senior living magazine island edition november 2010

Legal Considerationsfor Family Caregivers

NOVEMBER 2010

Vancouver Island’s 50+ Active Lifestyle Magazine

TM

TRAVEL: A Taste of China

PLANNED GIVING ISSUE

The Memory ProjectFighting for Franchise

CharitableGivingIt’s about more than money

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WWW.SENIORLIVINGMAG.COM NOVEMBER 2010 1

2 SENIOR LIVING WWW.SENIORLIVINGMAG.COM

35 The Victoria I RememberA former resident strolls down memory lane.

42 A Taste of ChinaA country this expansive offers something for everyone.

DEPARTMENTS40 Classifieds47 BBB Scam Alert

COLUMNS 3 The Family Caregiver by Barbara Small

41 Ask Goldie by Goldie Carlow

46 Outrageous & Courageous by Pat Nichol

48 Reflections: Then & Now by Gipp Forster

Cover Photo: Victoria Chinese Canadian Veterans Association President Victor Eric Wong. See story on page 4. Photo: Roy Ferguson

NOVEMBER 2010

Head Office Contact Information:Box 153, 1581-H Hillside Ave., Victoria BC V8T 2C1

Phone 250-479-4705 Fax 250-479-4808Toll-free 1-877-479-4705

E-mail [email protected] www.seniorlivingmag.com

Subscriptions: $32 (includes GST, postage and handling) for 12 issues. Canadian residents only.No portion of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. Senior Living is an independent publi-cation and its articles imply no endorsement of any products or services. The views expressed herein are not necessarily those of the publisher. Unsolic-ited articles are welcome and should be e-mailed to [email protected] Senior Living Vancouver Island is distributed free throughout Vancouver Island. Stratis Publishing Ltd. publishes Senior Living Vancouver Island (12 issues per year) and Senior Living Vancouver & Lower Mainland (12 issues per year). ISSN 1710-3584 (Print) ISSN 1911-6403 (Online)

Publisher Barbara RistoEditor Bobbie Jo Reid [email protected] Editor Allyson MantleAdvertising ManagerBarry Risto 250-479-4705For advertising information, call [email protected] Sales Staff Ann Lester 250-390-1805Mathieu Powell 250-589-7801Barry Risto 250-479-4705

Senior Living (Vancouver Island) is published by Stratis Publishing.

Autumn is barely underway but at Senior Living we’re already

planning for Christmas and 2011.Last issue, we struck out in a new di-

rection by offering fashion and beauty as a feature topic. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with many of our readers saying it was the best maga-zine we’ve published yet. After six years of publishing, it’s encouraging to know we can still raise the bar.

We also received some other fun news – Senior Living magazine ap-peared in a cameo on The Comedy Network’s The Colbert Report on Oc-tober 12. The host took aim at Andy Rooney’s recent plan to lose 20 pounds by Halloween. In jest, the host com-pared Andy to 78-year-old Mavis Pick-ett on the cover of our Feb 2009 Van-couver issue of Senior Living. Access this hilarious episode on our website at www.seniorlivingmag.com/tv

We continue to grow our web audi-ence – we gained about 600 new unique viewers in September alone. We now have over 5,000 unique visitors visiting our website every month.

The issue in your hands contains our Planned Giving feature. We’ve heard much in the news lately about how fund-raising via telemarketing has cost many charities as much as they have raised, which has left a bad taste in the mouths of some donors. But the fact remains – many worthy causes need your sup-port to survive – especially during this difficult economic time.

I encourage you to look through our Planned Giving feature pages, pick a worthy charity (or two) to support in the coming year, and give generously. These charities do much to support the infrastructure of our communities. Your financial contribution can mean the dif-ference between continuing their work or closing their doors.

Publisher’sDesk

FEATURES 4 Fighting to be Called A CanadianVictor Eric Wong shares his story as part of The Memory Project.

6 A Wealth of ExperienceRecalling a post-war posting to Egypt.

7 Remembrance DayRemembering those who died for our freedom.

8 A Childhood Under the NazisAuthor Brigitte Roick found inspiration in her family’s ordered evacuation in 1945.

10 Charitable GivingTax regulations have altered charitable giving.

14 Giving TimeValued Elder Recognition Awards (VERA).

17 Testamentary TrustEnsure your legacy is used for what you intend.

18 The Cost of DyingPlan now for probate fees and taxation after death.

21 Go On, Take a BiteVisiting New York – fascinating and familiar.

26 Life Behind the LensProfiling nature photographer George Cousins.

30 Memories Through PoetryAuthor Naomi Beth Wakan recalls her favourites.

www.seniorlivingmag.com


situation to help the process flow more smoothly.

The Nidus Personal Planning Re-source Centre & Registry provides de-tailed information on all areas of per-sonal planning. Get more information online at www.nidus.ca or by calling 604-408-7414. The Public Guardian and Trustee of British Columbia can be reached at www.trustee.bc.ca or by call-ing 250-256-8160 or 604-660-4444.

Take the time to complete these doc-uments before a crisis occurs. Consult a lawyer to prepare these documents and for advice on how to best meet the needs of your specific situation.

Next month: Visiting During the Holi-days

35 The Victoria I RememberA former resident strolls down memory lane.

42 A Taste of ChinaA country this expansive offers something for everyone.

DEPARTMENTS40 Classifi eds47 BBB Scam Alert

COLUMNS 3 The Family Caregiver

by Barbara Small

41 Ask Goldieby Goldie Carlow

46 Outrageous & Courageousby Pat Nichol

48 Refl ections: Then & Nowby Gipp Forster

The Family Caregiver column is brought to you by the generous sponsorship of ElderSafe Support Services

THE FAMILY CAREGIVER

Legal Considerations for Family Caregivers

SL

BY BARBARA SMALL

Barbara Small is the Program Develop-ment Coordinator for Family Caregivers’ Network Society located in Victoria, BC. www.familycaregiversnetwork.org

Incapacity planning is the major legal consideration that impacts a caregiving relationship. If you are the caregiver, it is important

to ensure that the person you are caring for has completed an Enduring Pow-er of Attorney and a Representation Agreement. These documents help ease future decision-making if there comes a time when your loved one is incapacitated due to sickness, mental illness or injury.

These decisions can include with-drawing money from the bank, selling a house, signing a contract or provid-ing informed consent for a medical procedure.

A Power of Attorney (POA) ap-points another person, an “attorney,” to make financial and legal decisions for you. An Enduring Power of Attorney is needed to ensure that the appointment endures, even if the person who has made the POA becomes mentally inca-pacitated. If an Enduring POA is not in place and mental incapacitation occurs, the designation automatically ends and the family may need to apply for a court order of committeeship, which is costly and time consuming.

When appointing an attorney, desig-

nate someone who is trustworthy, and comfortable and capable of dealing with financial matters.

A Representation Agreement au-thorizes someone to assist or to act on someone’s behalf to manage their health and medical affairs when they are no longer able. It is important that the per-son communicates his or her preferenc-es and how they want to be cared for to the appointed representative.

If no Power of Attorney has been completed, and a person is incapable of managing his or her own financial af-fairs, the Public Guardian and Trustee’s Office (PGT) or a court-appointed com-mittee may be required. Also, if at the same time, no representative has been appointed to make medical decisions, the attending doctor may appoint a sub-stitute decision maker, if available. Oth-erwise, the PGT may need to step in.

In families, the primary caregiver who provides personal care and support may not be the ideal person to appoint as attorney. Similarly, the person ap-pointed as attorney may or may not be best suited to make medical decisions. The family needs to take into consid-eration each member’s strengths, and discuss who will be appointed in each

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Lest We Forget

Victor Eric Wong, president of the Victoria Chinese Canadian Veterans Asso-ciation, remembers what

Chinese veterans accomplished for themselves and future generations of Chinese Canadians.

In 1939, there were approximately 41,000 Chinese in Canada with the larg-est population in British Columbia. At that time, Orientals and Aboriginals were not recognized as Canadian citizens.

“A few Chinese were allowed to join the military,” says Victor. “Most were from provinces where the Chinese pop-ulation was very small.”

British Columbia’s premier, Thomas Dufferin Patullo, was strongly against allowing any Chinese or Japanese to en-list for fear they would lobby the Cana-dian government to give them franchise

– recognition as a Canadian citizen with all its privileges. Prime Minister Mack-enzie King agreed.

In 1941, Japan attacked the United States by bombing Pearl Harbor. By 1942, they had occupied all of South-east Asia, which was part of the British Empire. The British government, under Winston Churchill, began searching for people who could blend into these ar-eas and be trained for guerrilla warfare. They looked to Canada as it had the largest population of young men who fluently spoke Chinese and English, plus the ability to blend into the general population of Southeast Asia. Canada reluctantly changed its policies.

In September 1944, all Chinese men 18 years and older were sent enlist-ment letters.

“We were just out of high school,”

Victor recalls. “There were town meet-ings to decide whether or not to enlist. Many people felt if we weren’t recog-nized as Canadian citizens, why should we fight for a country that didn’t recog-nize us? But if we did enlist, then our service would be a positive boost for getting the franchise.”

The young men enlisted.British officers interviewed and se-

lected suitable candidates, on loan to Britain, for further training in espio-nage and guerrilla warfare. They were initially told they would be going into China. China had been fighting with Ja-pan since 1931 and many of the Chinese Canadians still had relatives there.

Without hesitation, 600 Chinese Ca-nadians signed on for overseas training.

“Six hundred doesn’t seem like a lot, but according to population and ratio size, this was very impressive,” says Victor.

They were destined for the China-Burma-India area.

Briefly stopping in London, England, Victor remembers, “A group of us de-cided to look around this part of London while it was still daylight. As we were looking around, an English gentleman came up to us, noticing the Canadian badges (insignias) on our uniforms. He asked me, ‘Which tribe are you from?’ And without skipping a beat, I replied, ‘Iroquois.’”

Victor chuckles at the memory of arriving in Poona, India for intensive training.

“We had to climb a 2,000-foot mountain to get to our training camp. I remember that a few of us, myself in-cluded, did the climb without stopping. When we got to the camp, the colonel

FIGHTING TO BE CALLED A CANADIAN

BY JUDEE FONG

Veteran Victor Eric Wong and his grandson Gregory, 13.

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and the cooks gave us a hardboiled egg and a cup of tea. It was great getting a hot cup of tea because it was cold climbing up that mountain!”

The Chinese Canadians became part of an elite unit known as Special Force 136 of Special Operations Executive (SOE) and South East Asia Combat (SEAC) un-der Lord Mountbatten. Victor remembers many of his friends going on dangerous missions, and some not returning.

“Then the bomb was dropped on Naga-saki and Hiroshima, ending the war with Japan,” he says. “We had arrived in India in March 1945, and didn’t return home until December 1945.”

As president of the Victoria Canadian Chinese Veterans Association, Victor is also active in the “Memory Project.”

