i Bringing Evita to life PAGE 37 “ore News N Restoring a m ‘onument YVONNE SCHMIDT isn’t your average mom. ; By DEAN CUMMER Mother of three and long-time resident of North Vancouver, Schmidt recently ’ received the Heritage Society of British Columbia’s award for five years of work restor- ing St. Paul's Church in North Van. And last week Schmidt learned she will be the reci- pient of an award of honor from Heritage Canada. ‘“*Mrs. Schmidt is a dedicated preservationist,” says Doug Franklin, director of public, corporate and government relations for the ‘Heritage Canada Founda- tion.“‘For five years she worked to restore and insure the future of St. Paul's church by vigorous fundrais- ing, planning, working with contractors, and animating community involvement. ‘Through her efforts, fundraising surpassed expec- - tations. She raised $650,000, $500,000 of which was spent on the.. actual restoration with the balance going in . -trust for preservation. All Canadians have benefitted from her work.”” - CHURCH DESIGNATED Schmidt spent hundreds of ‘hours chairing the restora- tion of St. Paul’s Church on the Squamish Indian Reserve, which culminated in. the designation for the church as a National Histor- ic Site. Awed at the attention and . publicity she has received because of the awards, Schmidt said she is ‘thrilled and surprised" at being the recipient. Admitting she is no mover IHONVIS © vSOu 3d « or shaker, Schmidt said she loves to take on a challenge. “The project was unique. There was never a dull mo- ment.” The further the project progressed, the more com- mitted she became to the restoration, She was finally asked to work full-time on the job. Daily meetings were held in the church. ‘‘Our catch phrase was ‘get me to the church on time’’’. “For years we didn’t see the top of the dining room table because of all of the St. Paul's stuff on it,’’ says daughter Andrea. St. Paul's, the oldest and last missionary church in the Lower Mainland, was built in 1869 and reconstructed in 1884, ASK FOR HELP By 1979 the wood frame structure of St. Paul’s was in a serious state of deteriora- tion. Percy Paul, then man- ager of the Squamish Band approached Anne Mac- Donald of the North Van- couver Community Arts Council for assistance in raising funds and undertak- ing the restoration project. Schmidt was asked to head the committee. In the Autumn of 1980, to protect the church from fur- ther weathering, construc- tion was started even theugh sufficient funds had not been raised. Due to the ex- tent of the repairs, it was necessary to close the church for the whole of the con- struction period. Work pro- ceeded as money was raised and the restoration program caused the parish to struggle with makeshift arrangements for more than two years. A grant was authorized through the Historic Sites CAMPAGNOLO ° PINARELLO and Monuments Board of Canada in the summer of 1982. This grant contributed major funding which per- mitted the restoration to be completed. By December of that year Christmas services could be held and by the fol- lowing year the interior finishing was completed. MAJOR UNDERTAKING Asked if she would chair another project of this magnitude, Schmidt replied that she probably would have never accepted the post if she had realized the scope of the project.‘‘The immen- Sity of the job snuck up on me,"’ says Schmidt. “The hardest part of the project was fundraising,” says Schmidt. Government help came slowly and the construction had to begin before enough money had been raised. Schmidt said it was dif- ficult emotionally having to close down the church for services, ‘‘Because the church was in such a state of disrepair, we had to start on the restorations immediately. Suddenly the parishoners were without a church.” ‘“*The interior was a shambles. There was terrific pressure to get the group in- to the the church again but everything happened more slowly than hoped.’’ Heavy rains which flooded the church basement half-way through construction also slowed construction. ‘‘Of course, all of the hardships were worth the trouble . Just look at the results.”” Daughter Andrea is proud of her mom, ‘After so many years of work she’s getting the recognition she deserves. A lot of people didn’t realize how much she worked (on the project).’’ SAVE UP a 2. 3 YVONNE SCHMIDT stands before her labor of love; St. Pauls church on the Squamish Indian Reserve. After five years of working on the restoration of the church, Schmidt has received provincial and national heritage awards, > TO 30% SIMMONS POSTURE KEST single — 2 pc. full — 2 pc. queen — 2 pc. SALE i 299 & 359 399 “You! may ‘add.as ma yy, project6 as you fash ‘tors can be Moved at will! Can TOF 2 PROJECTORS AND ONE 4. TRACK WITH CAI __ IN WHITE OR BRASS FINISH. (BULBS EXTRA). + ed with 75 R- i Jann ot eaperencea serv CE ANG SIN 8 Biale tC 19 Canada § largest o-Splay of igntng ¢ «tu ang or temodelhng~ar just oattt wh a Gave COM mC Had tne 6 grt ight a WHOLESALE AND RETAIL ] FREE CATALOGUES AVAILABLE HOURS; MONDAY THRU SATURDAY 8:30 - 5:00. FAIDAY 8-30 - 9:00 £4600 EAST HASTINGS, BURNABY. TEL. 299-0666 _ ACCESSORIES SERVICE REPAIRS 6 months free service plan with every new bike sold 1184 DENMAN “#" 669-3646 king — 3 pc.