Lake District News from Burns Lake, British Columbia, Canada • 12

12 Lakes District News Wednesday, July 8, 1998 Everything is within your reach Everywhere we turn we either hear or see news of the what is all the fuss about? Well, residents and businesses in Burns Lake and Topley will have the opportunity to find out through the Community Access Project (CAP) and YouthBC. CAP has provided each of these communities with two computers connected to the Internet that will be avail able to the public. Never "surfed" the net before? Don't worry, CAP and Youth BC will be holding a number of information sessions ranging from a very basic introduction to building your own website in the virtual world. CAP, which is funded by Industry Canada, is designed to increase awareness of, and. access to, the Internet A local student has Internet, Intermediate Internet Skills, Finding Employment, Communications (E-mail).

Advertising, Buying Selling, and Business Research, Individuals and businesses in rural towns are not immune to globalizations. CAP and YouthBC will make it possible for us to participate at Nadina Community Futures 1-800-556-5539 or 845-2522, or the Houston Public Library at 845-2256. each community. Public access computers are available at the College of New Caledonia and the Burns Lake Chamber of Commerce. The Topley Elementary School will be hosting the Topley CAP site.

Training sessions are still in the planning stages, but will be readily available in July. Tentative sessions include an Introduction to the been employed by CAP to provide all levels of Internet instruction to the public. Justin Schroff and Cheryl Farmer are the two students hired in Burns Lake and Topley respectively. CAP can provide the public with skills and resources which will make it possible for communities to target local concerns such as economic growth and unemployment. Youth BC has been funded by the provincial government; and is part nered with public libraries, youth, and high tech BC businesses.

The two students hired by YouthBC, Steffanie Owen and Jordan Anderson, are based out of the Houston Public Library. While centered in Houston, you will be seeing Steffanie and Jordan around because they are also providing services to Burns Lake. Steffanie is responsible for public training sessions, and Jordan will be focusing on creating a youth webpage in Scribblers say farewell to friend Golden Weddim Anniversary Jean Connie Stanton are celebrating their By TOM MacDOUGALL Lakes District News It's always hard to write about people you know and like, even harder if you consider them a friend, and harder still if you're writing to tell others of that friend's death. You wonder where to start, what to talk about and what to leave out. Sometimes, the best, the only, solution is to jump in with both feet and hope for the best Ironically enough, that's the very impression Charles Walden left with those who knew 50th Weddingjflnniversary on Sunday, jlugust 2nd, 1998 at their home at with an Openjiouse from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

'Please, no gifts. Tennessee for four years as copy editor and editorial writer for the Chattanooga Times. From Tennessee it was south Kentucky, where he set his hand to writing for two Louisville papers, the Courier-Journal and the Louisville Times. In 1969, Charles left the newspaper business to work for an advertising and public relations firm in Louisville, and had the opportunity to be the speech writer and press aide for a gubernatorial hopeful in Florida. In 1971 Charles lent his pen to yet another of his passions human and civil rights.

This was to consume much of his life for the next two-and-a-half decades. In fact, between 1971 and 1975 he prepared research for and was principal witness in what history records as a landmark case to help desegregate the Kentucky school system. In the following years, he not only worked for the Detroit Free Press, the Victoria When exactly his lifelong passion for writing began, no one really knows, but he was one of those lucky few who discovered a variety of ways to make his passion payoff. Charles started his writing career in 1948, while in his late-teens, as a reporter for the weekly San Bruno (California) Herald. At the time he was just completing highschool, and in the fall of 1948 he entered university at San Francisco State.

In 1951 Charles embarked on a stint with the US Navy as a journalist during the Korean War era, with assignments in Hawaii and Florida. He took his first crack at the editor's chair during this period. Charles left the Navy in 1954, and began reporting for a series of newspapers in Florida and Missouri. He also found time to squeeze in a bachelor of arts in history from the University of Florida. After Missouri, Charles moved on to Chattanooga, Times-Colonist and the Toronto Star, but ran two separate human rights publications (Canadian Human Rights Reporter and Canadian Human Rights Advocate) and, during a four-year stint in England, a typesetting and production business.

In the early 1990s, Charles and his wife, Kathleen Ruff, moved into the BC north. In the fall of 1992 he once again donned his reporter's fedora and worked for the Interior News. Charles and Kathleen eventually settled in Colleymount, where both continued their work for human rights. It was while living in Colleymount that many of the people in Burns Lake came to know Charles. Colleymount also proved to be a fertile ground for Charles creatively, and he spent much of his time writing short stories.

He joined the Northern Scribblers Guild, eventually becoming president of the writers group. For the members, his 567-5517 Wa nderhoof xFloor xvo i 3i TILE' Residential Commercial Industrial F1 ALCAN REGIONAL 3 OFFICE now located In Vanderhoof and for your convenience is only a local Hardwood 2 V' $5.00 per sq ft. -Vinyl $.99 persqft. $1.21 persqft. Ceramic $2.10 each Marble Glass Blocks Blinds phone call away: 692-4315 III, SKINS LAKE SPILUWAY 694-3532 AUCAN talent and wit helped spur their writing forward.

Unfortunately, all great stories have an ending, and Charles' ending began in December of 1996, when he was diagnosed with throat cancer. He and Kathleen moved to Vancouver, where they could be closer to the medical care he needed. Sadly, on March 30, 1998, Charles Walden lost the fight, and writers of the Lakes District lost a great friend. Those wishing to remember Charles are invited to contribute to a peace fund set up in his name by the Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade. Anyone wishing to donate to the fund can send the donation to COAT, 489 Metcalfe St.

Ottawa, ON, K1S 3N7. Members of the Northern Scribblers Guild will be having a set of shelving in the Burns Lake Public Library dedicated in his name. 1 Free Estimates Professional Installations DAN MORRISON 402 W. 1st Street (Hwy 16) Vanderhoof mm seal JWS-3 li CONTRACTING Custom Homes Renovations Over 20 Years Experience "Building Quality Homes throughout the Lakes District" cm 111 II Interest Down Payments Payments for For 6 Months OAC 6 months Phone 692-7480 mm.