From our President
Hope everyone is having a happy summer. We’ll have some announcements to make in the next BUZZ in regards to BCATW events and the date for the next AGM. I’ll be away from September 4 – October 20 touring the Greek Islands doing research for the e-book guide I’m working on for Hunter Publishing.
Happy travels!
Ruth Kozak, President
New Member Spotlight
Dave Smith is Editor of and Contributor to What’s Brewing magazine, known as The Journal of BC’s Craft Beer Movement.
A beer enthusiast since the late 1990s, Dave is a natural craft beer tourism advocate. After years of roaming the Pacific Northwest collecting beer travel experiences, Dave inevitably turned his attention toward writing about this lifestyle pursuit. He began contributing regularly to What’s Brewing as a writer in 2013, beginning with a piece about rail travel to Oregon. Two years later, he assumed his current position with the publication.
In his business life, Dave Smith owns Line49 Design, a digital agency. Being a Web strategist by trade, he saw a place for What’s Brewing as a digital magazine and launched the publication on-line in 2015. Through Line49, Dave was responsible for creating the What’s Brewing website, brand and identity, as well as the magazine’s format, layout and style template.
Dave and his wife Ivana travel the Cascadian region in search of craft beer, and capture their adventures as the writing duo BeerSeekers. Aside from travel articles, Dave also creates various works for What’s Brewing, including full-length craft beer community profiles, and essays on the Business of Beer.
Member News
Cherie Thiessen’s huge article on the Southern Gulf Islands was in the July 15 issue of the Vancouver Sun, graced superbly by Karoline Cullen’s marvelous killer whale photo. Cherie says there are definite advantages to being a BCATW member: how could she have gotten a fabulous shot like that if she weren’t a member and didn’t know whom to contact for the shot she wanted that helped make the editor love her and immediately assign her another article? She also thanks Mari Kane for spreading the word to the membership and beyond via social media.
Photo by Karoline Cullen
Cherie’s story on Mayne Island is in the August issue of Pacific Yachting, and her current stories on Bodega Gallery on Galiano and Meadowmist Farm on Mayne Island are in the current issue of Aqua Magazine. Boating in the Norfolk Broads in England was in last weekend’s Kamloops This Week and Britain in the Slow Lane at Travel Writers Tales. Now hard at work on a story on Gabriola Island, she’s then looking forward to some ‘down time’ sailing.
Kami Kanetsuka will be a Living Book at the Bowen Island Library on August 13th between 2-5 pm. It is billed as Human “Books” to borrow. She’ll be London to Kathmandu by Bus in the Sixties (Because We Could).
Ruth Kozak had a story about the origins of the Olympics published in EuropeUpClose. “Running Naked for the Olive Crown” tells how the famous Games began and addresses some of the current issues of today’s Olympics.
Writer Roberta Staley and photographer Tallulah of Vancouver spent four days in mid-July in the BC Interior, visiting the Tl’etinqox Nation in the community of Anaham. The pair was reporting for Trek magazine on the work of a University of British Columbia dental mission, consisting of second to fourth-year dentistry students. The poor oral health of many of the patients — children as well as adults — who came to the full-day clinics reflected the economic status of many Anaham residents as well as a lack of education about cavity prevention and healthy diet.
Staley trying to make friends with some of the semi-feral horses who run unfettered over reserve lands. Photo by Tallulah
Staley and Tallulah also immersed themselves in the Aboriginal culture, experiencing the ancient art of dip netting for salmon and visiting sacred sites and traditional gathering and burial places with Tl’etinqox Chief Joe Alphonse.
Irene Butler and her husband Rick are now scouring Moldova. From the capital, Chisinau, they have been day-tripping to the following: Cricova Winery, with 100km of limestone tunnels, of which 60km are used for wine aging and storage in a perfect micro-climate.
Photo of monestary cave by Irene Butler
Monastery Caves dug out of limestone by monks in the 15th century were eerily haunting. Another Moldova region of interest is the self-declared Communist state of Transdniestr, with its own currency, flag, police force, border control, and army. The Butler’s will next travel on to Bulgaria
Industry Member News
The great annual migration of millions of zebra, wildebeest and antelopes and their predators in East Africa is one of the most spectacular wildlife events on the planet. Witnessing it is a once in a lifetime experience and hence timing your safari with the Great Migration requires research, perseverance and a bit of good luck.
Vancouver-based Bestway Tours & Safaris, a leader in African wild game experiences, has developed a number of special migration safari packages. Over the years, the company has conducted extensive research regarding the actual timings of the grazing season to ensure the maximum wildlife viewing opportunities. Much of the Great Migration takes place in Tanzania, a country renowned for the Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire, Lake Manyara National Parks, which offer some of Africa’s most exciting wild game safaris, featuring many animal species, including the famous Big Five. Tanzania naturally, is a photographer’s dream.
Chief Explorer Mahmood Poonja – a native of Tanzania – says, “To view this specular event one has to be at the right place and time. Whilst weather conditions can never be guaranteed and nature is king of the jungle, our experience of operating game safaris for over 25 years has helped to us narrow down, which are the best times and places to be.” For complete details visit Bestways or call 1-800-663-0844
Meetups
There will be a BCATW Meetup held on Wednesday, September 14, but the details are still worked out so please stay tuned!
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