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3 08, 2022

The Rees Family Commemorative Table/Bench

By |2022-09-25T14:42:20-07:00August 3rd, 2022|Categories: History, Uncategorized|0 Comments

By Allan Forget

In 2010, the Galiano Club Board, under President Don Anderson, was approached by the children of the late islanders Helen and John Rees, who wished to place a bench on the Community Hall grounds in memory of their parents. The Board agreed to the idea but asked if a more useful picnic table might be installed instead.

The Rees family was put in touch with Richard Dewinetz of Bodega North Woodworks located on the island who had recently opened a business producing original design benches and tables using locally harvested woods. A couple of years passed before the Rees family and Mr. Dewinetz came back to the Board with a final design idea: a four-sided, cedar wood bench/table combo about 2m x 2m in size.

By the summer of 2013 the bench/table was completed and installed by Mr. Dewinetz in the Hall grounds near the kids playground where it was anchored to a wood/cement paving stone base. (Later, the Club added a shade umbrella.)

In August, the Club Board, by then under President Jane Wolverton, organized a dedication ceremony which was attended by many Rees family members including daughters Arlene and Roma, and several island friends and neighbours of Mr. and Mrs. Rees.

The attached commemorative plaque, remembering also deceased son Rod, reads simply:

In Memory of

John & Helen Rees

and Rod Rees

Immigrants from the UK after WW2, the Helen & John Rees family came to Vancouver in 1947.  Property on Galiano Is. —- a 196 acre farm located at the corner of Montague Hbr Rd/Georgeson Bay Rd —- was purchased in 1965.  Eventually the family came to live full-time on the farm, built a single-level brick house (which still stands).  John grew hay, raised cattle & sheep; Helen became an active fruit/vegetable gardener.  Somewhat involved in the community, John was an early member of the Galiano Golf Club, Helen served as a Director of the Galiano Club.  As John & Helen aged they found the large property increasingly difficult to manage.  Piece by piece the property was divided and sold, the house itself going in 2003.  Mr. & Mrs. Rees retired to Victoria where they died —- John in 2008, Helen in 2010 —- and were buried.

3 08, 2022

The Galiano Community Hall Ceramic Mosaic Project

By |2022-08-03T10:00:10-07:00August 3rd, 2022|Categories: Uncategorized|0 Comments

By Allan Forget

In 2004-05 the foyer of the Galiano Community Hall was refurbished, a project of then Galiano Club President, Sue Evans. Part of this improvement involved asking Janice Oakley, an island artist who had been leading ceramic mosaic workshops for several years, to create an art piece for display in this public space.

Janice accepted the commission and assembled a group of interested past workshop participants which included Shera Street, Deblekha Guin, Laurene Stefanyk, Hugette Benger, Kip Johl, Jean Way, Chris Gaylor, Kate Sherry, Nancy McPhee, Jean Jones. These members easily decided that the mosaic should include the island elements of sea, sky, arbutus and foxglove.

Visual artist Shera Street drew an initial design on paper which was then transferred to two pieces of plywood measuring, in total, roughly 3m x 2m.

All of the Galiano potters were asked to contribute ceramic “seconds” for use in the artwork, and a container was placed in the Hall entranceway for the public to donate pieces of broken pottery. An amazing assortment of ceramic pieces was collected containing many colours, shapes and sizes.

The plywood board and pottery pieces were then gathered together at Janice’s home on Georgeson Bay Road where assembly work began outdoors and under cover.

The assembly was truly a collaborative effort with no one individual deciding on colour or placement. Small areas were left blank for later use as points for attaching the board to the foyer wall; these were covered over & marked after the mosaic was installed.

The mosaic was placed on a Hall foyer wall in May, 2005, with spot lights later installed nearby by Eric Nelson. The mosaic has been much admired and enjoyed by Hall users and visitors ever since.

A small brass plaque nearby records:

Presented to
The Galiano Club 2005
Galiano Mosaic Collective.

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