NORTH VANCOUVER
senior. Pegge Gabbot is
proof. of the misconcep-
f tion that people are less
_ active in old age.

y. By Titus Green

Contributing Writer

The ; 75-year-old former « §-

medical officer's assistant is a
volunteer for this’ year's AIDS
Walk °95 on Sept.. 24 and is
actively. involved in’ four
‘AIDS-related ‘volunteer orga
nizations.

“My » (volunteer)
comes first. 1 enjoy it” said
Gabbot, a North Shore. resi-
dent for 39 years, She came to
Canada from England: after
serving..in the Women's Air.
‘Force. during. the Second
World War.

Gabbot works: on AIDS - |

Walk registration every year:
“and. has been working with
people affected by: HIV and

B AIDS.. since -1990.- She has -
been described as an extraor-;

’ dinary volunteer becurise of
how much time s

‘Gabbot delivers provisions
to AIDS Vancouver's Food
Bank and advocates improve-

ments for prisoners suffering ‘

‘with HIV and AIDS on behalf
f..the B.C.’ Persons . with
“ AIDS Society. ;

“She is also a “buddy” toa.
young ..‘person ‘with HIV
. through — a. buddy. system:

=set. up by. AIDS
=" Vancouver. Gabbot’s: volun-
‘teer work goes beyond AIDS
-sufferers. ‘She helps people

with ‘other health. problems *

. and disabilities.

She delivers food to people’

confined to their homes and
cooks meals. every Sunday
evening for, people with life-
_ threatening illnesses. ~~. -
Fer schedule would be
“enough to keep” the busier-
‘than-average - person : occu-
pied, but the super-active

8’ senior stil! finds time to teach

“yoga and’ vegetarian. cooking
through = North Shore
R. Continuing Education,
‘Gabbot has practised yoga for
25 years. She said her interest.
jn the Buddhist philosophy
influenced her: decision to

“become involved in volunteer .. J

work, &

“Twas ona visit to India to

study with my yogi (for yoga

purposes) and asked him what

I. was going: to do with my

energy. -— I just seemed to

have endless amounts: of. it.

He told me to stop making a

rich man rich (quit my job)

and go where no one else will
go. YT wasn’t sure what that
meant, but when I came home

g 1 did quit my job. and started

# to look for ideas of places to

volunteer.”

: Gabbot. turns 76. in
~ January., She is puzzled why
people make such a fuss over.

“a mere number. “LT never think -
about it,” she says matter of

B factly. “Age just happens to be

F chronological.”

- work fl

do, it will only be part of Seawalk

NEWS photo Mike Wakefield ‘

FAST BREAK — (iett to right) Mike Kim, Jon Malach and Cayin Shaw get in some » practice for this Saturday’s Youth 3-0n-3
Tournament at Carson Graham-school. The Capiiano Community Services-sponsored event is open to ail 13- to 17-year-olds.
‘Register your t team by celling Dan at 983-6563 or visit the William Griffin Teen Centre or.any North Shore high school office.

Vancouver City engineering |
recommends -siricter

A NORTH
department -renort

- truck driver. licensing and. vehicle inspec-
tion, and the installation of a runaway lane’

and crash attenuating fence to avoid a repeat
of the horrific Aug. 16 truck accident on the
Upper: Levels Highway Cut, in North
‘Vancouver District.

NOFITH VANCOUVER
CITY COUNCIL |
- By Bob Mackin -

“Two people, including trucker Baljinder Singhe«

died i in the early evening rush hour accident. Five
others were injured i in the six-vehicle crash. Part of

‘the highway: was closed until the next morming’s

'

rush hour.
The report. was tabled at Menday’s council

meeting. Although the accident site is in the dis-

trict, the top half of the Cut is in city territory.
“This roadway goes through part of our com-
A : vy

WEST VANCOUVER’s seawalk will remain unchanged as a
result of West Vancouver. District Council’s decision. Monday to
approve a shorter relief sewer line than originally proposed. —

“We are definitely not touching
the seawalk at this time and if we

Gardens that. will be affected,”

~ WEST VANCOUVER
DISTRICT COUNCIL = “ick

N. Van City report

released in wake of.
fatal truck accident

munity and our citizens use it-all the time,” said

Coun, Barbara Perrault. “There's a concern about
safety, especially to do with the Cut.”

