Following the meeting of the Board of Governors on campus in May, Chair of the Board Fiona Macfarlane and Head of School Richard (Larry) Lamont hosted a surprise dinner for Roy A. McIntosh ’59 (Lake's) in recognition of his many years of service to the School, as a Board Member, Vice-Chair, and former Chair of the Finance & Nomination Committees, as well as for his dedication towards diversifying Shawnigan's Board of Governors.

Classmate Robert Murdoch ’60 (Lake’s) spoke at the event about Roy and his legacy including glimpses into life at Shawnigan at the time:

“In 1956, when I arrived friendless and lonely at Shawnigan I joined him in Lake’s House. He was in Grade 10 a year ahead of me and had already been at the school for three years. To use a very apt penal term, a “lifer,” so to speak. At the time the Shawnigan experience was a cross between Lord of the Flies and Dylan Thomas’ ‘Fern Hill.’ A very rough place indeed in a beautiful paradise. Tosh had already developed those quintessential skills necessary to navigate, survive and thrive which have serviced him so well through his life. In short, he was a very cool guy.”

Chair of the Board Fiona Macfarlane spoke to Roy’s impact in diversifying the Shawnigan Board of Governors:

“Roy was resolute. Not one to lecture or pontificate or virtue signal – but he never wavered. No fuss, no muss. Roy was the Columbo of the Shawnigan board. As we evaluated potential board members, straying off track, he quietly brought us back to focusing the committee on the goal. By the time Roy handed the nomination chair to Suzanne, the board had gone from about 25 percent to almost 50 percent women. Since then, we have gone from strength to strength adding amazing and diverse talent to the board – and this is Roy’s legacy.”

We are grateful for Roy Macintosh’s service to both Shawnigan and its community.

 

For the first time since 2019 (pre-COVID), Shawnigan Lake School was delighted to warmly welcome back to campus Captain and Mrs. Park from South Korea to present the prestigious Jason Yosung Park '05 Scholarship in memory of their beloved late son Jason Yosung Park '05 (Copeman's)–brother of Joseph Park '02 (Lake's)–to the deserving new recipient, Josef J. '24 at the Major Awards Ceremony.

This annual award is one of the School's top honours bestowed on students “who embody the character traits that made Jason so loved and esteemed by his family and this School. Those who have the demonstrated ability to generate goodwill in all circles, a strong moral compass, fierce competitiveness, high standards of personal deportment, loyalty and steadfastness". The scholarship includes a financial award as well as a trip to South Korea hosted by the Park Family.

On June 24th, following Shawnigan's Graduation Ceremony, the Park Family hosted a special dinner at Villa Eyrie for several past and current Park Scholars and their families, including Thomas Fyfe '17 (Copeman's), Roberto Galindo '19 (Copeman's), Matthew Strilets '21 (Copeman's), Benedikt Howard '22 (Copeman's), Ben Bishop '23 (Copeman's), Adam Hyde-Lay '23 (Lonsdale's), and Josef J. '24.

 

A number of past and current staff caught up during a recent Rugby game on campus. Between the four individuals they cover a wide breadth of Shawnigan history! From left to right: Rhodri Samuel, current Director of Alumni Relations; Stephen Housser ’67 (Groves’) (Alumnus, past parent and Director of Advancement); John Davies (Past parent, Director of the Shawnigan Foundation, Advancement Office, Librarian, House Director, and Deputy Headmaster); and Phil Jarvis (Past parent, former teacher, coach, House Director, Director of Guidance and Admissions, as well as Centennial Campaign Director).

 

We were pleased to welcome Dianne Sterling for a campus visit on July 5. Dianne is the daughter of one of Shawnigan’s original students, Ross Wilson, who attended the School from 1916-1918, winning the Ravenhill Cup in 1918. Dianne came with her daughter Jennifer and granddaughter Dixie and they generously donated some Indigenous artwork to the School’s new Indigenous resource room, called the Showe’luqun Room, located in the Main Building.

 

Alumnus Sam Davidson ’64 (Groves’) was recently featured in The Seattle Times as he plans to sell the eponymous Davidson Galleries and begin his retirement. Having run the gallery for 50 years we wish Sam all the best in this endeavour and going forward!

Full article here.

 

Bud Patel ’85 (Groves’), Head of School at Brentwood College School was recently nominated and selected as a recipient of CAIS’ (Canadian Accredited Independent Schools) Art of Leadership Award for his outstanding leadership and service. Congratulations Bud!

