By 1979, Norm Gibbons wanted a change. He had been one of the partners in the Refuge Cove Store for the past eight years. He had not yet decided to move to Cortes Island, when he started looking into the oyster sector.
“Oysters weren’t cultured at that point in time. There were just oysters out there. Anybody involved in the industry picked oysters, shucked them, and sold the shuck to Vancouver.”
Continue reading Norm Gibbons: Cortes Island, beginnings of oyster cultivation and writing
Norm Gibbon’s novel ‘Sea Without Shores’ is set in the tiny village of Refuge Cove, on West Redonda Island, during some of the years he was a member of the community. Refuge Cove’s story goes back several decades before that, but in today’s broadcast Norm outlines some of the history surrounding the beginnings of the Refuge Cove Land and Housing Co-op.
Continue reading Beginnings of the Co-op at Refuge Cove
On Wednesday, July 19, the Cortes Island Museum offered visitors a rare opportunity to see some of the clothing and accessories from its collections.
The event was organized by Lilly Allen, this summer’s intern, who was inspired by the dress that Margaret Smith wore when she married John Manson in the late 1890’s.
Continue reading Peeking into Cortes Island’s past through vintage clothing
[interview with Suzanne Fletcher]
Suzanne Fletcher has lived on Cortes eight years, coming to the island initially to take up a management position at Hollyhock. She has since served on the Co-op Board, “done a lot of gardening,” and most recently spent a summer as Resort Manager for Klahoose Wilderness Resort before accepting the Project Manager position for Rainbow Ridge, with the Cortes Housing Society.
On April 8th, I interviewed Suzanne at her home on Siskin Lane; she told me a little bit about the very successful inaugural season at the Wilderness Resort, and also provided an update on progress at Rainbow Ridge.
Continue reading New Trails at Rainbow Ridge; Klahoose Wilderness Resort a Success
Originally published on the Bird’s Eye
By Ramona Boyle
BE: What has it been like for you to work with the Strathcona Regional District? Is it what you expected?
Robyn: It’s been a lot of listening and learning about issues in various areas of our community. Folks have been asking me a lot of questions. If I haven’t known an answer, it’s been a great opportunity for me to be able to learn and share that answer with the bigger community as well as with the folks who are asking the question. There’s also lots of reading and writing. Is it what I expected? I expected a big learning curve, and there is one. So, yes, it is what I imagined it would be.
Continue reading Robyn Mawhinney’s First Two Months as Regional Director
