The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, December 5, 2001 - B) TERRACE STANDARD. "INSIDE SECTION B COMMUNITY Wy JENNIFER LANG EVENTS B2 A | . 638-7283 CHARLYNN TOEWS Lucky Happy Day N MY HOUSE (and I realize not in ail houses) we have Library Day, Hot Lunch Day, and Garbage Day all at ’ ome time, on Wednesdays. This is ideal. If a busy Housewife/Worker must scurry about in the wee hours to find the library books and get the garbage out, thank goodness there's only a snack to pack. Jello - green or purple? Done! Oops, no Jello - Teddy Bear crackers okay? Excellent, get your boots on, let*s go. Twelve seconds later, on the way to school, the child asks, “Did you forget my library books?” As the busy Housewife/Worker I am, balancing a coffee on the dash, 1 can confid- ently say, “No, I did not,” because I know, on Lucky Happy Wednesdays, there are only three small things to remember in the morning, and IT have them ALL in hand. “Library books are in your backpack,” I say, In the few small moments between shifling gears I recall the fresh inky smell of Scholas- tic Services Books, and manage to refrain from shouting, “If we did forget them it would be no big deal!” because [ remember how books, especially at first, are so pure and so goad. The child says (he does!) “I see all the olher garbages are out: did you forget?” Darn that booster seat. It lets him see out the window so he can say, “The light has turned green. Why aren’t you going now?” Lets him see that the neighbours’ garbages are out. Sigh. Now, garbage is difficult. Garbage has a lot of ~ shall we say — baggage attached to it. First thing in the morning I am forced to face the unwanted. The things 1 simply won't have any more, a solicitation, a dream, a etter,’ a big: jar not actually. worth cleaning, something on sale that did not turn out to be a good a deal, perfectly good raw chicken morphed into -a deadly Salmonella factory, things I had thought I was done with forever when J first put — it in the kitchen or bathroom garbage and now must consider again as [ really truly finally de- cide to actually throw them out of the house. ' Now, to go enter into a conversation on the topic of garbage, in depth, including the capi- lalist system, and things longed for but not quite as they seem, or the hopes we have as . ‘Stunned silence from the back seat.’ members of the Consumer Society, the avoid- able waste when others are wanting, while taking my turn at the four way stop is difficult, Fortunately, the conversation maves on to “And did you remember ta pack my lunch?” “No.” Stunned silence from the back seat. “It’s Hot Lunch Day.” Hurrah! The child is dropped off with nothing but a handful of grapes or a juice box for suste- nance, and yet I, the Housewife/Worker, am guilt-free on the nutrition front. But just until tomorrow. Seize the Wednesday, and rejoice! I drive happily on, resolving to make better use of coupons, and rotate the groceries so that all are consumed before the Best Before Date tears its ugly head. At my job of work, we also have our weekly meetings on Wednesdays. This represents more high hopes dashed, but not until later in the afternoon, I have a thick file called “Next Meeting,” and plan always to have all issues, large and small, resolved satisfactorily between the hours of 1 p.m. and 3, It could happen. As you can imagine, [ am not the only per- son at the meeting (thus the name: “meeting”) and it often occurs that my co-workers’ agenda items are more pressing or more interesting than mine, and we spend time discussing and resolving them. My file grows thicker. Fortunately for me, Wednesday meetings occur weekly, and so I have a perpetually fresh chance to become a better team player, to prune my demands on the group’s time and be a more independent worker who excels in communication. Ah, but I have saved the best for last. The child has been retrieved from school along with a fresh set of library books and an unea- ten snack, Arriving home, we can see the garbage has beautifully disappeared, The house is, for the moment, garbage-free. And then, ] must, like the good citizen I am, sit down, relax, and read the paper. © Oh, Lucky Happy Wednesday. | T love you and I’ tf see you next t week.” chaser School principal Geoff Straker heads off to China’ s Maple heat School By JENNIFER LANG CALENDONIA SENIOR Second- ary principal Geoff Straker has al~ ways told his students to chase their dreams. Now he’s chasing a dream of his very own, In 1967, long before he left his native Queensland, Australia for a job at a two-room schoolhouse north of Burns Lake in chilly northern B.C., Straker travelled to Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and Hong Kong. Southeast Asia left an indel- ible impression on the Asian stu- dies major. “It’s always been a desire to go back there,” Straker told the Terrace Standard last week. Now, his wish has come truc. After move than 25 years in this school district — nine of them at Caledonia — Straker is heading to the People’s Republic of _. China, where he's been hired as the vice-principal of the Maple Leaf International School in Da- lian, a port city on the northern coast, “The whale thing to me is an adventure,” he said. “It’s ‘out of the box’ for a lot of people. It's not what a lot of people would expect.” But he’s happy to flout expec- tations. - “Tt is an opportunity to take life and say, ‘I’m going to run with it?” He arrives at his new post in mid-February, in time for the sec- ond half of the school] year there. GEOFF STRAKER studies up on China. He's heading there in February. JENNIFER LANG PHOTO Maple Leaf is British Colum- bia’s only independent, interna- tional school. Straker, who’s taken a leave of absence from School District 82 until June, 2003, says the school follows both the B.C. — and Chi- nese — school curriculum. it’s accredited just like any other B.C. school. Students learn English asa second language in primary and elementary grades, and from Grade 10 to 12 they’re taught B.C. high school curticutum in English. Students graduate