2022
Terminal City Club, November 16, 2022
Our annual book launch, this one for four books two on the Handsworth Music program in North Vancouver, one on the B.C. Beefeater Band and one on the Kitsilano Showboat.
Barry Leinbach, President of the Kitsilano Showboat Society
Barry is holding his new book.
Alumni of the B.C. Beefeater Band. One flew in from Boston and another drove down from Prince George for this long over due reunion and book launch.
Beefeater Alumnis with Larry Olson seated far right whose father Gordon was the founder and director of the Beefeater Band.
The Evening
Bob Rebagliati, Peter van Ooyen and Keith Woodward holding their lifetime achievement awards. All were directors of the Handsworth Music program in North Vancouver.
Alumni of the Beefeater Band L to R Al Jewall, Rick Hill, Al Lynch, Linda Williamson and Bruce Norris.
Bill Inman and Tom Walker alumni of the Kitsilano Boy’s Band here to cheer Barry Leinbach on who was also a member of the Kitsilano Boys Band. They were also here for the inaugural event of the foundation’s first book launch.
Bob Rebagliati and some fans ie former students from Handsworth Music.
The Foundation
ARTHUR DELAMONT in his living room on Dunbar in the 1950s
The foundation’s lifetime achievement award in the arts
The two Handsworth Music books handed out at the book launch.
British Columbia Beefeater Band display at the event.
Christopher Best
President & Founder,
The Arthur W. Delamont Foundation
THE EVENT
The show will start precisely at 4:00 o clock. You will hear the Tonight Show Theme being played. That is your signal to get back to your seat because when it is over the lights will go out and a spotlight will focus on me and the show will begin. The first show is on the Beefeater Band.
The evening will consist of four 45-minute shows followed by a 15-minute intermission where you can get up and stretch, mingle, and get drinks, go to the washroom. There may be entertainment during the intermission for those who just want to sit. At the moment, we are only having hor d’oevroes, not dinner.
Then, precisely at 5:00 the Tonight Show Theme will play again and when it is over the lights will again go out and I will be back.
The THEME of the evening is 1965 WHEN MUSIC WAS KING and everyone played in a BAND! It follows chronologically the life of WARFLEET PRESS and the influences on my youth that made me start writing all these books.
The second show focuses on the Kitsilano Showboat and I will introduce various guest speakers. I have invited several VIPs, not sure they all will come. Some will be there to talk about our honoured guests Gordon Olson, represented by his sons Ken and Larry, Barry Leinbach of the Kits Showboat, Bob Rebagliati, Keith Woodward and Peter van Ooyen of Handsworth Music. Other guests will be there to talk about Arthur Delamont and his role and why having a foundation named after him is a good thing.
No one will be coming up to give a speech. Instead, I will have a microphone and will be visiting people at their seats, a roving talk show host if you like. It will be very casual and like a fireside chat where I stumble on to people and stop and chat for a moment so be prepared for anything.
The third and fourth shows will be on Handsworth Book 1 and Handsworth Book 2.
There will be a lot to introduce and a lot of people to mention and talk to so everything will be moving quickly. Having people come up to the front and go back to their seats would be way too time-consuming and kill any sense of timing the evening will try to maintain. So sit back and watch it all unfold until the lights come back on and you can get up and stretch.
The last 15 minutes from 7:45 until 8:00 instead of an intermission will be an awards presentation to our honored guests mentioned above.
The Arthur W. Delamont Foundation 