Longtime New Westminster resident Chuck Puchmayr is among the many Canadians who are mourning the death of federal NDP leader Jack Layton.
The former city councillor and New Westminster MLA is a longtime New Democrat. Through the years, he's had a chance to meet Layton on various occasions.
"He was a great guy. Once the news got out about my cancer, he was one of the first to contact me and wish me well," said Puchmayr, who battled liver cancer and had a liver transplant. "He was a classy guy, good sense of humour, very articulate, a good leader."
While Layton will be missed, Puchmayr believes the party will carry on.
"There are some great people in the party," he said. "There are other people who can pick up that torch and go forward with it."
New Westminster's two members of Parliament, Fin Donnelly (New Westminster-Coquitlam) and Peter Julian (BurnabyNew Westminster), were in Toronto for Layton's funeral on Saturday.
New Westminster MLA and former MP Dawn Black also went back east for the Aug. 27 state funeral in Toronto. Black dropped by Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto, where flowers and messages have been left to remember Layton.
"It's very overwhelming," she said Friday about the public's response to Layton's death. "It will be a difficult day tomorrow. It was a day I really wanted to be present for."
FAMILY PLACE
New Westminster Family Place is inviting residents to check out one of its latest drop-in offerings.
While Family Place continues to offer a drop-in six days a week at its main location at 101-93 Sixth St., it's also offering a dropin in the West End. Each Friday, New Westminster Family Place holds a dropin from 9: 30 to 11: 30 a.m. at 1170 Eighth Ave. (beside Community Savings Credit Union at the corner of 12th Street and Eighth Ave.)
Executive director Marjorie Staal said the drop-in is resuming on Sept. 16 after a summer break.
"We have decided we are going to do it again," she said. 'It has been a really powerful program. We have a core group of parents who come regularly; we also have a lot of new parents. It welcomes everyone."
Like Family Place's other drop-ins, the West End drop-in includes time for kids to play with toys, do art projects, have a snack and enjoy circle time and songs.
"The playroom is a little bit bigger," Staal said. "We can have larger toys there. We have a castle."
For more information about this program and New Westminster Family Place's other offerings, call 604-520-3666 or visit www. nwfamily.bc.ca.
FILM SERIES SET
Tickets, get your tickets now.
The ninth season of Last Monday at the Movies will get underway at Massey Theatre on Sept. 26, but movie passes are now available at an early bird price. Early bird passes for all nine movies are available for $60.
For more information, call the Arts Council of New Westminster at 604-525-3244.
"In this past season we have entertained, educated and even puzzled our audience," said a press release from the Arts Council of New Westminster.
"Much conversation and debate took place, making it all a worthwhile venture. We presented different genres such as The Young Victoria, Mao's Last Dancer, Force of Nature and a great documentary, Inside Job. This year we had four of our movies on pre-release - not available for rent or sale."
The Arts Council of New Westminster sponsors Last Monday at the Movies in cooperation with the Toronto International Film Festival and Massey Theatre. Award-winning Canadian, foreign and independent movies are shown on the last Monday of the month at Massey Theatre.
For more information, contact the arts council at 604-525-3244.
Send items for Around Town to Theresa, tmcmanus@ royalcityrecord.com.
