Thirty-one members, two visitors, and two visiting Rotarians (Bruce Willats of Laguna Beach and Christine Cragie of Nanaimo North) attended this tour which was arranged by Jeff Grisold. Our erudite and charming guide was Justine Elamatha, a student at Carleton University, who had been a Rotary Exchange Student to Mexico in 2002-2003. She began with a history of the building which was designed by Francis Rattenbury and completed in 1897. Costing double the allotted $500,000, it remains an outstanding and handsome building. The statue on the dome is of Captain George Vancouver; originally copper it was gilded in the 1970's restoration. Justine pointed out many interesting interior features, including the Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee stained glass window which has an intriguing history. It was shipped from England in barrels of molasses. Moved from its original location, it was lost for 62 years in the basement. After a welcome from MLA Ida Chong, we repaired to the members' restaurant for a fine lunch. Many thanks to all involved.
Report by Neil Madsen