Burnaby's Bobby Hales feted at Big Band event

Here and Now column by Dan Hilborn
Published Nov. 22, 2003


Burnaby's best known band leader will be among the many honoured guests when a tribute to the Vancouver's big band era comes to the Hot Jazz Club next month.

Bobby Hales, who headed one of the most successful big band orchestras in town during the hey days of the 1960s and '70s, is one of the biggest names coming to the event that is being organized by Vancouver jazz historian Brad Critchley.

On Tuesday., Dec. 9 at 1 p.m., Hales and others such as Dal Richards, Eleanor Collins, Dick Benz and Donny Clark will pose for a photograph that will accompany Critchley's upcoming book Jazz in British Columbia.

"I don't believe something like this has ever been done before," said Hales, who is president of the Vancouver Musicians Association, local 145 of the American Federation of Musicians.

"There's never been an archival record of the people in the industry," he said.

Among the many invited guests to the picture-taking event will be Burnaby resident and former nightclub owner Ernie King, saxophonist Doug Kent, and 93-year-old Mission resident the "Western Gentleman" Mart Kenney, who recently released a new CD of music.

If everything goes according to plan, Critchley's long-awaited book will be out on the bookstore shelves sometime next year.

Guiding the way

Do you or someone you know have fond memories of their days with the Burnaby Royal Trefoil Guild of the Girl Guides of Canada?

If so, you'll want to come out to a Holly Tea on Dec. 6 to say thanks to the past commissioners and deputy commissioners of the local Guiding organization.

Sheila Hildred, current vice-president of the Royal Trefoil Guild says most past commissioners and deputy commissioners of the local area will be honoured, including Beth Hill and Lorna Froese, two women who recently passed away.

Other honoured guests are Shirley Hill, Bev Rottluf, Betty Tessaro, Sheila Hildred, Jeannie Crawford, Sandra Kowalchuk, Marilyn Harrison, Sheila McCall, Sharon McDonald, Teresa Hartmann, Becky Threlfall and Wendy Hay.

The Holly Tea takes place at 1 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 6 at the South Burnaby United Church hall, 7551 Gray Ave.

Half a century of bliss

Congratulations go out to Richard and Helen Mendieta, who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Nov. 21.

The couple has raised three children and seven grandchildren at their north Burnaby home, which they bought for the whopping sum of $16,000 in 1963.

It's a Buble Christmas

There's been an awful lot happening for the most famous crooner in Burnaby.

Michael Buble, who released his first CD on the Reprise Records label earlier this year, has come out with two new offerings for the holiday season.

The first is the new CD Totally Buble, featuring songs Michael sang in the recent major motion picture Totally Blond.

The second is Let it Snow, a five-song special edition CD which is packaged with some copies of Totally Buble.

The Christmas CD features The Christmas Song, Grown-Up Christmas List, I'll Be Home for Christmas, White Christmas and, of course, the title track, Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow.

That's real old school

Arthur S. Lee of Burnaby has enrolled into the class of 2007 at the ninth oldest college in the United States of America.

The son of James J. and Haerim Lee will be attending Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, which was founded in the year 1769.

Dartmouth is the ninth oldest such institution in the U.S., with an enrolment of 5,200 students.

Lost in the translation

My apologies to two families who recently sent notices of a 100th birthday party and a 60th wedding anniversary to my attention.

I was hoping to include those items in this column, but somehow lost both my file copy and the original notices.

Please resend the items, and I will fit them in a future column.

For the record, I would be happy to include notices whenever anyone in our community celebrates a 100th birthday or 50th wedding anniversary or other equally memorable occasion.