FRANK VENABLES AUDITORIUM

AS MANY OF YOU ARE AWARE IN SEPTEMBER OF 2011 – WHILE UNDER RENOVATION – THE SOUTH OKANAGAN SECONDARY SCHOOL AND THE ATTACHED FRANK VENABLES AUDITORIUM WERE COMPLETELY DESTROYED BY FIRE.

THE AUDITORIUM – WHICH WAS NOT PART OF THE ORIGINAL RENOVATION OF THE SCHOOL HAD PREVIOUSLY GONE OUT TO REFERENDUM AND THE PEOPLE OF OLIVER AND AREA C HAD SUPPORTED A 3.8 MILLION DOLLAR RENOVATION FOR THE AUDITORIUM TO COINCIDE WITH THE SCHOOL REBUILD.  AFTER THE FIRE THE MONEY WAS REASSIGNED BY THE REGIONAL DISTRICT TO INCLUDE THE WORDS REBUILD NOT RENOVATE.

FRANK VENABLES – WHO THE AUDITORIUM  WAS NAMED AFTER – MOVED TO OLIVER IN 1920  AND WAS ONE OF MANY RETURNING WORLD WAR 1 VETS WHO WERE PUT TO WORK BY PREMIER JOHN OLIVER TO COMPLETE HIS DREAM OF BRINGING WATER TO THE SOUTH OKANAGAN AND CREATING THE FARMING COMMUNITY WE HAVE TODAY.

FRANK WAS A SCHOOL TRUSTEE FOR OVER 37 YEARS AND BOARD CHAIR FROM 1945 TO 1970.

HE WORKED CLOSELY WITH THE OSOYOOS INDIAN BAND AND WAS THE FORCE BEHIND HAVING THE FIRST NATIVE CHILDREN ATTEND THE PUBLIC SCHOOL – HE WOULD EVEN PERSONALLY DRIVE  THEM TO SCHOOL EACH DAY. FRANK IS THE ONLY NON-ABORIGINAL TO BE NAMED AN HONORARY CHIEF OF THE OSOYOOS INDIAN BAND.

HE WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN GETTING THE FIRST HIGH SCHOOL BUILT INCLUDING THE ICONIC AUDITORIUM. THIS THEATRE BECAME THE CENTRE FOR ARTS FOR THE WHOLE SOUTH OKANAGAN

THE AUDITORIUM WAS NAMED FOR HIM TO RECOGNIZE HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE COMMUNITY.

THIS FALL THE FRANK VENABLES AUDITORIUM WILL OPEN AGAIN AND ALMOST 60 YEARS LATER A PIECE OF HISTORY WILL REMAIN ALIVE WITH THE NAME AND LEGACY OF ONE OF OUR PIONEERS

This was a speech given by Linda Larson in the Legislature.