3rd Annual UC Open – THANK YOU!

Posted on September 26, 2017 by unionclub

Yesterday, September 25, 2017, saw the Union Club host it’s 3rd annual UC Open at Gorge Vale Golf Course. Approximately 80 golfers enjoyed the tournament, and Mother Nature did her best to ensure a dry, mild climate was delivered, too!

On behalf of the Club, we would like to thank Tournament Organizers Barrie Hewstan (Past President), Gary Kirk and Keith McCallion; Event Coordinators Grace Van den Brink (Vice-President) and Lyle Soetaert (Finance Chair), and, last but not least, our SPONSORS:

TITLE SPONSOR
Dev Wood Consulting

PLATINUM SPONSOR
Winchester Galleries

GOLD SPONSORS
Browns Social House
Collins Barrow

SILVER SPONSORS
Harris Victoria Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram
Hendry Swinton McKenzie Insurance
Intact Insurance
Knappett Projects Inc.
Lee & Lorraine Ferreira
Paul Mara Fine Jewellery & Watches
Wallace Driving School
Wellburn’s Food Market

BRONZE SPONSORS
10 Acres Bistro
Catalano Restaurant & Cicchetti Bar
Five Star Whale Watching
Garyali Architect Inc.
Jeff Bray, Capital Public Affairs
Magnolia Hotel & Spa
The Maritime Museum of British Columbia
Past President Bernard Beck and Family
Phillips Brewing & Malting Company
Rick Arora, 5th Avenue Holdings
Sam’s Deli

SUPPORTERS
Kerry Gibson
Mike Kynaston
Grace Van den Brink
Paul Vanden Brink

WE THANK YOU ALL!!

The Union Club’s Coat of Arms

Posted on September 25, 2017 by unionclub

The Significance of the Union Club Coat of Arms:

In Canada, a coat-of-arms granted by the Crown is an honour akin to an appointment to the Order of Canada or other decoration for meritorious service. In our case, the Governor General’s office has seen fit to honour our club in recognition of our history of contributions made to Victoria and the wider community.

At the centre of our arms is a depiction of the keystone over the main entrance to our clubhouse. As its purpose is to hold a structure together, it represents unity, and thus our club’s name. It is surrounded by an open wreath of golden maple leaves, in a ‘U’ shape, recalling the political goal of our founders: a ‘union’ of the Crown Colony of British Columbia with the Dominion of Canada. The artist has painted six maple leaves in the wreath, suggesting that B.C. was the sixth colony to join Canada.

Above the keystone and maple leaves are the waves and the sun-in-splendour from the Royal Arms of British Columbia. They directly signify our club as a club of British Columbia, and also the successive Lieutenant Governors who have been members. As design elements, they appear in the top portion of our shield, as they did in B.C’s arms at the time our club was founded.

A helmet sits atop our shield, as is traditional in heraldry. It is crested by a coronet of maple leaves and Pacific dogwood flowers (the provincial flower of B.C.). This coronet serves to again emphasize our name and origin, as advocating ‘union’ with the dominion. And from this coronet a lion’s paw extends, grasping a sword in a blue scabbard. The lion’s paw suggests the lion in the Royal Crest of B.C. The sword was inspired by the replica weapon borne by our modern presidents, as a symbol of their office (nicknamed, ‘Excalibur’). As a whole, the lion’s paw issuing from a coronet and grasping a weapon suggests the crest of our founding president, Sir Matthew Begbie. He bore a crest of an armoured arm issuing from a coronet and grasping a spear. Depicting our sword sheathed also recalls the badge of Knights Bachelors, which Sir Matthew would have borne.

Supporting the shield are a wapiti deer and cougar. The former is a supporter in the Royal Arms of B.C. And both are animals native to Vancouver Island. Each has a ‘collar’ of laurel, recalling the laurel wreath used to encircle our club’s monogram. And they stand on a rocky mount, reminiscent of the rocky outcroppings around Victoria and her harbour, strewn with local Douglas-fir branches. The waves beneath allude to our location at Victoria’s Inner Harbour.

Our motto is Latin (a traditional language for heraldic mottoes) can be translated as, ‘Friendship In Unity and In Strength’.

We have also been granted an heraldic badge and flag, for use by our members. These are a depiction of the club’s keystone, and (for the flag) that same badge on a flag of royal blue. To represent the club as a body, we use the design depicted on our shield as a flag (just as the provincial government uses the design from the Royal Arms of B.C. on their flags).

