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

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SAILING AS A SEAMAN I had the opportunity to sail for a few weeks aboard the M. S. Ravnanger , a trim 7,500 ton Norwegian cargo ship. The cabins, arranged for two men each, were all amidships and were all on or above the shelter deck, which is the main deck of a cargo ship. Each cabin was equipped with modern conveniences for the crew. The crew ' s mess- room was on the deck below the shelter deck, where we all ate better than the King of England. On the shelter deck there were five hatches, each hatch descending for three decks, and six pairs of booms and winches with which to unload cargo from the hatches. The ship made routine trips along the West Coast of the United States down to South America and up through the Panama Canal, visit- ing most of the well-known ports. From South America the ship collected mostly coffee beans and to South America the ship took lumber and cars. Each trip took three to three and a half months, varying on the time the ship stayed in each port. The ship ' s speed when loaded was approximately fifteen knots. On the ship the shifts for watching were eight hours off and four hours on. Each member of the crew, of which there were forty-eight all told, took a turn at the wheel. Most of the jobs during the day were either painting or preparing the hatches for more cargo. My posi- tion being the lowest on the ship, I and a few others, twice a week scrubbed decks and cabins to make them spotless and to keep up the reputation of the Scandinavian ships being the cleanest. Many people think that after work is done there is nothing to do but sleep. But on this ship that was not the case. As everyone knows, the Scandinavian people are very musical and on this ship many of the crew had their own musical instruments, and mastered them too. As they all could speak a little English I fared very well, and it thrilled me to hear them sing in English some songs which thev had learned from our hit parade. Eating, sleeping, working, trying to learn a little of their language and trying to teach them a little more English kept me busy and happy every moment of the day. So I conclude that boys who would like to sail for experience during the summer should sail on a Scandinavian ship and meet some of the most sincere men on this earth. John Burr. 13

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THE MOON The inky blackness of night had already crept over the earth, swallowing it up as it went. All things, even the wind and the animals, were quiet in the stillness of the night. Not a star shone in the sky and, as a result of this, the re was a more gloomy, depressing atmosphere about the air. Then, out of nowhere the moon peeped inquisitively round a cloud, showering its light onto the lonely ground in such a way as to draw everybody ' s attention to its magnificence. Then, little by little, in a rather shy manner it slowly came out of its hiding place, revealing its shiny globe to the inhabitants of the sky. In less than five minutes the dreary half-frightening night had been turned into a field of light. The moon always seemed to bring with it a peculiar warmth that banished all the evils of the night and drew one nearer to its brilliance. David Bellm. 12

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RIPLEY ' S HOUSE NOTES Ripley ' s started off the year with only five new boys — all juniors — but managed to pick up one intermediate, Osvold, at Christmas. How- ever, this meant we could begin from where we had left off without having to break in too many Shadows . Soon the Rag Concert was upon us again. But in spite of the fact that Putnam had difficulty in pronouncing some of his multi- syllable words, the House managed with some skill to put on A Mourning in Court . At least we got some laughs from the Old Boys! Athletically speaking, Ripley ' s has not fared too badly. We con- tributed Butt, Allan, Putnam and Flint to the 1st XV and these were later awarded their School Colours for outstanding effort. In the House Rugger we drew the ' bye ' and played Groves ' for the Cup. This was a game of spirit throughout especially when Groves ' remained on our line for ten minutes without scoring. However, Ripley ' s came out on top to win the Cup by a score of 26-3. As a result of the game Waterman, Chadwick, Harrison, Hackett and Wilson I were awarded their House Colours. In Track and Field Sports Ripley ' s did not make out so well. Although we managed to place some firsts, these were counteracted by some thirds. However, ye old Ripleyites, wait till next year — or was that said last year? Even though we fared unsuccessfully we at least won the Tug O ' War, beating Lake ' s in two pulls. At least if we haven ' t brain, we have got brawn. In basketball we were overly triumphant. In the jolly old game of Cricket we were beaten by Groves ' 56-34. But we are sure that if we had had Allan, who was in bed at the time, we could have given them a better game. But, of course, to win both Cups would not have been cricket! Mr. Bullen, our house master, unfortunately is leaving for two years at Oxford. We would like to wish him the best of luck and hope to see him back again in the future. Also on our staff we have had Mrs. Banner who has ably replaced Miss Herd who returned to England at Christmas. School Prefects this year have been Butt and Waterman who, with the continued efforts of Riley and Chadwick as House Prefects, have tried to keep the House running smoothly. On the whole it has been a fairly successful year. We who are leaving are certainly going to miss the old friendly faces which have prevailed in the House throughout the year. 14