“Hey Mom, what is that?” the little boy asked. His mom stopped to look at what he was pointing to. She smiled and looked at him, patting his hair. “Oh, pepisis. It is called “Siwash Rock. It’s beautiful, isn’t it.” His mother replied. The little boy and his mother flew to Canada a few days ago. They left everything from their homeland and came to visit his grandmother. The reason was unclear but he guessed that his dad left him for another woman, a woman who can actually carve. His nohkôm recommended them to visit Stanley Park which was right across from her old shabby house. She bought the house long before the lion’s gate was built. She told her grandson as he was falling asleep that it was interesting to watch the park grow. “Siwash? Is the sea washed?” he asked. Him mother laughed and picked him up. “I told you many stories, pepisis, but I want you to remember this one forever.” she put him down and sat down on the sidewalk. “There was a man, baby. He was powerful. He befriended every citizens and scared many enemies awhile. He was determined and riskless. He was loyal and successful. He was the best chief around Vancouver. He is the guy that I want you to be.” She patted his head. “He married a fine lady and they wanted to start a family. The night before his baby was born, he decided to swim in the water right here to purify himself. He wanted to be clean before his baby enters the world. After the baby was born, he wanted to keep his family safe. You know what he did? He purified himself every day, every night. The gods wanted him to get out of the water but he was determined to protect his family. Soon, the gods knew his intention. They turned him into a stone, that one right here, so he can watch his family forever. This rock symbolizes fatherhood, clean fatherhood.” A few years later, his mom died. His mom’s last wish was for the boy to be nothing but a loyal helper. She wanted him to lead people into the right direction. He wanted to be the chief of Stanley Park and his grandma told him, “Be loyal to your people. Make them trust you.” And so he did. At the age of 12, he started to help old people pick up empty cans and cardboards. He would go around each day making sure Stanley Park was clean. He fed the ducks and geese and even polished the totem poles. He was befriending the Vancouverites, telling stories that would entertain them. He was like Skalsh. Except he was not. A year later, the chief of Stanley Park died as well. The death was unknown but the police announced that it was a murderer. People were scared of the once-known-friendly-stanley-park. They were scared that the park may be haunted. The 19 years old boy was elected to lead the future Stanley Park and people trusted him. He was the popular man in town and people loved him. He was the guy he wanted to be. He was the king. One day, the police drove down Stanley Park and were putting out wanted signs about the killer who killed the former chief. The picture was unclear and only showed a man wearing a black jacket and also painted his face black. The town was asking for the case to be closed and find out the real killer. Many people protested against the police, saying that they were bad at their jobs. They liked the former chief as much as the current chief and wanted justice for the former chief. The man was frustrated. His five years of hard work was slowly going down into the drains. His mom’s last wish was slowly turning into a war. Although he had everyone’s trust, he did not trust himself. He no longer knew who he was. He was becoming a monster and so was the park. So that’s what did he. He confessed his crime. He was the mysterious killer who was hiding for five years. He was that desperate to be the leader that he turned into a monster himself. The Vancouverites were in shock and started trashing Stanley Park. They started protesting and throwing vegetables at the chief’s house. It was messy but he knew he deserved all the mess. Although he was sad that his work was all gone, he felt good becoming a human again.
written by M.C posted by Z.T
Club of Rowing Boats - Colin Yuen
The oldest amatuer sports club in Vancouver is the Vancouver Rowing Club which was formed on April 1st 1899. Over many years, the VRC won many olympic medals, including a silver medal won by Colin Finlayson, George Mackay, Bill Wood, and Archie Black in 1924. A club house which had a reading room, reception hall, ballroom, and a gym was built in 1910 and opened in 1911. They eventually expanded into a rugby team in 1908, and an ice hockey team in 1913 that won the city championships in 1914. This place was also where the first women’s club in Canada was formed. The women’s rowing team was formed in 1971.
House of Tea - Colin Yuen
During the second world war, citizens were afraid of being attacked by the Japanese so the military used the Teahouse Restaurant as a garrison. After the war, the property was given to the Vancouver Park Board. Around the year 1975, the building had to be closed down by the Vancouver Health Department because the tenant and Vancouver Park Board didn’t pay for the expensive repair costs it needed. In April 1978, an application to restore the original building was passed and it opened as a restaurant on May 5th.