above: Mountains surrounding the Cowichan Valley personified by a summer sun.
REMEMBER THE FEEL and smell of a hot summer afternoon in Duncan. Then a cool dunk in your favourite swimming hole in the Cowichan or Koksilah River. The smells, sounds and excitement of the annual Cowichan Exhibition. The twice-a-day whistle of the Dayliner heading north in the morning and south in the afternoon. The spectacular view after hiking with friends to the top of Mount Prevost or Mount Tzouhalem.
All of this and much more are the essence of what the Class of 1970 experienced as we grew up in the Cowichan Valley.
Our lives were enriched by First Nations culture. The name 'Cowichan' derives from the Coast Salish language, frequently translated as 'warm land', a suitable description of the climate and the people. The distinctive Cowichan sweater, totems and cultural events were, and still are, a big part of calling Cowichan our home.
Duncan, at the heart of the valley, has been described as a small city in a big valley. And Cowichan is that big valley that connected us all. Our Class of 1970 was a union of students from George Bonner, Mount Prevost and Quamichan. Each of these junior high schools (now 'middle' schools) were a union of students from various elementary schools throughout the region. So we were able to progress from our familiar grade 1 class of 30 students all the way to our grade twelve class of nearly 300 without ever leaving our community.
And along the way we learned valuable life skills such as... meeting and getting along with new people... working in groups to accomplish what we could not do alone... encouraging others, and... being encouraged!
Our Home... Cowichan :: Warm Land
CSSS Class of 1970
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