Students at Osoyoos Secondary School lined the walkway to give Clara Hughes (left) a send off as she left the school in May to climb Anarchist Mountain. (Richard McGuire file photo)
An Olympic hero visiting Osoyoos and Alberta man facing charges of impaired driving causing death relating to the tragic tubing death of a B.C. teenager back in 2011 on Osoyoos Lake made headlines in May.
Canadian Olympic hero Clara Hughes visited Osoyoos in May as part of Clara’s Big Ride, which saw the six-time Olympic medalist cycle 12,000 kilometres in 110 days across Canada.
During her visit, Hughes discussed her longstanding battle with depression and bipolar disorder and how she has managed to overcome those obstacles to lead a healthy and rewarding life.
Encouraging people who suffer from various forms of mental illness and urging them to seek help has become her passion since retiring from competitive athletics, said the Canadian Olympic hero during her visit to Osoyoos.
Hughes told the audience how her battle with chronic depression started shortly after winning two bronze medals in cycling at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games.
“I was in a severe state of depression two months after winning two Olympic medals,” she said.
Early detection and treatment remains crucial to overcoming depression and many other mental health issues, she said.
During every stop on Clara’s Big Ride, Hughes urges people to seek treatment and counselling and not be afraid to talk about their illness.
Hughes drew a huge crowd of Osoyoos residents to the Sonora Community Centre during her visit to town.
Meanwhile, an Alberta man was charged with impaired driving causing death almost three years after a popular B.C. teenager was tragically killed after being struck by a powerboat while tubing on Osoyoos Lake.
Ryan William Symington, 31, faces several charges relating to the incident that claimed the life of Marco Corbin, 18, who was killed instantly when he was hit by a boat while tubing with friends in the late afternoon hours of Aug. 16, 2011.
After a three-year police investigation, Symington has been charged with impaired driving causing death, dangerous driving causing death, failure to stop at the scene of an accident, having care and control of a vessel with over .08 of alcohol in his system and attempting to obstruct justice.
Only two months after graduating high school, Corbin and several of his friends made the trip for some summer fun in Osoyoos. The teenager was rushed back to shore, but paramedics and bystanders were unable to revive him.
Symington, who was released on $15,000 cash bail after spending one night in jail following his arrest, is facing a preliminary hearing on these charges in early 2015.
Bob Corbin, the deceased’s father, said his family has been torn apart since he lost his oldest son.
“All I can say is my family has been totally devastated and destroyed since this happened,” he said. “It’s affected every part of our lives in the most devastating way you could imagine. It has affected my marriage and it has wreaked havoc with my two other sons, who worshipped the ground that Marco walked on.
“He was their role model and their inspiration and they aren’t the same kids since this happened. “Marco was the one his younger brothers looked to for guidance and they haven’t been able to deal with the fact he’s gone. Our entire family has been decimated by this.”
In other news, the Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB) agreed to form a partnership agreement with the provincial government to handle the discovery of a First Nation burial ground discovered inside Haynes Point Provincial Park.
Under the agreement, BC Parks and the OIB agreed to work in partnership to ensure the long-term protection and management of the OIB cultural heritage sites and values in the park, which falls within the band’s traditional territory.
Archaeological experts were brought in and confirmed that some of the bones and artifacts discovered on the site dated back hundreds of years.
In the short-term, the parties are working collaboratively to respectfully manage and protect the OIB burial site that was disturbed by excavation activities on April 29.
Clarence Louie, Chief of the OIB, said it is believed the remains are more than 1,100 years old and date back to a period before indigenous people had any contact with an outside culture.
While he’s not sure why the remains were buried here, Louie said they obviously hold great cultural and religious significance to local First Nations people.
The deal allowed people to continue to camp at Haynes Point this summer and all reservations would be honoured, said Louie.
Both sides agreed the park would close effective Oct. 1 to allow for a full archaeological inventory prior to winter and for the province and the OIB to work in partnership on decisions regarding how best to manage the park to protect important cultural heritage sites and values going forward.
It was also announced the Town of Osoyoos would receive $322,472 from the B.C. government to support tourism infrastructure and amenities.
“This $322,472 funding will enhance opportunities for tourism in our community,” Larson said. “Improving infrastructure and amenities is vital to the longevity of our tourism industry.”
The funding comes from the Resort Municipality Initiative program, which helps grow the tourism sector in 14 eligible municipalities.
“The RMI funding is crucial to our small rural resort communities,” Osoyoos Mayor Stu Well said. “This funding enables us to fully promote and continually improve our visitors’ experiences.”
Osoyoos has received a total of $2,255,498 from the RMI program since 2008.
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Mario Hall sifts carefully through sand and dirt excavated at Haynes Point in the hopes of finding artifacts. An ancient burial site was discovered in April during digging for washrooms. Hall is a member of Osoyoos Indian Band and was working under lead archeologist Meghan Fisher. (Richard McGuire file photo)
