Langley’s culture hit hard by garage loss PAULITICS & PERSPECTIVES FORT LANGLEY — Although in some respects a modest place — everybody ’ used well water until a few “years ago and we still don’t have sewers — Fort Langley has always been noted for its ‘artistic and intellectual vigor. |. We have a chamber of com- “merece, an historic society called Friends of the Fort, another called FLEE, which stands for Fort Langley Economic something, humerous artists who paint things » other than houses and several churches, However, for almost all the 20th: -century, there has been one place and one place only where the truly - important intellectual, cuftural and . economic affairs were debated: Reid’s Garage. . * Built of cement and corrugated _ iron, it stands at the comer of -. Mavis and Church streets. just a bit . dirtier than it was when built in 1922, .. .. Don Reid, (son of Charles, who ~ built the original smithy and the ' horseless carriage works), is clos- : ing the old place down. *- > Fort Langley won't be the same. “The university club people and all “those other economic and cultural organizations, including the Lions Club, wherever they fit, can never ’ be so significant a force. “Reid’ s Garage was where civi- lized men debated what mattered. : For example: the menacing increase ~ in the hostility of inanimate objects; whether the wife of a poet'was | called a poetess; after Albania, _ ‘what?; and where does time go when it’s all used up? The place was dry as the « “widow's breasts, proving that alco- whol isnot necessary for glory, despite the examples of Churchill - ‘and Hemingway. We were the successors of Plato and his students. They conducted their dialogues “beneath a tree in Athens, We did ours in a garage, ankle deep in old innert :bes and axle grease, all to the in wicate cursing of mechanics and the moan of a lathe turning .. down grinding cylinders for a mill ». somewhere, It may have been one .. of the mills of God. + ~ Qur Plato (maybe it was Socrates) Don, who was born in the sume year this garage was erected, will replace the original blacksmith shop. His back hurts and when he got somebody to fix it by massaging his feet his feet started hurting, too. Last Christmas he said, in merry mood, “to hell with everybody,” and started getting rid of equip- ment. Last week scarcely anything was left in the old place except a wagon tongue that bas been around, he thinks, for about half a century awaiting a buyer, _ Detroit had nothing to teach Fort Langley. Don knew by chapter and verse all the evil and wickedness that stomobile manufacturers could idlict upon mankind, including the builders of the Winton, for which his father was once the franchised agent, Don’s head contained know!- edge of the internal combustion engine, modern and ancient, that was so phenomenal that we once considered pickling his brain and sending it to F an, but it didn't seem right to Kilfa man just so some dimn college kids could run experinents. Our ponderations were held in the garage office, next to a desk the size of a Mack truck, The desk was older than the garage and had never been thor- oughly sorted. One of our seekers-of-truth was a Dean of Business Studies, retired, who attended without cap and gown. Another was aman who came around to collect junk, which the garage produced without limit. He wore the world's oldest cow- boy hat. * “When the sun glinted off the grease on the crown of that hat, you had to shade your eyes from the glare to see his face. - For thoughts more sublime than politics or economics we turned to Dexter, a refugee from the Maritimes whose capacity for exal- . tation included knowledge of all the verses of Ode to Nova Scotia. But we return to Don Reid who is pulling the cultural pin that holds Fort Langley together, depriving us of the one place that combined the best characteristics of the French Academy, the Louvre and the London School of Economics. A mixed man. For those poor souls prey to error, ignorance and doubt (govern- ments excepted) he had a heart soft as a roasted marshmallow. However, to those less bereft, like his employees, near relatives and many of his customers, he could be dour to the point of surli- hess. He told-me to take my custom elsewhere one day. “Nothing personal, but when you leave that car here for work it always seems to attract some god- dam old farmer,” (He used a more pungent word, but this is a family newspaper and } have changed it to goddam.) What’s wrong with farmers? CORRECTION NOTICE: 2 for 1 coupon that ran on Wed,, Feb, 9, should have excluded Feb. 14,'93 ff Flavour of India 4 for . SUN. THRU THURS. 1 FREE DINNER Purchase one dinner entree, receive a second entree of equal or lesser value FREE. Expires Feb. 17/94, excludes Feb.14/94 *Excludes beverages and Tandoori Entrees, Dinner Mon.-Sat. 5-10; Sun.5-9 : FAST OR FREE Conipieta Lunch (any dish from our menu) for $5. 12-2:30 - Mon.-Fri. 175 E.3 rd St. N.Van. Fuliy Licensed Served in 20 min. or less or it's Free! 985-5477; 985-1770 “They start taking apart sonie- thing they cannot understand. “When it won't fit back together the bastards bring it down to me. they have lost half the bolts and “nuts, “And for reasons J don't know, your car is like catnip to them.” Now, no more. “Sic transit gloria mundi” we say, Which translates loosely as “Looks tike we'll be taking the bus next week.” You would have known that, clot, had you had your car serviced at Reid's. CINEMA 1 SEPARATE ADMISSION FEATURES GRUMPY OLD MEN Nightly 6:45 pa Sal. Sun, 2:45 pm THE PELICAN BRIEF Nightly 8:40 pm, atte ./Sun, 4:20 pm incoming framing» “, order min. $30 LYNN VALLEY LIONS CLUB PRESENTATION JOHN KAPLAN’S CHILDREN’S MAGIC BUS SHOW showing on Sunday, February 13, 1994, at 1:00 p.m, and 4:30 p.m. Tickets available from any North Shore Lion member ADVANCE SALES Children $4.00 Adults $5.00 Family package up to six (6) $20.00 CENTENNIAL THEATRE BOX OFFICE Children $5.00 Adults $7.00 Information: Family package up to six (6) $25.00 Don ParePearson (home) 988-0489 (work) 251-9303 Ron Knott (home) 988-8077 of Bob Rasmus 987-9623 Cemennial Theatre Box Office 984-4484 (hours 12-4) Block wickets available ata reduced price 7 ar CINEMA 2 THE AIR UP THERE Nightly 6:50 pm, Sat/Sun. 2:50’ pm Mature TOMBSTONE Nightly 8:45 pm, Sat/Sun. 4:30 pm Restricted parr CINEMA 3 SHADOWLAND Nightly 7:00 pm, Sat/Sun. 2:55 pm General MALICE Nightly 9:15 pm, Sat/Sun. 5:05 pm u 4 Years 66At BCAA, we help our members plan their Autoplan) 3 Edward Macadam Insurance Agent Actually, it's what we do best at BCAA Park Royal — serving the needs of our members in any way we can. 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