Apr
30
By Sharon Max
In the beginning, the Beacon operated in the very cramped quarters of the James Bay Community Project, often being put together on Candace Elliot's desk. Looking into our archives, we find the first newspaper issued September of 1992 under the presidency of Susan Z. Martin, followed within the year by Tim Padmore.
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| Constance at her goodbye party at the Beacon |
Soon after, Constance Jansma, now Petersen, showed up, and the Beacon acquired a new home, in a tiny windowless room, on Toronto St. The room was so small that the production was often completed on the floor of Constance's apt.
Eventually, the Beacon received a grant from the City of Victoria, and with some advertising revenue, were able to rent space at the back of what is now the James Bay Square Dry Cleaners, who by the way, were one of our early advertisers.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that, notwithstanding the tremendous effort that Tim Padmore and Caroline Griese and others, put into the paper, Constance was the backbone. She was the volunteer coordinator extraordinaire, manning the phones, coaxing and cajoling writers, photographers, proofreaders, and steady hands to cut and paste. She was tireless in her effort to bring people into the Beacon community. Without her indomitable spirit, the James Bay Beacon might not exist today.