LISSA ALEXANDER
reporter@pqbnews.com
Ticket holders at an event in Qualicum Bay this Saturday will acquire a coveted piece of art after their numbers are drawn at random.
The Nile Creek Enhancement Society (NCES) is presenting its sixth annual Paintings, By the Numbers, Saturday, April 26 at the Lighthouse Community Centre.
Tickets are $500 and are limited to 50. The ticket holder whose name is drawn first will have the first choice of any of the donated items. These include paintings by Ken Kirkby, who is the president of NCES and organizes the event.
“There are 60 pieces of art and all of them are way more valuable than the price of the ticket,” he said.
Other paintings donated are from celebrated artists including Mark Hobson, Cindy Mawle, Nana Cook, Bruce Muir, Allan Dunfield, Cecile van Woensel, Clive Powsey and Brian Buckrell.
There are also wood carvings and a collectors item fly fishing rod (a Bruce & Walker) which was hand built in England, and Kirkby’s donation of two framed antique split cane rods.
Kirkby said people come from all over the world to attend this event and last year that included people from seven European countries, six American states and every province and territory of Canada. All of the $25,000 raised goes directly to projects by NCES. Kirkby said they are one of the only non-profit societies that has zero administration fees.
NCES operates a volunteer salmon hatchery at Nile Creek in Bowser and continues to successfully restore salmon numbers there. The group also has a number of projects on the go restoring, rehabilitating and protecting the area streams, rivers and marine habitat.
“We’re in the business of restoration from the top of the mountain to the bottom of the sea on the understanding that nature is the standard by which we must govern ourselves,” said Kirkby.
A preview of the paintings at the event will take place from 3 to 4 p.m. and the draw commences at 4:15 p.m. followed by hors d’oeuvres and wine. For tickets call 250-757-8597 or 250-757-8775 or email nile.creek@shaw.ca.
