6 - Sunday, February 22,

1987 - North Shore News

News Viewpoint

Condom generation?

ot so many years ago the display of contracep-
tive products was illegal. Nuw, the AIDS scare
has put condoms beside the candy in corner

stores.

The sti! unresolved question is whether quick, easy
access to condoms 24 hours a day by customers of any
age will ultimately help or hinder control of the dread
disease — whether the precaution may prove worse

than the peril.

In swiftly answering the call of Vancouver Medical
Health Officer Dr. John Blatherwick, the 7-Eleven and
Mac’s convenience store chains point out that young
people, defined by Dr. Blatherwick as being primarily
at risk, forna a sarge proportion of their customers.
That makes their move logical.

Adventurous teenagers being what they are, howev-
er, it would also be naive to suppose that the new mer-
chandise will gather dust on the shelves. It may be ex-
pected to sell well and the logic of this remains more

questionable.

The theory, of course, is that ready availability of
condoms will protect young people already engaging in
sex, especially if it's promiscuous. But against this
must be weighed the temptation offered to others not
previously info sexual activity at all — in particular if
they’re under peer pressure. Added to which, even
condoms cannot guarantee 100 per cent protection

every time.

Will somewhat safer sex for a ‘‘condom generation”
lure more and more hitherto celibate youngsters to in-
duige in sex — thus actually adding to those at risk? Is
this, rather than intensive education in the word ‘“‘no’’,
the best way to curb the spread of AIDS? Unfortu-
nately, there are no quick answers.

HALF A CENTURY, with only a
single three-month break, is the
time-span in today’s story of
tireless dedication to a West Van
church by a remarkable lady.

The name is Zella Armour. As
Zella Goodrich, she started playing
the organ for the Christian Science
Church at 20th and Esquimalt on
February 14, 1937. In 1950 she
married Robert Armour (who dicd
in 1978) and aside from the 12
weeks she took off after the birth
of their son Donald in 1953, she’s
been playing at the Sunday morn-

ing and Wednesday evening ser-
vices for the past 50 years.

Vancouver, however, has always
been her home and she’s had more
than a few adventures during the
endless miles she has travelled to
and fro during those five faithful
decades. In the early days she rode
with the soloist in his car via the
North Van ferry. After he left, she
crossed on the West Van ferry un-
til the Lions Gate Bridge was built,
and in 1949 she bought her own
car.

She remembers vividly the night

NEWS photo Neil Lucente

FIFTY YEARS OF HYMNS ‘as since 1937 floods, snow and ice have
never separated Zelia Armour from her beloved keyboard at 20th and

Esquimalt in West Van.

Takeover of

Dear Editor:

I am writing in response to a let-
ter signed by Jack Davis, MLA
and published in various BC
newspapers in recent weeks. Mr.
Davis criticizes Air Canada’s re-
cent acquisition of Air BC, how-
ever his lettcr demonstrates a lack
of understanding of the cir-
cumstances Jeading up to Air
Canada’s alliance with Air BC.

Air BC is a profitable, well-
managed company with a dynamic

management team and an excellent
business record. Air BC’s decision
to become part of Air Canada’s
network was a decision made by a
private. company, of its own voli-
tion, based on its own assessment
of financial considerations and
opportunities.

Mr. Davis’ allegations that fed-
eral government funds have been
used to purchase Air BC are totally
unfounded. Air Canada has not
been subsidized by the government

Ar

THL VOICE OF MORTH AND WEST VANCOUVER
PE tetas hh 5
north shore.

e' =|

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North Vancouver, 8.C. V7M 2H4

peer

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agers ten
jst tahty

wr pemgegt Sa forte

STE Peete wth toma ter arte

SHIA DIMI

Publisher:
Editor-in-Chiet
Managing Editor
Advertising Director

Peter Speck
Now: Wright
Barrett Fisher
linda Stewa.t

eNO CS ROL See

tntue contents «
1987) North Shore
Free Press Lid. Al
nights reserved

NEWS photo submitted

TOP UBC STUDENT ... one of eight from the North Shore, West Van's Jennifer Hunt (r) receives her Norman
A. MacKenzie Alumni Scholarship fram UBC president Dr. David Strangway, watched by Alumni Scholarships

chairman Louise Grant (centre).

when the Capilano Bridge was
washed out. She had to take a
ferry to Altamont and a bus back
1o 20th Street. She drove twice
weekly over the, temporary Bailey
bridge until the new Capilano
crossing was constructed. Another
Sunday she awoke to two feet of
snow and ao street cars on Broad-
way. But, as always, she still made
it to the church on time after hit-
ching a car ride downtown where
she managed to catch a West Van
bus.

