35 Years Ago (1985): 35 friends of the 100 Mile Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament made their way in the afternoon sunshine from Overwaitea, down Hwy. 97 to the Cariboo Mall and ending up in Centennial Park. Gathering on the lawns of Centennial Park, the group listened to four speakers. Archie Gaber, Canim Lake School principal, told the marchers that, “Our numbers are small, but our cause is as big as all mankind. To ignore it is foolish.”
28 Years Ago (1990): Drug awareness campaigns such as the It Can’t Happen To Me day at the Junior High were well worth the effort, according to police, but drug abuse is a continual concern, said RCMP Const. Shawn Walton. Walton, who was acting corporal at the local detachment, said it was hard to measure the impact of drug prevention programs. “But we don’t slow down in trying to gather information and making arrests. There’s no change there,” he said.
21 Years Ago (1997): All that glitters was not gold in the stock market, but the company behind the Taseko Mine development managed to escape the turbulence caused by the Bre-X debacle. Like all Canadian gold exploration stocks, Taseko did notice a tremor when the announcement of apparent fraud in the Bre-X Busang gold claim in Indonesia that was made earlier in the month. The Taseko stock lost only about 20 cents on $8 shares.
15 Years Ago (2003): Most of the information gathering had taken place, and an evaluation team was set to put together a request for proposal (RFP) for potential BC Rail investors. The provincial government was enlisting the help of local governments as it pursued a public-private partnership for the crown corporation. In the previous month, Mayor Donna Barnett was appointed to a mayors’ council to help develop the RFP.
10 Years Ago (2008): A lively group of 21 intrepid bird enthusiasts descended into the magical Walker Valley on International Migratory Bird Day on May 10, 2008. The third annual “Walking the Walker,” led by bird-meister Tom Godin, braved the dour weather forecast to enjoy not only a three-hour sunny break, but the delight of observing 59 different bird species. Spring’s late arrival may have contributed to 15 new birds sighted, although 12 of the 2007 list were not seen.
