INSIDE
COMMUNITY
EVENTS B2

HERE BY CHOICE _
. FAE COLLINS MOONEY |

Choice .
Canadians |

8 there such a thing in our country
as a Canadian? Just plain Cana-
dian? ,

It seems being Canadian means —
being hyphenated — we're French-Canadian.
We're Engtish-Canadian. We're Native-
Canadian. We’re almost any kind of Canadian
but just Canadian.

I guess it doesn’t really matter,

What does matter is we’re all here by choice.

And maybe that makes all of us Choice Cana-
dians,

Canada is my country of birth. It’s also my -
country by choice, '

I’ve never had to make that hard choice, to
Jeave behind all that was familiar. | haven't had
to adapt to the ways of living in a different land,
with different language and customs.

But even though I was bom Canadian, I’m:
still a hyphenated Canadian, Because my Dad
was born in Ircland, I’m an Irish-Canadian. And -
from my Mom 1 can proudly state that Iam a
multi-generation United Empire Loyalist Cana-
dian. (According to Grandma, our forefathers
‘and foremothers were among those who sailed
~ on the Mayflower itself, moving north to settle

in the Gaspé region of Quebec. And so, I’m
_ even a little bit French-Canadian). Lo.
"And I suppose that's the way it is for all bom
Canadians. We carry within us a Liltle bit of
-- heritage from beyond our borders, that subtle
influence handed down from parents and grand-

‘parents and great-ancestors,

My friend Paul is a multi-generation Canadian
too. His family recently celebrated their 300th
anniversary in this country.

Who says we Canadians don’t have roots,

Or a sense of personal history, Paul's great.
ancestor was the carpenter who built the man-
sion for the first governor to New France. He
says his family name now fills multiple pages in
the phone directories of Montreal and Quebec
Cily — and they’re all related,

And then there are those Canadians who have
dwelled here for millennia, whose languages
and cultures far predate the Mayflower’s arrival.

But I sometimes think that io have been born
Canadian means we are also the spoiled Cana-
dians. We lake what we have for granted.

For many of us spoiled little born-Canadians it
was a chore to have to learn and memorize our
‘history, and know the prime ministers of Cana-
da, (If it weren't for the ten dollar bill would we
recognize Sir John A?)

It’s a chore to even speak our native tongue
with much accuracy, or to show much respect
for our bilingual status.

And yet, there are those in our country whe
chose to learn our history, our language, our’
ways, and commit themselves to Canada.

A while ago I was privileged to serve brand
new Choice Canadians at a reception held in
their honour. Each new Canadian, citizenship
papers still in hand, sported Canadian flag pins
over their hearts and smiles as wide as our na-
tion.

Each has a unique story to tell. One woman I
know, university educated, started her life in,
this country with small child and just 25¢, She:
taught herself English by reading bedtime
Stories to her little daughter at night after work, -

' For another, the move to Canada meant leav-
ing behind family and friends of a lifetime. She
never saw her mother again.

‘But when she became a Canadian citizen, the:

ceremony enabled her to express, and reinforce, !
What already was in her heart, in her pledge to
queen arid country.
- This gentle person discovered that in this:
country of bounty and blessings there was more.
than cnough to share, It led ber into foster care-
and eventually to the adoption of three little
ones in need of a home, adding to the four chil--
dren she already had,

For her, the greatest blessing in being Cana-
dian is the freedom she experiences here, and a
sense of well-being.

Although I have never had to endure the
hardships and struggles many new Canadians

- experience in adapting to thelr new home of
choice, I do share with them thal sense of
securily in being Canadian,

- For me, too, it is the freedom. Being free to
embrace all that Canada is, Being free to praise
what is good, and free to express what is not,

_ To be Irish- and English- and multi-

_ Beneration, to be a Choice Canadian.

Belng Free. Being Canadian. .

I'm here by choice, eh;

TERRACE STANDARD

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, June 28, 1995 - B14

CAROLYN WELLS and Trish Wagner carefully add the last

touches to part of anew mural on the bandshell wall in George |
Little Park. They and other students from Skeena Jr. Secondary

Chemainus of the north?

WINTER SPORTING scenes,
totem poles, people _ fish-
ing...perhaps you’ve noticed our
town's drab walls have recently
donned new faces,

Murals are springing up all over
town, and beautification society
president Yvonne Moen would
like to see the trend continue.

‘T’ve heard a lot of positive
reaction,”? says Moon, ‘‘The
murals really do beautify Terrace.
And they give tourists who come
through a chance to learn some-
thing about our town.”’

Business owners also agree.
Bank of Nova Scotia manager
Skip Bates says he’s received a
lot of positive feedback on the
mural painted on the side of his
bank.

“It really helps to dress up the
downtown area,” he says,

The first mural painted in Ter-
race was Randy Tait’s design of a
killer whale on the outside of the
Richards laundromat on Emerson,
done approximately three years
ago.

Uplands Elementary also

Food bank needs new building _

THE FOOD BANK of the Chur-
ches won't be able to operate this
fall, uniess a new location is
found.

The food bank is a non-profit
charity which provides food to
approximately 400 people a
month, from November to April.

