St. Paul’s Dedicates New Facilities

by Dan Davidson

The Richard Martin Memorial Chapel has been an important part of the parish of St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Dawson City for some years now, but it’s been missing an important visual symbol of its purpose: a steeple.

The chapel is home to the congregation of St. Paul’s during the winter months when it is too difficult to heat the pro-cathedral, and to several other groups which hold meetings there regularly. It was originally erected as part of the community of Clinton Creek and moved here after the closure of that mining community in 1978.

The inspiration for the steeple came when the parish church in Carmacks was deconsecrated and its bell tower became available, but in the end that structure proved unsuitable for use in Dawson and a local master carpenter, Ron Bramadat, was hired to recreate a scaled down version of the steeple onthe main building.

Dedication of steeple at Richard Martin Memorial Chapel, Dawson City. Photo - Dan Davidson

The funding for this came from Whitehorse resident Robert DeKlerk, donated in memory of his late wife, Barbara.

During the dedication Father John Tyrrell noted that the finished steeple was something quite special, far beyond the value of the contract.

“It is the work of a true craftsman. (Ron) has put his heart and soul into this and has given this church and this memorial far more than we could ever have asked.”

Now that the tower and bell have been installed, St. Paul’s will be able to ring a church bell on Sundays all year around instead of just in the summer months.

Also dedicated on that same Sunday, May 23, was the meditation garden and resting place on the north side of the church, originally installed two years ago during St. Paul’s centennial year, but now dedicated to the memory of the late Jim Reilly, who passed away in the same year. His wife, Uta Reilly, was present for the dedication.

Both short ceremonies were officiated by Father John, Deacon Carol Tyrrell and Lay Minister Shirley Pennell.

Wind blown tree on the corner of Princess and 7th Ave. Dawson. Photo - Dan Davidson

Uffish Thoughts: Hoping for Gentle Cool Breezes

by Dan Davidson

The gods must have been bowling in the Klondike Valley Tuesday afternoon. From the noise of it they must have been using at least six lanes and making strike after strike.

There had been a bit of the same noise on Monday, but not nearly so prolonged or even so loud. A mere dress rehearsal of thunder.

Monday was, in fact, a bit of a dud as Summer Solstice Days go. It was warm enough - bakingly hot in fact - for all the Aboriginal Day events in the afternoon, but the smoke from the nearby fires began to obscure the sun by supper time, and the poor beleaguered orb had pretty much vanished behind a veil of grey by supper time.

Speaking of fires, the red alert in this area killed our chances of spending the late evening up on the Fire Dome. Poor Bill Jackson was too busy running up and down the lookout ladder to put up with company, or to play the pipes at midnight as he loves to do for Solstice.

Our group had to settle for a spacious front deck at home somewhat lower on the hill. It didn't make a lot of difference, since Old Sol was so blocked that the indirect lighting hardly gave us a sunset effect.

These days have rather left us hoping for rain, which we thought might have rolled in with the thunder on Monday, but waited instead for the repeat performance on Tuesday.

The thunder was, as noted at the beginning of this piece, impressive, but I'm even more impressed when I can actually see a lightning flash in broad daylight.

The wind, now that was something. When it marched up the valley to town it drove me from our second floor deck by threatening to take my shade umbrella away, and the accompanying rain splattered me while I rescued that and the story material I'd been working on.

Downstairs, the rain blew in sideways along our front deck and hissed against the side of the barbecue later while I looked after the hamburgers.

The flower baskets were swinging so wildly that my wife took them down, and we actually ate indoors for the first time in several days.

At some points around town it was more than a nuisance. On the way to the mail this morning I noted a tree down and hanging over the road from an abandoned lot on Queen Street.

More dramatically a substantial poplar about 20 cm thick had snapped off at about chest height two doors down from us on 7th, and the woman who lives there was looking at it with some amazement as I drove by.

We returned in short order, me with a camera and her with a saw. I snapped a picture or two, then we both snapped the tree and hauled it off the road.

Looking at the weather this week I've been amused to note that it's been colder in Toronto (it hit 32 while I was there a fortnight ago) than it has been here for about a week now. We don't get to gloat about that sort of thing too often. I just hope we don't catch on fire while we're at it.

A little more rain and gentle cool breeze would be welcome about now.