Nick attended Shawnigan as a five-year student, following in the footsteps of his older brother, Christopher Banks ’67 (Ripley’s). During their respective careers at Shawnigan, their father, Dr. Peter Banks, served on the Board of Governors in many capacities, including his role as chairman from 1965 to 1997. One of the many accomplishments achieved during his tenure was the decision to make Shawnigan co-educational in 1988. Then, in the mid-1990s, came the “land swap,” which transformed the School’s campus and served to protect Shawnigan’s rural character amidst pressures from sub-division encroachment. Dr. Banks’s many Shawnigan and community contributions were ultimately recognized with a Stag Award, a Shawnigan award that recognizes inspirational members of the community.

Continuing the Banks family tradition, Chris Banks and his wife Jacqueline went on to enrol their own children at Shawnigan when the time came. Amanda Banks ’05 (Groves’) and Andrew Banks ’09 (Lonsdale’s) joined the School as four-year students, travelling all the way from Nairobi, Kenya to attend.

As an avid and active competitive sailor, Nick would support a re-introduction of the School’s sailing program. Nick is also keen to work with the School’s science department to promote the protection of whale species in our southern waters and to offer summer whale watching experiences.

Thank you, Nick, for visiting your old school and supporting student financial aid, which remains a very important undertaking during these times.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, I reached out to the Hopkins family to find out how they were holding up during these challenging and uncertain times. I wanted to once again offer our thanks on behalf of the School for hosting the Banff/Canmore Shawnigan Gathering at her restaurant. I was also curious to learn how she and her husband and business partner, Francis (Fran), were faring in the midst of the pandemic, which is having a devastating impact upon the hospitality sector worldwide. Brig’s response was quick and succinct:

“As you can imagine it has hit us hard, in a small tourist town where we rely solely on visitors. We closed the restaurant on March 17. Despite the challenges, we decided to open up our kitchen and use the core staff we still have to offer free meal delivery to our local seniors and those in need. It has been a huge success. We have just completed the first week of free meals and the appreciation and thankfulness have been overwhelming.”

My curiosity was piqued and we agreed to chat by phone so I could learn more. One can only imagine how a town where most of the income is derived from tourism is impacted when tourists stop visiting. Income ceases and layoffs hover at around 85%, but expenses continue. Brig and Fran had to lay off 56 employees, but retained eight core staff to ensure they can re-open post-COVID.

On March 20, the Hopkins hatched their plan, which then had to be reviewed and approved by local health authorities. Working with the Municipality of Banff, who would coordinate with those in need of a program of free meals, their vision was operational by March 26. With Fran in charge of meal production and Brig liaising with the Municipality, she commenced delivering free meals throughout her community.

The first week has been a successful and rewarding endeavour for this resilient, hard-working and community-minded couple.

On behalf of the Shawnigan community, thank you for sharing your establishment with us for our gathering and for the generosity you are currently bestowing upon your community.

Read more about the Hopkins’ mission to help their community in the Rocky Mountain Outlook.

Do you have an interesting story to share? How are you managing in these uncertain times? We would love to hear from you to share your stories and insights.

Hilary S. Abbott

On February 13, the day after the Edmonton Gathering at CRAFT Beer Market, Rhodri and Gaynor Samuel visited one of Marcus’s ice cream parlours. With temperatures hovering around -19 Celsius, it seemed like a good day for an ice cream cone!

The story behind Marcus’s ice cream business is similar to what can happen when life gives you lemons—you make lemonade. In Marcus’s case, making delectable macarons left him with an excess of egg yolks. The natural solution was to use those egg yolks to make another product: ice cream. His delicious business idea grew to three shops (one in Edmonton and two in Calgary) staffed by 70 employees.

Marcus has had to temporarily close the doors to his stores, like so many other food and beverages businesses across Canada, but he has continued to offer safe curb-side pick up for small batches of ice-cream. His ingenious curb-side pick-up program is available through the Made by Marcus website from 9am, seven days a week, and Marcus shares that the limited stock they are able to sell this way goes very quickly indeed. His team are also stocking freezers at Bridgeland, Sunnyside, and Calgary Farmers (Blushlane) markets, so local fans are still able to enjoy their favourite pint of ice-cream.

Rhodri Samuel recently met up with JD Roth at Spinnakers Brewpub in Victoria. JD was in Victoria on business, representing Edmonton-based Guardian Chemicals Inc. where he works as Managing Director. Rhod learned that JD’s brother, Geoff Roth ‘05 (Ripley’s), has also joined the same firm.

Matt and his family arrived in the Cowichan Valley from England when he was 11. He joined the Cowichan Rugby Club, where much of his early rugby was played. A few years later he joined Ripley's House and graduated from Shawnigan in 2006. He was Head of House, a school prefect and 1st XV captain.

Rhodri Samuel recently caught up with Matt who shared that he has finally hung up his rugby boots. On leaving Shawnigan, Matt was awarded a scholarship to attend Hartpury College, England. There he pursued a degree in teaching, but shortly after graduation he turned to a career in professional rugby. He played with Newport’s Gwent Dragons for several years before finally settling with the Cornish Pirates in 2011. He has won 40 caps for Canada and was part of both the 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cup teams. He also represented Canada at 7s. Interestingly, he has played for Canada in every position in the backs except scrum half!

