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

Page 18 text:

Valete Mr. K.J. Gillett Mr. Kevin Gillett in his two short years has been a great asset to the school and is probably best remebered by most for his excellent portrayal of Major General Stanley in the Pirates of Penzance 1974. He taught English, Mathematics, and French, helped form the very popular French Conversational Club, and was an assistant Housemaster in Lakes House. In addition, he directed the Drama group and was behind the several fine plays that this group produced. A fine racquets player, Mr. Gillett coached squash and tennis, and was often forced, unceremoniously to clobber those boys who wished to challenge his ranking as the premier player in the school. He also coached rugby and helped out with other sports, mainly gymnastics. Mr. Gillett plans to marry this summer, and then enter the field of Law this coming September at UVic. The school wish him and his fiancee the best of luck in their future endeavours. Mrs. H. Pearson After nine years of faithful and dedicated service as the school nurse, Mrs. Helen Pearson has retired. She and her husband Bolty came to Shawnigan in 1966 from Nelson, where both of them had worked in the hospital. Mrs. Pearson slipped easily into school life and will long be remembered for her hard work and cheerfulness at all hours of the day. She would always lend a sympathetic ear, contribute reqularly to the bake sales and willingly give her time to any activity she was asked to assist. She will never be forgotten by the many who visited her at the surgery, or at her home, where all were made to feel very welcome. When Old Boys stopped by to see her they were treated with great hospitality and affection. It is hard to think of Shawnigan without Mrs. Pearson, yet all good things must come to an end sometime. Mr. and Mrs. Pearson are now living in Victoria and still come to the school regularly, as most welrome visitors. All of us who have known Mrs. Pearson wish ner and her husband all l! - happiness in the world and otfer them our sincere thanks and appreciation, for all that they have done for us. Mr. A.R. McDiarmid In the two years that Mr. Alan McDiarmid has been at Shawnigan he has made a notable contribution to the school. An Assistant Housemaster in Groves House, he taught English to grades ten, eleven, and twelve, and formed the Eclectic Club , a group consisting of the school ' s most prominent philosophers, who would discuss the controversial topics of present and past years. Also he was the Staff Coordinator of the school newsletter, the Literary Magazine, and of this yearbook. In the field of Athletics he coached rugby and was very active in the rowing club, coaching the lightweight crews. Mr. McDiarmid, who married during this past school year, now plans to take the honeymoon with his wife that the rigours of school life would not allow. We hope that he will remain in close contact with the school and we extend our best wishes for future success and happiness to him and his wife in whatever they may choose to do. 14

Page 17 text:

Mr. MA Hobson As a boy at Shawnigan, Mr. Mark Hobson was remembered by most as the artist behind the hilariously funny comic books which surfaced periodically. Now, in his return to the school, he comes to teach Junior Science and coach grass hockey. An avid outdoorsman, and former president of the U.Vic Outdoors Club, Mr. Hobson ' s knowledge of the back trails of the Island will be most useful to the school Outdoor Club. We wish him all the best. Mr. C. Winslow Mr. Chris Winslow is a graduate of Amherst College in Massachusetts, where he was known for his rowing and piano playing. As a boy at Shawnigan, he made quite a name for himself as an actor; now he works as a teacher of English and History. Furthermore, he finds himself involved with rugby, rowing and with the musical and literary activities of the school. Despite his outlandish bow ties, and occasional ' slips of the tongue ' , he has adjusted to the school very well. We wish him the best of luck. Mr. R.L. Grass Mr. Rolf Grass comes to us from the University of Alberta where he combined the teaching of History with work towards his Ph. D. A previous resident of B.C., his background includes the management of marinas and several years in the B.C. Pulp Industry. The connection between his love of the sea and books is tenuous at best, but he hopes to combine these as Librarian, Cross Country coach, and a teacher of Social Studies and Geography at Shawnigan. We wish him luck. Dr. T.W.S. Seeger Dr. Thomas Seeger comes to Shawnigan after teaching for five years at Southern Illinois University. An old boy of University School, he finds his old rival a new friend. He is involved in teaching English, History, and Classics, coaching rugby, badminton, and tennis, and directing Debating and Public Speaking. We wish him all the best in his stay at Shawnigan. 13

Page 19 text:

The Library The library enjoyed another prosperous year under the capable leadership of Mr. Rolf Grass, the Senior Librarian, who introduced sonne much needed changes in the library system. With the help of Bruno Lindner-Messerschmidt and a crew of hard working librarians, a new sign out system was devised which was much more practical than the previous one. Also, a subject catalogue was constructed so that the task of finding books would be easier and the book shelves were rearranged into a more logical order, by following the Dewey Decimal System more closely. The library was enriched by several hundred new volumes, most of which were generously given donations. The most notable addition was a collection of books given in memory of Miles Ellisen. These books are hoped to be the nucleus of an ever-growing collection which will permanently honour such a great friend of the school. The Chapel There have been two minor changes in the chapel program during this past year. Firstly the morning services were moved to an earlier starting time so that the weekend activities could begin sooner. Secondly, the voluntary evening prayers on Tuesdays and Thursdays were changed in time from before dinner to after prep. As usual, attendance at prayers was good during the first term but tailed off because of the poor weather during the winter months and good weather during the summer. Holy communion has been held every Sunday morning, and a new innovation, which was just started recently, was a communion service as the basis of a regular Saturday morning service. Judging by the atmosphere at these services this has been much appreciated. We have had several visiting preachers in the chapel throughout the year. In the winter term. Reverend R.H. Howson from Cobble Hill spoke to us, as did Reverend E.H.Wallace from West Vancouver, and Reverend R.C. Crawley, the chaplain from our sister school across the lake, Strathcona, in the summer term. Also we are indebted to Mr. Derek Lukin-Johnston, who addressed the school at Founder ' s Day, and gave us an insight as to what it was like at the school in its early years. We are also grateful to the Right Reverend R.J. Pierce, formerly Bishop of Athabasca, who presided over the Annual Confirmation Service. He took the place of the Diocesan Bishop who was indisposed. His address to the school dealt with the exactness and precision needed in life, and tales of his schooldays were enjoyed by all. It was at this service that the following were confirmed; Robert Benmore Michael Choquette Trevor Clare Ian Cruse Ross Gilmour Kirk Hancock James Lewis Peter Martin David Nimmo Duncan Poftenroth David Powell Curtis Puddicombe Norman Stevenson Thomas Trafford Mark Von Schellwitz The choir has had a relatively inactive year, but has sung strongly in the Saturday services, and set a trend of singing an anthem or spiritual in place of one of the hymns each week. Also, the more observant would notice that Mr. Anderson has done some more work on the organ. Finally, the wives of staff must be thanked for kindly arranging the flowers whenever asked to do so. 15