“There were a lot of Chinese fighting in Europe, as well as Asia, but not too many left to leave an oral history or written ac-count of their experiences. In Victoria, some of the Chinese veterans were Harry Fong, Dick Lam, Paul Chan, Gordon Quan. Andy Wong, former merchant marine, was recently recognized as a veteran for work-ing the supply ships. They had a dangerous job dodging the enemy ships and planes to bring supplies to the Allies.”

When the Chinese people were offi-cially recognized as Canadian citizens in 1947, Victor remembers it was a wonder-ful feeling. “We already had the franchise earlier because we fought in the war and earned it.”

Today, Chinese Canadians set their sights high. Adrienne Clarkson was Cana-da’s first Chinese Canadian Governor Gen-eral, and there have been two lieutenant-governors so far (David Lam for B.C. and Norman Kwong for Alberta), plus numer-ous members in both provincial and federal governments.

For new Canadians, Victor advises, “You have a lot of freedom. You can be whatever you want to be; to do whatever you want to do; to go wherever you want to go. Just remain a good person, obey the laws and follow your dreams.”

Share your story of Second World War service and sacrifice with The Memory Project by calling 1-866-701-1867 or writ-ing to [email protected]

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FIGHTING TO BE CALLED A CANADIAN

SL


My first posting as a second lieutenant in the Royal Engineers was to an artisan works company in Egypt. That meant travelling on a troopship; a mode of transportation for the troops is one-

quarter the way up from a slave ship to a liner. Even as a low-ranking officer, I had a small cabin to myself with a porthole.

After finding my cabin, I was ordered to inspect the ship with a party, which consisted of the captain, the senior military com-mander and some others, all of much superior rank. I had been designated the “ventilation officer,” which meant visiting every part of the ship every day to take the temperature to ensure that as many were alive to disembark as embarked, so I needed to be able to find my way.

To do so on a 50,000-tonne ship after one rapid tour is a challenge: up ladders, down ladders, along corridors, up on deck. Did I locate every part of the ship every day? I must have because all the needed temperatures were so noted daily on the form I had to submit.

The war had been over for a year, but the national emer-gency was still on. Men were being called up to replace those coming home from long absences abroad. Not many com-plained. We were still alive and had food, whereas many were dead and others starving.

From Alexandria, I took the train to Fayid, which is half way down the Great Bitter Lake on the Suez Canal. There to meet me was the commanding officer of the unit; a charming Scots-man named Macdonald, not much older than me, with the rank of captain. The unit consisted of Macdonald, another officer, a sergeant, a corporal, 400 German PoWs and me. It was a tented

camp set in the desert with barbed wire all round and a watchtower. To my surprise, I noted the man in it

was a German, which led to a memorable remark, “that’s not to keep the Germans in; that’s to keep the Egyptians out.”

Indeed, nobody bothered if a German walked out of camp. There was nowhere for him to

go. To get back to Germany, he first had to get clothes, make his way to Alexandria, somehow get on to a ship to Italy, travel the length of that coun-try knowing that Italians hated Germans, cross the Alps and home. One man made it, and he wrote to his friends in our camp. Indeed, having one less prisoner to ship was a benefit.

The Germans were the remains of Rommel’s army and the soldiers were the equivalent of our Royal En-

gineers. They had been viewed as honourable soldiers,

as opposed to the inhumane actions of the Germans in Russia. Minimal friction took place between them and us. Fate had put us all there together and we better get on with it. Being a prisoner was terrible, but not without benefits. Not only were they fed, but were paid a tiny allowance so they could send food back home, where their families were starving. They thought the Allies were starving Germany on purpose to teach them a lesson.

Our officer’s mess tent had been imaginatively modified. There was a bar along the ridge covered with cloth and that was supported at either end by rods up to a frame holding up the outer leaf of the tent so the canvas inside was taut. And a perimeter wall stood three-feet (.9 m) high. We had a fireplace, lit every evening in winter because, after dark, Egypt can get cold. It felt like a living room.

Our job was to construct married family quarters. The Ger-mans did the work for their own officers, under our overall con-trol. So, it was hot, but they were glad to be working. Boredom is the curse of imprisonment.

It saddens me to look back and realize the British were in-tending to run the Middle East, as in the past, and were so sure of their grounds that they were not only going to have an army there, but it would be secure enough for wives and children too.

The prisoners were being sent home on a priority basis, de-pending on Nazi associations, home dependants, etc., but in early 1948, the married family quarters were finished and the remain-ing prisoners were to be repatriated. That meant our unit was to be disbanded and when that happens, a company’s inventory must be handed into the quartermaster in charge.

We had everything we were meant to have and more, namely, a generator. During a power cut, every unit’s lights would go off but soon ours would return. What to do with it? There was a scandal brewing because the officer’s yacht club had made a wharf from Bailey bridge parts. That was a very naughty thing to have happened and everybody was nervous. Luckily, Macdonald knew the quartermaster, so he went to ask him. Could we just hand it in? No way, we would have to explain where it had come from. Could we give it away? No way, we might finish up with a court marshal. What to do? Bury it!

The following day I was busy, but in the evening, I asked Macdonald how we were to go about burying the generator. Macdonald looked at me innocently and said, “What generator would that be, Ted?” I asked no more questions.

Back in civi street a month later, I started to live on five pounds a week, none found, instead of the five pounds I had been receiving all found. But I survived like the rest us, with a wealth of experience and having suffered no fighting.

Lest We Forget

A Wealth of ExperienceBY TED DEW-JONES

SL


SL

Watching the Remembrance Day ceremonies televised from Ottawa, I became increasing-ly saddened as I looked at those time-worn craggy faces, men and women of conflicts

past standing sombrely to honour those who gave their lives for King, Queen, country, liberty and peace.

I imagined them young and full of high spirits, fired up at the prospect of fighting the evil of their time: the Hun, the fascists, and the communists.

They stood with their chests full of medals, many ram-rod straight with the indelible memory of proper military bearing and their eyes misty or wet with tears – fine men and women.

I remember my dad, giving his life in 1942 for a cause of hatred: not as a soldier but as a persecuted Jew, good only for conscription into the forced labour battalions of wartime Hungary. Lower than cannon fodder, they were sent to the Eastern front to dig trenches in support of the Germans fight-ing the evil Bolsheviks.

He perished without trace in a huge Russian armoured counter-offensive together with most of his comrades. He died neither for peace nor country, he killed no enemy; he wanted only to survive the madness to see his family again.

He died because he was thought to be disposable by the ruthless masters of his time, yet his death was no less he-roic than those who fought. I visualized his face standing in a receiving line of the fallen, taking the salutes of the survivors. So I wept.

I wondered how God manages conflict within humankind. Friends or foes all pray to a common God for victory, for pro-tection, for salvation. How does God decide whom to favour? Or would He in His infinite wisdom say: “I didn’t create the mess you are in; solve it yourself but, whatever you do, you’ll find forgiveness in me.” Now that would be true impartiality.

It has been said that old men make war and send young men to fight it. All the old men I know – including me – felt the horrors of war in some ways and would never want it repeated.

Let us remember and cherish the memory of those fallen heroes without adding to their numbers in the future.

REMEMBRANCE DAY

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A Wealth of Experience

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When the Soviet Union invaded Germany in January 1945, the German government or-dered families to evacuate their homes in the Province of Silesia.

Brigitte Roick, her stepmother, two sisters and baby brother joined thousands of other families on the road. They travelled in an open farm trailer pulled by a tractor. Among the scanty essentials, they were allowed to take a burlap bag of newly slaughtered chickens, so there would be something to eat along the way. It was -20 degrees Celsius and so the chickens were guaranteed to keep fresh.

Brigitte could never have imagined this flight would in-spire her to write the book Moonchild years later, the story of a young girl growing up amid the horrors of Nazi rule.

Brigitte’s family survived, despite bombs, starvation, and being separated in the midst of the western front. Her father’s job was deemed essential and therefore he hadn’t been al-lowed to flee with them, but they were eventually reunited. After the surrender, he started up a new company in West-ern Germany. Silesia was ceded to Poland in 1945, and their lovely and spacious country home was lost to them forever.

Brigitte was not one to sit and brood. After high school, she studied drama and yoga in West Berlin, followed by seven years of acting in professional theatre. She fondly remembers her performances of Anne Frank in several cities, including Holland in 1957. The subject of this play was popular in Ger-many because “people needed to do something to help ease the tremendous, overwhelming feeling of guilt they shared.” It was this period of her life that inspired her second book, Annabel: or The (Sexual) Adventures of a Good Girl. Brigitte laughs and says “I don’t emphasize the fact that it’s somewhat autobiographical: people here are fairly conservative.”

Brigitte’s sister immigrated to Vancouver, and Brigitte fol-lowed in 1963. She wanted to improve her high school Eng-lish so she could become a translator of plays. On the applica-tion form for her immigrant visa, she wrote German Actress as her occupation. “Can you imagine?” she says, “They let me stay after that!”

Within two weeks, she was working at Vancouver Gen-eral Hospital in the kitchen, and within another year, she was married. She had two daughters, but the marriage didn’t last. “Don’t marry someone whose past you know nothing about,” she warns.

Her English perfected, she conducted yoga classes at the Jewish Community Centre and YMCA in Vancouver, but moved with her daughters to Hamilton, Ontario, to escape

painful memories after her divorce. A busy and creative time began.

Brigitte completed a yoga teacher-training course under Swami Vish-nudevenanda, and taught classes at Mohawk College, the YMCA and community centres. After estab-lishing an accredited yoga course at McMaster University, she became a registered foot reflexologist. She taught reflexology as well as weekend workshops in relax-ation and meditation. Having been vegetarian for 40 years, she showed others how to eat and cook a healthy way.

“My way of life was unpopular in those days,” she says, “and the term ‘holistic’ was brand new. I knew the goodness of it, and I wanted to give back to the country that had welcomed me.”

Brigitte laughs when she recalls a yoga class she taught to re-covering alcoholics in a rehab centre. “They had stopped drink-ing, but they were still smoking their heads off, and when I said breathe deeply, they almost passed out.”

While teaching, Brigitte had a hunch that she might try writ-ing one day and thought it would help to have some initials behind her name, so she took night classes and got her BA in Sociology. During this time, her daughters left the nest, and in 1989 she “retired,” but continued learning by taking accredited creative writing courses.

Always longing for the country, she bought five acres of for-ested land in southern Ontario and hired contractors to build a little bungalow. She worked alongside them, roofed her carport and built her own fireplace, brick by brick – no small feat for a petite woman. Her love of learning found her signing up for a Children’s Literature course, which led to a diploma in Early Childhood Education.

A Childhood Under the Nazis BY LAURIE HARPER

Author Profi le


However, life in the country proved a bit quiet, and when her first-born daughter was about to give birth, she picked up sticks and moved to Vancou-ver to take care of her grandchild. But she knew that big city life would not be in her future. “I need to feel soil under my feet,” she says.

The beauty of Vancouver Island captured her and she settled in Parks-ville. She began writing her memoirs about the extraordinary events that had coloured her life in Germany, some-thing she had been thinking about for a long time. She was encouraged by friends, and then by an interested pub-lisher from Greystone Books whom she met at a Writers’ Conference. After many months of editing and emails, she made the decision to self publish. “At my age, I can’t wait a long time to get my stories into print!”

