4- Sunday, March 22, DEATH. First, there was Stu Keate, the former publisher of The Sun. [like to imagine that in a small way I gave Keate one of his worst mornings as a publisher, back when I used to work for him. One day in the late early '70s, } wrote a column entirely in whale language except for the last paragraph, which said: ‘More tomorrow.”’ By ‘‘whale language,’’ | mean 1 listened to a recording of Humpback whales singing and tried to phonetically reproduce these very beautiful, but definite- ly weird sounds, using my type- writer and some paper. The column in questicn came out like this: “Qooiiinnnan. “*Plort whoop whoop. ‘“*Nuuuuggghhh zit waeeecen horp. ‘“‘Whump whump‘.hump ...”’ Et cetera. zot 1987 - North Shore News Bob Hunter stricily personal ® I} was trying to mare an obscure and probably right-off- the-wall point that whales might be at least as cloquent as us in their own way. The column got past the lawyer easily enough, but it was bounced from deskman to slotman to managing editor to publisher real quick, as you may appreciate. My understanding is that Keate had to take a deep breath. But to his eternal credit — in my humble view — he let the thing go. It ran, untouched. Oin plorn doop whoop, ete. If that was my point, whatever my point was, that was my point. That's freedom of expression! We lost a great one. ont Then there was the death of a lad named Roderick Nairne, who went walking in the leaves on Burnaby Mountain — wet leaves left over from last autumn — and the ground gave out from under him. Here was a kid growing up in lean times who wasn’t daunted West Van lets it burn WEST VANCOUVER residents can burn garden refuse without a burning permit on selected days in April and October. These days are the first four consecutive Fridays and Saturdays, before 7 p.m. This permission is granted for garden refuse only. In North Vancouver City resi- March 28, Sunday, March 29, Saturday, April 4 and Sunday, April 5. No burning is allowed in North Vancouver District. Residents must instead take material to the waste transfer station. ITHE ANGEL s(t was my first time in the Himatayas. Despite all warnings about gradual acclimatization, | raced up the Lang Tang Himai...and collapsed. | had dots belore my eyes, | was disoriented, a little hysterical, could barely oreathe, my heart was racing... | was alone at 20,000 feet. From amongst the snow caps, like an angel from heaven, appeared a Sherpa. He carried me down the mountain... My head began to clear as | lay on a bed of bamboo in a tea house. Like a true hero, the Sherpa turned to leave without recognition for his deed...1 thought of the only worthwhile gift | could give him. And that's how | gave up my Tilley hat, in exchange for my life. : . ee Louise Loik Louse. a freelance writer, 18 working on a Toronto book recounting her advent . . Fepounting her ues We have it made in Canada. Alex Tilley. Drop in, Phone or Write Mon.-Sat. 10-5 - Barbara Tilley : 980-2631 1559 Pemberton Ave., N.V. NORTH VANCOUVER STORE Mon.-Fri. 8:30 am - 9:00 pm Sat. 8:30 am - 6:00 pm Sun. 10:00 am - 5:00 pm McKAY AD. FELL AD “Drive Through Lumber Yard Now Open” 987-9374 dents can burn refuse Saturday, by the fact that everything is harder than it used to be. He was an early riser, which says it all, really. He was an alpha. He was going for it. He had health and brains and drive and zest. He had a beautiful mother who was an artist and a great, ventle father. He was not going to be restrained by government or anybody. He was that all-too- tare combination of an athlete and a scholar, the very stuff that leaders are made of. He was strong. He pumped iron. But he was so sensitive that he shied away from violence. There can never be too many strong, compassionate men. And that’s what he was growing into. He in tact had reached the gate. With his blend of strength and vitality, he was just entering: the stage of his life when he would start to define himself. He was getting ready to take his first political actions. He loved animals. He loved nature. He was thinking about protesting uranium mining, a good mature choice of issues. He was a kid who enjoyed be- ing alive so much that he would use up all the hot water having a shower. He had just got into SCUBA diving. Him and his dad were planning on getting a boat and exploring the coast together, And like that, at 16, he’s gone. Did he leave anything? Well, sure. An example. He wasn’t a Coronet Ciera ‘1 1* / sq. yd. completely installed minimum 20 yds. EDG EMONT 1083 Roosevelt Crescent North Vancouver (2 blocks behind the Avalon Hotel) 985-0011 985-0114 quitter. He was going to push out, find his limits for himself. soak up as much experience as he could, And be, no matter what. He was splendidly prepared. He had great spirit. We lost a beautiful one. eae And then there was Bob Cummings, who lived for more than 40 days and 40 nights in the bunk underneath mine on an old halibut seiner heading back and forth across the Gulf of Alaska at the wrong time of the year in 197]. 1 had a nightmare, near the end of the voyage, that I had somehow been transplated into Bob’s head. I awoke screaming. Cummings was crazy, you see. But somchow or other he was do- ing all the right things. It could be quite disconcerting. He makes me think of a kind of ragged 20th-century Jack London. Smoked and drank beer and had a gravel voice and was quick with a quip. It was he who once described Greenpeace as “the leaking edge of Canadian public opinion.”’ He wrecked a typewriter of mine writing a story that took him so long he missed the mail plane. He actually described the wind blowing over the Shumagin Islands as ‘‘neurotic.’” He was a warrior. his ass for his planet. He killed himself. 1 know why. 1 wish he hadn't. 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