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

Page 9 text:

school chapels on more Sunday evenings than any other hymn. The fourth stanza reads: The sun that bids us rest is waking Our brethren neath the western sky, And hour by hour fresh lips are making Thy wondrous doings heard on high. This sense of the passing on of the message, like the going over of the day, applied to Ned ' s drive and enthusiasm. He so much wanted people to take delight in all the things that he relished. He always coached sports and taught, throughout his Head- master years. He pursued policies, changes and the recruitment of students and teachers with ex- traordinary determination. He was not so much an original thinker as effective pragmatist. He pushed himself through each year ' s work, as if his own graduation hung upon the intensity of his efforts. As school neighbours, we came to know Ned in his Appleby days. Over the years, he and Marion became our close friends and gave us heart-warming support. Appleby is a compact school, filled with buildings that relate harmoniously to each other, and possessed of a gentle undulation, as though the school floats upon a green sea. Fifty yards from the Headmaster ' s house, the grey waters of a real sea, Lake Ontario, lap gently for the most part against the stones that buttress the Appleby land. As a place to visit, it has great charm. As a place to live, it offers a certain enchantment. Here, for a dozen years, Ned pursued a busy program of expansion, building and re- definition, which increased both the size and the status of Appleby. Visiting the Larsens was a warm and gracious experience; and they gave distinguished leadership to the Appleby community. Ned peopled the campus with the energetic projections of his own particular, zealous vision for Canadian Youth. Under Ned, Appleby was a school sure of its educational purposes. His colleagues sometimes found his dominance daunting, yet he provoked a certain rueful envy. Those who worked for him had no doubt about the greatness of the cause. Much as he loved Appleby and served it well, we all knew that his heart still lay beside another lake, three thousand miles to the West of Oakville. I first saw Shawnigan in Ned ' s company, and through his eyes. We turned off the road by the lake and drove slowly through banks of rhododendrons to the main school building. It was shortly after school opening in the Fall, and there was that nice sense of fresh endeavour, that hangs in the air over schools during the months of September and October. The original Shawnigan buildings are characteristic of a certain Vancouver Island style. They have a chancy sense of derivation from the Tudor, an aura of a Summer Place, and a tendency to ramble. Through leafy paths, one climbs to the upper fields. Shawnigan has a soulful beauty. There was, over the years, an interweaving of the soul of Shawnigan with the spirit of New Larsen. It was as if he could not bring himself to turn away finally. Most of us, in this enchanted profession, are the slaves of one special place. For Ned, without a doubt, this was Shawnigan Lake School. In his youthful and triumphant years as a student, in his passionate returns in roles of increasing seniority, and in his leadership years, Ned demonstrated his love for Shawnigan Lake. There are many visible reminders at the school of the expansion and ex- citement that prevailed during his time as the Headmaster. The men who served under him, now for the most part senior stateman wherever they are, look back on that vivid decade with great nostalgia. At both Shawnigan and Appleby, Ned has left a legacy. He had, of course, re-directed his life at the end of his Appleby years, so that we no longer saw him much at re-unions and meetings. It was as if he had wandered out of our sight, shortly before his final illness and death. Yet the recollection of Ned revives easily, his words and actions as keen as his youthful, unworn profile. We extend sympathy to his family, and give thanks for him as a stalwart colleague. The great hymn rolls through time, life by life: The day Thou gavest, Lord, is ended; The darkness falls at Thy behest; To Thee our morning hymns ascended; Thy praise shall sanctify our rest. This article, by Richard A. Bradley, first appeared in the C.A.I.S. journal and we wish to acknowledge our thanks to him for permitting us to use it in the Stag. Dick Bradley is currently Headmaster of The Rivers School in Weston, Mass. He was formerly Headmaster of Ridley College, St. Catherines, Ontario and was a close and valued friend of Ned Larsen. D.W. Hyde-Lay

Page 8 text:

