DUSTIN QUEZADA a Mask makers _ SANDRA WESLEY, a weaver/carver and . carver Clyde Brown sell and demon- strate their craft and art wares every Sat- urday at the George Little House after the Farmer's Market. DUSTIN QUEZADA PHOTO | ‘And the winner is... : Around Town. The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, October 5, 2005 - B1 Message spreading for infant. massage | By DUSTIN QUEZADA _IN INDUSTRIALIZED nations, parents no longer seem to have the time to adequately care for their infants and therefore lose a_ crucial opportunity to use the medium of touch and communication, says'a longtime practitioner of infant massage. “Infant massage has been around with | First Nations forever,” said Jill Vyse. “But infants often have nowhere to turn now.” _ Vyse, whovhas practised infant massage for 16 years, and has been training others to do so since 1996, travelled from Ottawa to Terrace ‘last week to show 20 people from around the region the technique. While physical touch is 2 big part of infant Massage, it’s not the only part, says Vyse. “Children need both handling and input,” _ Vyse said. “I focus on helping parents and babies get on good ground by teaching com- . munication: through body language through. touch.” To that end, Vyse teaches how parents can ‘read babies’-cues. ’. Vyse said.babies have a behavioural trig- " ger before they cry, for instance a frown, and parents need to learn to read those cues. The four-day course solicited local par- “ents and their infants to, simulate a classroom “ experience for the first three days as would-_ be instructors watched. - The fourth day was more hands-on in- struction and Vyse said the trainees would gain level one certification. For full certifica- tion, teachers must take'an exam and teach Jeri-Lynn Olson, a-coordinator with the Terrace Community Action. Program for. - Children (CAPC), said she took the training because it would be of use with the parenting ~ program offered here at the Kermode Friend- ship Centre. “Tm learning a lot about connecting with . said Olson last week — parents and babies,” during a break-in the training. ‘Tm glad I took it? ., Niki Lindstrom, a Smithers- based region- ' al coordinator with'CAPC for Prince Rupert, 7 7 Kitimat, Dease Lake, Smithers, Houston and | Terrace, said every fall the coalition ‘picks . a different area of training. to. bring to. the,” Northwest. _ » “We did a Web search and decided infant ~ massage was the one to take,” said Lind- | ‘strom, adding previous training was offered in safety belt use and support for Post Partem . Depression and pre-natal stress. “And we . picked Terrace because it’s in the middle.” Of the, 20 trainees, five live in Terrace and Lindstrom said their backgrounds are , diverse. eo _ There were nurses, among others. Funding for the $600 course. was’ made 7 ‘available through CAPC and by First Na- tions bands with staff funds for training, ‘said 7 Vyse. Infant massage is practised i in 42 ccoun- tries worldwide and is’ prevalent: in major - Cities in Canada, said Vyse, but it had never THE SPONSORING society of the 747 Air Cadets proudly announce the ticket winners of its Riverboat 7 _ Days raffle. : Ist prize: boat and © trailer’ to” Violet” Azak of - Gitwinksihlkw | 2nd prize: : lawnmower to Doug Willer of Terrace 3rd_ prize: chainsaw to James Alderman from Kitimat The cadets thank everyone for their support. Light almost green for annual kettle drive ‘IT’S ALMOST that time of year again, when the Salvation Army hits the streets to raise money to help the needy. ; _ The annual Christmas kettle drive is about to. kick off. This year, the Army will have kettles in Canadian Tire, Wal-Mart, the Liquor Control Board store and select days at the Skeena Mall. The monies raised are used locally to support programs operated by the Salvation Army, such as the Christmas hamper program, which provides the less fortunate a complete Christmas dinner, and the soup kitchen and food bank. ‘Tan McDonough, the local chapter’ S director of community services, says this year volunteer groups are needed to man the kettles.. This means - that groups take turns standing (or sitting in a pro- vided chair) at the kettles for two hours each. to thank the people who donate. “You get to meet all sorts of nice people, meet new friends and old, and help those less fortunate,” McDonough says. If your group, business, church or 1 organization can spare one day, the Salvation Army would love to hear from you. Volunteers can reach McDonough at 635-5446, ext..3. MISTY River Books owner Anna Beddie dis- plays the 2006 Herstory calendar that’s now available. Read’ Freda’s story THE 2006 edition of the Herstory calendar is available now and features a celebrity from the Northwest. Freda Diesling, the first Haida woman to carve totem poles in modern times, is one of the featured women in the 30th anniversary edition of the wom- en’s desk calendar that details the lives and.accom- plishments of extraordinary Canadian women. Diesling, who was born in Prince Rupert but lived most of her life in Terrace is one of 45 dif- ferent women or illustrations that accompany each calendar week. Diesling is perhaps most famous locally for leading a project in 1987 that produced the first two totem poles erected in Kitsumkalum in 150 years. The back of the calendar has a bibliography of sorts with quotes, picture credits and acknowledge- ments. The calendar, is available at Misty River Books for $12.95 ‘hasn’t DUSTIN QUEZADA PHOTO five levels and babies. been taught 1 in B. Cc. s Northwest before. creme toe atte tea TMM Hs stern aint res ag RAILWAY Baron Tom Savio signs a copy of his book, Extraordinary Railway Jour- - ‘ neys for George Little House coordinator Debbie Letawski during his September visit to the Nass Valley. DUSTIN QUEZADA PHOTO Railway buff high on praise for local tracks By DUSTIN - QUEZADA IMAGINE A Parisian who hasn’t Tower, an Egyptian, who -been to see the pyramids ‘or an. American who has yet to experience the Grand Canyon. Well, Terrace residents, -if you haven’t ridden Via Rail’s Skeena: