It was free to a good home or, in this case, a good church. The only catch was that those who wanted the pipe organ, originally seen on Craig's List, were to move it, restore it and maintain it themselves. Several churches were interested, but St. Hilda's Anglican in Sechelt took up the challenge.
"We told them why this was the best place," said church deacon Bruce Morris, who organized the move. "We play so much music here."
By the end of the month, the Casavant pipe organ will be up and running in the choir balcony of the church with a huge amount of encouragement from rector Clarence Li, the parishioners and many volunteers who lent a hand.
The pipe organ, originally built in 1975 by renowned makers Casavant Frères (since 1879) in Quebec, had apparently ended its life in a Vancouver church that became a Buddhist temple. Since the Buddhists had no need for music in their quiet meditations, the organ languished in an autobody shop. Though considered a small organ with 404 pipes, it weighs 1,600 kilograms. It was no mean feat for a crew of volunteers to disassemble it, pipe-by-pipe, panel-by-panel, and transport it to the Coast in a rented truck. (Ian Kellough made a fascinating You Tube video of the disassembly on site.)
"The church is prudent with its budget," said Morris. "We held a congregational meeting on Oct. 31, and at 12:30 p.m. asked for a vote to put $10,000 toward the project. We had 98 per cent in favour by 12:40, and by 12:50 p.m., we had exceeded the necessary funds."
The forklift arrived at the church by 2 p.m. that day and lifted the organ parts up to the structurally sound choir balcony where it will be heard in its glory.
"This is an organ for the entire Coast," Morris explained.
There is no other such pipe organ here - churches generally use electronic organs.
St. Hilda's music director Tom Kellough is an organ scholar who studied at Knox United in Kerris-dale and has worked as an organist since 1985 at various churches.
"The Casavant is perfectly suited to St. Hilda's in size, in design, and in voicing," he said. "And the price is right. It will change the music scene on the Coast."
The pipe organ's comparable value today would be $180,000, estimated the technicians who were busily at work two weeks ago, linking the cables from the organist's console to the massive wind chest. These were not solemn men with wrenches, as you might expect. The smiling expert on all things to do with organs was Marianne Huestis, who has been maintaining such instruments since she was an impoverished music student in 1983. She is now the foremost professional on this subject for B.C. and the Washington area. She worked along with another technician, Willow Martin Seedhouse, and the two women hoped to have the work completed within a week to 10 days with a tentative target ribbon cutting on Dec. 5 when they expect a visit from former Archbishop Douglas Hambidge.
Morris acknowledges that there are so many people to thank for this exciting project.
"Allan Crane sowed the seed," he said, adding the former director of the Coast Recital Society and the S.C. Music Society nurtured the dream of a real pipe organ on the Coast over 12 years ago.
"We've got wonderful volunteers," Morris added, naming Keith Stevens, John Webb, Max Haugen, the Anglican church women who cleaned each of the 404 pipes, the contractors, RCMP and paramedics who volunteered time to help on moving day. The list continues.
"They are wonderful volunteers here," said Huestis, who has seen many churches struggle with finding people to help with such projects. "I'm going to talk about this as an example to the others."
Fundraising at St. Hilda's will continue in order to maintain the instrument.
