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

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Dedication The retirement of Mr. Hector Macintosh in June of 1970 marked the end of twenty-five years of dedication to the school, as a master. In acknowledgement of his work we would like to dedicate this year ' s school magazine to him. Any article can only be a small token of our appreciation of him, but we feel that in a short article summarizing Mr. Macintosh ' s achieve- ments we have found a truly fitting honour for such a man. Except for a year ' s sabbatical leave, Mr. Hec- tor Macintosh has been part of the Shawnigan scene since 1946. Throughout this time his room has always been one of the first ports of call for old Boys re-visiting the school, a sure token of the esteem in which he is held by the stu- dents grateful for his genuine interest in their welfare, both as pupils and as developing per- sonalities. He was born in the North West Territories, near the shores of Macintosh Lake, on the fringe of a large Indian reservation. His early education was received at the local little red school house some three miles away, and, while he attended that school, he played baseball for junior and senior teams in the area and he was engaged also as a part-time jockey. During the First World War he left school to become an S.O.S. (Soldier of the Soil) — ow- ing to the shortage of manpower, boys were employed extensively in this activity. He occa- sionally told his classes when they became un- cooperative that, you can lead a horse to water but you can ' t make a mule drink. No doubt this stems from his early experience driving four horses and two mules on a plough. Some years later he was able to return to school with his sights set on the medical pro- fession. In fact, in the late twenties he gradu- ated from the Regina Teacher Training School and he took up teaching to provide the where- withal for the medical course. However, the de- pression upset these plans and thus teaching became a career rather than a stop-gap. When he is asked by some of his students what uni- versities he attended he says, Oh, I only com- pleted grade five. Then how did you become a teacher? is the inevitable question. To which he replies, Well, of course standards were so much higher in those days. After teaching in the Prince Albert and Swift Current areas for twelve years he was employed during the Second War by the Dockyard, Esqui- mau; by Boeing ' s, and by the Consolidated Min- ing and Smelting Company, as hardware clerk, riveter, and Ration Administrator, respectively. However, in the fall of 1944, after this vari- ety of experience, he returned to teaching. He spent a year at Brentwood College, a year at the Parksville School and, in 1946, he was bitten by the Shawnigan bug. Arch-discoverer of the dark horse , Hector Macintosh has repeatedly surprised the com- munity — to say nothing of the individual — by bringing unsuspected talent to light in public speaking contests in and beyond the Cowichan area. If the boy lacks the gift of a ready inven- tion Mr. Macintosh can always supply the de- ficiency and whether it is on the side of the angels or as oratory for the devil ' s advocate the material he provides invariably has the resound- ing ring of authority. Painstaking coaching does the rest, and many a young speaker re- turns victorious from the fray. Boys who seek assistance with their studies have learnt to benefit by Mr. Macintosh ' s pa- tience and unflagging readiness — in season and out of season — to give them every attention. His colleagues know him as a canny observer, a no-nonsense man — unobtrusively non conform- ist — whose mastery of the gentle leg-pull only serves to increase their affection for him as a co-worker and friend. This article seems to sum up the contribu- tions of Mr. Macintosh so well that there is little left to say except that we are certainly pleased he is staying on at Shawnigan and will remain as the school ' s wise man, to keep a watchful eye over the life of the school. Mr. Macintosh would now like to have a few words with you. It has been a distinct privilege for me to have remained within the fabric of Shawnigan Lake School for such a time — an honour that I feel too few have had the opportunity to enjoy. What greater honour, or enjoyment, than to be surrounded by Grove ' s House with John Buck- ley pacing the corridors expounding on the higher philosophical warblings within the ram- ifications of the Zulu Constitution, or to be awakened at 1.30 a.m. by a screaming fire siren. Yes, this was life. What impressed me most with the school was the beauty of its setting, improved over the years by willing labourers. This was my first impression as I drove through the front gate with Mr. Lonsdale in his blue Packard. At the end of my first year I went to Mr. Lonsdale and suggested that I had some spare periods I could fill in next year. Oh, that ' s very good of you, Macintosh. I then said, In con- sideration, of course. Umphi How much do you think you are worth? I said, Two hundred more than I am getting. He said, We ' ll think about it! That was all that was said, but it was there — he was a man of his word. In closing let me greet the boys of the school — past and present. I have always found them amicable and co-operative. No generation gap has existed. A continued influence of such fine types guarantees the future of the school. —P.M.

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Shawnigan Lake School Staff HEADMASTER L. P. MacLachlan, B. Arch. (Cape Town), M.A. (Oxon) CHAPLAIN AND ASSISTANT HEADMASTER The Rev. W. H. H. McClelland, M.B.E., M.A. (Trinity College, Dublin) ACTING REGISTRAR Dr. J. T. Armstrong, B.A.Sc, M.A.Sc, (British Columbia), Ph.D. (Wales). HOUSE MASTERS J. H. Buckley, Dip. Fine Arts, (Royal Melbourne Inst, of Technology) — Groves ' House J. S. Grey Ripley ' s House G. P. Hill, Teachers ' Diploma (St. Luke ' s College, Exeter), Acting House Master Lake ' s House D. W. Hyde-Lay, Dip. Phys. Ed., E.T.C. (Switzerland) Copeman ' s House P. J. Kearns, M.A., (Oxon) Lonsdale ' s House ASSISTANT MASTERS P. M. L. Bingley, M.A., Cert. Ed. (Cantab.) T. L. Brierley J. K. Greenwood, B.A. (Cantab.) J. Gotthardt, B.A. (Carleton), M.S. (Wisconsin) B. S. Gorman, B.A., Dip Ed. (Melbourne) K. J. Hickling R. I. G. Hughes, M.A. (Cantab.) H. M. Mcintosh, Saskatchewan Teaching Certificate R. I. McLean, M.A. (Calgary) M. V. R. Nuth, M.A. (Oxon) B. A. Pollick, M.A. (Western Ontario) W. R. Salmon, B.A. (Toronto) J. Sanderson, A.R.C.M. On leave of absence: G. L. Anderson, B.A. (Brit. Col.) ADMINISTRATION Mr. D. M. Ferguson Bursar Miss M. Clunas Assistant Bursar Mrs. A. Farrell Secretary to the Headmaster Mrs. J. Hopton Secretary Mrs. B. Hilton Housekeeper Mrs. H. Pearson Nurse Mr. J. Hilton Maintenance Mr. B. Dinter Gardener Indicates Old Boy of Shawnigan Lake School