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

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Murray McAlpine, as Hano the Tinker, and John Armstrong, as Doctor Quick, combined sound dramatic and musical talents to produce convincing interpretations. The Queen, too, was admirably played by Miss Davies, who showed distinct acting ability. Many boys made up the choruses of sailors and ladies, and all of them took part with the gusto and enthusiasm necessary to have made it an enjoyable show. In March the Society put on two plays in conjunction with a play by the staff. The first play was an old fashioned melodrama called He done her wrong. This play was most amusing and quite well done; however, it would have met with more success if fewer people had tried to speak with high pitched voices. It certainly made the per- formance all the more ridiculous to have so many of the largest boys in the school cast as ladies; however, this aim was probably overdone. In any case it was appreciated warmly by an audience made up of the school because all the participants were known so well. The lusty, whole-hearted Brian McGavin played Hyacinth Haven the pretty, young heroine. The fierce and rangy Sam Perry played Mrs. Octavia Moneycracker, the cold and snobbish society matron. Her daughter Alvina was portrayed by Colin Kyles, and Donald Mowat played Ninette Darwood. The unprincipled scoundrel, Fleetwood Dashaway — a man indeed well-schooled in the ways of villainy — was played by John Madden. Last, but by no means least, Joe Stewart was Fitzjohn Oliphant, the strong and manly hero. The second play which was done by the Society in March was a comedy called Courage, Mr. Greene. In this play the male sections of the audience were given ideas as to how to become masters in their own homes. The performance was good and it was chosen to represent the school in the Cowichan Drama Festival which was to take place in May. In that Festival, at which twenty plays competed over a period of five days, Courage, Mr. Greene, was chosen as one of the best three for the encore performance. In addition, Christopher Malkin was awarded a prize as the best actor in the Festival. Percy Greene was played by John Armstrong, with Christopher Malkin as his ambitious wife. Robert Ramsay, Greenes employer, was portrayed by Jack Slick and Anthony Vincent played Smith, the gentleman burglar. Minnie the maid was done by Shane Ryland. The final play, which was done by the staff, can only be called an Absurdity in One Act. However, it was also called The Crimson Cocoanut. Mr. Galliford played Jack Pincher, a detective; Mr. Larsen, Robert, a waiter; Mr. Wilde, Mr. Jabstick; Mrs. Curtis, Nancy Jabstick his daughter; Mr. Hyde-Lay, Nitro Gliserinski, an anarchist; and Miss Davies, Madame Gliserinski. It was ably directed by Rev. Maunsell. ft ft On Shrove Tuesday, February 22nd, the Annual Pancake Greaze was held in the gymnasium, the setting for this traditional event. The twenty-one contestants, two from each of the forms except Forms II and III which entered three combatants, lined up with the smallest in the centre. As soon as the Headmaster had blown the whistle Tom threw the pancake, which landed a little to Page Sixteen

