Treasuring and preserving our past

By Doreen Marion Gee

I was crazy-jealous of Vivian and my best chums when I was a little girl growing up in James Bay. They didn't have to eat big, ugly slabs of homemade bread full of holes, or tolerate smelly pickles from a mason jar. My envy was excruciating when I saw them eating delicate, manicured white Wonder Bread, and my mouth drooled when I saw them devouring silky-smooth, yummy Velveeta Cheese. I was furious that I had to eat stinky chunks of real cheddar cheese – how embarrassing! And when I had to get up and go to Sunday School every weekend at the tiny, little church-school on Niagara when my pals were sleeping in, and playing on the beach at the Breakwater, I wanted to trade in my family for a new model.

Little did I know then that the less-than-glamourous food I consumed was hearty, healthy and full of nutrition. And those Sunday morning sessions instilled a solid faith in a higher power within me that never wavers – and has kept me above water during the darkest moments of my life.

I remember that strange little building of my childhood that still looks like a Lilliputian church sitting on a mini-hill. As a little girl, I was mesmerized by the pages softly turning as Ms. Moore taught us lessons in morality from a huge book in our Sunday School class. Even though I have not set foot in a church in years, the human values learned in that little “Cathedral School” remain at the core of all my beliefs about the world. So despite being profoundly miffed as a kid at having to go to school on a Sunday, many years later I am grateful for the education I received in that little building way back in the fifties.

Therefore it tugged at my heart when I learned that the iconic little schoolhouse on Niagara has an uncertain future. I contacted Mr. Stuart Hall, “Head of School” at the Christ Church Cathedral School. According to Mr. Hall, the Anglican Diocese of British Columbia owns the property at 520 Niagara Street where the building stands that presently houses the Junior Kindergarten / Pre-School. Referring to any news regarding the property and building, Mr. Hall says, “There are some building applications in to the City of Victoria in regards to that property. We are hoping to get that dealt with as soon as we can.” (That could mean anything!)

Christ Church Cathedral School's website states that the Junior Kindergarten is “an extension of the education provided by the Christ Church Cathedral Educational Society.” The little fixture in James Bay has taken on multiple and valuable roles since 1939 when it was built. In my formative years, the Cathedral School was an important appendage to Christ Church Cathedral with Sunday school and church events. Memories of being in a Brownies troupe at that special little church linger after fifty-five years – I was very proud of all my hard-earned Brownie badges that I accumulated and stuck on my special vest as a child. The present Christ Church Cathedral Junior Kindergarten/Childcare program holds children in high esteem where they value “children’s developmental stages and their learning styles, and effectively support the children during their busy day of fun and learning.” Obviously, that building at 520 Niagara continues to provide vitally important services to our James Bay Community. It is an active useful part of the neighbourhood!

The little church-like building at 520 Niagara is deemed worthy of preserving; it is listed on the Heritage Register. But the worth of this piece of history goes far beyond any signature on a dotted line. I lived through many development upheavals in James Bay in the seventies. I saw firsthand the destruction and devastation of quick land decisions without any consideration of the human value of what was being torn down and lost. At that frenzied time of reckless development, powerful companies used financial pressure to destroy beautiful old houses in my neighbourhood that could never be replaced. One of them was 27 Government Street, the beloved home of my childhood.

When a vital remnant of the past is destroyed, the loss can never be recovered. When we tear down a living monument to our history, all the memories, photos and records on earth can never bring it back. It is gone forever, lost in time. Let's hope that the powers-that-be in the Anglican Church put as much serious consideration into this land application as they do into their important religious work in the community.

If we lose that little treasure on 520 Niagara, we will all be the poorer for it. Rewind back to the 1950s. That little girl with the pony tail would definitely agree.