I am tired of hearing about the bonuses being given to executives at ICBC. This money would be better spent properly compensating people injured in accidents. Yes, I am one of those people, was injured in a horrific MVA last year, was in a coma for two weeks and am lucky to be writing this letter. I am receiving about 25 per cent of my wage from ICBC, far different from the 75 per cent I received from WCB for being injured on the job. As both are operated by the provincial government, why is there such a difference in compensation? Could you pay your mortgage on 25 per cent of your income? I didn't think so.Over the last month our old shepherd cross dog became very ill and received medical care from Van Isle Vets. The situation was difficult due to the age of the animal, the dog and his people encountered outstanding professional care and concern. When the dog had reached his end, everything was done professionally with dignity and great compassion all was explained to us during this time. I cannot recommend this veterinary clinic enough. Thank you, Van Isle Vets, especially Chris and Bruce, all the front desk gals, and the staff behind the scenes. The animals of the Comox Valley are in very good hands with this clinic.Thanks to the CVRD open houses and surveys on garbage, residents have expressed their concerns about local government spending. Ninety-one said they were concerned about cost effectiveness of spending! How does spending money on yet another Courtenay Fire Hall compare with maintaining the Fifth Street Bridge? This essential project has been on the "too hard to do" list for over a decade.Hats off to the Fanny Bay fundraising committee for their Mother's Day Afternoon Tea and Fashion Show. It was a hit! It was well attended by over 100 folks, some who came from as far away as Sooke and Campbell River. Buses from Glacier View Lodge and Cumberland Lodge brought many elder "babes" to the event to see the fashions from their past. Linda Hargreaves' beautiful collection of fashions, which included everything from funwear to evening gowns, was truly amazing. Every outfit was complete with jewelry, shoes, hat, gloves and a purse. From the little black swimsuit number circa 1900 to the "Titanic" dress with parasol and button shoes every outfit sparkled as they were modelled by a great bunch of gals, who at first were a wee bit reticent to parade in front of strangers, but after seeing the immense effort put forth by Linda and the "haute couture" quality of the collection, the models were enthusiastic, stylish, chic, and graceful. The tables were decorated with an assortment of summer flowers and fancy tablecloths with a spectacular assortment of tea cups and saucers some loaned and some donated to the hall for this event, by Norma Shelley, Erna Smith, Nancy Dear, Inger Hyatt, Marg Green and others. Emily Schroeder put together a Hat Display using a "rainbow" of Linda's hats that wouldn't be part of the fashion show but were deemed too beautiful and of an historic nature not to be seen. Carol Arthur's brass cherub lamp with stained glass "palm tree" shade stood proudly amongst Emily's colourful hat boxes and Linda's collection of feather, mink, wool, be-ribboned straw, Mother of the Bride, Queen Mother's, and felt hats. The following people deserve a lot of credit for their hard work and community mindedness: Linda Hargreaves, the owner of the collection, who had shown her wedding dress collection the week before at the Black Creek Hall, was competently assisted by dressers Dianne Bruon (Linda's sister) and Sheila Hargreaves (Linda's daughter). The 12 graceful and chic models were Carla Hope, Marg Selkirk, Suzanne Murray, Susan McLean, Lenore Morrey, Melanie and Violet Green, Kayla and Erin, Emily Wilson, Sara Mosch and Pascale Cork. The servers were Marg Green, Norma Shelley, Louise Bradshaw, Nancy Dear, Randy Brown, Celeste, Alexa Gilbert and Pat Stevenson. Pianist Laurie Johns outfitted in a glorious apricot ensemble, entertained us with selections from the various eras portrayed by the models. The kitchen was staffed by Vivian Cruise, Alexa Gilbert, Lynn Andrews and Pat Stevenson. Vivian's menu included the famous Schwartzwaldkirschbrod (chocolate bread, cream cheese and cherry jam), Fig and Walnut bread with Norwegian Goat Cheese, Quails' Eggs in Cucumber Nests, Smoked Salmon Pate on Rice Crackers, Quiche Lorraine Tarts, Pecan Bars, fresh strawberries, Macha tea pumpkin seeds, with Date Squares and Carrot Cake from Just Like Moms Bakery. Also featured were whole leaf Darjeeling tea and Bai Pian 鈥� a Chinese Green whole leaf green tea from the Tea Centre in Courtenay, herb tea from Innisfree Farm, and Swiss Water Decaf Coffee from Royston Roasters. Thanks also go to Carla Hope, Louise Bradshaw and Weinbergs Good Foods at Buckley Bay for their ticket sales and service.