It’s current location is an older
house owned by the Evangelical
Free Church. But the house is
being dismantled and moved so
the church can expand its parking
lot 10 accommodate a new build-
ing.

‘We weren’t paying rent or
utilities for the building,’’ says
Christine Simmons, chair of the
food bank. ‘‘The building was
provided completely free of
charge — and it was centrally lo-
cated, It’s going to be hard to find
a replacement.”

The food bank is man by
volunteers and depends cntirely
on donations from local grocery
stores and Terrace residents.

Typically, it would open one
week a month, at a time when

families were between cheques,

and desperately needed help.
“But I'd also like to expand the
hours that we're open,’’ says
Simmons, The food bank’s hours
were 1-3. p.m. for one week a
month and Simmons 4 worrled
that the food bank: wasn’t rcach-
ing the working poor, or-students
who were barcly scraping by,

SECTION B
CRIS LEYKAUF
638-7283

Society:Is planning more.

painted a mural on the side of
their school the same year. Over
400 students from kindergarten to
grade 7 helped create the mural,
under the direction of local artist
Joanne Thomson. It represents
the multi-use. of the forest
TesoUrce,

Last summer All Seasons
Sports hired Thomson to . paint
another mural on the east wall of
its new building, featuring Big
Bob.

“We had a lot of fun doing that
mural, and it also provided
employment for four students for
a month,”’ says Thomson.

More recently, this year’s
Caledonia grad class painted a

mural with a winter theme on east
wall at the Bank of Nova Scotia,
Thomson helped translate the
grads’ ideas to a unifiable theme.

And now two more murals have
been completed, bringing the
town’s total to six.

The beautification —_ society
helped organize paints and sup-

plies for the Kitsumkalum band’s

mural ‘titled Postcard to the

“Pim hoping to open one night
at least during the week,” ske
says. .

During the summer months, the
food bank closes down, as the un-
employed find seasonal work,
But there are still those who need
food occasionally, and the Salva
tion Army steps in to pick up the
slack.A temporary food bank of
sorts operates out of its thrift
store an Lakelse,

Coincidentally, Simmons, who
operates the regular food bank
also looks after the distribution of
food in the summer,

“Right now I see a couple of
people a day. A lot of them are
transients who arrive here looking
for work, but with no money and
no place to stay,’’ says Simmons,

But the thrift store was only
designed as a temporary back up
to the food bank during summer
months. Even now, with the
storage facilities at the food bank
gone, Simmons’ office at iho
thrift store is overflowing with
donations of canned goods.

“This building (the thrift store}
just doesn’t have enough room,”
she says, She’s hoping that some-
one in the community will come
forward with a solution to the
food bank's problem,

Ideally, they're looking for a

they can use November to April,

- one Week a month, rent free. It

Elders on the east Slumber Lodge
wall, : j
And just last week Irene Horner
and students from the Circle of
First Nations at Skeena Junior

'. Secondary finished another mura] -

on the bandshell in George Little
Park. ,
So with brightly coloured walls

transforming downtown, will Ter--

race become a Chemainus of the
north?

Chemainus is a small town on
Vancouver Island, where in 1982,
citizens decided to paint five
murals about its forest heritage on
the town’s walls. The murals
were to be part of a downtown
revitalization project, but they
proved so popular, that by 1990
the town boasted 26 murals, some
painted by — internationally
renowned artists,

Terrace already has six murals,
and while Moen isn’t making any
comparisons yet, she is full of
ideas for future murals,

Jrene Horner, the artist who

volunteered to do the bandshell
mural, has already agreed to paint 4

~ were helping local aitist Irene Horner who designed the mural. *
This Is the sixth mural in Terrace and the Terrace Beautification -

another mural on the wall of tire oo

Kalum St, tennis courts.

“T think it’s a great way to in-
iraduce more public art’? says
Horner, me

The mural she and ‘the -Skeena
students painted on the bandshell
combines native designs from
around the northwest, It features
an eagle, sun, salmon, wolf, frog
and killer whale.

And on the tennis court wall
Horner plans to paint a raven, kil-
ler whale, frog and.wolf,

Moen has also targeted other
walls around town, =

“The CIBC is talking about

. Perhaps doing a mural on it’s

wall, and I'd love to see one go

‘up. on the Tilicum Twin

Theatre,”’ she says.. mS
She’s also talked “to artist
Donna Orr about doing a river-

boat theme mural just before the

Dudley Litte bridges, so tourists.
could see it as they drive in

town, py
“Tt would really help put a

whole. new face on Terrace,”
‘says Moén. eee

eg

ce 4 ¥9

OFFICE OR KITCHEN? The Food Bank of tha Churches Is look.

Ing for @ new building: In the meantime, food bank chair Christine

" Simmons has an office overfiowing with canned goods,

also needs to be centrally located,
since many food bank clients
don't have cars,

In. the - meantime, Simmons

‘could still use donations for the
building with wheelchair access. ~

food bank, “‘What we really need

is canned’ milk for bables, juice
‘boxes ‘and granola bars, or. any

"people; we're here to help,’

other kind food that docsn’t need
to be cooked.”

She distributes the food based
on eed, adding that the ~~

lemparary food bank shouldn’t be

used as a grocery store,"
“We're not heré to cater to

ee eRe ARR