Shawnigan Lake School - Yearbook (Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia Canada)

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Mr. Ripley. After careful consideration, we decided to buy a rug for the Senior Common Room, but it wasn ' t until early in the Summer Term that we found a good bargain in Duncan. A maroon-coloured rug with a very out- standing design turned out to be exactly what we wanted. At the time of writing, everyone is busy preparing for the Track and Field events, the Tennis Tournament, and the House Cricket Matches. Two of our stalwart cricketers, Butt and Hagstrom, are captains of the First XI and Colts XI respectively. We have been very lucky this year in possessing a very efficient House- master and an ambitious Matron, an unbeatable pair. Thanks to them there has been a high standard of efficiency in the House all through the year. The coveted Efficiency Cup finally came back to Ripley ' s at the end of the Lent Term when Prescott Eaton deservedly won it for his unselfish work for the good of the School. These notes would not be complete without some mention being made of the Ripley ' s Junior Team, a wonderful group of eight boys, all between the ages of 7 and 9 years. Although we have all at one time or another felt like cursing them for their boyish antics, we are nevertheless proud of them and hope they will stick together throughout their school years. What a power- house Ripley ' s ought to be seven or eight years from now if they do. All of us were very pleasantly surprised when Ferris received the honour of being placed on the Efficiency List at the amazing age of eight. Could this be a record? Those of us who are leaving will miss the cheerful friendliness that has prevailed in the House throughout the year. Lake ' s House Notes Athletically speaking, the House has spent the year striking a happy medium in all fields of sport by placing second in almost everything we entered. True, an occasional first was obtained, but this was invariably counteracted by a last. Taking a long term view of it, things could have been worse, but then also they could certainly have been better. We started the year off with twelve new Boys, and picked up four along the way. We welcome them to the House and enfold them to our ample bosom, although by this time of writing, each one of the sixteen must feel like an old lag. However, taken as a body, the sixteen would be a welcome addition to any House, particularly Lake ' s. Gowman and Pearkes have acted as School Prefects, and as such have not had quite so much to do with the House ' s affairs as have Burr, Birch and Tuttle, our House Prefects. They all played on the first XV except Gowman, who would be the first to admit that he prefers pastimes that require more skill and less brawn. Maclnnes, Berry and Cowell also played on the first XV. Pearkes, Birch, Tuttle and Cowell received their Colours and are to be congratulated. The House also had some representatives in the Colts XV, and of these, Clark, McLennan and Thee played well. In the House matches we followed our usual pattern of coming second, beating Ripley ' s House 14-8 in the first round, then losing the Final to Groves ' 14-3. In the Boxing Competition, Cowell, Burr and McKay I boxed well to win their weights, although in spite of their efforts we SchoolMagazine Page 13

