6 ~ Sunday, February 23,

THE voice OF NORTH AND WEST VANCOUVER

‘north | shore :

SUNDAY . WEDNESDAY + FRIDAY
1139 Lonsdale Ave.
North Vancouver, B.C. V7M 2H4

56,245 (average. Wednesday
Friday & Sunday)

ONE MINUTE TO LIGHT-UP TIME...Bill Bennett and Louise Guin-

ness prepare to fire the signal.

GUINNESS STOUT, very ap-
propriately, was prominent among
the refreshments served to Premier
Bennett’s 600-odd invited guests
who put to sea with him Wednes-
day evening.

With band playing they embark-
ed from Canada Place on the
shortest payload voyage ever
undertaken by the Queen of
Tsawwassen ~~ ail the way to the
First Narrows. The occasion: the
ceremonial switching on of the
twin strands of lights now outlin-

- ing the Lions Gate Bridge, half of
them paid for by a $300,000 gift
from the Guinness family which
built the span 48 years ago.

Safe among friends, the Premier
circulated in relaxed and jovial
mood among the crowd thronging
the ferry’s three lounges, as guests
nibbled, sipped and socialized dur-
ing the brief cruise past Van-
couver’s spectacular night skyline.
The accompanying fireboat shot
‘triumphal jets of water. Shortly
after 7:30 p.m., with enviable
seamanship, the captain halted the
big vessel. and held it stationary
directly beneath the centre of the
bridge.

Braving the zero temperature
and brisk breeze, the Premier —
accompanied by Grace McCarthy
(who sparked the whole idea five
years ago) and members of the
Guinness family —- retired to the
aft deck to deliver a laudatory
two-minute speech. Next, a grace-
ful 60-second reply by Hon. Er-
skine Guinness. Then Mr. Bennett
and Erskine’s wife, Louise Guin-
ness, were handed a _ colorful
pistol, pressed the trigger in turn
and shot two brilliant red Verey
lights into the darkness above.

And sure enough, the bridge
lights went on — though a little
dimmer than expected for a couple
of minutes until the mercury vapor
lamps worked up to peak

1986 - North Shore News

SDA DIVISION

Display Advertising 980-0511 Pubtisher:

Classified Advertising 986-6222 Editor-in-Chief Noei Waght
Newsroom 985-2131 Managing Editor Nancy Weathetley
Circulation * 986-1337 Opsrations Manager Berm tithard
Subscriptions 986-1337 Advertising Director Linda Stewart

North Shore Naws, founded in 140! a6 an uidependent Gututhan nested pet and Quabhed under Sc nedutle HH Paragrapt Ul ol ine
a8

Lacean Tae
the Morn Shore &
avaAD!e ON fey!
AND THe tuees etch shy

photo Noa! Wright

brightness. The Q. of T. swung
majestically round in the tide for
the return voyage. The traditional
seagoing message of congratula-
tion flashed in Morse from the
roof of the Pan Pacific Hotel.
Back at Canada Place, the VIPs
departed in a cavalcade of vintage
cars — followed in due course by
the tourist class celebrants —- for

the fandlubbers’ bridge party
already in full swing at Park
Royal.

Definitely a much nicer way to
spend an evening than worrying
about conflicts of interest and
black eyes!

shh

TWO WEEKENDS ago Peggy
Watts, with her usual quiet effi-
ciency, supervised all details of the
Ladies Appreciation Dinner at the
West Van Legion. Three days later
her many North Shore friends were
shocked by her sudden death.

A World War Two WAAF in
Britain and North Africa, Peggy
was honored last year with life
‘membership of the Legion in rec-
‘ognition of her outstanding con-
tribution to it in various capacities
over 28 years. The welfare of
veterans was among her constant
concerns. She was active on the
Ladies Auxiliary of Lions Gate
Hospital for several years and in-
‘volved in numerous other North
Van charities. At fast year’s
Remembrance Day parade in West
Van she was chosen to represent
ex-service women at the cenotaph
ceremony.

Peggy’s husband John died two
years ago. Mourned by daughter
and son-in-law Suzanne and Bob,
granddaughters Trina and
Christina, and a brother and four
sisters in England, this infinitely
caring lady will be sadly missed by
the much wider North Shore

LETTER OF THE DAY

Dear Editor:

Your stunning editorial against
the proposed Bowen Marina ex-
tension comprises the most confus-
ing package of lies and baloney
since the obsolete Islands Trust
stumbled onto its self perpetuating
promotions in the ’70s.

Who wrote it? A staffer who
visits Bowen once annually for
bird watching and booze? Or one
of the fuzzy bums who periodically
creep outa the woods or local
Legion to mount ‘‘saving’’ protests
against improvements?

