Category: News

  • Artist Brian Scott donates paintings of Mack Laing homes

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    The Mack Laing Society of the Comox Valley has been honoured with the donation of two beautiful paintings by Vancouver Island artist Brian Scott. The paintings and prints will assist the Society in its defence of Mack Laing and the fulfillment of his wish that a natural history museum be created. Laing, a renowned ornithologist,…

  • Richard Mackie blasts loss of CV heritage

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    With regret I have cancelled the generous offer by Evelyn Gillespie to participate in the “Authors for Independent Bookstores” day at the Laughing Oyster Bookstore on Saturday 2 May 2015. Anyone familiar with my four Comox Valley books will appreciate my love of the history and heritage of the valley: Hamilton Mack Laing: Hunter-Naturalist (1985),…

  • MLHS urged to seek legal counsel – with generous help from Brian Scott

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    The decision, without open public consultation, of the Comox Town Council taken on the same day as CBC viewers watched ISIS demolish history in Mosul and Nimrud, to demolish Hamilton Mack Laing’s Canadian heritage, may quickly be snowballing into a Canadian heritage “cause celebre.” Canadian heritage artist, Brian Scott, whose many well-known paintings celebrate the…

  • Mack Laing Saga Timeline

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    1922:  Famous Canadian author, artist and ornithologist, collector for the National Museum of Canada and The Smithsonian, lands in Comox June 1922.  Builds his first home “Baybrook” and marries his life-long love Ethel Hart. 1945:  Ethel Hart dies of cancer.  A grief-stricken Mack Laing becomes a recluse. 1949:  Sells his Baybrook and 10 acres to…

  • Why is Comox so keen to demolish?

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    I was surprised to read in “Society slams Comox for failing to preserve historic Laing homes,” (The Echo,6 March) Mayor Ives’ claim that “interpretive panels had been erected to highlight the historic significance of Laing’s work.”   As only one small not very visible panel exists, I leave it to your readers to weigh the substance…

  • Brian Scott speaks out about Baybrook

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    What would Key West be without Ernest Hemingway or Savanna, Georgia without William Faulkner!!  Alice Munro, our only Nobel Laureate, stayed at Mack Laing’s house in the winter of 1996. I recently read a bio and it said Alice Munro wintered in Comox, BC. I have read all her books.  I finally figured out my…

  • TV and press comment on demolition threat

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    In recent days CTV news has aired a clip regarding the pending demolition of both of Mack Laing’s former homes. View the clip here: http://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=567633 And on March 10, in the Comox Valley Record, the Under the Glacier editorial cartoon has also made a statement. View the e-edition of the newspaper here: http://www.comoxvalleyrecord.com/eeditions/?iid=i20150310050014241 There have…

  • A last look at Baybrook …

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    The MLHS thanks Sharon Niscak for allowing us to post these photographs of Baybrook House on a beautiful spring day, the last Spring it will see, after 92 years. This house, along with Shakesides in Mack Laing Park, will soon to be demolished by the Town of Comox …