Category Archives: General

Nanoose Bay Parents Fundraiser for Education

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Parents of the students at Nanoose Bay Elementary School (NBES) are collecting metal as a way to raise money for their school’s education programs.

There is a large steel recycling bin at the far end of the road by the school at 2875 Northwest Bay Rd. Please feel free to drop off clean metal items like old barbecues, metal bed frames, wire, washers, dryers, fridges, stoves, old baby strollers, tin cans, pots and pans of any size, motor parts, bikes etc.

This Parent Advisory Committee is a group of parents working with the common goal of supporting education. Shrinking school budgets have made committee-based fundraising more challenging than ever before.

If you have a lot of metal items to donate, please phone 250-468-7414 or email amber(at)amberscotchburn.com.

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End of an Era: Nanaimo Beban House up for Rent

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Historic Beban House at 2290 Bowen Road, home to Tourism Nanaimo since 1997, is now up for rent.

A site visit will be held on January 11, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. at Beban House for those interested in renting Beban House. Closing date for offers to rent Beban House is 2:00pm PST, January 19, 2012 at the Purchasing Office, City of Nanaimo 2020 Labieux Road, Nanaimo, BC, V9T 6J9.

bebanhouse1 End of an Era: Nanaimo Beban House up for Rent

Historic Beban House in Nanaimo

The story behind Historic Beban House:

Frank Beban was born in New Zealand in 1882 and emigrated to Canada in 1907. By 1911, Mr. Beban opened a sawmill in Cumberland, followed by a lumber mill and a coal mine in Extension.  In 1927, he acquired the Empire Lumber Company.

In 1930, Mr. Beban and his family purchased an existing farm of 160 acres upon which he built a house and a racetrack where he trained thoroughbreds.  The house was designed with a porte-cochère and the interior in the art deco style which was popular in that era. The gardens of the house were extensive.  Mr. Beban died in 1952 and the house and property were purchased by the City of Nanaimo in 1953.

For 35 years, the house was neglected to the point where the City of Nanaimo considered demolishing it. The gardens had turned to weeds. In the early 1990s, the City realized that the house was designed in an architectural style that was unique to Vancouver Island and listed it on their historical register.  In 1997, it became the home of Tourism Nanaimo which occupied this site since then.

What will be the next life of Historic Beban House in Nanaimo?

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Where is the final pasture for Island horses?

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Retired horses, if they are lucky, spend their last days at the Rest and Recuperate Equine Care Society in Errington.

Since 1995 the Rest and Recuperate Equine Care Society has been providing care for elderly horses. Unfortunately, funding like so many charities has hit an all time low. They are in immediate need of funding for food and medicine.

Would like you to help the horses? You can donate your Quality Food (Q Points) to the society, which is listed under Equine Care Society at the Parksville or Qualicum store locations.  You can also donate through any bank (see their website).

Sandra Billy is hoping you have a passion for horses and would you like to make a difference in a horse’s last days.

 

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Nanaimo Bikes for Christmas

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Did you lose your bike this year?

Yours could be among the 300 – 400 recovered bikes that are returned to the City of Nanaimo each year.

From now on, recovered bicycles will be directed to the Nanaimo Recycling Exchange.  If yours is among them, then they will give it to you if you can provide proof of ownership.

Bicycles that go unclaimed will be fixed and cleaned and sold to the general public for a price anywhere between $5.00 – $40.00. All proceeds will be used by the Nanaimo Recycling Exchange to offset costs.

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Local art & horse-drawn carriage rides in Nanaimo

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Time to head downtown Nanaimo for the art walk and tour.

Fifty Island artists are featuring their original artworks at 25 locations in and around downtown this Saturday and Sunday, December 3rd and 4th from 11am to 5pm. Go have a look at 13th Annual Downtown and Old City Quarter Nanaimo Art Walk; you will be amazed at all the beautiful works of art!

Also, you can take a ride on a horse drawn carriage through downtown Nanaimo.  Starting tomorrow, there will be carriage rides each Saturday December 3rd, 10th, and 17th, 2011 from 12pm to 4 pm (by donation). Pick up and drop off points are at Nanaimo Museum on Commercial and St. Andrew’s Church at Wesley and Fitzwilliam.

 

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