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DUSTIN _
QUEZADA

‘Around Town

“Gone but not forgotten.

_ TWO LONG-TERM residents of Terrace, Audrie
and Harold Cox, are leaving the community after
living here for 38 years.

About 80 people gathered at the Northern Mo- |

tor Inn July 4 to say goodbye and thanks, and give
them gifts for the many ways they have. contrib-
uted to making Terrace a better place to live.
~The Cox's say they will continue to be Ter-
race’s ambassadors in Osoyoos and will return oc-
cassionallly to visit friends.

‘Famous poet

returns to read —

PRIZED POET George: Stanley will, read . a
selection of his poetry at the George Little House oy

Aug. 6 at 7 p.m.
Stanley lived in Terrace and taught at! North-
west Community College for more than 15 years
and many of the poems were written here.
- He was recently awarded the prestigious Shel-

ley Memorial Award from the Poetry Society of -

America.

‘DOROTHY Cutting is driving a hybrid car

‘across the north to raise awareness about -

global “heating.” The car uses only five litres
of gas per 100 km. SARAH ARTIS PHOTO

Grandmother drives

for green cause

DOROTHY CUTTINGis noordinary grandmother.
In fact, she is no ordinary citizen.
While most of us are aware of global warming

and its possible effects on our future, we push it to

the back of our minds.

Cutting, on the other hand, has decided to act
on her worries and frustrations.

For the next few weeks, she will drive across
the north “on a climate crisis journey” trying to
raise awareness about global “heating.” (She
thinks global warming is too soft a term.) 7

‘Informally representing the Sierra Club on her

. trip, she will speak to as many politicians and me-—

dia as.she can about the negative effects of global
heating and what should be done about it.

“Since 1979, 20 per cent of the polar ice: caps.
have melted away. Polar bears are’ drowning,
starving and turning to cannibalism,” she said. “If
people know what is happening, they’Il make the
right decisions.”

Cutting, 75, passed through Terrace on her way ~

to Prince Rupert July 6, just, five days after she left
_herhome on Salt SpringIsland.
Her car was packed with various supplies in-

cluding camping equipment and bug spray for the -

Dempster highway stretch of her journey.

The Dempster is one of the Yukon Territory's
highways that isn’t fully paved. It's known for ex-
cessive mosquitos and frequent flat tires.

_ “I'm looking forward to it, then sometimes I get
scared,” she said of her upcoming trip.

The environmental advocate feels similarly
about her plight to make’a difference.

“T’'m frightened but I'm energized,” she said.

Cutting started. to worry about the. environ-
ment and the future in 2001 ‘after reading Robert
Hunter’s book 2030: Confronting Thermageddon

_in Our Lifetime.

Shocked and moved by what she read, she’

-drove across the country to present every Member

of Parliament with a copy of Hunter’s book.

Now, five years later, and the environmental cri-
sis stil] looming and after reading a second book,
The Weather Makers by Tim Flannery, she is on

a similar mission — to stop Canadians and more -

specifically its politicians from making choices
and implementing policies that contribute to the
’ greenhouse effect.

“We must all shout ‘No’ to what is happening
to our planet,” she said. “The Kyoto agreement
was an important first step but we have to g0 well
beyond that.”

This.time around, though, Cutting i is driving a
_ hybrid car, which uses significantly less gas than
the average vehicle — only five litres of gas for ev-
ery 100 kilometres.

She bought the car right off the showroom
~ floor, she said.

“T didn’t test drive it or anything.”

For her journey, she has put a sticker on her
bumper that reads “I’m driving my hybrid car to
give my grandchildren a future.”

She has four grandchildren.

On her trip, Cutting has with her a laptop and
printer and she will update her website www.doro-
thycutting.ca regularly.

a

theatre finals.

‘had won its zone competi-

"we were going to do was,

is considered fluff. It’s

a

| TERRACESTANDARD

2

yo

By SARAH ARTIS .

KILLER WHALES are rare in
Terrace, but cruise down Haugland
Avenue sometime and you might see
one.

Last month a_ seven-foot tall
whale, made of red cedar, was
propped on her back in the front
yard of her maker, local artist Heber
Reece. Her name was The Whale’s
Matriarch.

“Tt means mother of the clan,”
said Reece, as he leaned in close and
picked at the whale’s eye with a bent
carving knife.

Reece is a renowned native artist

. who has lived in Terrace for the past

15 years.

When the weather is nice,’
works in his front yard so that pass-
ersby can see his art and ask. ques-
tions.

“T was born to be an artist, I to-

he |

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, July 19, 2006 - BI

ta

| NATIVE artis Heber Reece carves The Whale’ Ss Matriarch i in ‘his: front yard on n Haugland Avenue.

tally relaxes me,” he said. “It 7.
me focussed. It’s the connection I
have to the past.”