Stephen Lowe – A Bridge Between Cultures

Posted on September 20, 2017 by unionclub

Stephen Lowe was born in Quangdong and was long a resident of Victoria before his death from lymphoma at the age of 37.

Lowe spent most of his life in Victoria, beloved by students and collectors here. It’s inexplicable how he achieved such skill and produced so much in the short time he had. And it is even more surprising to realize that his work and his example are enormously appreciated in the burgeoning world of Chinese art.

Stephen, the eldest of five children, made his way to Hong Kong at age 17, and his determination to study art led him to Zhao Shaoang, leading exponent of the “Lingnan school,” a progressive and atmospheric style of painting that is the distinctive expression of South China. At the request of his grandfather, Lowe emigrated to Canada in 1956, at 18 years of age. He arrived to find his grandfather living in a lean-to in a ghost town, one of the few surviving emigrés still living in Cumberland.

Lowe’s talent and personality brought him valuable support in Victoria. Through connections from his first job, as a room steward at the Union Club, he was sponsored for a year in Hong Kong, where he continued his studies and met Eunice, his wife-to-be.

Fast forward over 50 years, to present day, and Club member Eunice Lowe is celebrating the release of the book she has been working on since 2005 – “Stephen Lowe – A Bridge Between Cultures”.

As Robert Amos states: “The book is a delight. The 330 pages include reproductions of 125 paintings in colour, some of the reproductions 50 centimetres across. The Chinese-language version has been published by the People’s Fine Art Publishing House of China, and the English-version, privately published. The quality of layout, paper stock and binding are beyond anything available in this country.”

Eunice Lowe has recently supplied the Club with copies of the marvelous book (in both English and Chinese), which are now on display and for sale in the Club’s display case.

Amos concludes: “What a story: A penniless immigrant lad, with nothing but native talent and the support of Victorians, created a timeless body of work in a few short years, far from home. And now Stephen Lowe’s reputation is reaching heights we just can’t imagine. Victoria’s art culture is rich.”

Donate to the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria

Posted on September 15, 2017 by unionclub

In advance of September 23rd’s ART+FARE3, Club members are invited to donate to the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, in support of the Children and Family Programs at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.

For this reason, a donation station has been set-up in the Club’s main lobby. All donations received will be entered into a draw to win 6 bottles of Burrowing Owl Pinot Gris!! The draw will take place during Art+Fare 3.

For further information relating to Art+Fare 3, please visit the Art+Fare website.

Irish Times Nominated for Best Irish Pub in North America

Posted on September 15, 2017 by unionclub

A local watering hole may turn out to be the best Irish pub on the continent.

Victoria’s Irish Times has been nominated by Irish Pubs Global for the best Irish Pub in North America. The tavern has been the recipient of multiple awards, including Victoria News’s Best Pub award in the Best of the City for eight years and runner-up for four, placing every year since the category was created 12 years ago.

Manager Darragh O’Malley said being nominated is an honour, especially in such a large market.

“If you think of the amount of Irish pubs across the States and in Canada, to be nominated is just an insane thing to happen,” he said.

O’Malley has seen his share of Irish pubs, having lived in Dublin until just over two years ago when he moved to Victoria. He thinks this is one of the better ones he’s seen outside his country of origin.

“The Irish Times would be one of the more authentic Irish pubs that I’ve ever been in outside Ireland,” he said, adding that live Irish music, televised sports, food and cozy, warm decor and friendly atmosphere all add to the experience.

The pub has also been nominated for the best craft beer, best food, best chef and best bar person in North America.

Rescue Mission Underway for Rare Wine Collections Menaced by Irma

Posted on September 9, 2017 by unionclub

Adam Gungle, founder of Xpeditr Inc. professional wine movers, is pictured in Toronto, Ontario.

Swooping in ahead of Hurricane Irma’s feared weekend arrival, an emergency response team is rescuing rare treasures – some of them survivors of world wars and all of them liquid – from harm’s way in Florida and Louisiana.

Wine collections worth millions of dollars are being stashed out of reach of the Category 5 hurricane, moved from homes to local bunker-like storage units or shuttled to temperature-controlled warehouses as far away as New Jersey.

Many are owned by philanthropists aging the wine to perfection before donating it to a charity auction, often to raise disaster relief funds, said Adam Gungle, chief executive officer of Xpeditr, a high-end wine transporter based in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and Toronto.