train, Tom Savio just might place you ‘in the same category. Savio, a.k.a. the Railway Baron, says the Skeena train, which runs from Jasper to Prince Rupert is one of the top five train trips in the world for its uniqueness. "You can take Savio at his ‘word when it comes to his assesment. After all, he has been a railway buff since the age of four when he received a model train as a gift. ~ Savio says he was fasci- nated by station’ timetables and maps from a young age and he went on to become ~ - a station master in the late ‘80s in Davis, Cali. “It was a great station where three tracks came to- gether,” Savio says. “I sold tickets, loaded bags and calmed .people’s nerves.” Savio says he also sold tickets for long tours to Can- ada — a revenue boon for the station. After five years on the job, Savio and his wife Yvonne visited the Eiffel ‘moved to Pasadena and the. railway enthusiast began to write about trains. He had taken pictures: of ‘trains since his childhood: and the addition of writing came naturally, he says. His efforts and . travel have produced two books: World’s Great Railway Journeys and Extraordinary Railway Journeys, the latter . as a co-writer. Savio, annointed the Rail- way Baron by “the Rocky Moutaineer folks one long. evening in a Kamloops pub” six years ago, describes him- self as a full-time advocate for trains. “Railway travel is the most civilized and environ- mentally friendly mode of transportation,” Savio says. “The steel. wheel on steel generates’: 75 per cent less friction than rubber on a tar- mac and therefore uses 75 _per cent less fuel.” . Savio, now working on a book highlighting Canada’s railway network, says trains offer the best views of a country. ' “[Pve seen Canada from a window,” he says. “(Rail travel) allows for a better un- derstanding. of the language, politics and geography of a country.” And he reiterates his par- ticular love of our region by rail. “We have beatiful tracks along the California coast but imagine the water with mountains (on side),” says Savio. “That's what you have here and it’s what draws me more than. anywhere in Canada.” His praise doesn’t stop ~ there. Savio says the George Little House station is the prettiest station in Canada. “You see that thing down there?” says Savio as he points to the old Via sta- tion east of the George Little ‘House. “The phone worked but it was a hideous conirap- tion. “This one is actually a station. Come down ‘here and make (the George Lit- tle House) the centre of the community, the way it used to be, because you do have a gem here,” says Savio. , After seeing the new sta- tion in late June/early July, Savio says he promised house coordinator Debbie Letawski and Terrace Tour- . ism head Jennifer Lewis. ’ he’d return with some mem- orabilia — dishware, badges and pins — for the house. The return trip on Sept. 22-23 was actually made af- : ter Mrs. Savio, a community garden advocate, was invited to Gingolx for a naming cer- emony and feast and to help develop local small-scale agriculture. “an occupational therapist and an infant development worker the other 4! ents and their babies. a! ANDREA Malo is. changing the small.city feel of Ter- race for Guatemala’s second largest city. JESSICA, HOGG PHOTO . Local to. winter: in Guatemala _ asa volunteer — “By DUSTIN QUEZADA ANDREA ‘MALO’ S message sounds’ a little rehearsed and - she knows it. The 24-year-old v was fully trained and: ready to’ y leave for Bolivia in mid-September to work as an internet.technician (IT) for non-governmental organization Canadian Cross-. . roads International when a Foreign Affairs Canada advisory detering travel to the South American country changed her plans. A shuffling of plans has her and five others now: head- ed to Guatemala in Central America. “J was_a little disappointed because I got attached to the - idea of Bolivia through the research I did.” said-Malo on the | eve of her trip. “But Guatemala is equally interesting.” The change in venue also meant a change i in the focus of - her work. 3 -The Bolivia project centred around community economic _ development, while the Guatemalan posting is based on good | governance, human rights and democratization, said Malo. The. applicants required a degree or diploma and IT ex- - perience, cultural experience and’ functional use of Spanish — among other things. Malo has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the Uni- versity of Alberta, where she taught the lab porting of com- puter courses as a teacher’s assistant, has taught English i in ‘China and spent her summer in Terrace engaging in a lan- " guage exchange five days a week with a "Spanish speaker. “T think knowing Spanish, that Latin America won’t be as difficult as China was,” said Malo of her two years in the Asian country: It was as her time in China was winding down that she found the volunteer opportunity with the Canadian non- gov- ermmental organization. As.a requirement, Malo had to’ raise $2,000. She plead her case on the airwaveson a local radio show, raised $850 « in a garage sale and made power point presentations to both Rotary Clubs, garnering $200 from e each. The rest came from persona! donations. Her two and half months in Terrace represented her lon- gest stay here since high school, and though she said it was challenging living with her parents again, she gained an ap- | preciation that had been missing before she travelled. “My opinion of Terrace has changed,” want to settle down and put some roots down here.” Following a Guatemala-specific refresher training course in Vancouver, Malo left Sept. 27 for Quetzaltenango, the , country’s second largest city. She will be living with a local family there. She plans to travel and take dance lessons in her down- time and will keep a journal of her experiences. She’ll also share them with you, as she’ll submit some writing to the Terrace Standard. Chances are she’ll sound less rehearsed. 638-7283 JILL Vyse’s four-day Terrace WOFKShOP | in infant mas-" | sage. was, by nature; a hands-on instruction for par-. DUSTIN QUEZADA PHOTO... she said. “I-may | w