Historic Church at Sechelt

Provincial Library, Published at Gibsons, B.C. Victoria, B. C; Phone 886-2622 Volume 23 Number 41, October 28. 1970. 10c per copy The only newspaper printed in the area Port Mellon to Egmont historic church at Sechelt (By JOHN BURNSIDE) entire 126 foot tower was blaz of flaming log were beginning, than just the terrible visual beau ing. It continued to burn for to break off. Some last pieces of ty of the night. There was the It had been a particularly what seemed an incredibly long blazing tapestry fluttered arid pain, the ache of loss and dis good dance at the Peninsula time, still upright long after it burned and fell. belief, on the faces of the re .Drive-In on the edge of the Se1- had become just a blazing skel Suddenly, just after 3 a.m. the serve. For this was a piece of ; chelt Indian Reserve last Satur- eton — a tribute to the'; work- bottom of the left hand side of; their history that was dying be- • day night. The band was good manship'and the love with which the tower at the back seemed; for their eyes. and the crowd high-spirited and the people now lying in the re to crumble. The whole beauti It was history of the most happy. Between musical sets serve grave-yard had built it. fully terrible structure seemed personal sort. Their parents The cross came down first. to pivot slightly away from the and grandparents had built the some of the" ihen of the reserve Some quirk of the process of de sea and away from the wMrf. churoh.Their people had been delighted the crowd! .with some struction swung it from' facing For one last moment it hesitat- i christened in that church, had free-wheeling displays of Indian the sea towards the graveyard ed, burning against the, black been married in that church, dancing. and the builders of the. church ness, and then it fell and was" had been buried from that The announcement came at '-— and then it fell through the gone. * church since the very early five to one as the band began blazing skeleton of its tower. The sight of that naked, burn years of this century. x - to play the last song of the night. The ' tower itself continued to ing tower against the sky and Around us were the grief- At first it said that a house near burn and to stand in incredible above the blazing well that was,; stricken faces of the men and the church on the reserve was defiance of the flames. Would the rest of the church was a the sobbing women of the reser on fire: There was stunned dis it continue to fall to pieces or sight that rid one who saw it will: vation. We outsiders could stand belief in the hall. The announce would it go all at once? Pieces ever forget. But there was more by and try to understand. ment was repeated andTtoeTpeb- ple of the reserve exploded out of the building. Rumors It was, of course, the beauti ful little church itself that was lighting the night sky. At five past one the back of the church galore was burning and the roof of it Many rumors have been go wasalready collaipsihg. The tow er was still untouched. It- was ing the rounds concerning the evident even then that the fire destruction of Our Lady of department could riot possibly Lourdes church on the Sechelt save the church. Indian Reserve grounds. One young chap, Wayne John, was • The wall oh the wharf side fell first and the heat from the fire reported to have been rescued increased until it was searing from the region of the fire and faces 40 or 50 yards away. The taken to St. Mary's Hospital house of Frank Joe was closest where he, recovered quickly. to the church and was being The RCMP report that an inves hosed down constantly. tigation is under way without The church tower began to .^anything at this time, concerning burn. Great tongues of, flame "?r___.6ra.7j^ •••'••••• raced into the air and soon the * jj. * After spending an anxious night watching Setchelt's Our Lady of Lourdes burn' to the ground, followed by a short Bylaws loaned sleep, Father Dunlop of -the Re serve Residential school stood in Gibsons United Church on the fo aldermen invitation of Rev. Jim William Members of Sechelt's munici son and delivered a sermon deal pal council at Wednesday night's ing with the Prodigal Son story. meeting last week were present *.