Brigitte is looking forward to going to Germany for a high school reunion soon. She’ll also present her book Moonchild to an English class there. She hopes she won’t “stutter or look for words when meeting old friends.” She still practises yoga, dances to ABBA every morning and loves The Beatles. And she’s busy writing a third book about her early days in Canada and her “eventful first marriage.”

Brigitte Roick’s books are available at Mulberry Bush Bookstore in Parks-ville and Qualicum Beach and on the Internet.

SL

A Childhood Under the Nazis

Above, Brigitte, today. Opposite page, Brigitte as Anne Frank and in the stage production of

The Diary of Anne Frank.

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Planned Giving Planned Giving

As the richest generation in Canadian history be-comes wealthier, people are expressing their gen-

erosity through contributions to chari-ties and philanthropic organizations in record numbers. In the past, most peo-ple struggled to keep up with the basic expenses of raising and educating their families and did not have the luxury of contemplating significant charitable contributions. Today, many families can designate a portion of their wealth to bettering the world.

Changes in tax regulations and in-novative new giving platforms have also made charitable giving more at-tainable for a larger percentage of peo-ple. Increasingly, as these people seek the ideal way to create their legacies, they struggle to determine what they want their money to accomplish and what form their gifts should take. The process of deciding on what causes to support and how to support them can be a powerful life-affirming experi-ence under the guidance of an experi-enced advisor.

Another major shift has taken place in the world of charitable giving. Tra-ditionally, people who gave to charity most often did so at the time of their death. Today, the majority of giving takes place while the donors are still alive, allowing people to witness the results of their gifts.

Making your markBegin by asking yourself questions

like, “What do I want my money to ac-complish?” and, “What do I want my

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Charitable Giving: It’s about more than money

BY HARP SANDHU

Jennifer Jasechko, Acting CEO,at 250-519-6990 or [email protected]

In 1926, the biggest perils facing children at the Queen Alexandra Solarium for Crippled Children were polio and tuberculosis.By naming the Queen Alexandra Foundation in your Will, you can help generations of children and youth with special needs cope with their health care challenges today and in the future.

2400 Arbutus Road Victoria, BC V8N 1V7 www.queenalexandra.org

Queen Alexandra Solarium patients circa 1930

For more information, please call:



»»For more information or to let us know

you have made a gift through your estate,

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Childhood – the chance of a lifetimeYou can create a lasting legacy of love

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Give the gift of care, comfort, dignity, independence and respect. Your donations enable us to fund community programs

and education for seniors and their caregivers; purchase specialized equipment; upgrade care facilities with home-like enhancements; fund valuable research to improve the way the elderly are cared for; and protect the respect our elders deserve.

Your legacy will help us enhance quality of life for the elderly for generations to come.

GVEF - Planned GivingSenior Living Magazine4.625”h x 3.42”w - B&W

prepared by Art Department Design 250 381-4290April 2010

Charitable Giving:life to have been about?”

Supporting a charity in a focused and strategic way gives our lives lasting purpose, enabling us to thank and pay trib-ute to institutions or people who have been important in our lives, inspiring our children and our peers, supporting im-portant causes, and connecting us with the world at large.

Make sure you have an Investment Advisor who focuses on philanthropy to help you identify one or two causes you value most, educate you about the various modes of giving, help you choose the best option for your circumstances, and work proactively to maximize the impact of your dollars.

QUICK FACTS

Donation limits:All donations over $200 receive a tax credit at the

highest marginal tax rate. Annual donations cannot ex-ceed 75 per cent of your net income.

Carry-forwards:Excess gifts can be carried forward five years.

Willed donations:You get the maximum tax credit of 100 per cent of

net income in year of death.

Over-contributions:Excess gifts can be carried back to the year prior to

your death.

Guidance and planningMost Canadians underestimate their wealth and can donate

far more to charity than they ever thought possible. However, it is wise to make planned gifts within the context of a com-plete financial or estate plan.

You need a trusted professional advisor to ensure your best interests are being served at all times and to scrutinize your gift proposals to determine if they are financially appropriate for you. This advisor should accept the responsibility of en-suring you receive full disclosure and understand all the facts and rules regarding your gifts. For example, you may not be aware that a gift annuity is irrevocable, or that insurance pre-miums may increase over time.

The benefi ts of donating securitiesIn the spring of 2006, the federal government eliminated

the capital gains tax on donated securities. This provides a significant financial incentive to donate appreciated securi-ties directly to your favourite charity or philanthropic organi-zation. Gifts of securities tend to be larger donations and are often part of a philanthropic strategy or legacy. Here’s how


Planned Giving

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Since 1973, the Canadian Section of Amnesty International has promoted and protected human rights at home and abroad, through ongoing campaigning, outreach and education programs. By remembering Amnesty International in your will and estate planning, you will be helping to build a future where the fundamental dignity of every person is respected worldwide.

For information and assistance, contact: Heather Warren, Gift Planning Associate

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it works:When you donate stock, you receive a charitable tax receipt:• The value of your donation is based on the stock’s closing

price the day it is received by the charity.• A percentage of the donation becomes a non-refundable

tax credit, which lowers your taxes that year.• Charitable tax credits can also be used in the future. If you

wish, you can spread out your tax savings over five years.• You pay no capital gains tax on the appreciation of the

stocks; capital gains taxes are no longer charged on shares donated to registered charities.

This example illustrates how you can save thousands of dollars in taxes by donating shares directly to a charity, giving your charity and yourself a considerable advantage.

The information provided above is for illustrative purpos-es only. Please consult your financial or legal advisor for tax effective giving that is right for you.

Which modes of giving best suit your needs?Donor Advised Funds (DAFs)

Donor Advised Funds are a cost-effective alternative to creating a private foundation. They are ideal for people who want to be actively involved, or strategic, in their philanthro-py. DAFs allow you to enjoy all the benefits of forming a private foundation while leaving the administration and in-vestment management duties to the charity or institution.

Donor advised funds can involve a person, a couple, a fam-ily or a corporation. Often, a family will use a DAF to decide together, on an annual basis, which charities they will donate to each year. DAFs are typically funded with periodic lump sum contributions.

Endowment fundsThese are essential to any charity as they ensure a pre-

dictable income stream and the long-term success of the or-ganization. An endowment fund is like a receptacle for gifts given in perpetuity. The capital remains untouched, while the income generated is used to finance ongoing programs and services.

Endowments are an ideal gift to keep donors’ visions alive long after they have passed away, and pay lasting tribute to


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Planned Giving

their passions or beliefs. They are often the best vehicle to satisfy certain donors’ strategic philanthropic objectives, as naming privileges often recognize the donor or family associ-ated with the endowment.

InsuranceA gift of insurance provides donors with an opportunity

to make a large gift to a charity while enjoying tax sav-ings today and in the future. For example, you could pay a low monthly premium and designate your charity as the owner and beneficiary, claiming the cost of the premiums as a tax deduction.

Insurance offers an affordable way to give a significant and lasting gift for a fraction of its ultimate value. You can donate through an existing life insurance policy or create a new policy for giving. Note there are many details to consider before putting this option into place.

Which modes of giving best suit your needs?Testamentary trusts and bequests

These are included in the donor’s will and are dealt with upon death. A commitment is made now, but the donor retains the funds through his or her lifetime. At the time of death, the donor’s estate distributes the funds to the designated charity.

Donors can make restricted bequests that specify what can be done with their money, or unrestricted bequests that can be used for any purpose. Your Investment Advisor can help you establish a trust or bequest with the guidance of a lawyer.

Gift annuitiesThe gift annuity or charitable gift annuity is a planned gift

that benefits both the donor and the charity. The charity re-ceives a minimum of 20 per cent of the annuity capital, while the donor receives lifelong tax benefits.

A contract is established between the charity and the do-nor in which the donor agrees to give an irrevocable gift. In exchange, the charity agrees to pay a lifetime annuity to the donor or surviving beneficiary.

Gifts of residual interestIf you possess property you would like to deed to charity,

you can make a gift of residual interest. You make an irre-vocable gift of the property but retain your right to use it for the rest of your life or for a certain term. For example, you could donate a residual interest in a principal residence and continue living there, or give a residual interest in a painting but continue to display it over a lifetime.

When you make a residual interest gift, you are entitled to a gift receipt that reduces your taxable income.

This material is for general information only and is not to be construed as an offer or solicitation for the sale or pur-chase of securities mentioned herein.


SL


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Planned Giving

Ten years ago, the first Valued Elder Recognition Awards (VERA) were presented by the University of Victoria’s

Centre on Aging, marking the United Na-tions International Day of the Older Per-sons on October 1st and recognizing the decades of dedication given by seniors to the community. Nominated individuals have to have made an exemplary unpaid contribution to the Capital Regional Dis-trict for a minimum of 10 years.

This year, from many nominations, three recipients were chosen, and each one said she was completely surprised and overwhelmed with the honour. Apart from their unfailing efforts being recognized


GIVING TIMEBY ENISE OLDING


Valued Elder Recognition Awards (VERA) 2010 recipients (left to right) Josephine Wingerber, Lyne England and Liz Underwood.

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and worthy of receiving the VERA award, each was adamant that meeting the others was a humbling and won-derful experience.

Lyne England is a volunteer for the Regional Family Council, Advocates for Care Reform, Saanich Peninsula Health Association and the Gordon Head Lions Club. As well, she lends her support to the South Island Health Coalition, the Mental Health Associa-tion and solicits funds for the Cancer Society.

The child of a war bride and mili-tary father, Lyne travelled all over the world, but she says, “We always came back to Vancouver Island.” Her former career as a nursing instructor at Camo-sun College helps her navigate the medical system while volunteering.

One of her roles is to help people understand the various governmental systems, like health care, and show them how to access aid. Or, for exam-ple, she may explain benefits, or an-swer questions about the Residential Tenancy Act.

With access to the Internet, Lyne helps seniors search for information they need. “We may go to visit some-one, if they cannot come to us,” she says.

“We all do things for other people and when you do that you receive a gift,” says Lyne of volunteering. “I feel happy and privileged that people allow me to enter into their lives, often at difficult times for them.”

Liz Underwood is a volunteer for the World-Wide Healing initiative, and the girls’ groups at Tsawout. In addition, she has assisted with youth lacrosse teams.

In the 1970s, with three sons and a husband involved in lacrosse, Liz natu-rally became involved and volunteered her time. Now, she works with young girls, usually 10-14 in a group, and her main aim is to instill the R word into their lives (R=Respect).

A residential school survivor, Liz

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Planned Giving


spent her own youth being told what to do, and how to do it. Now an Elder, she feels young people today don’t have any direction, and therefore was prompted to help her com-munity. A hospital employee for 28 years, Liz wanted to continue helping people.

To her delight, a young girl recently told her, “Liz, you are my mentor. I am going to do a story on you for my school project. I want to be exactly like you.”

