er 225 ee ie; Posse EST PERE SRR EOS RE etic pea MOE hold cook-outs By SARAH THOMPSON Review Staff Writer A 66-year-old hall sits empty on the corner of Wain and West Saanich Roads — its roof sagg- ing, its windows boarded up. The surrounding vegetation is Overgrown and virtually disguises the location of the building. Apart from North Saanich volunteer firemen who occupy --. the hall monthly, the local peo- ~ ple who once filled the structure have long gone. In the lean-to kitchen at ‘the rear beside the rundown outhouse, benches and an old wash-tub are stacked up — no longer used as seating for plays -and community.dinners. But Madrona Drive resident May Lovrod remembers - dif- ferent days when her family helped install electricity in Deep Cove for $5 a month on a five- ‘year contract. She was May Copithorne . then and lived in.the house adja- cent to the hall Bushbys now live. Her father, John, donated the plot of land to: the com- where the _Munity. in. 1922 because. he felt there was a real need for an entertainment: venue for the young people. And so the locals. galvanized. & public meeting was.held and debentures: sold to pay for . building and construction costs. ‘*Dick. Horth took over. to supervise and help with building -assisted by Oliver Clark -and Mr.. Bateman; they were the three main carpenters,’’ Lovrod recalls. ; ‘and: water had not yet been in- stalled: So:the women used ‘to te 2 ane eennie anions canara . ROR ARTS AAAS. ete pane, aati cng p ane : to. feed. the workers under the | expert guidance of local chef Mr. Lin- say, she added. The hall was built on the weekends. ‘‘Everyone was real- ly excited because it would give us something to do in the even- ings and weekends.”’ Within a matter of weeks, Lovrod said, the hall was erected and the grand opening bazaar and dance were organiz- ed. “People came. from miles around — over 100 — because it was the only hall, and they came from Sidney and Saanichton. We always had two sittings of dinner at the dances.”’ The Deep Cove Social Club held dances about once a month and 500 card drives were popular events. ‘‘If we, didn’t have 15 tables, we had a small crowd.”’ Lovrod held her 21st birthday . in that hall: ‘‘My friends and relatives were cordially invited but others also came,’’ she noted. The dances were the big com- munity events starting off.at 8 p.m. and would continue depending on the door receipts. “If. we made a lot at the door, we could afford to pay the or- chestra for an extra hour,’’ the long-time resident recalls. Although, Lovrod says every occasion ‘was ‘‘marvellous’’, one of: the’. best times. she ‘remembers was a masquerade ball. “I -was. one of. the main pushers for these events but I wasn’t going to go.in costume. -- However, these friends insisted 7 ~-Tgo. 65 : “Well, they finally ended up ‘dressing meas ‘a tramp complete: ‘with whiskers, a ‘flask of black tea and a crust of bread and : : _ REMNANTS OFA BYGONE ERA. The outhouse bohind the old community hall ls filled with lice of thal era, ste INCLUDES: . AMEM RECEIVER | § BAND EQUALIZER | DOUBLE CASSETTE | TURNTABLE © & SPEARS a renee nen hare ate “BUD MASSENDER Manager WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE GONE. Deep Cove community hall lies vacant now for most of the year. Hoh Saanien votuntegr ire department use it prontnly for practising. they pushed me in a wheelbar- row. **¥.-won the best costume. One of the judges was my father — but he didn’t recognize me. When I took. off the. beard he | said ‘you’re wearing my best. suit?.”’ , - Brownie Horth and his part- ner..went..as Chinese men and ‘‘they were a panic as they yap- ped back and forth « to. one - - another in-Chinese.”” a In another masquerade, Jong- time Peninsula . resident Nell’, ‘Isc a : heri' Horth said Brownie. went as. a beer bottle, completely encased ~ in. linoleum ‘‘and he nearly died under it,”’ However, by the 1930s the younger, people were.: moving away to find more opportunity in larger centres. The. ‘‘older people were losing their up and go to keep these things’ going ‘and the Deep Cove Social Club started. to: dissolve,’’ ‘said Lovrod.. - oc aras: During its’ existence, “the Society. paid r no. taxes, and: when daytime and. because. World: ieclad eae May Lovrod: acknowledges that the . fotiner’ Deep ‘Cove . community hall