Ladysmith Maritime Centre Opens
With congratulatory speeches, a navy brass band and a First Nations welcoming circle, the Ladysmith Maritime Society recently opened its new dockside Reception Centre. After a number of speakers advanced the welcoming nature of the facility for visiting boaters, local mariners and First Nations neighbours, the proposal to rename it officially a Welcoming Centre was appreciated the large and enthusiastic crowd.
The new facility will provide moorage for transient vessels and will have a sewage pump-out station, the first along this section of the coast of Vancouver Island. Total construction budget was over $1.5 million, reported Doug Bell, the president of the Society. The maritime centre also houses boat repair and restoration facilities and a museum that highlights the unique history of Ladysmith Harbour.
A major feature of the building is a pair of support beams that were taken from the old masts of HMCS Oriole, the sail-training ship of Canadian Forces Maritime Command, CFB Esquimalt.