Liz was amazed because young people usually emulate rock stars or singers, so for her it was a special honour.

Liz wishes more people would get involved and volun-teer. “The more you know the more you want to help,” she says, “and instead of mumbling behind everyone’s back, go out there and do something about it. It doesn’t take that much courage, besides, how do you know until you try?”

Josephine Wingerber is a long-time volunteer at the St. Elizabeth Church and the Catholic Women’s League. She has also given her time to the Saint Vincent de Paul Thrift Store and, in Alberta, to the Cub Scouts and Girl Guides.

“It’s not really a soup kitchen but rather a place where people can get food and companionship,” says Josephine. And that’s why she loves volunteering at what is called Friendly Hours. “We seem to have angels bringing in the food all the time,” she says. “We never ask people for mon-ey, but it always seems to come.”

By volunteering, Josephine says she made a better life for herself by getting out into her community. While rais-ing five children, she was at home a lot and unable to work outside the home. “This is one reason I started to volunteer,” she says, “because it got boring being at home all the time.”

One of her most exciting volunteer roles was as a scout leader when she attended the Boy Scouts Jamboree in Kananaskis. “I had four sons,” she laughs, and that’s what led her to become involved in scouting.

Over 20 years as a volunteer at the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store and over 20 years at Saanich Peninsula hospi-tal, Josephine says she has learned a lot about people – and herself. Taking a course in palliative care was a valuable ex-perience for Josephine. It gave her more confidence in her volunteer role because she used to be scared when someone died. She’s not anymore.

The VERA award ceremony took place on October 1st, the United Nation’s International Day of Older Persons. This year’s three recipients were in awe of each other’s ac-complishments and delighted to be in each other’s company and share in the recognition of their contributions.

Josephine sums it up, “I enjoyed meeting the other two recipients, they are such wonderful people, and we had a lot of fun with each other, including the university and the staff there at the Victoria Centre on Aging.” SL

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Planned Giving


When leaving a legacy to your heirs, consider how they’ll receive their inheritance, and not just how much.

Are you comfortable with them receiving a large sum all at one time with no conditions attached? Will they be mature enough to handle the proceeds? Will all of the intended beneficia-ries receive their inheritance, if you are in a blended family? These issues can generally be addressed with a testamentary trust.

Briefly, here is how a testamentary trust works:The trust is established in your last will and testament. It does not

come into existence until the date of your death.The trust is a separate taxpayer, so it will file its own tax return

and, therefore, the income may be taxed at a lower rate than if re-ceived by the beneficiary directly.

You must appoint a trustee, who may (but need not be) the ex-ecutor of your estate, and who can either be a trusted individual, or perhaps even a corporate trustee.

The terms of the trust can stipulate when your beneficiaries will receive their inheritance, or it can give the trustees complete discre-tion as to when to payout the funds.

Here are a few examples of when you might consider using a testamentary trust:

If you have minor children (or grandchildren) and you do not want them to receive their entire inheritance at age 18 or 19. If there are no conditions placed on their inheritance, they will be entitled to the funds once they attain the age of majority.

If you are in a second marriage, you may want to leave your as-sets to your second spouse, so he or she can use them for so long as they are alive. Upon your spouse’s death, the assets will revert to your children from a previous marriage and not go to the children or heirs of your second spouse. (If you do not put any conditions on the inheritance you leave to your second spouse, they will be free to leave the assets to whomever they choose, which may or may not include your children.)

If you have a child who qualifies for social assistance due to a disability, it may be better to leave the monies for them held in trust so the receipt of these proceeds does not jeopardize their ability to receive social assistance.

The uses of testamentary trusts are varied, and in some cases, the issues can be complicated. Be sure to speak with your financial planner to ensure you are leaving your inheritance in a way that is designed to achieve your desired objectives and minimize tax at the same time.

This article is for information only. For your specific situation, consult your financial planner.

Testamentary TrustEnsure your legacy is used for what you intend

BY DAVID ADIMORA

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In life, there is no free lunch. Unfortunately, this prin-ciple applies to death as well. The most immediate and obvious cost of dying is the funeral or other ar-rangements relating to the disposal of the deceased’s

body. While this can run to many thousands of dollars, it pales by comparison with the two main financial burdens of dying: probate fees and taxation. And while these two sets of fees can only rarely be avoided entirely, they can be minimized.

Probate fees

Probate is the process by which a court confirms that a deceased’s will is in fact that person’s last, valid will. Pro-bate has the practical value of providing reassurance to banks and others holding assets of the deceased that they may deal with the executor named in the probated will ac-cording to the instructions set out in the will.

Probate is not always required. For example, probate may not be required if a deceased owned all of his or her assets jointly with another person, or the deceased’s assets are held by institutions that do not require probate.

Where probate is required, probate fees are not paid if the value of the estate is below $25,000. Between $25,000 and $50,000, probate fees are $6 for every $1,000, and above $50,000, the rate is 1.4 per cent.

Having assets pass outside the will can minimize pro-bate fees. This result can be accomplished by numerous methods, including gifting assets during one’s lifetime, holding assets in joint tenancy with another person, or cre-


The Cost of Dying

BY WILLIAM R. WALTERS

The most immediate and obvious cost of dying is the funeral or other arrange-ments... but it pales by comparison with the two main financial burdens of dying:

probate fees and taxation.


Your willingness builds for the future.Through the giving of World Vision friends like you, we can improve thewell being of children for generations to come. Planning your will can

be practical and emotionally gratifying through your giving of:

Bequests, Gifts of securities Gift of Life insuranceFor more information, please contact

Denise Fernandes1-800-714-3280 ext 3837

Email [email protected] or visit us online atwww.worldvision.ca/plannedgiving


Planned Giving


As a child, music delights us

As an adolescent, music defines us

As an adult, music inspires us

Help us continue to delight, define and inspire. Please remember us in your will.

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Please remember us in your will.For more information call Jane K. Currie

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»»

ating inter vivos trusts. Great caution and thoughtful planning are required, however, to ensure that the benefit of minimizing probate is not acquired at too great a cost.

For example, transferring property into joint names may trigger capital gains taxes or require the payment of property transfer taxes that offset the savings on probate. One also surren-ders control by putting assets into joint tenancy: the joint owner’s co-opera-tion likely will be required to deal with the asset, and the actions of the joint owner may jeopardize the asset.

Taxation – A Simplifi ed OverviewCanada has no estate tax. However,

the Income Tax Act brings into income for the deceased’s final year many kinds of accrued capital gains, accrued income and recapture of capital cost allowance.

Accrued capital gains are one of the most significant issues for an estate. A capital gain is the difference between the cost of an asset to its owner when it is bought and the price at which the owner disposes of it. If the asset is sold for less than it was bought, a capital loss results.

When a person dies, the Income Tax Act deems that a deceased sold for fair market value all of their assets just before death. Of course, the asset may not actually have been sold. Nonethe-less, the deceased’s estate is respon-sible to pay the capital gains tax that results from this deemed disposition of the asset.

In order to minimize the effect of taxes on death, an individual can plan to defer the payment of taxes for as long as possible and can try to achieve tax savings.

Common deferral techniques include: Spousal or common-law partner

rollovers: property is transferred to one’s spouse or partner during lifetime or after death in order to defer the pay-ment of the tax arising on death until

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Senior Living Magazine-- October 2010

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the spouse or partner dies. Eligible property such as capital property can be rolled over on death to a spouse, common-law partner, spouse trust, or common-law partner trust. While alive, an individual can only rollover capital property to this same set of in-dividuals and trusts.

Rollover of certain kinds of farm and fishing property to a child resident in Canada: noteworthy is that a child here may, in appropriate circumstanc-es, include grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Estate freezes: business or invest-ment assets are transferred to a corpo-ration or the capital of an existing cor-poration is reorganized so that future growth occurs in the hands of children or grandchildren.

Tax savings can be achieved by tak-ing advantage of certain provisions in the Income Tax Act including:

The $750,000 lifetime capital gain exemptions: for example, shares in a small business corporation owned di-rectly by an individual may qualify for

this exemption if the necessary criteria are satisfied.

Testamentary trusts: trusts created in a will are taxed at the same gradu-ated rates as the income of an individ-ual. Income generated in such trusts thus will be taxed at the appropriate rate and resulting capital could be distributed tax free to beneficiaries. This arrangement is particularly use-ful where the beneficiary is earning income from other sources outside of the trust as well.

As with plans to save probate fees, individuals should carefully assess the benefits, costs and risks of any plan to save or defer taxes arising on death. These issues must be looked at in the total context of an individual’s estate plan and not simply in isolation. Expe-rienced, professional advice, although perhaps costly in the short-term, may be the best investment of all.

This article is informational only. For personal advice, contact your le-gal professional.

SL

Are you one? Family Caregivers

provide care for an adult family member or friend who is in poor health,

elderly or has a disability.

Your gift will help caring families stay strong

Tel: 250-384-0408 www.familycaregiversnetwork.org

Planned Giving


Planned Giving Travel & Adventure

Everybody has been to New York, if not in person, then by way of TV, movies or music, and images of the

action, people and scenery are familiar. Just hearing the words the Bronx, Yan-

kees, Central Park, UN, 5th Avenue and Ground Zero transports us to the centre of The Big Apple.

Being there is both fascinating and familiar; it’s overwhelming yet embrac-ing. It is noisy, busy and full of enter-

Go On, Take a BiteSTORY AND PHOTOS

BY ENISE OLDING

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»tainment, be it at a theatre or on the street. And it could take a lifetime to see and experience it all.

Getting a grip on whether places are in Upper Manhattan, Uptown, Mid-town or Downtown is the first step in



getting oriented. A map is indispensable to help figure out the different areas: The Garment District, Flatiron Gramercy, Chelsea, SOHO, Hell’s Kitchen, Little Italy, the Financial District, Union Square and so on. The ubiquitous yellow cabs are plentiful and the cabbies like to know where you want to go and just get you there with little conversation or discussion. Investing in a MetroCard allows limitless travel on the public transportation systems, which can be used without trepidation, as all modes of transport were clean and without graffiti. Pedicabs are by far the most unnerving mode of transportation, but they can cut through just about any traffic or people jam.

New Yorkers are inundated with visitors but are unfailingly patient, helpful and go out of their way to help people find their way. Locals seem to have a good knowledge of their city and are happy to make recommendations, are willing to discuss just about anything from the state of the economy to the Empire State building. Impromptu conversations and discussions amongst bus passengers wasn’t unusual allowing for an inside look at the local opinions. While the subway is quick and cuts across the city efficiently, bus travel allows a view from the window of areas you might not have time to visit.

The New York City Pass is a good investment since it gets you in the fast line, at a reduced rate, to some of the most popular destinations. If it’s a clear day, going up New York’s tallest building, the Empire State, is a great way to get your bearings. You will not be alone, but the long lines move quickly, the elevators even more so and, for some brave souls, walking up the last 10 flights in an enclosed stairwell makes the eventual arrival on the 86th floor observation deck even more stunning. A total of 103 floors, the art deco style limestone and stainless steel building were completed in 1931.