** *»> _*_ ed with, on loan, copies of 23 Clarence Joe, band manager of Sechelt's working municipal and member of the Sechelt band bylaws. The copies are retained council was in Vancouver at the by the clerk, Ted Rayner, so time of the fire attending a they will be available to new FROM MAGNIFICENT edifice meeting with other bands.' He members of council who may to charred rubble overnight. Open new P.O. was notified of the fire at about replace present aldermen. (Right) A group of members of 2 a.m. Sunday. the church salvaged the crum To accommodate increasing *•• «.*_ *.*« The original demand was for bling remains of one of the sta- postal business in Gibsons area »_* v »•• copies of all bylaws, which num tuesiri the church, and the iron a sub-station post office will Efforts- of the band Bingo bered 102. Clerk Rayner offer of the bell, mechanism. -That's open Monday, Nov. 2 in the club to improve things on the ed the suggestion that as the about all that was left. Douglas Variety store, Sunny reserve resulted in the recent majority of the 102 were en crest Plaza. expenditure of $5,200 on painting abling bylaws with a life of one The oficial title will be Gibsons and other items. year only they were of no use *.*. *»* _»_. Sub I post office. It will pro •i» *#* »*•* to them. However the motion vide complete postal service with Reserve manager Clarence Joe remained. (It was noted later Sechelt's Mayor William Swain that the minutes of the Oct. 7 the exception of delivery of mail. who reported the church was commenting at the Oct. 14 coun This will continue to be handled insured for $50,000 said that it^ meeting did not contain this mo cil meeting, on the federal gov tion). through the main post office is the intention of the band to ernment problem in Quebec, ex- and rural route deliveries. The rebuild as soon as possible. The book containing the 23 7 pressed the opinion that federal sub-post office will accept out »»_, *_. .»_ authorities did the right thing. »»» •_* v bylaws will be retained by the going mail. Clarence Joe explained how mayor and aldermen while in As a result it was moved and the destroyed church was built office. - v seconded by Aid. Joe Benner in something like 72 days with Bylaws not in the book include and George Flay that a tele Ban useless members of the band working rescinded bylaws, those that re gram be sent to th& prime min continuous shifts back in 1906. scind bylaws and annual by ister supporting the govern A ban on firecrackers was dis This involved about 100 men who laws setting budgets, mill rates ment's enacting provisions of cussed by Sechelt's mayor and allotted their time so that some and other yearly requirements. the War Measures Act. aldermen at last week's coun workers were always on the job. The same aldermen moved cil meeting resulting in council and seconded that a letter be Injured dogs are problem deciding placing a ban on them sent to Mayor Tom Campbell was fruitless. Four weddings Lots of them supporting his. stand on the Help for injured dogs that leaders Ozzie Hincks and Max The proposed ban was raised Municipal donations to charit same question and the matter of have become an enforced occu well Hammersmith. They ob by Aid. Joe Benner and the dis able organizations drew a note hostels. pation for Dr. Pat Perry was served the operation of a coun cussion that followed pointed up on one day oif caution when Mayor William discussed at Tuesday night's cil meeting. the futility of banning them iri Gibsons council meeting and left Sechelt when they could be ob Four weddings Saturday after Swain of Sechelt told council The B.C. Farm Machinery tained in stores outside Sechelt these things are worthwhile but Court planned in abeyance to see what could Museum Association wrote ask noon kept Rev. Jim Williamson be done by having the SPCA, over which council had no con of Gibsons United Church busy. there is a lot of them. The re Expansion of Sechelt's Mum-, ing for a grant to help the build trol. mark followed the reading of a Sechelt council and the Regional One ceremony was a double cipal Hall for the possible in ing of an expansion to the pres wedding. Three marriages were letter from CARS, an arthritis clusion of provincial government board work together to get the ent museum-. Mayor Wally Pet dog situation under control. at Gibsons United Church and society which sought a donation. offices including court facilities, erson explained that Gibsons one at St. John's United church, Aid. George Flay recommend is a matter William Swain and Dr. Perry maintained injured has its own museum problems. Oops! Sorry! Wilson Creek. ed sending $10 which the coun- aldermen have under considera dogs reach him when kindly dis Council decided a grant could col approved.

Load more