Tag Archives: Kim Paulley

History

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s secret visit to a small BC island

By Greg Osoba, CKTZ News, through an LJI grant from Canada-info.ca

In August 1994, after opening the Commonwealth Games in Victoria BC, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were whisked away for few days rest. Most Canadians had no idea where the queen and prince had taken off to after the games.

However, the local citizenry of Cortes Island had a good idea. Rumors circulated that the royal couple would be spending time on adjacent Twin Islands, owned at that time by a German nephew of Prince Philip’s, Maximilian Margrave of Baden. The reports had a reliable source: Cortes Islander Ginny Ellingsen, originally from northern England, had been hired to wait on the famous guests. Once the Commonwealth Games were underway, a seaplane arrived at the dock on Twin Island bearing the royal couple.

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History

Vintage Vignettes #8-#14

Have you ever wondered what life was like in a small island community in simpler times?  Imagine: no ferries, no electricity, few roads or cars, no medical services, ambulance or firefighters. Back then life was what you made of it, with the help of your neighbours. Local self-reliance meant gathering and growing food, rowing and walking to get around, and generally having a great deal of practical knowledge and skills. And making your own entertainment. But that doesn’t mean life was dull. Not at all.

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History

Vintage Vignettes 1-7

Come on board for the first season of Vintage Vignettes, a joint project of Cortes Community Radio and Cortes Island Museum and Archives, brings you “radio snapshots” of local life in simpler times. These brief episodes feature dramatized voices from the past with archive recordings of music from the “Old Timers”, a dance band that played locally for several decades. In Vintage Vignettes 1 -7 we focus on colourful characters and memorable events, from the first drive across Cortes Island to the 1946 earthquake.

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