 

Alumnus Josh Kral ‘16 (Copeman’s) is currently participating in a boxing fundraiser called Fight for the Cure and provided the following update for Shawnigan:

I currently live happily in Ottawa. Since graduating from Shawnigan I attended Carleton University to further my education in business and international trade. After completing my studies, I joined MPN Capital Markets where I have been working diligently for the past three years to help create Canada's fastest growing energy brokerage/consulting firm.

I first heard about the Fight for the Cure (FFTC) initiative through a close friend whose father is a FFTC Alumni. When I found out my Uncle was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, I was motivated to make a difference and do something tangible. Fight for the Cure was the perfect means of doing this. From the moment I began training, I was met with a sense of empowerment and purpose. The experience has been challenging yet incredibly rewarding, as I've had the opportunity to meet inspiring individuals, develop new skills, and witness firsthand the impact we can make in the fight against a disease that affects too many lives.

To support Josh or learn more click here.

 

The Netherlands has been swept by “Vermeer fever,” thanks to the largest ever exhibition of paintings by Johannes Vermeer (1632–75). This mania has provided unique opportunities for Abbie Vandivere ’97 (Groves’), who has worked as a Paintings Conservator at the Mauritshuis since 2015. In 2018, she led an international team of scientists who examined Girl with a Pearl Earring using state-of-the art techniques. A 3D print of the Girl at 100x life size (more than 13 feet tall), and a digital reconstruction of its original appearance will be presented at the Mauritshuis from June to December 2023. Earlier this year, Abbie put her fascination with reality TV to good use as a judge and expert in the creative competition show De Nieuwe Vermeer (The New Vermeer). More than 1.3 million people – almost 10 percent of the Dutch population – watched this six-episode series each week! Abbie’s next project is the restoration of De Stier (The Young Bull, 1647) by Paulus Potter, which will take place in front of the public at the Mauritshuis in 2024.

The New York Times recently covered the De Nieuwe Vermeer.

The Alumni Engagement team previously sat down to interview Abbie in 2021 about her post-Shawnigan career in an International Women’s Day Alumnae profile series which can be read here.

 

The Class of 1993 recently met up in Tofino to celebrate thirty years since graduating, in advance of their Founder’s Day reunion this fall. They shared the following about the gathering:

 

 

Arabella Emslie ’17 (Kaye’s) recently connected with the Advancement and Community Engagement team and shared the following update:

“After graduating with my Business Management degree from UBC Okanagan in 2021, I was unsure of the path I wanted to head down. At the time, I knew that I had a profound interest in helping people. I worked in the mental health field with high-risk individuals for about a year before experiencing burnout — physically and mentally — and I knew something had to change. It was at this point when I decided to prioritize myself, and rediscovered my passion for fitness. I can honestly say that fitness turned my life around, as it not only helped me recover from a traumatic incident in my life at the time, but it opened so many doors which I will forever be grateful for! I fell in love with bodybuilding and competing, and after my first show in early 2022 I started working as a personal trainer and launched my own online coaching business soon after. Nothing fulfills me more than changing people’s lives, and my business has now grown into a community of over 800 people. After training hard and being extremely disciplined for the rest of 2022, I went on to recently win my bikini competition in April of 2023. I can now confidently say that you truly can achieve anything you put your mind to, and the hard work will always pay off! I’m very excited to find out what the future holds for me in bodybuilding and with my coaching business.”

 

 

Owain ‘Rids’ Samuel ’09 (Ripley’s) married Courtney Minns (with their dog Elton present) at Port Browning Harbour, Pender Island on June 3, 2023. Members of the Shawnigan community in attendance at the wedding were: best man Dafydd Samuel ’08 (Ripley’s), Steven Beselt ’09 (Lonsdale’s), Nick Conconi ’09 (Copeman’s), Brendan Cook ’08 (Ripley’s), Carlin Hamstra ’09 (Ripley’s), Kelly Beckett ’13 (Kaye’s), Tye Hamblin ’09 (Ripley’s), Christopher Linn ’08 (Ripley’s), Cameron Oliver ’09 (Ripley’s), Sean Oswald ’09 (Duxbury), Bryn Samuel ’22 (Ripley’s), Rhyd Samuel ’20 (Groves’), Jessa Wall ’10 (Kaye’s), and of course the mother and father of the groom, Gaynor and Rhodri Samuel. Congratulations Owain and Courtney!

 

 

Cameron Oliver ’09 (Ripley’s) married Jessica Traude in Kelowna, BC on May 21, 2023. Alumni in attendance were: Steven Beselt ’09 (Lonsdale’s), Carlin Hamstra ’09 (Ripley’s), Kelly Beckett ’13 (Kaye’s), and Owain Samuel ’09 (Ripley’s). Congratulations Cameron and Jessica!

 

1949 - 2023