JOY'S JOURNAL
/by Joy Metcalfe
WEST ENDER TAKES MISS UNIVERSE CANADA TITLE
(click photos to enlarge)
You could say that this young woman is one in a million and more. Her name is Nova Stevens and she has recently been awarded the title of Miss Universe Canada for 2020.
A Canadian international model, actress and activist, she’s 27 years old, tall, slender and absolutely gorgeous. And she’s a West Ender!
Nova was born 27 years ago in Kenya and when civil war broke out there, she and her mother were moved to a U.N. refugee camp while her Dad and her siblings escaped to Ethiopia. At the age of six, she was sent, with other relatives, to live in Canada, landing in Newfoundland. One year later she was off to live with relatives in Waterloo, Ontario before heading to her new home in Alberta.
She arrived in Vancouver in 2014, determined and dedicated to do something to better the lives of Black people. She had heard of the Miss Universe Canada pageant and decided to enter.
It was a lot more complicated than she imagined though, and she was one of several runners-up.
She decided that she needed more help in presenting herself. So she trained extensively with the experts who taught her how to project, how to style her hair and makeup , her posture and how to walk the model’s walk. Second time at the same pageant, she almost made it and immediately decided to try again. It was third time lucky.
With her big win, she hopes that being crowned Miss Universe Canada can help draw attention to the causes of injustice faced by people of colour.
She’s also working diligently as a spokesperson for Operation Smile, Keep6ix, and One Girl Can and was very involved in this past summer’s Freedom marches and Black Lives Matter rallies.
While her dedication to the cause is perfectly understandable, along with her hopes of winning the Miss Universe title in February next year, her dearest wish and fondest hope is to reunite her mother and father and her far-flung family of brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews.
We wish her well…
POINT ROBERTS TELLS US - WE AINT’ HEARD NOTHIN’ YET!
Someone else who is very dedicated to his international cause is Brian Calder.
Onetime bright light of Vancouver civic politics, NPA supporter and Sea Festival devotee, Brian left the bright lights of Vancouver to take up an entirely new way of life. He took his dual passport and returned to the land of Point Roberts where he owned ten acres and prepared to retire and relax. He ended up owning a business with two dump trucks, two tractors, two excavators, two pick-up trucks and a contractor’s license with lots of excavation work, solving drainage problems, land grading and rock wall building. He’s also the president of the Point Roberts Chamber of Commerce and the Point Roberts Dollars for Scholars program.
The COVID pandemic has led to border closures, which has devastated the economy there since 85 percent of their economic activity is directly driven by Canadian participation, with most of the properties owned by Canucks. Their marina at the Point lost 500 boats which returned to Canada during the summer.
It’s now a ghost town with citizens facing devastation and trauma, isolation and lockdown with neither government paying much attention, despite the fact that Brian has sent dozens of emails and messages to them asking for help and consideration.
As Brian says, after eight months, they are still prisoners of Paradise with no help in sight and being totally neglected by the two governments.
“We are being Scrooged! They are the Bah Humbug of a Christmas present when there should be love, friendship and laughter of Christmas past! Christmas future is too depressing to even consider under the present conditions.”
He also points out that, because he’s being ignored by the powers that be, they may feel they have won.
”They just haven’t yet realized that the fight isn’t over…!”
Or, as Al Jolson said. “You ain’t heard nothin’ yet!...”
A UNIQUE FUNDRAISER FOR ARTS UMBRELLA
As I mentioned a couple of columns ago, this year’s Arts Umbrella (which set the stage for a unique fundraising idea for their annual Splash gala gala do) was launched in 1979 as a grassroots project for young people, with Splash as the money-raiser with acclaimed auctions of artworks donated by the Canadian arts community.
Because of the pandemic situation, the affair was hosted in various locations with the auction employing a state of the art platform that connected guests at every location via large digital screens - a very unique solution!
The evening was also dedicated to famed artists Gordon Smith and Judson Beaumont who both passed away earlier this year.
The organization was thrilled by the generosity of the 94 artists this year and of the entire community who stepped up to support and donate their time and talent to the cause.