“The wrath of a hurricane can ruin delicate pieces of liquid history,” Gungle said. “Hurricanes Andrew, Katrina and Sandy ruined tens of millions of dollars worth of fine wine.”

Wine fortunes ruined by Superstorm Sandy in 2012 were the impetus behind the Xpeditr Emergency Response Team, which has been contacting clients in Irma’s potential path to warn that preventive steps should be taken to protect wine investments.

By Thursday, September 7, 2017, 20,000 bottles worth as much as $5 million had been plucked from garages and crawl spaces in homes in Florida and Louisiana, some from collectors already stung by wine losses during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Gungle said.

“A lot of these bottles survived World War One, World War Two,” he said.

In Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, a storage facility with wine lockers built to withstand 157-mile-per-hour (253-km-per-hour) winds has turned away 10 potential new customers in recent days because it is filled to capacity, said Drew Feinberg, sommelier at Store Self Storage & Wine Storage. Current customers are rushing bottles from their homes into their rented lockers, which will be cooled by two gas-powered generators if electricity is knocked out by Irma, Feinberg said.

Renowned wines rescued from natural disasters include Chateau D’Yquem 1811 and 1847, worth $110,000 per bottle, saved after Superstorm Sandy, and Domaine Romanee-Conti 1945, valued at $60,000 a bottle, rescued from Hurricane Harvey, Xpeditr’s Gungle said.

When Irma lashed British billionaire and adventurer Sir Richard Branson’s private Caribbean island, Necker, on Wednesday, both fine wine and mankind sought shelter from the storm in a concrete wine cellar under his home.

The greatest risk to the wine was human consumption, the founder of the Virgin group of companies wrote on its website.

“Knowing our wonderful team as I do, I suspect there will be little wine left in the cellar when we all emerge,” Branson wrote

What’s Happening This Weekend in the CRD?

Posted on September 8, 2017 by unionclub

GREAT CANADIAN BEER FESTIVAL

Join up to 9,000 craft-beer lovers to sample unique brews and meet the brewers behind the taps at the Great Canadian Beer Festival, Friday and Saturday at Royal Athletic Park.

It’s the 25th year for the two-day event, making it the longest-running craft-only beer festival in Canada. The micro-brewery industry has never been more popular in B.C., with close to150 companies. That’s a far cry from when the first festival was held 25 years ago, when there were only 12 to 15 companies in the whole province.

“It’s all about getting small breweries into a great venue in front of an appreciative audience,” said Gerry Hieter, the event organizer.

This year, participants can taste offerings from 66 breweries and two cideries, with more than 250 beers and ciders on tap.

“This year, we had 20 more breweries than we could accommodate,” said Hieter. “We have 14 new breweries this year, as well as five that have been with us every year for the past 25.”

You can belly up to the bar for a chance to sample dozens of variations on ever-popular India pale ales, pilsners, bitters and wheat beer.

New varieties include Dad Jokes Double IPA from Twin Sails, Captain Cooper’s Tart Cranberry Ale from Trading Post Brewing, Wild Brett Wasp Ale (a collaboration between Fieldhouse Brewing and Brassneck Brewery, it’s a must-try sour ale fermented with yeast harvested from a wasp’s gut), Numbskull IIPA: Ahtanum Edition from Lighthouse Brewing, Popinjay (a dry-hopped New World sour from Strange Fellows Brewing), Lucifudge Cherry Choco Porter from Swans, Belly Flop Apricot Grisette from Big Rock Urban and Fruity Mother Pucker Sour Ale from Axe and Barrel.

New this year is the Drake Eatery Cask Tent, with eight breweries serving unique cask beer.

While most of the suds come from B.C., the festival welcomes brewers from as far away as Halifax. New breweries this year include: A-Frame Brewing, Andina Brewing, Backroads Brewing, Hathi Brewing, KPU Brewing, Luppolo Brewing, Mt. Arrowsmith Brewing, Riot Brewing, Sooke Oceanside Brewery, Strathcona Beer Company, Twin Sails Brewing, Two Wolves Brewing, Whitetooth Brewing, and White Sails Brewing.

A variety of local food vendors will offer both West Coast and ethnic flavours, while local musicians and buskers wander the grounds.

“People tell us that what sets us apart from the competition is the event’s lively atmosphere,” said Hieter.

Any profits from the event are donated to CFAX Santas Anonymous.

Tickets are $40 per day and include a B.C. Transit Get Home Safe bus ticket. Beer tokens are $1.50 each (cash only). Each token can be redeemed for a four-ounce tasting.

