When did you come to Bowen?
We came to Bowen from North Van in 1996 with our toddler.
How did you come to be here?
Bea had a colleague who had lived here for many years and who suggested we have a look when we were ready to buy a house.
On our first foray, we walked onto the causeway and suddenly an otter whipped up the fish ladder, lumbered across the pavement and disappeared into the lagoon. We looked at each other and decided that this place had promise.
Later, when we came to look at houses, we saw teens hitchhiking and young children frolicking at the side of the road, with no adults in sight. It was like stepping back in time and that was very appealing.
In the first issue of the Undercurrent we read, someone was pleading for the person who “borrowed” their moonlights to return them.
We love the slow pace of change , the failed experiments (such as the ill-conceived double ferry lanes up the main drag) and the endless wrangling over the official community plan and pools, community centres and ferry marshalling.
All these have been issues for 25 years.
Where on Bowen do you live?
We live in the area of Miller’s Landing called Timber Groves.
What’s your favourite place on Bowen?
We always take family and friends around the lake and over the cross island trail.
What’s your favourite fact or story?
In 2010, island dogs and cats started disappearing, including one of ours. It turned out that someone brought a young female wolf here who was eating them, presumably because they were easier and smaller prey than the deer. A trapper was eventually called in when it was seen close to a farm with sheep.
And another story:
When we first moved here, houses were being built in the area known as Valhalla. At the corner of Miller Road, was a sign that read “Valhalla” and pointed toward Dorman Road.
One morning, we found that there were a number of signs, all pointing in different directions that read “Neverland” and “Itchykoo Park” “Penny Lane” and other fictitious destinations.
This may have been the same wag who changed the sign that used to be at the ferry which said “Carry chains in bad weather” to “ Wear chains and black leather”.
Fill the ferry lineup gap or don’t fill the gap?
Gap filling is not automatic. It depends on how far back the line goes, where the gaps are and how busy the sailing is likely to be. Ferry crimes have always been the subject of controversy here.
What’s something Bowen Islanders have in common?
Bowen Islanders have in common a love for nature and spending time outdoors.
What do you do for fun these days?
These days we spend way too much time trying to keep the skunks and squirrels from eating our tomatoes!
