Back to News & Stories Menu Profiles - Special Feature: New Writers During the months of October and November, The Beacon sponsored its third course on Reporting and Journalism. Six people completed the course. The James Bay Beacon proudly presents the work of some of the new James Bay Journalists. Each writer contributes a unique voice to the community Thank you Jim Gerwing, our instructor. The James Bay Beacon woud like to thank The Province of B.C. Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch for the funding that made it possible. Families Love Ms. Flynn By Annie Sylvan From her 5’ 8” willowy frame, Alexandra Flynn personifies dignity, calm and strength. She is blond-haired and blue-eyed. Under the auspices of the James Bay Community Project, Alex co-ordinates the Family Centre, which encompasses Creative Play JBCP, Nobody’s Perfect, and Mother Goose. Born in London, England, in 1949, Alex immigrated at the age of eight to Alberta with her family. She graduated from U of A with a Bachelor of Education and taught elementary school for four years. Alex liked teaching because she is fond of children but did not appreciate the school system’s bureaucracy. Click for full story   >   >   > Holly Arntzen By Judy McAllister Holly Arntzen slips off her bicycle releasing long wisps of hair from beneath her helmet. Her gracefully slender frame leaves a refreshing image of her sense of place. Holly speaks with passion about the role music plays in her life. She remembers nature always being her backyard and singing amidst it all. Mount Seymour, Lynne Valley, Cortes Island and the Salish Sea are her heritage sites. From the 1980s onward she has performed at major folk and children's festivals. Her heart and soul interweave flawlessly into her songs. Holly sings and strums her dulcimer with free-flowing energy, culminating in a message of deep love and caring for Earth. Click for full story   >   >   > A Youthful Yasmin blossoms among Mature Flowers By Peter Elliot With a beaming smile that seemed to light up the whole room, Yasmin Rampuri welcomed me into her office crowded with office supplies and computers at the New Horizons Centre on Menzies Street. Eldest of three sisters, she was born in Rimbey, Alberta, to an East Indian immigrant family who had roots in Mombassa, Kenya and Zanzibar. Indeed, her maternal grandfather was a tutor to the Sultan of Zanzibar before it became part of the State of Tanzania. Click for full story   >   >   > A Man for all Seasons By Reed Kirkpatrick Fog billows in. Rod races up the stairs to the inflation shed and quickly inflates and releases a ceiling balloon. It disappears in seconds. He dashes back to the weather office and transmits a special observation to warn pilots. Out of breath yet energized, he savours the moment. Rod Chilton has been passionate about the weather since the 1960s when CBC weatherman Bob Fortune first stimulated his interest. Inspired to learn more, Rod went on to major in climatology at the University of Victoria, graduating in 1971. Click for full story   >   >   >