Marinas are romantic, pretty
jumbles of docks and unused boats

Act 1s OSutisned earn Weanesday Foday and Sunday or Nor
nf CaS& Mad Abgistration tuenitesr UHAS Siti.

SubtsQ0ng ale weICOMme Dut we Cannot accep! i"
aid be ACCOMPANED by A Stamped addeested cnveingm

sitihty tot ubSolcited eng

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lachng, mares:

rights reserved.

AGNES WATTS..,.a fortune for

the kids.

ART LEE...stalking votes in West
Van.

‘‘family’’ whose interests she serv-
ed so generously.

eo

THE SAME NAME (although no
relation) belongs to another very
caring West Van lady, still with us,
hale and hearty, at 96. For the
fifth year running Agnes Watts,
the ‘guardian angel’? of the an-
nual Variety Club Telethon, came

Peler Speck

tuted Th (outs dune 0
tye Marbneg fates
ns

Entire contents ©
1986 North Shore
Free Press Lid. All

ago.

result.

up in spades again last weekend,
presenting the Telethon with a
cheque for $40,000.

Noel Wright

funded by misguided philan-
thropists who hope someday to go
yachting in their dream boats.
Lovely to look at!

Your ‘thousands of visitors’’?
Hogwash! ‘‘Drinking in the
view’? You are hilarious. The
“waterfront’’ is a dreary mudflat.

® sunday brunch ¢

photo submitted

REMEMBRANCE DAY for a caring lady...Peggy Watts last year at the
Cenotaph.

I have owned property on
Bowen aboout 40 years and paid
thousands in taxes annually. Give
me at least a decent view of a big
marina, that nice new restaurant
and pub, etc. Maybe I'll live long
enough to enjoy a beer with a
cheerful view change from
mudflats and garbage. A wrist slap

News Viewpoint

Bringing it home

ccusations that Premier Bennett is short-changing
the schools again suggest that the accusers may be

thinking with their lungs instead of their heads.

They claim the extra education funds recently promised
by the Premier on TV, do not even cover the inflation
that’s taken place since Victoria’s earlier cuts in educa-
tion budgets. In constant dollar terms, this means — even
with Mr. Bennett's latest goodies — that many school
districts could still be worse off than a couple of years

Last year's public fact-finding exercise, ‘‘Let’s Talk
About Schools’, also clearly showed that both educators
and the general public felt the school system was under-
funded, with the quality of education declining as a

While there’s no arguing about either of the above
facts, the government’s critics remain largely silent on the
key question:from where is the extra money that many
school districts undoubtedly need, to come?

Is it to be obtained by cutting back other vital services
such as health and welfare? Or by increasing the already
dangerously high budget deficit with its hobbling effect
on economic recovery? Or from higher taxes?

Mr. Bennett has firmly rejected the first two alter-
natives. That leaves higher taxes as the only remaining
option — but from whom? From province-wide increases
in income tax, sales taxes, etc.?
tax hikes to meet specific local needs?

Victoria’s answer is the latter. In freeing school
districts to cover excess spending by raising property
taxes, the government is bringing today’s tough financial
facts of life home (quite literally!) to its critics.

Have THEY a better answer?

Or from local property

That brings Agnes’s total dona-
tions to the Variety Club since
1980 to a cool half million (her
1982 gift alone was $250,000). A
pre-World War One immigrant
from Germany who lives in modest
style in a Bellevue highrise, she
amassed the fortune she’s now
busy giving away through wise in-
vestments over a lifetime of hard
work. ‘f do it for the children,”
she says, ‘‘and I couldn’t fee! bet-
ter.”

ee

WRAP-UP: Vote-seeking Tuesday
in West Van, with hour-long visits
to all three high schools followed
by mainstreeting round the stores
in the afternoon, is B.C. Liberal
leader Art Lee — watch your back,
John Reynolds! .... Congrats to
Kathy Butterfield and Trudy Fulde
of the LGH Auxiliary whose
display at the hospital’s Dogwood
Shop won honorable metion in a
national contest ... And welcome
to West Van's latest business
owners, Glen and Francoise Smyril,
whose tastefully renovated .Dun-
darave Stationery, 2416 Mutine,
now offers full office supplies,
personal stationery, cards and
gifts, plus photocopying.

ss ©

WRIGHT OR WRONG: Beware
of those who say they agree with
you in principle. It means they’re
getting ready to argue.

Bowen editorial ‘baloney...hogwash’

for your idiot editorialist and on to
Collins for full sentencing.

My News'subscription copy took
15 days to reach Vancouver and
this reply 30 minutes to get to the
mail and hopefully you.

Donald Cromie
President, Deecee Projects Ltd.
Vancouver