“The more I reflect on retirement from rugby I can truly say some of my fondest memories come from the School and some of the trips we shared,” shared Matt.

Matt’s plan is to stay with the Cornish Pirates as team manager. He currently lives in Porthcurno, Cornwall, where he works as a part-time firefighter. He hopes to be able to return home to Duncan this coming August for the wedding of his sister, Michelle Evans ’14 (Groves’).

We wish him well during these very challenging times.

Editor’s Note - Rhodri Samuel received the following words of wisdom from Matt Evans as they worked together on a retrospective tribute, which we are pleased to share with our readers:

Dear Shawnigan Rugby community,

My name is Matt Evans and I graduated from Shawnigan in ’06. I was a proud member of the Ripley's House and Shawnigan communities for five years. My journey after graduation took me onto university and then into professional rugby, to which I have dedicated myself for the past decade. I recently retired from playing and now having time to reflect. I am so grateful for all my rugby experiences, and some of my fondest memories still come from school.

I received an email from Mr. Samuel, as I do every few months, for a catch up and a look forward. This made me think about the effect the current global situation is having on some of your rugby journeys. It's a difficult time, but if rugby has taught us anything it's perseverance and hard work: those qualities are what will be needed to come out the other side of all of this. Rugby also teaches us to acknowledge and celebrate. Acknowledge that this pause from the game allows excitement to build and focus to sharpen as you wait for that anticipated return to action next season. Celebrate that chance when it comes and don’t take a single session or game for granted when it does. Acknowledge the lads and ladies who are graduating and unable to pull on their black and gold again. Celebrate the time they did have the chance to lace up their boots, run down the stairs onto the first team pitch and play the game so many of us have had the privilege to enjoy.

The biggest thing you can do as a rugby player is offer support. Support your teammates as you would if they struggled or fell on the pitch. Reach out and talk to someone who you think needs a boost. Words of encouragement might be all you can offer at this moment, but a small action might just be all you need to do to show or remind someone that they are part of the rugby community, and we’ve got one another’s backs.

Stay safe and healthy, everyone, and I look forward to hearing from Mr. Samuel about rugby boots being pulled back on at Shawnigan in the near future.

Very best wishes,

Matt Evans

While in Calgary for the Shawnigan Gathering at the Petroleum Club on February 10, Gaynor and Rhodri Samuel met up with Cathryn and her husband Bennet at the Annex Ale Project in Calgary. The couple were accompanied by (future Shawnigan student?) seven-month-old son Sullivan (Sully).

Morgan, a nurse at the local Cowichan District Hospital, recently joined the Shawnigan community on campus for our nightly bell ringing at 7:30pm to show our support of and appreciation for frontline workers during the COVID-19 crisis.

Jacqueline recently corresponded with her former House Director, Mrs. Connolly, to share an update.

“I have moved up to Whistler for the last few months of the ski season! Getting back to my Canadian roots after four years and two degrees in the UK! I am here until May, then I am moving up to Haida Gwaii to work in the Repatriation and Archives Departments at the Heritage Centre in Skidegate.

I did my undergraduate degree in international relations, then continued on to do a Master’s in Conflict, Security and Development where my research focused on the impact of the rhetoric of the War on Terror on women in policy-making roles in Afghanistan. My claim is that the Protectionist and Orientalist rhetoric that championed women’s empowerment has had an adverse effect, keeping Afghan women isolated in the role of ‘the victim’.”

Congratulations, Jacqueline, on earning your degrees with such aplomb and for championing women’s rights in the world!

Former staff member, Vito Pasquale, wrote to his Shawnigan colleagues to share an alumni success story at Laurentian University. Playing for the Laurentian Voyageurs, Litha Ncanisa was awarded the Ken Shields Award for the Ontario Region earlier this year. This is a huge accomplishment as he was competing in the largest league in the country.

The Ken Shields Award is presented to a student-athlete who exhibits outstanding achievement in three areas: basketball, academics and community involvement.

Litha’s successes were shared on the Ontario University Association (OUA) website, an excerpt of which is shared below:

On-court contributions have once again thrust several individuals into the spotlight, and while Litha Ncanisa has advanced his game on the hardwood, it is the undeniable community contributions from the Laurentian product that have helped him shine brightest this season and earn the 2019-20 Ken Shields Award.

Among additional involvement, including an active role with Laurentian’s Read to Achieve program, Ncanisa’s biggest mark comes as the co-founder – along with teammate Gray and assistant coach Hediyeh Karimian – of ULU (Uluntu = Humanity, Lungisa = Justice, Usawa = Equity). The organization is one that the trio thought should be in place based on their observations and personal experiences of inequality within the justice system, education, workplaces, and social constructs of racialized minorities.

The native of Cape Town, RSA remains focused on empowering and encouraging people to stand up against discrimination and has spread this message across several audiences. Through ULU, Ncanisa has been a part of visits to several schools and businesses, has helped facilitate workshops and presentations, and will be one of the keynote speakers at this year’s Greater Sudbury Police Services Year-End Gala. Within opportunities like these, the fourth-year law and justice major has shared his own experiences as a minority and advocates for the continued education and open conversation surrounding these inequalities.

Thank you, Vito, for keeping the School aware of Shawnigan successes in the world of university basketball.

Have something you'd like to share? We'd love to hear from you!