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ax rcimauc tu So ■ ' J The two main performances staged by this Society during the past year show not only that the interest for this type of activity has increased considerably but also that the standard of production has improved favourably. The first performance, which took place on the Old Boys ' week-end in November, was an effort to replace the short skits that made up the Rag Concert of previous years with a pioduction of a more ambitious nature. It was felt that such a show would be more interesting for Old Boys and parents, and would be more worthwhile for the boys as participants. Before intermission the Society produced two plays. The first was the farce Ici on pari Francais. In this play what the cast lacked in polish and smoothness they more than made up for with enthusiasm and vitality. Moreover, success was ensured by the fact that there were no lags or uncertaintv; indeed, situation developed upon situation until the explosive climax, involving the irate British major, the effervescent Frenchman, and the simple bewildered Mr. Spriggins, solved a ridiculous predicament. The Major was played by Derek Brooks: Victor Dubois by John Madden, and Mr. Spriggins by Mr. Larsen. The haughty Mrs. Spriggins, who because of her Fitz-Pentonville ancestry, was so humiliated by her new situation, was played by Peter Hebb. Christopher Malkin was Angelina their daughter; Stephen Knight — looking like a light heavy-weight boxing champion — was Julia, the pretty wife of Major Regulus Rattan; and Anthony Vincent played the maid, Anna Maria. The other play was a comedy called The King ' s Gesture. This proved to be a creditable performance of a difficult play. In particular, Joe Stewart as the King ' s Jester and Colin Ky ' es as the Royal Valet, portrayed their parts ably. Tucker Battle was the King with Brian Jones as his secretary. The foreigners were Donald Mowat as the Inderabian; Kendal Windeyer as the Englishman, and Tony Pellett as the American. Tony Read played the Herald, and the Royal Guards were John Mercer and Rodney Pelling. After the intermession an operetta, The Saucy Hollandaise, was produced. This was definitely the highlight of the evening. It would have been easy for critics to have found mistakes in this. Some of the choruses lacked a good quality of tone; the dances were not performed by drilled and perfected dance teams; and movement about the stage seemed to be more vague wandering than planned manoeuvering. However, the audience soon realized that, in order to accommodate 40 performers on the small school stage, the vague wandering was indeed the planned performance. Moreover, when the spectators saw how wholeheartedly enthusiasm had been substituted for polish in the singing and dancing, they too were carried away and seemed to enjoy it thoroughly. Nobody wanted to criticize. If any should be noted amongst an able cast, one might mention Mrs. Larson as the Princess and Mr. Hyde-Lay as the Prince. The pleasing voice of the former and the clownish antics of the latter contributed much to the success of the performance. Page Fifteen

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the left of centre. What ensued denes description. The pancake, we are told, was within the pile for the allotted three minutes. About half-way through attention was diverted to McGavin II who, it was thought, was the possessor of a bulky portion of the precious pancake. This gave Cooper the chance to seize a large section and when time was called he and Burgess I were declared winners. The members of the Upper Fifth were allowed to go to the village to celebrate the victory with their two representatives. u ft ouna jrarm.ers i lui The big event of the year was the birth of the sow ' s first litter — 10 piglets. Eight have survived and are well grown. The sow appears to be a good one, having won first place at the Duncan Show and second at the Cobble Hill Show in the unregistered sow class. Much time has been spent by the club in converting the old pump house into a barn for livestock. Two pig pens have been built and are well populated. Two calves, lent by Mr. J. Shaneman, were reared until June and then were returned in excellent condition to their owner. T Under Mr. Can ' s capab ' e guidance the Hobby Shop has flourished and a large number of boys have spent many profitable, industrious hours at the benches. The time spent by Nash and Foster I was rewarded by the production of articles of fine workmanship. Trenholme and Scott-Moncrieff deserve special mention. They both made sailing dinghies. Early in February a trip to the B.C. Forest Products Plywood Plant at Victoria was arranged for five boys, who saw how plywood is made. They watched its production from the time a log enters the mill until the moment when finished the plywood is ready for shipment. This interest in wood led to such general activity in the Hobby Shop that at one point in the year there were no fewer than twelve table lamps under construction. -k k it ol m, CM The Rifle Club got off to a good start early in the year and decided to enter the D.C.R.A. competition. The team consisted of Boyce, Brown I, Foster I, McGavin I, McKechnie I, McNab and Money. Of these, Boyce and Foster I proved to be outstanding shots. Through the help of Mr. Carr the marksmanship of the members improved and the club looks forward to winning new laurels next year. k -fr ik Une I latural rristoru L iub During the early part of the year the members of this club laid aside their nets and bottles to tidy and paint their room. Perhaps it was the prospect of improved quarters for their bugs that attracted more members than the club had had for many years. Later in the year Mr. R. H. Mackay, Dominion Wildlife Officer at U.B.C., kindly visited the school ' s naturalists. In his interesting lecture he explained the process of banding migratory birds in order to check their paths of migration. He pointed out the need for traps to catch the birds and the necessity for sending to Ottawa for bands and forms so that the birds might be traced. He concluded his lecture by showing slides of the trumpeter swan. His visit was much appreciated. When the fine weather arrived the members of the club once more got down to the more serious business of catching moths and butterflies in and around the school. Page Seventeen