Despite the rain, a small crowd gathered outside Sechelt's municipal building last Saturday to unveil two new artworks commissioned especially for the Civic Square garden. Sechelt Mayor Darren Inkster introduced carver artist Anna Hanson, whose cedar and aluminum shield Time In Its Flight rises above the square proudly. The title is taken from a book by the late Hubert Evans, a Roberts Creek author, and Hanson explained how the shield's symbols represent past and present progress in the community. A metal bird perched atop turns with the wind and the overall effect like a hoisted sail on a mast gives the work a light, airy feeling. The design and wood crafting was done by Anna Hanson, and her husband, Lex Hanson, who is experienced in marine construction, fabricated the aluminum framework. Anna uses only hand tools, Lex explained, a skill that was passed down from her grandfather, the late monumental sculptor Dudley Carter. The shield was the couple's first artistic collaboration, and they are happy with the result.
Stone sculptor George Pratt from Halfmoon Bay also gave a brief speech while unveiling his equatorial sundial, Summer Time.
"Now I need to do a rain dial," he quipped from under his umbrella as he pointed out the features of the sundial. The instrument tells solar time that's real time, no frills, as Pratt explains in a pamphlet. The sundial can be used by the public from March 21 through September 21. From October to March, when skies turn grey, we can't use the sundial, and we will be reminded of this by the stone bear tucked in behind the dial's face. "Bears sleep the dreariness away," writes Pratt, one of a number of poetic additions to the piece.
Later that same day, two other launches took place. Archivist Ann Watson led an audience interested in history through a presentation of digital images of Sechelt catalogued for a new website. Over 70 individuals and organizations have donated photos of Sechelt's early days. Beginning with pioneer Helen Dawe's collection of photos, over 4,000 images have been converted to digital by Janet Ansell, and she says the website is set to go live in January.
Watson recognized many of the audience who had contributed pieces of their family's past: Joan Graham's photos of Rockwood, Gwen Abram's memories of life at Mission Point, June Shepherd's family collection, Joyce Kolibas' photos from the 1950s, Mary Gillis' Redrooffs photos and Pete Jackson's logging collection, among others.
Authors Betty Keller and Rosella Leslie complemented the glimpse of Sechelt's past with the launch of their recently revised book, Bright Seas, Pioneer Spirits: A History of the Sunshine Coast (TouchWood Editions).
Keller described how, with the first edition in 1996, she had set out to document the history of the Coast's working people: those who had logged, mined and taken up the government's offer of land for homesteads. Leslie had been researching the area around Clowhom Falls where she was living. The two research projects meshed well. Archivist Watson referred to their publication as "the most comprehensive history book of the Coast."
The original edition took the reader up to 1990. In this updated book, the authors include more stories from the past, such as the history of the Merry Island lighthouse, and stories from the near-present, such as the establishment of the Sechelt Community Forest and independent power projects.
Bright Seas, Pioneer Spirits is available at local bookstores for $18.95. The Sechelt Community Archives is located at the back of the library and is open to the public on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by appointment (604-885-3260). The artwork in Sechelt's Civic Square can be enjoyed at any time.
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Photo Caption: From left: Author Betty Keller, digital artist Janet Ansell, author Rosella Leslie and Sechelt archivist Ann Watson present a combined launch of Sechelt's new website and the Coast history book, Bright Seas, Pioneer Spirits.
Photo Credit: Jan DeGrass photo