THE 1982-83 EDITION OF THE STAG IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED TO: EDWARD REYNOLDS (NED) LARSEN (1925-1983) THE DAY THOU GAVEST Memories of Ned Larsen Edward Reynolds Larsen died at his home in Oakville, on the sixth of April, 1983, after a short illness. He had been prominent in Canadian In- dependent School circles for twenty- five years. He was twice president of the Canadian Headmasters ' Association, and was a founder member of the Federation of Independent School Associations of British Columbia. He served two major Head- masterships: at Shawnigan Lake School from 1958- 1967; and at Appleby College from 1968-1980. He gained international honors for Canada in both Squash and Field Hockey. He was one of three founding editors of this Journal. Ned radiated vitality. He remained extraordinarily youthful in both appearance and actions until his final illness. His turn of mind, his manner of speaking, and his banter bespoke a zest for life. Life for Ned took place in the classrooms and on the playing fields of schools. He loved the rhythms and routines of school life. Something about the elemental simplicity of purpose, and the wholesomeness and the caring and the zeal and the pride, constituted Ned ' s educational vision. He was forthright in the presentation of his ideals, and stark almost in the pursuit of them. Ned had the competitive edge, that glint of steel, of the Viking. It was perhaps no accident that his Shawnigan Lake crew, when it came to the English Henley in the 1960 ' s, was so described: Norsemen, come out of the West . At one of the Canadian Headmasters ' Conferences, he spoke about teaching the faith in schools. Listening to him was like flying over the unfolding landscape of the northern, freshwater lakes of Canada. Images of the North seem somehow to associate themselves with Ned. At this Memorial Service at Appleby, the most famous of all Evensong Hymns was sung, The Day Thou Gavest. This must have been sung in more

Page 10 text:

APEL REPOR f Once again due to the able guidance and work done by the Rev. Canon McClelland the Chapel and spiritual life of the School grew throughout 1982-83. Voluntary services held on Tuesdays and Thursdays as well as special services such as those on Ash Wednesday, and Ascension Day met with a hardy attendance of students as did the Communion ser- vices now held alternately each week on Sunday mornings or Friday nights. Throughout the year the School was grateful for addresses by the Rev. J.R. Murray, Rector of St. Peter ' s, Quamichan, the Rev. A.E. Leonard, Parish Priest of Shawnigan Lake, and the Right Rev. H.J. Jones, Bishop of British Columbia and Old Boy in addition to the sermons delivered by Canon Mc- Clelland on a regular weekly basis. No address throughout the year was as well received by the boys as was the one delivered by Bruce Gilmour, a former student at Shawnigan permanently blinded in an automobile accident, who inspired us all with his message of hope and optimism even in the face of some great calamity. Several special services such as those on Remembrance Day, Christmas, Confirmation and Graduation were attended by many parents, governors and Old Boys, as also was the case on Founder ' s Day when a delightful address was given by former Headmaster, Mr. G.P. Kaye, and a memorial plaque to the late Padre Willis was dedicated by the Rev. C.E. Lonsdale (Nephew of the School ' s Founder). The entire Shawnigan community mourned the death of former student, Head of School, and Headmaster, Ned Larsen over Easter. Two memorial services were held in the School Chapel - the first attended by the School when Mr. D.W. Hyde-Lay gave the address and the second attended by Governors and Old Boys. At this Service the address was given by Mr. W.A. Murdoch. The prayers and condolences of the School were also offered to the Strongman and Dawson families, both of whom suffered a tragic loss of family this year. At the beginning of the summer term the School welcomed the colourful addition of a set of drapes in the four liturgical colours of the church year for the Reredos in the Chapel. These were anonymously donated by two parents. Another donation which was gratefully received by the Chapel Committee was that of $1,000.00 to the Chapel Scholarship Fund. Another highlight of the Chapel year was the raising by the boys of over $1,600.00 towards Operation Eyesight, an amount which surpassed many of our wildest imaginations. Dr. Ben Gullison, founder of this worthy charity, was to have visited the School for a second time in the summer term but had to postpone his visit until next September owing to illness. Finally special thanks must be made to the Sacristans and Servers who faithfully carried out their duties all year round as well as to Mrs. Le Roux and Mrs. McClelland for their decorative flower arrangements in the Chapel throughout the year, and last (but not by any means least) to Canon Mc- Clelland for his continued leadership and limitless energy in running the spiritual life of the School. Fred Pletcher Senior Server