Dear Editor,
How many Bowen Islanders does it take to find a set of keys? In my case, this first Sunday in December, it took quite a few.
My adventure started around 11 a.m. While waiting to catch the 11:30 ferry, I was putting up some posters. I had just finished putting up my last one – at the covered area west of the ferry dock – when my keys slipped out of my hand and fell through a waiting crack in the dock into the water below. I was pretty sure I could make out my key chain (attached to a beige circular AUM symbol, which looked maddeningly similar to a sand dollar) on the ocean floor. It was my only set of keys. To make matters worse, my computer was in the vehicle, and my two dogs were stuck on the outside with me. What to do? First I phoned Peter DuPlessis (947-HELP), our always-dependable tow-truck driver, who rushed over, on the way to another job, to get my car out of the ferry lineup. He didn’t have his kit to open my car door, so I phoned Dave Pinner, longtime friend and first-class locksmith, to help me get into my vehicle. It turned out that it was Dave’s birthday, and he was just sitting down to a family lunch; he said he could help me once he’d finished his meal.
In the meantime, my friend Jens Diercks drove across the island with a rod, line and magnet to try to retrieve my key chain. After an hour of fishing around vainly for it, Jens had to leave: it was time for his daily run up Mt. Gardner, and given that this was the first sunny day in two months (years?), he had to abandon his attempt to help me. On his way home, he dropped me off at Dave’s place.
Dave and his son Jesse drove down to the dock with me. Eagle-eyed Dave was sure he could make out my key chain on the sea floor and started making a new attempt to retrieve it with a line and magnet. Just then, I got a call from another friend, John Jerman, whom I had contacted earlier that afternoon. He came over to meet us at the dock with his son, Birch, who was in his swimming trunks. Birch dove into the water and appeared ten seconds later with the keys in his hand. Nothing like having a young, brave and foolish man around when you need one!
As this all unfolded, three tourists watched in amazement. One of them asked: “How’s all this happening?” I replied: “This is Bowen Island.”
A big thank you to all of my wonderful friends for helping me in my time of need!
Matt Maxwell
