Songs

Whistling brings friends and health

By Michael Becker
News Editor

CHANCES are that if you
spend any time at all in West
Vancouver, you’ve likely heard
the mellifluous sounds of the
Dundarave Whistler.

If you haven't heard 80-year-old
Kilgour Shives, then you’re missing,
out on something rare.

As long as he can remember,
Shives has whistled.

He whistles at birthdays. He whis-
tles in churches, retirement and nurs-
ing homes.

He whistles while he works.
“When I go about my ordinary chorcs
or for a walk, } whistle,” said Shives.

He’s is an avid hiker. He makes
music in the forest.

“You get a nice sound in the deep
woods, just the same as you get a nice
sound downtown close to buildings.
Under a dome is fabulous — boy you
can really get it bouncing around.”

Should you happen to be out for
dinner one evening at the Vina
Vietnamese Cuisine restaurant on
Marine Drive in Dundarave, you just
might hear him whistle Vilia, one of
his favorites from The Merry Widow.

Said Shives, “There’s a good
pianist there. I hear him do something,
we've done together and I know thar’s
my signal to get up and whistle. I get
a big hand up there. They just love it.”

He’s found that whistling is strong

whistler, was judging the event along
with former world champion whistler
Roy “The Whistling Brakeman™
Thoreson of Calgary,

“We've been frends ever since.”
said Rector.

Whistling has brought many
friendships for the pvo men. They are
members oof the International
Associanon of Whistlers (LAW). The
association holds world whistling
championships every year in April in
Louisburg, North Carolina.

“It’s just the most incredible frater-
nity of people with kindred spirit,”
said Rector.

Shives and Rector are “pucker”
whistlers. It’s che most basic and pap-
ular of whistling styles.

Said Rector of Shives, “He's
improved and improved since I heard
him in 1986, He’s like a good wine,
he improves with age.”

Whistling is the “the poor man's
piano,” according to Rector.

It is also therapeutic. You can’t
whistle and be depressed or angry. But
you can’t smile and whistle either.

“It buggers up the pucker and if
somebody gets you laughing while
you’re whistling, it’s impossible to
whistle. You’re happy inside — you'll
notice a whistler’s eyes light up. It
turns the lights on inside,” said
Rector.

WAYS to whistle:

in the heart

f

@ @ Pucker Whistle — place congue gently at top of lower @
teeth, pucker up lips and exhate;
@ Finger Whistle — take two fingers (pinky fingers work
well) and place the tips together to make a V. Pur the fin-

One time he performed at the ger Ups under your tongue and rest them on top of your
Inglewood private hospital in West 9 bottom ieeth. Push rongu: a bit upward and blow strong-
Vancouver, There was a man sittingin = ly;
the front row, scowling and increas- fj §§ One-Handed, Two-Finger Whistle — place ends of
ingly agitated. @ thumb and forefinger of one hand together and form a cir-

“I didnt know whether to keep @ cle. Hold them together and place them in front of your
going or keep quiet. I kepron and he — mouth to the depth of a fingernail. Ler the ends of the fin-
came up to me afterwards and said, ‘1 gers press against your tongue. The tongue should push
never heard anything so beautiful in all. MB back. Blow air downward across the triangle formed by the
my life.’ @ finger tips and your bortom teeth.

“He was so mad-looking bur he = @ Knuckle Whistle -~ place four fingers of right hand
was so happy,” said Shives. 4 closely together. Cup your lett hand and rest the four fin-

He likes to whistle the ald popular gers of the right hand against the ieft pinky finger. Fold the
songs, nothing too modern. ea four left-hand fingers over the right-hand index finger to

In 1986 Shives entered an Expo 86 form an airtight bail wich both hands, The thumbs should
Father’s Day whistling competition be side by side. Arch them slightly and place your mouth
held in Vancouver. He won first prize. over the knuckles of your thumbs and blow. Flutter the last
He also won himself a good friend. f™ two fingers of your right hand to produce a variety of notes.

medicine for the soul.

“I guess it’s a release. I feel good
when I’m doing it and I get encour-
aged — the odd guy doesr;'t like it.”

NEWS photo Mike Wakefiel¢

Barry Rector, a teacher at Sentinel
school and 1991 world champion

From page 1

undergo breast cancer treatment at
LGH each year.

The preposed PET program
would follow the treatment of 50
women with suspicious breast masses
detected using mammography.

Cohen said the research program
using the PET upgrade would involve
the companies, Ebco Technologies
and Nordion.

“PET imaging may prevent the
need for exploratory surgery or the
removal of lymph nodes (in breast
cancer treatment) because it will show
the extent of spreading that is not
known otherwise,” said Cohen.

Cohen is optimistic, but docs not
known if the hospital’s scans using the

‘PET upgrade will give the same high
definition imaging as a dedicated PET
scanner.

On Tuesday, a PET, CT and MRI
expert from Berkeley California will
speak to LGH doctors about using
PET as a major aid in cancer diagno-
sis. Dr. Tom Budinger is the head of
the Center for Functional Imaging at
the Berkeley Lawrence National
Laboratory. :

Cohen said that PET scans are not
covered by medical plans in Canada or
the United States. A PET scan costs
berween U.5.$1,000 and $6,000.

we ea: .
era

WONDERFUL whistiers Kilgour Shives (left) and Barry Rector enjoy a
musical moment. The two friends met at a whistling competition in 1986.

ancer research proposed at

NEWS photo Brad Ledwidge

DR. Philip Cohen, head of Lions Gate Hospital's nuclear medicine department, is shown with a
relatively new scanner that may be upgraded to handle state-of-the-art PET scans for a breast

cancer research study.

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