April 2019
• BC Wildfire Services hosted a heli-exit training exercise at the Hope Airport on April 2. The annual training is mandatory because it keeps the firefighters up-to-date and practicing because, as it’s used as a last resort, the technique isn’t used every year.
As of April 1, there had been 28 wildfires larger than 0.009 hectares burning in various locations around the province.
• After years of delays crews finally got to work on the construction of the Silver Creek Travel Centre. While the project still isn’t complete, it took shape over the course of the year.
Located just off of the 168 east-bound exit from Highway 1, the Travel Centre will be a full-service Husky convenience store, with Esso gas, for truckers or anyone who’s looking to fuel up and stretch their legs. There will also be a Ricky’s All Day Grill where locals can grab breakfast, lunch, or dinner whenever they want.
• A joyful high school band trip to Austria and Italy ended in tragedy for a beloved school secretary and those who knew her best.
During March’s spring break, long-time Coquihalla Elementary secretary, Sandra Loring, accompanied the Hope Secondary band as a chaperone, one of six adults supervising the 28 students, during the European tour. However, Loring experienced an unexpected medical emergency during the flight home and passed away a week later in Chilliwack General Hospital.
• A new Hope clothing store lost $5,000 after an early morning break-in. It was a tough blow for Caroline Kuiper and her husband and business partner Trapper Kuiper. The two opened Broke Buckle Clothing Company on Wallace Street in December 2017 and had relocated their store to the 5th Avenue location just three months prior.
• On Friday, April 19, Tom Hendrickson passed away, leaving behind his wife, Margaret, five children, multiple grandchildren, numerous foster children, and a lasting legacy in the community he diligently served for nearly three decades.
READ MORE: Community feels void left by passing of School Board Trustee Tom Hendrickson
While growing up, the prejudices Tom witnessed against his First Nations friends affected him profoundly, and he ended up spending much of his adulthood working towards equality, especially where children were concerned: that’s how Tom began his career as a school trustee, which lasted 29 years.
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