Completing the first-time visitor’s orientation is an informative guided boat trip around the southern tip of Manhattan with views of the Statue of Liberty, New Jersey and the jostling cityscape. Now, armed with map and passes, New York awaits.

You could get lost in The Metropolitan Museum of Art for hours, days even. Collections range from Arms and Armor, to the Egyptian Temple of Dendur and

Do you have questions?

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END OF LIFE ISSUES • What to do when someone dies

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rooms by Frank Lloyd Wright. Restau-rants offer sweeping views of several floors of the interior of the Met or out-side to Central Park.

The Frank Lloyd Wright designed Solomon R. Guggenheim inverted ziggurat-style Museum houses works of art in its interior spiral galleries, which seem to embrace viewers into the structure itself.

The Museum of Modern Art is also on the “must see” list with exhibits and building design features too numerous to mention. These are only three of the many museums in New York. Photogra-phers may want to visit the International Centre of Photography, which featured Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civ-il Rights at the time of our visit.

Experiencing New York often costs nothing. A visit to St. Patrick’s Ca-thedral was especially rewarding as a lavish wedding ceremony was taking place at the time. Dedicated in 1879 and with 2,200 seats, the cathedral was crowded with tourists, worshippers, celebrants and armed police at the

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door, but none of it impinged on the ceremony, and every-one applauded when the couple embraced, and many mopped tears from their eyes.

We wandered through the diminutive 1766 St. Paul’s Cha-pel, which was spared in the 9/11 attacks on the nearby World Trade Center, and encountered a convergence of several fire trucks that unloaded heavily equipped firefighters. They hus-tled by T-shirt and short clad tourists down the subway to quell a fire. Moments before, we stared at the grubby bench and fire-fighter’s uniform, which remains at the back of St. Paul’s as a reminder of the succor and safety the chapel provided that his-toric September. At the area around the World Trade Center, we spoke with workers from the site, and looked at the memorials. No matter who came along the sidewalk, tourist or worker, the mood remained quiet, sombre, and yet expectant.

The 340-hectare Central Park with its meadows, lakes and

forested areas is free, unless you want to take a horse-drawn carriage ride. Mostly, it is a place for recreational activity and offers endless visual entertainment. Prince Harry, along with others, many who were physically challenged, participated in a fundraising run while we were there. The stoic efforts and the participants sheer joy of achievement, made it necessary to bring out the Kleenex again. Strawberry Fields is dedicated to the memory of John Lennon and is a popular spot for visitors. It is near his former home in the historic Dakota Building and, from chatting with the doormen, we saw the exact spot where the former Beatle was gunned down. Good for walking, sports activities and just having a break from the endless roaring of the city, Central Park provides a refreshing natural pause.

Little Italy offers the taste of Italy with plenty of great res-taurants but, as with most cities, the original Italian population has moved out. Chinatown, however, has shops and shoppers that could be taken from an image 100 years ago. Columbus Park is a hive of activity with Chinese opera, mah-jong, martial arts classes, tai chi and social gatherings.

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comings and goings, it’s not so hard to imagine how it ap-peared when it was first built in 1913, and be thankful that Jackie Kennedy took on the project of saving it from the wrecking ball.

No trip to New York is complete without catching a show on Broadway, and we saw Chicago at the down-at-heel Ambassador Theatre. In stark contrast was the exquisitely maintained Carnegie Hall of which we had a thoroughly in-formative tour, and a chance to say we’ve sung at Carnegie Hall when our little group gave voice to “Happy Birthday” for one of us.

New York is a visit to the UN, which stirs hope and faith. It’s going to restaurants where the staff are numerous and in uniform whether it’s low- or high-end. It’s the intimate em-brace of jazz at Lincoln Center, the unreal goods in shops you’d never bother going in, and the monuments to business that poke into the sky with golden rooflines. It’s the feather-bedecked reveller from the Gay Pride Parade waltzing around the train station entrance. It’s the backpacker on the 3 a.m. train to Newark airport who was headed for Tofino. It’s the Gothic spires of the Brooklyn Bridge and the cop who took time to pose for a photo while directing traffic in the middle of a wildly busy New York intersection. It’s sitting in the middle of Times Square at a little round table while one of the world’s greatest cities whirls around you.

Photos: Page 21, Looking north from the Empire State Building. Page 22, A sarcophagus in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Opposite page, The Brooklyn Bridge.Below, Armor and ancient battle accoutrements at the

Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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Retired from a career in radar, communications and computers, lifelong photographer George Cousins was born and raised in North Syd-ney, Nova Scotia, a small seaside town where

his grandfather was a Grand Banks fisherman and his dad worked in the merchant marine corp. George grew up with a love for the sea, ships and nature.

George wanted to work in electronics but the cost was out of his reach, and his parents couldn’t help. “So I joined the RCAF with the intention of spending five years study-ing as hard as I could while being fed, housed, clothed and so on. I came out qualified in five trades.”

The RCAF transferred George to 408 Squadron, a pho-tographic unit at Rockcliffe (Ottawa), where he became friends with two avid photographers who “really knew what

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LIFE BEHIND

THE LENS

BY VERNICE SHOSTAL Phot

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George Cousins shooting in Beacon Hill Park.

WWW.SENIORLIVINGMAG.COM NOVEMBER 2010 27»

they were doing,” he says. “I learned a lot from them.”

George’s photographic hobby began when he was 10 with a Box Brownie, a camera “that didn’t even have a lens.” Occasionally, he was allowed to use his mother’s Vest Pocket Kodak, and the results were a little better. In the 1940s and early 1950s, photos were black and white.

In 1953, when the Air Force sent George to the Arctic to help survey for the early warning radar lines, his friends, who were into 35mm colour slide photography, insisted that he take a camera and get lots of pictures. For two weeks, the friends gave George a

crash course in F. stops, depth of fields and light readings. He bought a tripod, light metre and as many rolls of film as he could afford. One of the friends loaned George a 35mm Voigtland camera, and insisted that George write down every camera setting detail for each photo he took including time of day and the exact order in which they were taken.

After he finished each roll, George sent it back to Ottawa with his paper-work. When the film was developed, his friend returned the processed film together with a set of slides and a de-tailed analysis of every shot. “He was critical,” George says.

The lessons continued for a year before George’s friend decided it was safe for him to set out on his own.

George spent three years travelling over the Arctic and Sub-Arctic from Baffin Island to the Yukon and the Ter-

THE LIMITS OF INCAPACITATION

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William is an associate lawyer with Horne Coupar, a Victoria law firm that has been practicing in the Greater Victoria region for over 65 years. Between the four partners alone, there are about 100 years of legal expe-rience. Much of that experience comes from specializing in issues related to an ageing population.

William’s work focuses on two eventu-alities we face as we get older. One is defi-nite – death. The other is increasing statisti-cally – incapacitation – the inability to make decisions on your own behalf due to health issues.

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decisions for themselves. It gives those involved a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities.

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ritories. He found the land of the midnight sun a fasci-nating place to work.

“With a daytime tem-perature of 99 degrees Fahrenheit on the shore of the Arctic Ocean, summer comes with a blast and an unbelievable amount of mosquitoes.” The Inuit, George says, were “the salt of the earth.”

While he was in the Air Force, George purchased an Exakta Varex 35mm camera along with some filters and a 400mm telephoto lens.

“That was my pride and joy until I finally went digital in 1996.” By the time George purchased his first digital camera, he had accumulated 5,000 colour slides, which he eventu-ally digitized and now keeps on his PC and several back-up DVDs.

“Digital opens untold opportunities

for us all,” says George. “No more agonizing about every frame because we can only get 20 or 36 photos on a roll, and we never knew what we really got until the lab processed them. Now, anyone can be a pretty good photographer.”

After his formal train-ing with the RCAF, George joined Canadian General Electric to work for the Air Force as a civilian contrac-tor. The job took him all over Canada, California and Washington.

His next venture was in the computer industry. George started and managed several com-puter companies and finally opened a cable and networking company with his two sons.

“I was not cut out to stay in one job for long,” he says. In fact, photography

Photos: Page 26, top, Photographer George Cousins shooting in Beacon Hill

Park; bottom, Touchdown. Page 27, Evening at Peggy’s Cove.

Above, The Great Beyond. Opposite page, George in the arctic in

1954, self-portrait.

Arts & Entertainment


is the only passion that has stuck with him since his childhood.

In the spring of 2009, George de-cided to enter the Fotex International Photography Circuit held in Dubai and Lucknow, and won the silver medal in the landscape division with a shot of the Rocky Mountains taken from a boat on Maligne Lake in Jasper Na-tional Park.

For George, who prefers the moun-tains, ocean, sky-scapes and ships, photography is a means of getting out into nature. Today, he uses a Sony DSC-F828 and hopes to move into a digital single-lens reflex.

With a happy marriage between

camera and computer and investing in some “rather expensive peripherals,” George has set up galleries on three In-ternet photo sites, where he has sold a few pictures. George welcomes brows-ers whether they purchase his photos or not.

“Feel free to enjoy, laugh, groan, or whatever pleases you,” he says.

For more information about George’s photography, visit http://georgecousins.redbubble.com or www.redbubble.com/people/GeorgeCousins

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As a writer, when I have a new book out it means that my publisher requires me to go on the road for pro-

motional purposes. So, recently, I found myself reading at a local library. A po-etry group was meeting and I had been invited to join them. I expected the usu-al modest crowd elbowing each other to go on first and read their newly-minted poems. It didn’t turn out that way. Af-ter my reading as the invited poet of the evening, the audience members each came forward and read, not their own writing, but their favourite poems from the past; poems written by others.

I sat transfixed, listening to poems I had not heard read aloud since high

Memories Through PoetryArts & Entertainment

BY NAOMI BETH WAKAN

school. Wordsworth’s “I wandered lone-ly as a crowd,” Yeats’ “I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,” Hopkins’ “Glory be to God for Dappled Things” and Davies’ “A Great Time”. I actually felt tears swell in my eyes as the poems triggered memories. I just let go and wallowed in the past.

But I have a very practical survival streak under all this sentiment and the idea suddenly occurred to me, “Why not,” I thought, “Why not trace peak moments of the past by routing to them via favourite poems?”

The first image that immediately popped into my head was A.A. Milne’s “Little Boy kneels at the foot of the bed” for it was framed with Shepherd’s won-

derful illustration and hung above my twin’s and my own bed. Ours was not a religious household, and I was never

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taught to pray, yet something was there in the “Droops on the little hands little gold head” that stirred a response within me. Mostly, I think now, it was for the desire to have an ordinary family, with a middle-class home and daily rituals – something I never had.

It was years later before I found out that Christopher Robin’s childhood was even messier than my own.

The “Lady of Shalott” haunted my adolescence, where I loved from afar a series of totally unsuitable older boys, just as The Lady had her web shattered by a glimpse of that idiot, Lancelot.

