The re-opening of one of Bowen Island’s most iconic institutions brought many faces, both local and visiting, to the once widely popular Doc Morgan's last Friday, May 1. but the restaurant was not the only building on the property that would house a returning crowd.
The summerhouse briefly became home to a flock of Vaux's swallows, a.k.a. Chimney Swifts worthy of San Juan Capistrano.
"We noticed them about 7 o'clock that same evening" said USSC operator Rondy Dike who along with his wife, Dorothy, watched the group of birds attract more of their kind and form a massive flock overtop the largest of the USSC's rental cottages.
"Stunned," was the only word the head of housekeeping Barb Gibbard could find to describe how she felt.
"You could see one bird in the window and that's happened before, sometimes one gets in," she said, but upon checking it out, it became quickly apparent that the problem was much more extensive than it had appeared. It goes without saying the cleanup effort was an event all of its own.
Some may see the gathering of swallows that accompanied Doc Morgan's opening night as worrisome, an omen of sorts, or at least a major nuisance, but perhaps there is some symbolism in the timing of the birds return. It was a grand night in celebration of a local favourite reopening under guidance of the family that crafted it. It attracted a flood of customers and staff both old and new.
For many Islanders, Doc Morgan's has been a constant feature among the handful of family businesses within the community: a great stop for fish and chips.
“It's been the face of the island, and such an integral part of Union Steamship,” says Oydis Nickle, daughter of Rondy and Dorothy.
Oydis hopes to bring the restaurant back to the greatness it experienced in the 90s. Further aiding this effort is the return of some of the original staff that helped to give the restaurant it's great reputation; a place that for Waitress Laurie Woolly, a twenty year member of the Doc Morgan's family, "feels very much like home.”
