- The Alumni Association date was corrected in this story to Oct. 13. The Saanich B次元官网网址 regrets the error.
When current Saanich Police chief Bob Downie arrived at Colquitz junior high as a 15-year-old, he brought a little teenaged attitude with him.
His family had just relocated from Nova Scotia, and Downie was the new kid in town, a far different person than SaanichB次元官网网址檚 longest serving police officer.
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B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 pretty sure I was slumped over in the chair during a meeting with the principal and my mom, registering for the school,B次元官网网址� Downie recalled. B次元官网网址淎fter she talked to the principal he looked at me and said, B次元官网网址業 donB次元官网网址檛 know how they do it in Nova Scotia but in B.C. you donB次元官网网址檛 have to go to school, so donB次元官网网址檛 bother coming unless youB次元官网网址檙e going to show up on time and take it serious.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚 straightened up in the chair and that set me straight for the rest of high school,B次元官网网址� Downie said.
About a year later Downie was at Spectrum Community School, which served only Grades 11 and 12. When Downie graduated in 1979 heB次元官网网址檇 been the master of ceremonies for all school assemblies, was a fixture on the rugby team and theatre program and was set on a career in television or radio. HeB次元官网网址檇 even joined the cheerleading team with a couple of other boys for fun, but also to break the stereotype of the time.
Downie is one four accomplished Spectrum alumni who will speak at the first Spectrum Alumni Association fundraiser, Friday, Oct. 13 at the CFB Esquimalt Wardroom.
The other three grads are Wendy Tilby (1978), a renowned animator and three-time Academy Award nominee and Cannes Palme dB次元官网网址橭r winner, Andre Eng (1988), businessman, entrepreneur, and president of House of Knives, and , who won five-straight national volleyball championships with UBC and was the CIS 2013 athlete of the year for all sports.
The banquet itself is a fundraiser for the Spectrum Community School Scholarship Fund, said Denis Harrigan, a former principal and teacher who remembers teaching Downie in 1979.
DownieB次元官网网址檚 current office assistant at Saanich Police, Heather Putney (Caldwell), also graduated from Spectrum in 1979.
For Harrigan, Spectrum was full circle. He started teaching their in 1979 and retired as its principal.
B次元官网网址淥ther high school alumni associations in town have started and have been putting together great scholarship opportunities for their current students,B次元官网网址� Harrigan said. B次元官网网址淲e plan to create a wall of distinguished alumni along one of these hallways. The hope is students will see that you can go places from Spectrum, this isnB次元官网网址檛 just a school itB次元官网网址檚 a launch pad, thereB次元官网网址檚 lots of ways to make your mark.B次元官网网址�
The Spectrum Alumni Association fundraiser is Oct. 13 at the CFB Esquimalt Wardroom, 1586 Esquimalt Rd., beginning at 6 p.m.
The night will include a silent auction, door prizes and music from the Spectrum Jazz Band. Tickets are $100 and will include a $50 tax receipt, available online at .