The report, by deputy city engineer Don
Bridgman. says Singh pulled his truck to the side of
the road to allow traffic to pass.

Near the end of the descent as it approached the
Mountain Highway. Overpass, ‘the rig rubbed
against the centre median in an attempt to deceler-
ate.

When that failed, Singh crossed the two south-
bound lanes, hit the dividers on the right side of the
highway and then’ slammed into the overpass.

The air coupling between the tritctor and trailer
was disconnected; it is not known when i it became
detached. .

There were no brakes on the front wheels, and,

while only one of the rear brakes wasn't working, «

widen the . seawalk,

vehicles.
regular

Vancouver Parks and Recreation
Department, the project would have
been an opportunity to improve and
increasing its
capacity and making it more acces-
sible to emergency and maintenance |

seawalk ;

“the other three were so far out of adjustment as to
produce less than 30%. of their potential braking:
effort,” the report said. a

The ‘report questions the practice’ of ‘paying :
truckers by the load instead of by the hour, which

. may “encourage some drivers to risk short cuts,"

It also says there is inadequate equipment and a

_lack of staff to run safety checks at weigh stations . ”
-and roadside checks. ’

Among the reconunendations a
B increase commercial vehicle i inspectors:
@ increase fines for driving with incorrectly adjust-
ed brakes from the current $100; od
& change Motor Vehicle Act regulations so they are

‘more easily enforceable:

@ consider building a crash fence and ninaway
lane, like the one at Horseshoe Bay,/ for about
$100,000. i

Also discussed was the need for a comprehen- °
sive highway emergency plan, “that could audress
motorist incunvenience and frustration, commer-
cial losses and the difficulties experienced by emer-
gency crews resulting from traffic! tie-ups on”
Highway | between the Second Narrows Bridge
and the * top of the Cu’. ee

: : ; .

job. on: the inflow and infiltration “”
problem, which could include
improvements on private ‘property,
have run from $10 million to $70
million. i

Although’ future; work on the
municipality’s inflow . and. infiltra-
tion problems may eliminate the
need to twin other parts of the sewer
line, the Dayton and Knight report
states that the section between [5th

users, and 19th streets must be done. ©

“Monday night’s counci

Coun. Diana Hutchinson said ‘at

-meeting.
The Hollyburn relief sewer, a

Greater Vancouver Regional District

project intended to twin’an over- -

loaded collector sewer line from
[Sth to. 25th streets. in’ West

Vancouver, was originally # $3-mil- °

lion project.

Instead, an abbreviated twinning,
from [Sth Strect tol 9th Street, will
be built for. approximately
$900,000.25. 2 z

After the drawings ure finalized _

By Maureen Curtis

and the tender let, the work should
proceed this winter.

The route will begin -at the
Seawalk Gardens, proceeding under
the pagoda (which is moveable) fol-

owing the railway in, places and

then heading along Argyle, north of

John Lawson Park.

_ The tonger . twinning proposed

months ago could have required that

the seawalk be torn up and rebuilt.
According to” the == West

protested against any change.
Council. hired | ‘consultants

Dayton and Knight to re-examine *

the issue several months ago.

On the basis of the Dayton and
Knight report, council has already
embarked on a more involved Jong-
term program to assess and correct

imperfections further. back “in the
sewer system that allow rainwater lo,

scep in.
That seepage adds to sewage sys-
tem overloading.
But estimates on-doing a proper

A section. of. the 2200-block;

' where there has been leakage must

‘also be isolated and dealt with:

Coun, Allan’. Williams asked’
Dayton and Knight consultant Brian: :
Walker if improving the section of
the main might lead to blockages on
either side. i

“Any improvement between 15th
and 25th -will itssist capacity,” said

Walker.

But he warned that breaking up

See WV pant pr page 4