When I immigrated to North Ameri-ca, it was Dorothy Parker’s brief witti-cisms that held my imagination – “men never make passes at girls who wear glasses” kind of poetry. Then, of course, there was Ogden Nash’s brilliant word play such as rhyming “obstetrician” with “lobstertrician” and “parsley” and “gharsley” and his hatred of metaphor in “Something Like a Whale,” which was a factor in me writing haiku many years later, where metaphor is totally absent.

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“At Simply Cremations we strive to keep cremation and funeral arrangements as simple as possible,” says Susan Veale, local funeral director and co-owner. “All funeral homes fundamentally offer the same services. We are different because we keep our costs low, and are upfront with our prices. We are caring and compassionate in all that we do.”

Located in a no-frills industrial park in Sidney B.C., Simply Cremations is celebrat-ing its first anniversary this November. They have already served over 120 families from Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.

Originally established 10 years ago in

Edmonton, Alberta, the company was found-ed on the notion that, by changing the ste-reotypical model commonly used by larger funeral service providers, funeral planning and arrangements could be both professional and economical.

“Our business is based on the premise of getting back to a place where a funeral com-pany services the community, rather than just being a corporation with commissioned sales people that are encouraged to up-sell you on products and services,” says Susan. “At all three of our locations in western Canada the funeral director is also the owner. This means the person you make your arrangements with has a vested interested in ensuring that you are completely satisfied. It also allows us to offer the same products and services at about half the cost.”

While the company’s name might imply they only provide cremation services, the reality is that they facilitate a full spectrum of

cremation and funeral services. “We can assist in arranging a cremation or

traditional burial, a formal funeral service or a more casual memorial service,” says Susan. “We’ll handle everything for you including transfer and sheltering, organizing the ser-vice and filing the necessary registration and documentation.”

Simply Cremations boasts a huge selection of products including keepsake urns, spe-cialty urns, biodegradable urns (made from cornstarch, salt or mulberry bark), memorial books and cremation jewelry. The price of every item is prominently displayed on-site, in their brochure, and on their website.

“Our motto is simple — ‘Treat people the way we would like to be treated,’” says Susan. “You won’t find crystal chandeliers, a big fleet of vehicles or giant pillars outside our office. But you will find that we provide professional services with a caring and under-standing approach, without high costs.”

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A Great Place to call “HOME”

Such poems as Emily Dickinson’s wonderful one on “How to make a Prairie” reminded me what an immense and varied landscape I had chosen to adopt as my new home.

I have recently come across a copy of Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham, which saw me through early motherhood, delighting both me and my children but, when wifedom and motherhood became jail-like, I recited Stevie Smith’s “Not Waving but Drowning,” which led me to rebirth in Zen Koans and the poetry of Rumi.

During my second marriage, life in rural surroundings be-came a reality as we built an earth-sheltered house together guided by the nine bean rows in Yeats’ “Lake Isle of Innis-free.” When rural life became too burdensome, we travelled, and I, nostalgically, became Padraic Colum’s “The Old Wom-an of the Roads” as I longed for a home, any kind of a home, to put an end to our meanderings. Japan became a temporary home and haiku and, later, tanka became my favourite poetry forms for expressing myself and Narihara’s death poem be-gan to haunt me:

“I have always knownthat at last I would have to take this roadbut yesterday I did not knowthat it would be today.”

Eventually finding and settling in a small house on a rea-sonable piece of ground, Billy Collins’ witty poetry and Wi-slawa Szymborska’s brilliantly honest poetry helped me find my own poetic voice and integrity.

at the bankthe teller discusseslay-offsI’m secure in the thought“I live by my poetry”

–Naomi Beth Wakan

Recently I read Alberto Manguel’s “Stevenson Among the Palms,” the story of Robert Louis Stevenson’s last days. I re-called his wonderful requiem:

“Under the wide and starry sky,Dig the grave and let me lie,Glad did I live and gladly die,And I laid me down with a will.This be the verse you grave for me:Here he lies where he longed to be,Home is the sailor, home from sea,And the hunter home from the hill.”

This wandering through the years with poetry has probably brought up a lot of odd lines that have stuck in your mind too, tying past events in your life to poetry. I do hope so. SL

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Choosing a charity to support can be challenging, especially in light of the fact that in Victoria alone, there are over 800 registered charities. So how does one choose just one or two charities?

First, think about what issues are most important to you. Do you want to protect the environment, is a university education important, how about healthcare, or supporting your local arts community? Do you want your gift to make a difference in your local community, or do you want to make a difference on a more global scale?

Once you have decided what area you want to support, you will have to pick a charity which coincides with your philanthropic intentions. For example, if you are interested in supporting healthcare, is it specific to cancer research, helping children with special needs, or purchasing new equipment for your local hospital? Be aware that there are many similar charities out there, so make sure it is the charity that you think it is.

You should always research the charity before donating any money. Check the website or ask for printed material about the organization. I would also recommend that you contact the charity directly to make sure that you have the correct name of the organization, determine what the mission of the organization is, and how the charity will use your money.

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By Natasha Benn, Development Officer, Planned Giving, University of Victoria

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The Victoria I Remember

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IS THIS A CRIME SCENE?

No one should ever be pressured, forced or tricked into giving money — even to loved ones. If someone you trust is taking advantage of you, help is out there. Learn the signs of financial abuse to protect yourself and the people you love.

ELDER ABUSE IT’S TIME TO FACE THE REALITY

To find out more from the Government of Canada about preventing elder abuse, visit www.seniors.gc.ca or call 1 800 O-Canada (1-800-622-6232) TTY: 1-800-926-9105

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I’ve lived a long life. Born on January 25th, l923, I have racked up many memories – many of them as a toddler, a young girl and then a woman in Victoria. I’ve expanded a lot – and so has Victoria!

My first real memory was when I was about two years old, walking with my mum on that stretch of sidewalk we called The Causeway. I don’t know if it is still called that by the locals, but it is the strip along the harbour from where the old Princess ships – the Joan, Marguerite and Kath-leen – used to dock opposite the Legislative Buildings, and along in front of the Empress. I can remember stopping, crying and begging my mum to carry me for what looked like miles ahead. I was surprised when I returned to Victoria and found The Causeway was only two-blocks long.

My next clear memory is my father throwing me in the deep end of the swimming pool at Crystal Gardens. He had to rescue me from the bottom, and I’ve never dived since. Crystal Gar-dens was a magical place with its domed, glass roof and tropi-cal plants, where exotic birds flew from one tree to another in the steamy interior while old, well-bred, Victoria society ladies gossiped and sipped tea, seated at tables around the pool.

Another memory, still vivid, was at Terry’s, maybe a drug-store, located at the southwest corner of Douglas and Fort Streets in the ’30s. Terry’s served the best ice cream in town and their cane tables and chairs were where mums and their kids met. One day, when I was about seven years old, I guess I was fooling around, and tipped my chair backwards and got my neck caught in the cane loop, which comprised the back of the chair. I screamed bloody murder and so did my mum and, finally, the proprietor had to use a saw to release me.

I started school at Bank Street School and then went to the Willows, where in Grade 4, I had a teacher called Miss

Tobin. I can still see the dress she was wearing that fateful day. During an exam, I copied an answer from the girl across the aisle. I felt so guilty I told Miss Tobin that I had cheated. She said I was such an honest little girl she wouldn’t punish me and, hence, committed me to a lifetime of honesty. Wise teachers can make a huge impact on their pupils!

Then we moved to Fairfield to an apartment at the north-west corner of Linden and May Streets, and I attended Sir James Douglas School.

Mum worked, so I spent a lot of time in Beacon Hill Park. One day, the dogcatcher was chasing a large brown curly-coated Irish water spaniel, which was bent on catch-ing a duck. I’m sure God forgave me my fib when I told the dogcatcher it was my dog and I would take it home immediately.

I got it out of the park (onto Cook Street) and looked at the address on its collar. Holding on tightly, I knocked on the door. An old lady (In retrospect, I think she must have been in her early fifties) answered. She was bent over with a hump on her back, had large teeth and kinky white hair. I thought she looked like a witch. I told her the story. Patting the dog’s head, she said, “Patrick you are a naughty boy.” She invited me in for tea, but I knew my mother would have had a fit if I had accepted, so I declined. The lady’s name was Madame Annette Babo Vivenot and she taught French at an exclusive girl’s school in Victoria.

She told me to ask my mum if I could visit her and her animals; she had a home for strays. I did and that started a strange friendship that lasted until Madame died in the ’60s. Madame had many animals to feed, including a rabbit and tortoise called Baccus. One of my jobs was to ask the butch-er for fish heads, which we cooked on an old woodstove in

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Barristers & SolicitorsEst. 1944

Madame’s basement. Rescued cats watched in anticipation from the rafters as I poked down the boiling fish heads so the eyes couldn’t look at me.

I had a sad task every few months when one of the cats had a litter. I put the kittens in a basket and walked up to the vet’s clinic on Quadra Street, so he could sex the babies. I brought the boys home, but the girls could never be placed so they went to kitten heaven. I cried all the way back to Madame’s, but the mother cats were so overjoyed seeing their sons, they forgot to count! That was 80 years ago, and I still recall one of the cats was called Martin Charles.

I was about 12 years old when mum paid for me to at-tend the annual Children’s Ball at the Empress Hotel. We were very poor but mum wanted her two girls to experi-ence life in the rich lane. I can remember feeling self-con-scious in my midnight blue satin dress clinging to my flat chest. The dress was ruffled at the neck and had a gold necklace attached. I hated it so much I slunk against a wall until I could go home.

We left Victoria when I was halfway through Grade 8. And I didn’t go back until the Second World War when I was mar-ried to my hero sailor at St. John’s Anglican Church by Rev. George Biddle. My father-in-law gave us enough money for a room at the Dominion Hotel on our wedding night and then neither of us had a penny until my husband’s next payday.

With the naiveté of youth – he was 20 and I 18 – we went to Beacon Hill Park, where the broom bushes were thick on Sentinel Hill. We nestled down using his issue great coat for a ground cover. It was June and warm, so we didn’t need anything over us. I had my Marriage Certifi-cate in the pocket of my bell-bottoms. We took an alarm clock so my sailor could hitchhike to his barracks, Naden 1. Sometime during the night, a policeman came upon us. After me sobbing that we were married and had no money for a room, he let us stay for the next week until payday. With no home, I climbed an oak tree, waiting for my hus-band to come back to me.

Then I got a job at Kresge’s on Douglas Street, so we had money for a room. On my husband’s 21st birthday, I had a three-tier cake baked for him and took it by streetcar to the barracks, where he had been confined for smoking on duty.

But perseverance wins out in the end. I bribed the guards at the gate with the top layer of the cake, and they let my sailor out for a few minutes. We walked over to the shed belonging to the E and N Railway, which my Civil Engineer great-grandfather had surveyed many years before. I sang “Happy Birthday” and we kissed for a while, until he had to go back inside. We met at the wire fence surrounding the barracks – I slept on the outside of the fence in the bushes, and he on the inside. We held hands through the wire and swore eternal love.

