variety Theatre in Victoria. In 1933 it was sold to an unnamed individual for $750; he graciously donated to DUC and it’s been on the job ever since.
I’m sure most of us would need a tune-up after more than a century on the job.
As another sign of changing times, Lyle’s Place in the 700-block of Yates Street, Victoria, is closing after 40 years. The destination record store had become a Mecca for music lovers, particularly those with retro tastes such as us old folks here at the Chronicles.
Speaking for myself, I still have 100s of LPs—you know, vinyl records—that I cherish although I seldom play them even though I have the necessary turntables. Thank goodness I can listen to goldie oldies on my computer.
Speaking of change, this small report in the Times Colonist back in February sure caught my eye. It’s about a fire in a Saskatchewan potash mine that trapped over 50 workers (note, workers not miners) underground.
My first reaction was to think of the coal mine disasters on Vancouver Island that claimed 1000 lives over 90 years. How many times I’ve read the news reports so as to write about them: of men trapped underground where they succumbed, if not to the cave-ins, fires and explosions, to the resulting methane gas.
But not in Saskatchewan in the space age!
The Vanscoy, Sask. potash mine not only has a fire repression system but emergency shelters where workers can escape the smoke. “There is food and water and telephones in there where we can communicate with the people in each shelter,” said general manager mike Durham
“They vary in size from a capacity of holding 10 people to a capacity of 60 people. They’re a self-contained shelter. They [workers] just need to go in and close the door and wait for emergency response personnel.”
If only it had worked that way in our coal mines...
Speaking of coal mining, Nanaimo City is about to launch a new public campaign to “tap into residents’ hopes for a transformed industrial waterfront”. The Harbour Fair, which begins October 5, is to discuss the future of the land which was the general site of the Hub City’s most historic of all coal mines.
It’s here, where what’s now industrial buildings and railway yards, that for more than a century the No. 1 Esplanade Mine was located. The No. 1 Mine is of particular historic significance because it was the longest running coal mine on Vancouver Island, the largest producer of all Island coal mines, and the site of the second worst colliery disaster in Canadian history.
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