THE following is one in a series of special North Shore News fea-
tures commemorating the newspaper’s 30th anniversary.

THE difference between yesterday and today can
be defined as news.

During the last 30 years, there have been a lot of compelling
news stories in North and West Vancouver, Choosing the top
stories from the last three decades is a subjective and difficult
job.

The following storics are just some of many that stand out.

The 1996s

© Feb, 28, 1997

Bullets fly in a crowded
Lower Lonsdale movie the-
atre. Mohammad Mirhadi,
21, is shot at close range as
he sits watching a gangster
movie. The brazen murder
appalled and frightened
North Shore residents.
About six months later wo
North Vancouver men were
charged with first degree

* murder.

Michael Caster, 19, of
North Vancouver, was con-
victed of being the shooter.
An angry Caster was moti-
vated to commit the horrif-
ic. crime after Mirhadi, a
cocaine dealer, slapped and
humiliated Caster at
Capilano Mail. Caster. was
slapped while discussing the
quality of stolen goods with
another North Vancouver
drag —_ dealer, David
Darmadi. :

® July 31, 1995.
“West Vancouver sec-
ondary pals Atif Rafay and
Sebastian Burns are
charged with the premedi-

tated aggravated murder of |

Rafay’s parents and mental-
ly chailenged — sister in
Bellevue, Washington.
Rafay’s parents Tari
and Sultana, both 56, an

their daughter. Basma, 21,

were: savagely ‘bludgeoned

’ to death with a bat on July
12, 1994.

Burns and Rafay, both

E.. 18, were immediate sus-
q° | pects. They told police they

had been to a movie during
- the murders. The murder
“ scene had amateurish over-
tones ofa burglary.

A

ATIF Rafay (left) and Sebastian Burns as they looked
in their high scinoo! annual. A year later, Rafay’s par-

Burns and Rafay quickly
left the United States as
American police built their
circumstantial case. The
murder suspects fived in the
2000-block of Philip
Avenue in Norgate.

Confessions obtained
from the accused killers
indicated that Burns beat
all three people with a base-
bail bat as Atif Rafay
watched. The murders’
motive was insurance
money.

Rafay and Burns are in
custody awaiting a Supreme
Court of Canada ruling
concerning whether they
should be extradited to
United States to face possi-
ble death penalties.

@ April 22, 1992

North Vancouver Dr.
Verne Flather, 55, is shot

-and kilied on the strect in

front of his house in the
400-block of East Keith
Road.

Flather’s killer, David
Roger Henderson, then 49,
was found insane and there-
fore not criminally respon-
sible for. the shooting.

Henderson was diag-
nosed as a paranoid schizo-
phrenic with a strong perse-
cution complex. He was
confined to a forensic psy-
chiatric institute.

Henderson had. several
run-ins with police and
medical people in North
Vancouver before the
shooting. The run-ins
involved guns, threats and
aggressive behaviour.

Henderson used to take
daily walks with a lvaded
gun around the Victoria
Park- Keith Road area.

ents and sister were bludgeoned to death.

The 1986s

© Dec. 4, 1988

Park and Tilford
Gardens reopen after going
to seed for three ycars.

The North Shore botan-
ical landmark used for new-
lywed photographs and
tourists jaunts was aban-
doned after the Canadian
Park and Tilford Distilleries
closed shop in 1984.

The gardens got grow-
ing again after North
Vancouver City council
dropped the industrial use
destgnation for the land
and allowed a shopping
centre with Save-On-Foods
and movie theatres to be
built.

* Sept. 10, 1986

Ronald = Pryce, = 42,
despondent over the break-
up of his marriage killed
four of his children before
killing himself.

The slayings occurred at
a house at 317 West 4th St.
Children Clayton, five,
Kristall, four, Kendall, rwo,
and Clinten, 11 months,
were murdered.

Pryce was an unem-

ployed mechanic. He was
involved in a custody battle
with his wife, Darlene, 23,
at the time of the shoot-
ings.

Price set the house on
fire before kiiling himself.

© April 12, 1986

Lonsdale Quay officially
opened. The $25 million
hotel and public market was
viewed as a “smaller scale”
Canada Place ~~ project.
According to a April 9,
1986, front page News
story, developers hoped
that the Quay “will lead
Lower Lonsdale and North
Vancouver onward to com-
mercial and social revital-
ization.”

© Oct. 19, 1980

Management of the
Coach House [nn were
“furious” that the Ku Klux
Klan organized a secret
membership drive at the
establishment.

The meeting, booked

under a bogus name, ended
abruptly when a CBC cam-
era crew burst in during the
“mix and mingle social
hour” for potential Klan
recruits.

Feta’
REWS file photo Stuart Gevis .

FOUR young children were shot and killad by
their father in this house on West 4th Stveet in.

North Vancouver.

NEWS file photo Rex Yoyler

| The 1970s

© November 18, '1979°:-:
A former menial! patient’.
held two nurses hostages at
Lions Gate Hospital. Hi
‘threatened to blow up the.’
hospital. coe
The. nurses were held. §
. “against their will” for two
hours. The nurses. finally’
got’ a..chance - and «“over-:
_ powered”. the ‘intoxicated
20-year-old ‘man, whom
they recognized as a former.
* mental patient. .
The nurses didn’t wish to
.be identified and were’ act:
ing “in. the line ‘of. duty,” -
‘according to the John’:
Borthwick, hospite! admin-
istrator. ve
© Ocr..5, 1978
North Vancouver homes
were rattled as an explosion .
at the Burrard Terminals ..
drew. people out on. the
street. woe
Firefighters tried to bartle

’ “the, subsequent snectacula- fo

grain. _ terminal .. blaze.
Ambulance and rescue peo-
ple were overwhelmed:
-heiping the injured...” oe
Three people were killed
and. more than a. dozen
eople :seriously injured .in | §
the inferno .on the North
Vancouver waterfront, - :
After: the. fire,” Burrard
> Terminals was’ rebuilt ‘and
“opened “under the ‘name
Pioneer. Grain: Terminal. It
is. now

called James §: oe

THE extlosion and | spectaculer fire at tho ourrard Richardson International...
erminais grain elevator in 1975 was probably ¢ _ fe elo’

largest tragedy on the North Vancouver waterfront. |. Anna Maric D'Angelo .
‘ cae , a