is not necessarily a. heritage building butitis.a “landmark” in-'North Saanich’s history. » North: Saanich’. does: not ‘have. .a heritage site bylaw, - However, two areas are protected: Holy Trinity’church and the Tseheum burial site at Nymph Point in Tseheum Harbor. Apart from its first use as a- Deep Cove Social Club and a short period when. the scouts used the hall in the 1950s, the: hall has lain vacant. And after a long period of disuse, the volunteer fire depart- ment is now. using the hall for. training. Municipal engineer Igor Zahynacz initially suggested it. be demolished and the salvageable fixtures sold because the hall had deteriorated beyond restoration. Over the years, before and after Sidney’s incorporation, a number of buildings i in North Saanich were demolished. All that remains of the first North Saanich community hall ‘built in the 1860s and known as the Mechanics Insitute is a bronze plaque ona rock alongside Wain Road, This hall was also the first local schoolhouse before the school was built-in 1873 where the legion now stands on, Mills Road, The oldest house in Sidney, » Street, was demolished in 1969. The Guide and Scout Hall,. near Maluview and Pourth formally the Sidney Station + House = the 1 argest, on the Sidney/Viet toria rail line Was “removed from its origiial site’on. First and. Bevan in’ 1928," ‘However, it now rests, fully restored in Esquimalt, Son, The first-jail in Sidney was lor n down 10 make way for n midney Super i ‘oods. ytatete! ntagolenniehs Panasonic 1 @ Volume Control (VOLUME) » “Fone Control (TONE) : @ Pause Hulton (VIPAUSE) .. ” Atop/Fjert Prittan tres a1) Speakers @ Casaeite Compartment: © Faat Forward Button ( 44 FF) @ Rewind Button (»» REW) ~ @ Playbach Hutton (4 PLAY) © @ Record Buitun ce (RECORD) - -) Function GSoloctor (SELECTOR) | she recalled laughing. AD FM Stereo Indleator ay STEREO) SYOPIF, wen)” a “2498 BEACON AVE, the hall went. up -for. sale, Lovrod’s: mother was given the -chance to’ pay the taxes and regain the land. But it was too much for them “so in. 1940 the land was sold to Mrs ‘Pratt, owner of the Deep » _Cove Chalet at the time. Pratt wanted to. move. the building to the --restaurant grounds as a recreation hail for the service workers. However, » she was unable to obtain.a per-. mit to move the building.during BLOOD PRESSURE CLINIC bec. 4-12-4 _ Services provided by Sidnev Personal Care Home War Il was underway, blackouts were mandatory so the truck couldn’t use lights. Consequently, it was never moved and eventually became the property of the municipali- ty. . How does Lovrod feel about the hall her family instigated? “It hurts to see it He like that,’’ she said wincing. *‘There were so many happy memories connected with it and J] think the building hasn’t been put to good use. | feel it should be us- ed for some kind of childrens’ project.’ So many ‘‘old timer ** Deep Cove residents have now gone, she added. Nell Horth believes Lovrod is the only person still alive who can provide the history of the | hall. Lovrod toyed with the idea of converting the. hall ‘into. a tearoom in the 1940s but it never eventuated. These days the North Saanich volunteer fire department uses it monthly as a practise hall to simulate fire situations. Fire chief. Terry Towle said the department has a budget of about. $4,000 to gut remodel the hall in the future.to provide varied blaze and smoke settings. As Lovrod.. glances ‘through . her valuable. photograph album — at the pictures of the cook-° outs at the hall. — she. feels: . regret at the loss. os ‘““‘We had the most fun in those days.”’ _Horth agrees. “They were the best times. We didn’t. have. TV and couldn’t go into. Victoria sO. ‘the hall: was. the chief « meeting We. had: the. ‘most marvelous com- © “munity spirit in those days.”’ and. ‘entertainment place. DEEP COVE HASH SLASH GANG. From a an old picture. In May Lovrod's (second left on the bottom) album. ~ dated 1922, the cook crew are standing in front of the community hale Chief chef. Hingay is. second from the. | top right, needs with ease + Roomy one cu. f. interior handles everyday cooking a i (50 cm x 28 cm x 39 cm) _» FulureWave Turntable System for even cooking . Ae Rehaat, Defrast and . Monk, Weight Fror-C a . Le D. clock timer: aletrone controls SIDNEY 656-5341 , ae Le ae aa ed and.