I was one of the first women in Victoria to join the Cana-dian Woman’s Army Corps (CWAC). I worked in the office of the Royal Canadian Engineers, who didn’t much care that


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Eventually, I got pregnant. He shipped out in November and I moved back to Vancouver with my poor, long-suffering mother. My sister had joined the army by that time and was back East. Our baby was born in August 1942, while he was still overseas. He was on the H.M.C.S. Athabaska when she was sunk off the French coast. I received a telegram the next morning, “Alive and well coming home on Survivor’s Leave.” I was terri-fied I wouldn’t recognize him – he had been gone almost three years and I had only known him six weeks before we were married, and was with him only a few months before he left for overseas.

With his leave up, he was posted to Halifax, where I joined him. We lived in one small room in an old house, which had survived the 1917 explosion, but had crooked doors and windows that didn’t shut properly. After fighting with bedbugs for a few months, he was posted back to Victoria where we lived at 27 Boyd Street in James Bay.


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After a few miserable months, I got him out of the navy on compassionate grounds because his drinking was killing our marriage. We then moved back to Vancouver, where we divorced two years later – a typical war story. He died in a one-person car crash in northern B.C. in May, l970. A notice in the newspaper listed seven people killed on the road over the Easter weekend. I phoned our daughter and we both cried. “He didn’t even know he had grandchildren,” she said. Nei-ther of us had heard of him for years.

About 20 years ago, I took one of my grandkids to Vic-toria for the boat ride. When I passed Douglas and Yates Streets, I was flooded with memories. We fondly called that intersection “Pussers’ Corner.” And just west on the north side of the Douglas Street was the Liberty Café, which was affectionately known as Naden 111. The café belonged to the navy and their gals. Loves, hates, jealousies, fistfights over women, partings and meetings, tears and laughter were all part of the Liberty.

Clothes were as important then as now. Sailors, who had any pride, wore Tiddlies with huge bell-bottom pants. Puss-ers were what the navy issued. My sailor had Tiddlies, of course, even though it cost two week’s pay.

Today, I’m an old lady, happily living alone in Vancou-ver. I was blessed with three more wonderful daughters, six beautiful and healthy grandchildren, three great-grandkids and a sparkling treasure chest of cherished memories that all started in Victoria many years ago!


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SAANICH VOLUNTEER SERVICES has clients needing drives to appointments but volunteer drivers aren’t available. If you can help call 250-595-8008.

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HOME INSTEAD SENIOR CARE - Ask us about our new concierge services. We provide a little assistance when you need it.Do you need meal preparation, light housekeeping, laundry, shop-ping, appointments, or respite? We are also hiring seniors. Call 250-382-6565.

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MUSIC LESSONS at the Peninsula Academy of Mu-sic Arts, 1662 Mills Road, North Saanich 778-426-1800. All instruments. www.PeninsulaAcademy.ca

COMPUTER BASICS IN YOUR HOME. Pa-tient senior computer lady to show you e-mail, surfing. Hourly fee. Connect with your world. 250-516-5980.

MOBILE FOOT CARE NURSE home visits in greater Nanaimo, Cedar to Parksville. John Patterson LPN, qualified nursing foot care for toenails, corns and calluses. 250-390-9266.

WHAT’S YOUR STORY? For individualized assistance with all levels of autobiographical / memoir writing. Contact Maureen Garbarino at 250-995-2782 or [email protected]

COMPASSIONATE CARE RCA Certified. First aid, drivers license - companion chauffeur, light housekeeping. Call Alanna 250-588-5412.

MATURE CLEANING LADY available for Victoria area. $17.50/hr. Please call Marienicole at 250-385-1696.

HOUSE & PET SITTING - Female, PT writer, 15 years experience, excellent references. Peace of mind while away. http://www.house-sitting.ws 250-419-2381.

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SNOWBIRDS Senior needs one-bedroom cottage long-term, in exchange for security, maintenance, repairs, firewood etc. He is straight, no criminal re-cord, NS, ND, responsible, with a farm background. Please call Albert 250-240-3274 or PO Box 293 Qualicum Beach, BC V9K 1S8.

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Dear S.W.:Well, I guess the simple reply is that

women outnumber men and particular-ly as we age. This situation can lead to reckless decisions and, as I have said before, dangerous outcomes.

There are plenty of ways to instigate safe social interaction where women and men can meet. I mentioned in a much earlier column that anyone could start a coffee meeting group. I see many women’s groups as well as men doing so, but someone has to start a mixed group. Anyone can do this. Just set a time and place using this column!

SENIOR PEER COUNSELLING CENTRESVictoria 250-382-4331Duncan 250-748-2133Nanaimo 250-754-3331Sidney 250-656-5537Courtenay/Comox 250-334-9917Salt Spring Island 250-537-4607Port Hardy 250-949-5110

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Dear Goldie:I am a retired woman in my early

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–L.D.

Dear L.D.:Losing a partner changes your life in

many ways. The circumstances of the loss and the strength of the relationship affect the outcome for the survivor.

The tone of your letter seems to im-ply that you have dealt with your initial grief and loss, and you are now pre-pared to get on with your life. Begin the process by inviting a group of close friends to your home. The conversa-tion will lead to your present situation and intentions. You should start getting social invitations immediately.

Good Luck!

Dear Goldie:Something bothers me about the

“Dear Goldie” letters. I have discussed this with friends and their advice was to write to you. So here goes!

I just can’t believe the number of women who are prepared, at the drop of a hat, to take off with a stranger and travel halfway around the world with him. Are they crazy? They know nothing about him and, as you warned, their lives are in danger. I’m sure men would never be so foolish.

Why are women so desperate? –S.W.

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Most westerners were given a glimpse of Bei-jing’s unique architecture during the Olym-pics; the bird’s nest and water cube are the most architecturally stunning and technically

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The Chinese love the colour red. They believe it brings them luck and prosperity and it is everywhere: red and gold shine throughout Tian’anmen Square and the Forbidden City’s palace.

Built between 1750-1764, during the Qing Dynasty, the Summer Palace boasts the largest imperial garden in China. Situated on a lake, its use of rocks, plants, pavilions, ponds and covered walkways provide a taste of history and a pho-tographer’s delight.

The brilliant blue Temple of Heaven, constructed from 1406 to 1420, is where the Emperor prayed each winter for good weather and crops: if they failed, so could his reign. The entire structure uses numbers. For example, the number nine, consid-ered the most powerful digit: nine slabs are used to form the temple’s circular altar. Pillars and columns represent days and months. In order to appreciate these structures fully, study their history prior to visiting the site.

Beijing, “Old China”, was once called Peking. It is China’s capital and its second largest city. Highlights include a trek along the grey-stoned Great Wall and sitting back in a red rickshaw while a smiling guide peddles you through a Hutong (lanes and alleys). This tour gives visitors a taste of old Beijing and Chi-nese architecture including a visit inside a dwelling compound or quadrangle (Siheyuan).

Shoppers and souvenir hunters will want to visit a cloisonné workshop to watch this ancient art form in action. Cloisonné re-fers to a decorative or ornamental enamelwork where delicate thin wires of gold, silver, brass or copper are fused to a metal plate in the form of a design. The cells in the design or cloison-nés are filled with vitreous enamel. Thin metal wire or metal strips separate each compartment or coloured area. A paste form of enamel is heated to join the enamel to the surface resulting in high gloss products from glowing jewelry to magnificent vases.

Before departing the city, restaurant connoisseurs must feast on Peking duck, a true delicacy especially the crispy skin, Beijing dumplings and the ever-popular dim sum, serves up a treasure trove of steamed surprises.

A two-hour flight to Wuhan with its 60 universities makes

Travel & Adventure

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BY DEE WALMSLEY

Temple of Heaven


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this city the “educational centre” of China. A highlight is explor-ing the Provincial Museum, where 200,000 cultural relics from intricately painted pottery, jade carvings and bronze vessels are on display. Also featured are the Bianzhong bells, which were unearthed in 1978 from the 2,400-year-old tomb of “Marquis” Yi along with a 125-piece orchestra and 25 musicians. Costumed musicians play a replica of the chimes daily.

The Yangtze River, which originates in Tibet, is the longest river in China and the third longest in the world; enjoy a tour of the Yangtze Three Gorges from YiChang to Chongqing or Shanghai. The riverboats are comfortable navigating down the long gorge guarded by stone cliffs, and the food is fantastic.

In 1994, the gorge was flooded to begin work on the Three Gorges Dam, which resulted in controversy and concern for inhabitants who lived along the river. Today, over 80,000 have been relocated either higher up the cliffs or on farmland. One of the cliff walls supports a lone Ba hanging coffin – an ancient ethnic Chinese custom of placing the dead body in a coffin and hanging it over a precipice.

Changing to a sampan, a small flat-bottomed Chinese boat crewed by five glistening oarsmen, we traverse the Shennong Stream where we are delighted to see golden-haired monkeys bathing in the clear water. All along the riverbanks, next to for-gotten tombs, caves and foliage, cliff swallows build their nests. Stone steps and crumbling walls disappear into cobalt waters.

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The Great Wall.


The sound of a flute fills the air; perched at the entrance to a cave sits a man in blue joyfully serenading nature. When the wa-ter becomes shallow, the oarsmen hop onto the riverbank and with bamboo ropes pull the vessel through the narrows.

Back aboard the cruise ship *Sun-shine*, we make our way to foreboding Fengdu, “the Ghost City” land of spirits. There are 75 Buddha and Tao temples in the town of Fengdu, most of them gath-ered on a famous hill named Ming Moun-tain, the legendary Taoist spirit world. Grotesque statues border temple entranc-es where displays of hideous tortures keep flash bulbs popping and children hiding in their mother’s skirts.

Travellers disembark in Chongqing and fly to Xian for a quick walk through the most famous Buddhist pagoda built in 589 AD – the Wild Goose Temple. It is a land of red and gold. The sweet aroma of incense permeates the air as worshippers bow and pray before temple gates. Big Buddha, an 18-metre-high statue carved from one magnificent sandalwood tree, is stunning, as are an array of Buddhist

sculptures throughout the pagodas. Next stop, the incredible Terra-Cotta

Museum: touted as the biggest on-site museum in China. In 1974, farmers drill-ing wells in search of water came upon pottery fragments and bronze weapons. The find was immediately reported to government officials and an archaeologi-cal team deployed to unearth an army of 7,000 plus soldiers, horses and chariots, birds and even some construction work-ers who were buried alive while guarding Emperor Qin’s tomb since 210 BC. Today, a work in progress, the excavation and reconstruction continues. Visitors are en-couraged to purchase the book *The Qin Dynasty Terra-cotta Army of Dreams* in the museum gift shop, where the farmer who discovered it all sits waiting to au-tograph each copy. The contents of this publication are not only enlightening but also contain a fascinating history.

On to Suzhou and the silk market where the life cycle of the silkworm is explained as we listen to the worms crunching mul-berry leaves. We learn the intricacies of removing worms from cocoons, spinning

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and weaving hair-thin threads and lastly a shoppers delight browsing silk products from clothing to lighter-than-air duvets. The stretching of silk fibres for the duvets is an experience unto itself and definitely not for the feeble.