with a Dog- -wood certificate and the Chinese equivalent, so they’re qualified to enrol] at colleges and universities in B.C,, if they choose. He's thrilled to be able to work with students who will have op- portunities in both worlds — the east and the west. Fulfilling a personal dream does come with a price. The one downside is that Straker’s wife, Pam, is staying behind in Terrace. “I’m tncky. I’m supported at home by my wife and daughter. The hardest thing I'm going to have to face is to be away from them.” A strong current of public ser- vice runs though the Straker fami- ly; Pam, an elementary school counsellor is also a lactation con- sultant who voluntarily visits new babies and moms al Mills Memor- ial to help them breastfeed, And daughter Bryana, 22, a graduate of Trinity Western Uni- versity, is working with high school and university ape girls in Continued Page Ba TONY RUTLEDGE hoists a chinook trophy mount on the banks of the Skeena River. Next fall Rutledge will showcase Terrace to viewers across Canada In his — new fishing show for Outdoor Life Network, JENNIFER LANG PHOTO Reeling in a TV offer By JENNIFER LANG IT MIGHT be his biggest calch yet. A Terrace sports fisherman has just learned he’ll star in a national TV program next fall. Tony Rutledge, the 36-year-old host of Channel 7’s Tight Lines, has just learned Canada’s Outdoor Life Network has signed him up for 13 episodes of a show that will air next fall. The experienced local fishing guide and avid angler plans to use Terrace as a base for his as-yet unnamed show. “I’m going to start taping right away,” he sald, adding winter steelhead is on the list of local content he wants to show- case. “] know the best sports fishing in the world is here.” It’s possible the show could translate into one to four lacal jobs, but details like that are stil! being worked out. , Right now, Rutledge is still happily surprised by his good fortune. He'd spent 10 months in negotiations with the network trying to hammer out a deal. “Tt still hasn't hit me,” he said. “They get over 300 fishing shows on their desks every year. You can imagine what the odds were against me.’ He's grateful to another Outdoor Life Network fishing show host for opening the door to the big time. When Gary Cooper of Gary Cooper's Fishing Diary came to Terrace to tape a few cpisodes here a few years ago, he asked Rutledge to join him. The experience helped put Rutledge on the network’s radar screen. Since then, Cooper has been a source of professional support, “He's taken me under his wing and made things happen for me,” Rutledge said. Rutledge, a father of three who spends between 250-275 days a year fishing, would like to continue hosting Tigh: Lines, a local show that airs throughout the summer season. Originally: from the Prince George Area, he started “seriously fishing” when he was about 17, He got his start in TV in Prince = George, where he hosted a fishing show . for five years. It may sound like it’s all come natural- ly, but Rutledge stressed it’s taken a lot of hard work and persistence to gain the _ attention of a national TY channel. “I was doing this for 10 years before they even looked at me.” Rutledge doesn’t claim to be the ulti- mate fisherman, but Ke said he is gaod at all different types of fishing, He thinks it’s that skill - and the ener- gy, enthusiasm and laughter he brings ta TV screens — that viewers appreciate. - "I'm just a regular guy out fishing,” he said, Meanwhile, he’d love to hear from you. His email hookset@telus.net address — is: Around Town. Celebrate a life HAVE YOU lost someone you Jove? On Tuesday, Dec. 11, you’re invited to Celebrate a Life, an evening of remembrance. It’s a Christmas memorial honouring the life and memory of a loved one who has passed away. There will be a non-denominalional service and candle lighting ceremony. It’s sponsored by the Terrace Hospice Society, and takes place at the Elks Hall al 2822 Tetrault St. Doors open at 7 p.m., followed by a service at 7:30 p.m, If you bring a wrapped and labelled gift for a child in need, it will be donated to the Salvation ~ Aimy. For information call Joset at 638-1347. Craft fair Saturday IF YOU still haven't found that perfect gift for somebody special, you should probably check out Thornhill Junior Secondary’s craft fair this Satur- day at the Kitsumkalum Community Hall. It’s bigger and better this year, with more than 70 different craft tables featuring wares from across the northwest. A couple of home-based businesses will be on hand, too, as will gifl-wrappers from the Dare-to- Dream Foundation. The event runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be lots of munchies and refreshments available. There’s an admission charge, $2 for adults, $4 for seniors and students aged 6 to 12, Five and un- ders are free. Proceeds will help cover travel expenses for band students at Thornhill Junior Secondary, The band members are travelling to Calgary this May for a national music competition called Music Fest Canada. Last year Thornhill Junior’s bands returned home from the nation’s capital with gald and silver awards. Call Morgain at 635-4538 to reserve a table. Cash prizes for logo contest winners STUDENTS AGED 25 and under are invited to de- sign a logo for the Skeena Multiculturalism Di- versity Project. The deadline for entries is next Wednesday, Dec, 12, The theme is welcoming and valuing cultural di- versity in our community, Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three entrics, The Skeena Multiculturalism Project, which began earlier this year, is now launching its second phase. It’s aim is to help some of Terrace’s institu- tions —- from government offices to schools and bu- sinesses — more welcoming for everyone who lives in our community. Soon, we'll tell you about some of the projects committee members are planning in Terrace. Drop off entries at Northwest Community Col- lege’s administration building, to the attention of Elizabeth Snyder, at Skeena Junior Secondary School, or by mail ta R.R,3, Sile 9, Comp. 214, Terrace, B.C.,V8G 4R6