The event runs from 4 to 9 p.m. Friday and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday at Royal Athletic Park, 1014 Caledonia Ave.

For details or tickets, go to gcbf.com.

METCHOSIN DAY

Enjoy the last blast of summer at Metchosin Day, a community celebration always held on the first Sunday after Labour Day, on the Metchosin Municipal Grounds.

This is the 50th year for the celebration, which coincides with the regular Sunday Metchosin Farmer’s Market, with more than 100 vendors selling vegetables, meat products, fruits, crafts, artisan creations and more.

Take a hayride for 25 cents or upgrade to a backhoe digger for 50. Watch a sheep-shearing demonstration and see the winners of the baking, photography and produce growing competitions.

Watch youngsters in a gymnastic demonstration, in a pet show and showing off their 4H showmanship.

Car buffs will enjoy the collection of classic cars and motorcycles.

Members of the Victoria Motorcycle Club will set up an obstacle course with natural and manmade challenges to showcase their skills, with a show every two hours starting at 10:30 a.m.

The Metchosin Equestrian Society has several events planned, with local trainers, horses and riders demonstrating their skills between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. in the riding ring.

The Pioneer Museum is also nearby for those who want to learn more about the history of Metchosin.

There will be all-day entertainment by Metchosinites throughout the day on the main stage, with Morris Dancers performing around the field all day.

Food is available all day, including ice cream and hot, buttered, locally grown corn on the cob. Wash it all down with beer and wine in the beer garden.

Admission to Metchosin Day is free (donations accepted). The event runs 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sunday on the Metchosin Municipal Grounds, behind the fire hall, 4450 Happy Valley Rd. Free vehicle parking with entry and exit via Rocky Point Road. Free bicycle parking behind the Community House, just past the disabled parking.

For more information, go to metchosinday.ca.

STREET PARTY ON VINING

The Vining Street Party on the Plaza is a humble neighbourhood block party that has grown to include a whole community, and now spans six hours with professional musicians and entertainers on the grounds of Victoria High School on Sunday.

This is the 10th year for the event, which this year includes Canada 150 celebrations. Organizers expect more than 2,000 people to show up at the party, which includes a community barbecue.

Family-friendly activities include giant puppets, a cardboard castle, The Great Goffini, face painting, dance and martial arts displays and magnet experiments.

More than 70 local artisans, vendors and exhibitors will display their wares in a marketplace and 400 silent-auction items will be available for bidding.

The street party is an important fundraiser for community projects, raising more than $21,000 last year.

This year, net proceeds from the event will benefit the Learning Curve Society, funding programs for children who experience learning and behavioural challenges.

Admission is free. The event runs from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday on the grounds of Victoria High School, 1260 Grant St.

For more information, go to viningstreetparty.com.

PUZZLE YOUR WAY TO A NEW CORN MAZE

Get lost (and found) at the opening of the corn maze at Pendray Farm — and help raise food and funds for the Sidney Lions Food Bank on Saturday.

Organizers bill their field of corn as the largest family-friendly maze in Victoria, with 10 kilometres of trails on a 14-acre plot of land at the West Saanich Road farm.

This year, the design of the maze is a salute to Canada 150.

There will be activities for all ages, including a treasure hunt, children’s maze and corn sandbox.

On the opening day, the Pendray maze and two other local businesses — Werner Mayburry Wealth Management of Raymond James, and the Spitfire Grill — are banding together to collect food donations for the Sidney Lions Food Bank.

Collection boxes for non-perishable foods will also be located at the Spitfire Grill, 9681 Willingdon Rd., until Sept. 9. The restaurant and Werner Mayburry Wealth Management will be matching online donations up to $500 each for a total of $1,500.

Admission is $12 for adults and $5 for children three to 12 years old. The corn maze will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday at the farm, 9537 West Saanich Rd. For more information, go to vicornmaze.com.

PARKS PROGRAM TAKES A HIKE AT MATHESON

Discover a gem of a lake at Marvelous Matheson, a CRD Parks program that kicks off the fall season at Matheson Lake Regional Park, Metchosin, on Saturday.

The 157-hectare park, established in 1994, is neighbour to Roche Cove Regional Park.

It boasts a picturesque lake, set behind forested hills in Metchosin, with access to hiking, swimming and fishing activities.

On Saturday a CRD Parks naturalist will take adults 18 and older on a guided walk to uncover the cultural and natural history of this park.