This Sunday afternoon church
members are holding a well-earned
party and presentation for her.
They don’t make so many like
Mrs. Armour any more!

aeet

LOCAL MOUNTIES stage their
big night of the year next Saturday
(Feb. 28) with the North Van
RCMP Detachment's glamorous
Regimental Bali at the Hyatt
Regency. Civilian guests are wel-
comed but Supt. Stewart Thomp-
son tells us the few tickets still
available are disappearing fast. If
you want to get in on the fun, call
Cpl. Ted Cronmililer—like first
thing tomorrow morning—at
985-1311.

HITHER AND YON: City
Alderman Stella Jo Dean’s Expo
86 Committee wound up with a
surplus of $3,972—meaning North
Van's Expo celebrations cost City
and District taxpayers exactly 16
cents a head ... Golden wishes to
Laurence and Bessie Ward of the
Kiwanis Lynn Manor who cele-
brated their 50th anniversary fast
Tuesday ... Installed at the annual
banquet of ihe Nosth Shore
Shriners this month were president
Bob Emery, veepee Les Tuit, sec-
retary Roly Armstrong and trea-
surer Aub Collins, with directors

for almost 25 years and has
become a profitable self-sufficient
airline through good service
management.

It is clear that the new agree-
ment between Air BC and Air
Canada will not diminish the air
transportation services available
for Western Canadians. Quite the
contrary, experience has shown
that such alliances allow for co-
ordinated timetables, convenient
and rapid connections, improved

Noel Wright

Bill Young, Andy Ellis and Joe
Ralston. Their big 1987 project: to
top the sales for the Shrine Gizeh
Circus—to date they’ve already
passed the 1986 figure ... Salute
North Shore winners of this year’s
UBC Alumni Assn. scholarships
and bursaries—North Van’s Karen
Macdonald, Elizabeth Padgin,
Mark Peebles, Janet Blue and
Linda Toddun, together with West
Van students Angus Gunn, Jen-
nifer Hunt and Kathleen Janel ...
Meanwhile, Mary Georgilas brings
honor to West Van Secondary as

© sunday brunch ¢

one of the outstanding students
across Canada accepted for the
one-week Forum for Young Cana-
dians in Ottawa ... Happy pro-
gram assistant at West Van’s Eagle
Harbour Community Centre is
Chris Gwilt, organizer of last
weekend's Valentine dance attend-
ed by 150 revellers. It netted $400
for a microwave for the Centre ...
And Richard Hughes, former
radio man and erstwhile g.m. of
Sunshine Cabs, may be in line for
a phone-in show on Harvey Gold’s
CJOR.

NEWS photo Stuart Davis

ADDING THE SPARKLE ito love ... firefighters Dave Thomasson (I)
and Cary Manns help program assistant Chris Gwilt (r) install the glitter
ball fer Eagle Harbour Community Centre’s highly successful Valentine

dance last weekend.

benef

customer service and attractive
price packages for consumers. In
fact, Air BC has recently applied
to serve four new cities in B.C.
(Prince George, Fort St. John,
Terrace and Prince Rupert), pro-
viding greater competition and
establishing stronger links between
these communities and Air
Canada’s large network.

Air BC is a well-managed airline
that has been relying on the skills
of its personnel for day-to-day

operations for many years — with
excellent results. Air Canada has
no intention of tampering with
that kind of success — there is ab-
solutely no need to.

1 believe that together, Air
Canada and Air BC are better able
to meet the demands of air travel-
lers in our province.

H.A. Thompson
B.C. General Manager
Air Canada