Through their efforts, Splash was able to raise critical funds to reduce barriers for young people pursuing an arts education. Bravo…!
BASIL PANTAGES — A VANCOUVER ORIGINAL
Basil Pantages
Sad to learn of the passing of Vancouver’s Man About Town, the irresistible Basil Pantages. Basil, who’d been in a care home for the past several years, died of a stroke last week and leaves a vast hole in the fabric and history of Vancouver nightlife. Basil and his local Rat Pack, including Herb Cappozi, Harry Moll, Murray Pezim and banker Nick Masee, owned and ran several late night clubs like Bumbles, Maxine’s, the Pink Pussycat and Sugar Daddy’s, and frequented other spots like George Vickers’ The Living Room, The Casa Di Italia, Ken Stauffers’ The Cave, Isy’s, and Drew Burns’ Commodore.
Always smiling, always tanned and always the gentleman, the party didn’t start until Basil The Man arrived. I was very fond of this dapper charmer who never appeared without glamorous babes on each arm. My deepest condolences to his loving family.
Rest in peace, Bas…
EIGHTY SHOWS FOR THE VETS!
Someone who certainly would have understood Basil’s love of the nightlife is Linda Jones, who has been a Vancouver performer for the past 40 plus years, starting as a teenager who loved to sing. She began honing her craft as a young teenager at Isy’s in the upstairs Roaring 20’s room singing all the old standards of the day. Isy thought she’d make a perfect showgirl with her shape and talent, but she didn’t agree and neither did her dad, a Vancouver police officer.
Linda has been an entertainer for the past 40 years in various clubs about town, producing shows at the Vincent Massey Theatre called “The 1940’s - A Time to Remember” which raised money for the poppy fund and spending three summers in The Yukon with a troupe performing “The 1940’s Canteen Show” with Linda doing impressions of Dame Vera Lynn, Marlene Dietrich and Carmen Miranda. Besides being a balladeer who composes many of her own songs, she’s also an author and poet.
In 1981, she decided to dedicate her musical career to entertaining our veterans who now refer to her as Canada’s Vera Lynn and the Sweetheart of the Veterans. In the past, on November 11, she’s performed three shows a day going from one Legion to another, setting up the gear, performing, tearing it down and setting off to the next venue.
Adding a good bit of credibility to her career, she was honoured with the Minister of Veterans Affairs’ Commendation Award in 2008 for her mission to preserve our veterans’ music.
On October 29 she recorded and videotaped a musical tribute for The Dawn Patrol where she has been entertaining for the past 23 years at 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Remembrance Day.
If her North Van show hadn’t been cancelled due to COVID, this November 11 would have marked her 79th and 80th shows. Instead, with the help of a few friends, Linda was able to put together a packed musical show to entertain the veterans on her decorated back deck for a live broadcast on Zoom and Facebook.
This allowed her to reach her goal of 80 shows performed only on November 11 since 1981.
Like the Unsinkable Molly Brown, you can’t keep a good gal down…
CLOSING NOTES
One of the most popular Christmas attractions has always been the Hyatt Regency’s Gingerbread Lane spectacular. Because of Covid-19, like so many events, the gingerbread competition has had to be cancelled this year. It would have been the Hyatt’s 20th year of displaying fabulous gingerbread creations by competing high schools, professional companies and amateur bakers which benefited the worthy Make A Wish Foundation. I’m particularly sad about this as I have been a judge of the competition every year but one. The vast array of these fabulous gingerbread creations, especially by the young students, was something to behold...
Lights of Hope, the annual fundraiser for the treasured and oh so necessary St. Paul’s Hospital will be gleaming every night through the holidays.
Lovely to hear from longtime friend and colleague at CKNW, Leigh Mackay, who is and always was simply the best operator that ‘NW ever had. Between Leigh and good old Bill Nelson, they kept me broadcasting live twice a day and on cknw.com for eons. Stay safe and well, guys...
From my family to yours, despite the COVID situation, may you have the merriest Christmas ever and a safe, healthy and Happy New Year! See you in 2021...
Cheers!!