The Master of Nets garden is breathtak-ing, as are the residential buildings within. Imagine sitting overlooking a pond of lo-tus blossoms listening to each raindrop’s song on the lush green leaves while a cur-tain of pearls cascades from a nearby roof and you, sipping green tea, compose one poem after another.

Words cannot describe the artisanship at the Embroidery Institute, where one piece of cloth with two very different de-signs on opposite sides is pure magic.

Visit the Zhujiajiao Watertown, Chi-na’s Venice, complete with boat cruises and local shops. This tour gives one a real insight into everyday living as we peek inside shops and cafes.

Finally, Shanghai, China’s city of the future: 20 years ago, much of the land was a rice paddy. Today, construction cranes work endlessly building futuristic high-rise homes, hotels, restaurants and work places for the city’s nearly 19 million people. The construction crane is now the official bird of Shanghai. Ride the eleva-tor in the 88-stories JinMao Tower at 30 feet per second and not feel a thing. See the Oriental Pearl Tower lit at night as you stroll the Bund and enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of Shanghai. Plan to re-turn, as this city is a tourist’s dream well worth exploring.

This taste of China’s engineering, technology and natural beauty is only a chopstick’s view of a vast evolving coun-try. A little pre-tour net surfing into one’s itinerary is highly recommended as this country’s history and culture is far beyond the retention of any tourist’s mind.

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Pulling silk.


Another decade is ending. Not just 2010, but for me, a personal one. When you are

born in a decade year ending in zero, these birthdays seem to be much more significant than those in between.

When I was 10, the thought of 70 was not even part of my ken. I didn’t have grandparents in my life.

When I was 20, the thought of 70 was not to be thought of at all. I didn’t even know anyone who was THAT old!

The decade I turned 30 was a fun one, married just a few years, no great responsibilities. Forty, I threw a party announcing my birthday as I had heard that life begins at 40.

Fifty was the year that I walked away from working for someone else, started my own company and bought myself a sexy sounding car. That was an exciting decade with great things happening to businesswomen in Victoria.

When I turned 60, I wrote a book about being courageous and outra-geous, which led to this column.

This month begins my seventh de-cade. Even as I write these words, I can’t quite believe it. I don’t see my-self as a 70 year old, even when I look

Courageous

Pat Nichol is a speaker and published author. www.patnichol.com

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Honouring MilestonesBY PAT NICHOL

in the mirror. Recently, someone said he was celebrating the 20th anniversa-ry of his 50th birthday. Certainly, that is one way of looking at it.

I know in the grand scheme of things, I am still a child and there are days when I feel like that child. When

I think about how much I still have to learn, I feel very young and naive. When I sit on the ground for a period of time and attempt to get up quickly,

my physical body knows exactly how old it is.

I am going to celebrate this birthday for the whole month of November with as many courageous and outrageous things as I, and any friend who wants to help, can conceive.

I am, as Goethe says, becoming a “true child.” There may be an after-noon in a tattoo parlour, certainly lots of champagne and laughter.

If anyone has any great ideas of how this milestone can be honoured and played with, I would love to hear them. At the least, have a piece of birthday cake for me.

Age does not make us childish, as some say; it finds us true children. – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Recently, someone said he was celebrating the 20th anniversary of

his 50th birthday.Contact the program nearest you:Victoria Lifeline • 1-888-832-6073

Eldersafe Support Services • 1-866-457-8987South Vancouver Island and Ladysmith

Nanaimo Lifeline Program • 250-739-5770or 250-947-8213

Mid Island, Cassidy to BowserComox Valley Lifeline Society • 1-866-205-6160

North Island, Cowichan Valleyand Chemainus/Crofton

Live Safelyand Independentlyin Your Own Home

www.bclifeline.com

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If you believe you have been the tar-get of a scam, call the Better Business Bureau Vancouver Island at 250-386-6348 in Greater Victoria or at 1-877-826-4222 elsewhere on the Island, so others can benefit from your experience. E-mail [email protected]

BY ROSALIND SCOTT

SCAMALERT

Smart Estate Planning

SL

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but most importantly, AFTER the sale.

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Shop at Victoria’s Most Trusted

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Estate planning isn’t only for the wealthy, nor is it a topic people enjoy thinking about. But if

you own something of value you would like to pass on to loved ones or charity, start thinking about creating an estate plan today.

An estate plan, which includes items like a will, living trust and liv-ing will, helps organize and distribute your money and belongings to the peo-ple and organizations you want them to go to.

Take the time while you are healthy to think through some of the difficult decisions that come with estate plan-ning and, therefore, help reduce the chances that your family will be taken advantage of when it comes time to deal with your estate.

BBB offers the following guidance on the basic components of an estate plan:

WillAt the very least, anyone who has

assets to pass on to specific individuals should create a will. A will can allocate assets as well as establish guardianship of children.

Most wills have to go through pro-bate after the individual’s death. In probate, a court oversees the payment of any debts and distributes inheri-tances – the process can last several months.

Living TrustWhile a trust might sound like a tool

for the wealthy, it’s for anyone who would like to set conditions on how and when his or her assets are distrib-uted. A trust can also help reduce the amount of taxes paid on the inheritance and, unlike a will, does not have to go through probate. A trust may be neces-sary if you want to give your child or grandchild their inheritance over time, rather than in a lump sum, and restrict how the money can be spent.

Living WillA living will provides a way for an

individual to communicate his or her desire for life-saving measures in case of incapacitation. In addition to a liv-ing will, individuals can also assign medical power of attorney to someone they trust who can further ensure that their wishes are fulfilled.

For simple estates, many websites offer an inexpensive, do-it-yourself approach to creating a will. However, it’s best to enlist the help of a lawyer

for more complicated estates. Keep in mind that a great deal of

personal and financial information will be needed to set up your plan. You re-ally need to have complete confidence and trust in the lawyers, estate plan-ners, accountants or others who will be involved in organizing your needs, so be sure to research any estate planning companies or lawyers with BBB first before paying for their assistance.

While no one enjoys thinking about death, those who don’t take the time to create an estate plan are leaving it up to someone else to decide where their assets should go when they pass away.Take the time while

you are healthy to think through some of the

decisions that come with estate planning.


It follows the story of a little boy who has one misadventure after another. A mischievous child to his parents and teachers, he carries a stuffed toy he calls Hobbes clutched to him wherever he goes. A toy to others, but to Calvin a real and living buddy who is mostly always there for him.

They say that Charles Shultz, the creator of Peanuts, and Bill Watterson based their main characters on their own children. Mr. Shultz must have winced a little when it came time to pencil in Lucy pulling the football away when Charlie Brown tried to kick it. Then hearing peo-ple laugh or snicker and say, “Good old Charlie Brown.”

Poor ol’ Charles Shultz harboured such sad and embarrassing memories from his past and coined the term “security blan-ket,” perhaps because such a blanket was a long-ago friend. It seems Charles Shultz was secure in his insecurity!

Whether we call them comics or funny papers or funnies or whatever, be they juvenile or sophisticated, rude or endear-ing, I hope they will always be with us to tickle our imagination. The far away ones have rolled up on the shores of the past. And still, I miss them.

So, rest well Li’l Abner, Joe Palooka, Andy Panda, Dick Tracy and all those who were and are no more.

As I peruse the comics in this morn-ing’s newspaper, I would rather go with Hagar on his Viking adventures to Eng-land than go with Dilbert to his cubbyhole office. Oh indeed, I would. I would! SL

Refl ections THEN & NOW

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THE FUNNY PAPERS

BY GIPP FORSTER

Reflections,Reflections,��

and Other Breakfast Foods

A Collection of Published & Unpublished Writings by Senior Living Columnist Gipp ForsterMAGAZINE

Limited Edition

128 pages REDUCED PRICE

$10.00

Name_____________________________________Address___________________________________City______________________________ Prov ____ Postal Code____________ Ph _________________ ____ BOOKS @ $14.92 each = $_______ (incl. $3.95 shipping & taxes)

“Reflections” MAIL-IN ORDER FORMReflections, Rejections, and Other Breakfast Foods

by Gipp Forster

Please allow two weeks for shipping.

Make cheque payable to Senior Living MAIL TO: Senior Living 153, 1581-H Hillside Ave., Victoria BC V8T 2C1

A collection of Gipp’s humorous and nostalgic columns. A wonder-ful read for yourself, and a thoughtful gift for friends and family members.

The very first daily comic strip to appear in a newspaper, I am told, was in the San Francisco

Chronicle in 1907. It was called, “Mr. Mutt” and would eventually become “Mutt and Jeff.”

Those of us seasoned with years will remember Mutt and Jeff. Jeff was the little guy in the striped pants and top hat who carried a cane, while Mutt was the tall skinny guy with the bushy moustache and no upper lip.

I miss Mutt and Jeff. I wish they were still around. I’m still mad at Al Capp for retiring and taking Li’l Abner, Mammy, Pappy Yokum, Daisy May and Marryin’ Sam with him. The Yokums were fam-ily. It isn’t fair! One day you have family, the next they are all wiped out. How are we supposed to get along without Sadie Hawkins Day?

I miss Joe Palooka too. Joe was a bit of an enigma: a gentle, kind man who had impeccable manners and spoke of pa-triotism and peace and goodwill to men – while earning his living nurturing vio-lence in a boxing ring. I wish Ham Fisher were still around. If he were, Joe Palooka probably would be too.

What we call comics now used to be referred to as “the funny papers.” That,

too, was an enigma. Dick Tracy wasn’t funny. Nor were Terry and the Pirates. Some of today’s contri-butions leave me a little cold. Some are a bit rude – others seemingly uninspired.

Marmaduke has been around forever. I find this strip boring. You’d think it was being drawn for kids! Most adults, from what I can see, don’t take the funny papers very seriously. My wife seldom glances at them. She says she is surrounded by comedy and doesn’t need more.

But I’ve always loved the funny pa-pers. In fact, that’s how I begin my day. That and the word puzzle, which is sim-ple, but so am I.

Not that long ago, Bill Watterson re-tired his creation of Calvin and Hobbes. I guess there’s a strange justice in that. If Calvin had grown up, he probably would have ended up in prison. And Hobbes would have been sold in a garage sale.

But I miss Calvin and Hobbes the most. Watterson yanked the strip because news-papers were shrinking the space allotted to comics. Even my wife read and enjoyed Calvin and Hobbes. She said that Calvin reminded her of one of our grandsons, al-though I won’t say which one.

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One gift. Unlimited possibilities.

Natasha Benn | 250-721-6001 | [email protected]

Imagine the seed a conversation can plant. New ways of fighting disease. A work of art that moves generations. A business that creates thousands of jobs. And the University of Victoria students behind these achievements will have you to thank for making it possible. Your gift. Your legacy.

A planned gift to UVic can blossom into anything. Contact Natasha to start the conversation about creating a lasting legacy in your will or estate plan.

senior living magazine island edition november 2010

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