The piece Reece was working on

- last month was.a.totem pole with the .

face of a whale.

The whale took almost a month to
complete and a private buyer in Alas-
ka will pay about $7,000 for her.

“She'll pay, for my son’s wedding
this summer,” the artist said with a
iaugh. |

Reece has been carving in First
Nations Tsimshian style for more
than 30 years.

He works exclusively with wood
and prefers cedar and alder, but

‘carves a variely of pieces‘ including

totem poles, masks, rattles, and wall
panels...
All of his work i is original.

“My ideas come from what I _

read. When | draw, I try to think of
what I’ve read. Then I try to build it _

Native artist feels kinship wit he
mother of sea, credits his own)

in with what I can carve. The things
I can’t carve, I paint.” .

Although Reece studied at the
K’San School of Native Art in Ha-
zelton — he completed a three-year
program in six months — he is mostly
self-taught.

“It’s a non-stop learning process,”
he said. 6

In 1995, Reece was one of several
artists whio helped carve a 30-foot
totem pole in Victoria for the Com-
monwealth Games.

Two years ago, he taught a carv-
ing course with his brother Henry at
the Northwest Community College
in Terrace,

“When people like that ask me, I

feel honoured,” he said, “I know I’m : .
- getting somewhere with my art. All

those years of hard work paid off.”
Reece’s movements are slight and

Subtle. His attitude is casual and so”
-are his work clothes — working by his

line at www. visionkeeper.ca:

SARAH ARTIS PHOTO |

Y

front door, he’s dressed in a tank-top,

runners and shorts.

. The passion in his voice is seri--
ous, however.. And his eight-hour
work days prove his strong. work
- ethic, which he credits to his parents’

support. | .
“They. were a big influence on
me,” Reece said. “[My mom] ‘was:

there for me all the time. She told:me —

Laan

“you've got to get busy and carve.

_ Reece’s dream project is tocarvea. |
60-foot sea-going canoe, but for it to
happen, he needs a tree of that height .

and at least six feet in diameter.

He would also need to secure |

funding.

“It’s just a ‘dream, I guess. ri
probably get a 25-footer. I'll keep :

looking, keep checking,”. ‘he said. :

Heber Reece’s art is on display in tT
several galleries across the country... ©
Examples of his work are also on-_

On of,

Nunsense makes a lot of sense at theatre
finals, wins awards and spec mentions

TERRACE LITTLE Theatre
proved it has talent to be
recognized at this year's
provincial _ community

At this year’s Mainstage
2006 competition, their mu:
sical comedy Nunsense won
best actress, second-best
production, seven honour-
able mentions,-and a special
achievement award in musi-. «
ca] direction the judges cre-.
ated especially for the win-
ners.

"Nine of B.C.’s best plays -
participated in the competi-
tion, which took place. in
Maple Ridge the first week
of July.

‘To get there,’ each play

tion beforehand. a
_ “We had thought the best .

best ensemble,” said Nun-
sense director Marianne
Weston. “Musical comedy

eel
igs

it PAR ae

not
even considered theatre by |

“ARLENE Sheppard (left), who got honourable mentions for best supporting actress at Mainstage 2008, and |
Mary Ann Lawrence, who won best actress, ham it up last November to promote’ Nunsense. :

some people. For a musical

FILE PHOTO :

comedy to make it to that

_ point speaks absolutely for

the level of that show.”
Weston credits the suc-
cess to the hard work and
dedication of the 23 people
involved with the play, in-

cluding the actors, directors

and support crew.

“We attract talent, first
of all, but talent on its own
doesn’t get you very far. You

have to have commitment |

and.a good work ethic. We

set the bar pretty high years

ago and we take pride in
maintaining that high stan-
dard,” Weston said. -

As for Mary Ann Law-
rence, who won best actress

for her role as Reverend =

Mother, one of the play’s
main characters, Weston
thinks she deserved it.

“There was no one there’

at festival who was better
than’ her. She gave. a stun-
ning performance,” | Weston
said. °

“She has a. huge stage
presence — a real gift for
engaging the audience. She
worked really, really hard
and kept getting better and
better and better. She never
stopped improving.”

high marks,”

“Those are pretty. darn:
she added of .

the award.”

Lawrence, .who’s a re-'

tired teacher with no formal
performance training, said
the whole process -has been

“absolutely raucous jour-
ney.”

“Te’s just been wonderful.
It’s been a ball. We’ve just
had so much fun,” she said.

’

The “time commitment |
was huge, though, she said,
) “it.means. I'm ready to go

fishing now.”

The last time Terrace Lit- ;
_ tle Theatre won best play at.

Mainstage was-in 1976.

“We are famous for skid- —
ding in for number two,”

Weston said.: “There’s - no
way I’m stopping until I get
the prize,” she,added.

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