From the Library...

Tea & Treats on Sunday 1pm-4pm, courtesy of Amy and Jim.

Also open on Monday 10am-1pm.
Celine

Cedar Beach Pizza (Open & Closed Days)

Hopefully everyone has had a wonderful Christmas, Hanukkah or Winter holidays ...However you Celebrate!

We will be open for Pizza as follows

Sunday Dec 29 open
Monday Dec 30 open
Tuesday Closed
Wednesday Closed
Thursday Closed
Friday Closed
Saturday Jan 4 open
Sunday Jan 5 open

Wishing you a wonderful 2025!

Virginia and Andy
250-246-9770

New Years at the Pub

December 31 is right around the corner and Thetis Island Pub will be open to help you ring in 2025!

We'll be open on December 31 from 4pm to 12:30am. Food will be available from 4pm to 11pm.

We'll have our regular menu plus two New Years Specials:

Tuscan Seafood Pasta - Tuscan infused bechamel sauce on spaghetti noodles with smoked salmon, prawns, scallops, and mussels. Served with a parmesan arugula salad.

BBQ Ribs - BBQ pork ribs with garlic mashed potatoes, roasted seasonal vegetables, and a side Caesar salad.

And for dessert we have a Chocolate Brownie Parfait or Cherries Jubilee.

We also launched our new winter cocktail menu this week so come on by for food, drinks, and fun!

The pub will be closed on January 1, but the store will be open from 10-6 as usual.

Hope to see you there!

Kelsey, Chef Joey, and the Thetis Island Pub Team

From the Library

A Friend of the Library is available:
Saturday 10-1,
Sunday 1-4 with treats,
& Monday 10-1.

Some new materials on display.
Check it out. 

Celine

Access to "thetisisland.net"

If anyone trying to get to thetisisland.net is encountering an "unknown certificate" warning, would you let me know?

The site is safe, encrypted, all that, but there's a glitch in the server's system somewhere and until we find it, that warning will continue to appear.

Thanks!
veronicashelford@gmail.com

Sunday Church

The speaker this Sunday the 29th is Wayne Lee.

The Promised Land, Joshua Ch 1.

10 AM at the Community Centre, all are welcome.

Further info---Ernie 250-252-0144.

Update: “Uy Tumxuytl!” (Good Winter Month).

Yesterday’s post on North American Indigenous peoples’ seasonal celebration sparked much interest. Doug Fenton has kindly provided the following update.

The Indigenous Peoples of North America refer to Turtle Island as the land between the US/Mexico border and North to the Arctic Ocean, and between the East and West oceanic coasts.

Before contact, Thetis was just called Penelakut/Pune’luxutth Island. I believe, the name, Thetis, came from MV Thetis (a British Navy vessel) and Penelakut was renamed Kuper by Captain Kuper of the MV Thetis (https://bcgenesis.uvic.ca/thetis.html).

At that time, the elders Florence James and Augie Sylvester described a biodiversity-rich salt marsh between the two larger land masses. Clam Bay and areas around the salt marsh were accessed by canoes, pushed through at low tides.

Sadly, when the Cut was dredged, they stated that this change led to the permanent loss of this unique and rich salt marsh due to the changing of tidal waters that became diluted.

Huy ch q’a siem for asking. 

Doug

(Please feel free to reach out directly to dfenton12@gmail.com to share your reflections and questions.)

“Happy Winter Solstice” to you all, or as Elder Florence James says, “Uy Tumxuytl!” (Good Winter Month).

Christmas was brought to Turtle Island by the Christian faith. Until contact, the Indigenous peoples on Turtle Island celebrated the Winter Solstice, a re-energizing of the moons. Here are a few Winter Solstice videos that show us how Indigenous culture is. It’s all rooted in place, so each origin story reflects the place on Turtle Island, which is different from place to place but all based on or through an Indigenous lens/cultural value system.

(Please replace DOT with a . in the URLs below)

Winter Solstice - We create our world down here to reflect the stars above.
Found at.
https://youtu.be/TKVgK9n_xcA?feature=shared;

The importance of Winter Solstice in Indigenous Culture - Found at: https://youtu.be/SPiAScxmng4?si=9M-tfuN1d5tH06Zf;

Nanabush & the Spirit of Winter - A sense of reciprocity. Found at: https://youtu.be/RWmoGpD9SQs?si=FmZqnyIy9ZRUufPm;

Along with a couple of resources to watch over the long days ahead are:

An update on the TRC (Truth & Reconciliation Commission) by the AFN (Assembly of First Nations): https://afn.bynder.com/m/2fb4a0c35e36cfb2/original/TRC-Report-Card-2024.pdf

The TRC and it’s '94 Calls to Action' are something I’d like to explore more in 2025.

The passing of Murray Sinclair - https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6554986

An amazing Indigenous person, one of his life’s missions was to see a change in the Indigenous peoples' plight on Turtle Island, specifically Canada, as chairperson of the TRC.
I’ve started his latest book, a fantastic storyteller sharing the final leg of his journey, which his daughter has edited. The editor shared this note. “Structured around the four questions that have long shaped Senator Sinclair's thinking and worldview--Where do I come from? Where am I going? Why am I here? Who am I?--Who We Are takes readers into the story of his remarkable life as never before, while challenging them to embrace an inclusive vision for our shared future.”

Found at
https://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780771099106/murray-sinclair/who-we-are

What has always amazed me about Murray was his ability to be firm and honest yet remain so positive in his messaging and the ongoing resilience of the Indigenous People in spite of the past 150 years of colonialism to the contrary.

Feel free to share your reflection with me on any of these Winter Solstice insights. Enjoy and embrace your family—my best wishes to all of the residents and looking forward to 2025.

Huy ch q’a siem, 

Doug Fenton

Forbes Hall December 2024 Bulletin: Celebrating the Strength and Generosity of our Community

Includes TICA Board of Directors Letter to the Thetis Island Community, current financial update, and some cute photos!

Link: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/624c8c94cd68b164c5d0ae4c/t/67679616df5de84620e3d468/1734841889725/December+2024+Bulletin.pdf

TICA Board

No Ping Pong this Week...

Happy Boxing Day

Mary Forbes

Post Office Hours

Closed December 26 AND January 1. 

Regular hours otherwise.

FRED

Garbage Yard Closed January 1st

The TIRRA garbage yard on Thetis will be closed on New Year's Day (Wed, January 1).

Season's greetings,

Ernie 250-252-0144