There is a loop trail around the lake, with a sandy beach area perfect for a relaxing picnic or a refreshing dip.

The park is adjacent to the Galloping Goose Regional Trail, with some cyclists using the park as the starting point for a cycle day trip.

Those who like to catch their supper will find the lake well-stocked with Rainbow Trout.

Participants for Saturday’s hike are encouraged to bring a snack, some water and wear sturdy footwear.

There is no fee to join the hike but you need to pre-register. The hike runs 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday at Matheson Lake Regional Park.

Try to arrive 10 minutes before the start of the program. Please leave pets at home. For more information, go to crd.bc.ca/parks. Call 250-478-3344 to register and find where to meet.

Art Gallery of Greater Victoria Looks Forward to a Busy September

Posted on September 3, 2017 by unionclub

September is an excellent time to consider visiting, or re-visiting, the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.

Activities and events being staged include the ever-popular House Tour, a tour of unique and architecturally stunning Victoria homes, on Sept. 24.

Tickets for the event go on sale on Friday.

The first Tuesday of the month is always Admission by Donation Day, your excuse to spend a morning (or afternoon) exploring the galleries.

The gallery’s new Water Work Space is part-exhibition and part- workshop. It opens with a public open house and admission by donation on Sept. 16.

The space explores issues related to water — as a resource, a site of trade and exchange, and in relation to climate change.

The Party for our People, a celebration with local and regional artists featured in current exhibitions, features music, refreshments and interactive activities. It takes place on Sept. 21, from 6 to 9 p.m.

ART + FARE 3 is a celebration of all things local (and an annual fundraiser). It is held at and organized by the Union Club of British Columbia. The event takes place on Sept. 23, from 7 to 11 p.m. Tickets are available at artandfare.com.

There are three exhibition tours offered in September, the cost is included with admission:

• Moving Forward by Looking Back, Sept. 2 at 2 p.m.

• Close to Home, Sept. 3 at 2 p.m.

• Close to Home Curator’s Tour, Sept. 5 at 2 p.m.

AGGV House Tour

Posted on September 1, 2017 by unionclub

AGGV House Tour set for 64th Anniversary edition

The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and the Gallery Associates invite you to mark your calendar for Sunday, Sept. 24 when they present the 64th Anniversary House Tour. A mix of new and stunningly renovated homes, five of Oak Bay’s most beautiful residences will be open for viewing from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

In addition to viewing the unique Oak Bay residences, visitors will have the opportunity to chat with local artists working at each location. This year artists include: Richard Hunt, acclaimed First Nations carver; Mary Fox, ceramic artist; Will Millar, former leader of the Irish Rovers and renowned painter; Mary-ellen Threadkell, abstract painter; Keith Holmes painter, muralist and graphic artist and Joan Pattee, multi-genre painter. To accent the design of the homes, each stop on the tour also features imaginative floral creations from the Victoria Floral Artists’ Guild.

“This year’s House Tour includes not only excellent architecture and interior design but the homes also feature significant works by renowned artists,” said Bill Huzar, 2017 House Tour Chair. “Visitors will have the chance to enjoy the superb personal art collections that owners have on their walls throughout the homes.”

Huzar added, “the tour is the annual Gallery Associates’ major fundraiser in support of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. All funds raised go toward supporting programs and operational expenses incurred by the Gallery. The Gallery Associates volunteer, promote and support the AGGV through fundraising events and programs.”

Tickets for the self-directed tour cost $35 and go on sale September 1 at the AGGV, 1040 Moss Street; online at aggv.ca/events

Coming Soon: A Historic Evening

Posted on April 6, 2017 by unionclub

A Historic Evening

Saturday, May 20, 2017, 6 pm

The Union Club of British Columbia – 805 Gordon Street, Victoria

Celebrating the Union Club’s Designation as a National Historic Site
and the Inauguration of the newly renovated Centennial Ballroom.

Enjoy a delicious three-course dinner with wine and an exceptional evening full of song and dance!

Featuring performances from Pacific Opera Victoria and dancing to The Midnights.

Wine included with dinner. Chit bar with dancing.

Tickets: $199
(with $75 tax receipt)

Patron Tickets: $1,500
(includes two tickets, special recognition at the event, a welcome cocktail with the President, and a substantial tax receipt)

Union Club members
Please reserve your space through the Union Club – 250.384.1151 (ext. 0)

Dress Code: Black Tie & Formal Attire

Proceeds will benefit Pacific Opera Victoria