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showed rare talent in their handling of complicated and embarrassing situations, and their adroitness in verbally outmanoeuvering one another was highly amusing. To perform successfully before an audience is no small feat. To be able to shed one ' s inhibitions and lurch forth in one ' s bare impulses surely is a great asset, but does not necessarily produce the desired result. Something more is required — natural talent, the ability to live the part, unbounded enthusiasm, and a great deal of good, hard work — these are the essentials. While there were few instances of lapses of memory, some faulty articulation, and lack of expression at times, an evident enthusiasm compensated in a large measure for these deficiencies. It is to the credit of all concerned that latent talents and abilities were discovered, and developed, that the efforts required were freely and generously expended, and that a fair degree of success was attained. The value of .such combined effort and training cannot be over-estimated, and the results, we feel, have been very gratifying. Ripley ' s House Notes Ripley ' s House started off the year with a large number of new boys. This made a few adaptions necessary to help the shadows become accustomed to school life. Although our New Boys were not used to such large scale productions, they made an admirable effort in putting on our Rag Concert play, The Mad Plumber of Copeman ' s. Wood will be long remembered for his soul-searing, maniacal laughter as the Mad Plumber. On the sports front, Ripley ' s did not fare too successfuly. However, if our teams lacked a certain amount of weight and skill, they certainly did not lack spirit, and we are just as proud of all our teams for having played their hardest, cheerfully, and very often against heavy odds, as if they had won every game during the year. From the look of some of our Junior and Intermediate athletes, it won ' t be long before Ripley ' s is back again on top of the sports ladder; so take heart, old Ripleyites. Butt, Allan, Putnam and Flint played for the first XV, and these four were later awarded their House Colours for their efforts on the House XV. During the very cold winter, we were able to form quite a good ice hockey team, with Wilkinson (a Calgarian) playing the leading role, dazzling us with his brilliant skating and stick handling. Many of our more musically-minded boys became enthusiastic members of the choir. The reason for their enthusiasm soon became apparent to the rest of us when we heard in Chapel the results of Mr. Galliford ' s wizzardly training. Some excellent results were produced by the boys in the Hobby Shop and down at the Boat House. Harrison (Model Club), Huston (Taxidermy Club), Wilson I (Machine Shop), amongst others, are to be congratulated on their show of initiative in making use of their spare time. Warm praise is also due to Riley, Chadwick, Allan and Young, who, along with Berry of Lake ' s House, were mainly responsible for getting our sailing fleet back in action. About the middle of the Lent Term, we received a kind donation from Page 12 Shawnigan Lake

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once again came second to Groves ' . Nevertheless in spite of these minor athletic setbacks, it only takes a glance at the results of the fortnightly Mathematics tests to see that intellectually we are supreme. Wright has put in a good deal of hard work in the Hobby Shops in his spare time, and has turned out some very creditable models. Callahan too seems to have his Radio Club well organized, although it is anyone ' s guess as to what their true function is! Perhaps we could slip in here, before anyone can notice it, that we have been under the direction of a new House Master throughout the year, and all the House ' s failings could doubtless be traced to that source. How- ever, he has taken the wind out of our sails by saying that he wishes to take this opportunity in thanking the House for its wholehearted support, heedless of his repeated warnings of corporal punishment and solitary confinement. We hoped that maybe we could let this pass, but his name is Mr. Hyde-Lay. The Rag Concert provided the House with its chance to put on the golfing farce, The Shooting of Dangerous Dan. Berry and Burr were the principals, and are to be congratulated on their sympathetic interpretations of their respective roles, they made them seem so natural, and were ably assisted by the rest of the cast. Both the Common Rooms under the constant urgings of Tuttle at some time during the year have received new paint jobs, and the improvement is quite noticeable. Towards the end of the Lent Term, Pearkes had to have his appendix removed, and afterwards was quite ill. The House missed him during his absence but is glad to report that now he is back with us again and he seems to have recovered. One could hardly finish without a word about our House Matron, Mrs. Ritchie. Too often we have taken the little things that she has done for us, for granted, but only let her disappear for a day and there is a hue and cry. We thank her for her untiring efforts for each one of us individually and for the House as a whole. The House wishes all its readers a happy Summer Holiday and, if it is too late for that, a Merry Christmas. Groves ' House Notes I have consulted old School Magazines, have made at least five different attempts, and have lost many hours of sleep on the subject, but I still do not know what to say or how to say it in writing these Groves ' House notes! To say that Groves ' House has won everything in the way of inter-house competi- tions up to date would not be an exaggeration but it would be putting the matter rather bluntly, don ' t you think? After all, we do not want to give the impression that Groves ' stalwarts are all record-breakers or anything of the sort, but we are rather proud of our athletic achievements in such pursuits as rugby, boxing, basketball, ice-hockey, gym competition, squash, badminton and chess, in all of which Groves ' have triumphed. Of course this sounds like vain prattling but the truth of the situation may be judged by the following remark at some of Groves ' boys by Lake ' s House Master a few days ago. So you ' re not tired after running around the Trail, eh? Well, how did you feel after the game against St. George ' s School last November? Were you tired after that? The significance of this is obvious when one realizes that Groves ' con- tributed eight members toward the First Rugby Fifteen. Page 14 ShawniganLake