Town Crier - Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Posted by: 
The A-Team
N 48° 24.980 W 123° 23.272
10U E 471300 N 5362648
This statue, dedicated to the town criers of Victoria and Vancouver Island, is situated beside Pier B at the Ogden Point terminal in the southwest part of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Waymark Code: WMN4DH
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 12/24/2014
Views: 4
Since 1984, the
Victoria A.M. Association has been greeting cruise ship passengers at the deep-sea terminal at Ogden Point. It started out with Norma Fitzsimmons - one of the first female Chamber of Commerce members - handing out flowers to arriving passengers. Starting in 1987, the Association began their program of having town criers greet the cruise ships. The number of cruise ship visits has grown from only 11 visits in 1984, to an estimated 465,000 passengers on 206 visits in 2014, so the town criers have had to work a lot harder in recent years!
The statue is in the likeness of local resident and town crier Tommy Mayne. It was created by local artists Armando Barbon and Gabriele Vicari and was cast by In Bronze in Langley, British Columbia. The statue was dedicated on the occasion of the Victoria A.M. Association's 25th anniversary on June 19, 2009. The plaque on the base lists the official and unofficial town criers of the region over the years.
Victoria A.M. Town Criers:
- Neil Story ~ 1990-1991
- Harry Godfrey ~ 1987-1990 (retired)
- Tommy Mayne ~ 1990-present
- Robert Alexander ~ 2000-present
Vancouver Island Official Town Criers:
- Robert Alexander ~ Duncan, Esquimalt, Victoria ~ 1995-present
- Lloyd Smith ~ Victoria ~ 1993-1995 (retired)
- Bert Stevens ~ Sidney ~ 1991-2004 (retired)
- Len Mustard ~ Qualicum Beach ~ 1999-present
- Mike Thomas ~ Sooke ~ 1990-2000 (retired)
- Ray Parker ~ Nanaimo ~ 2001-2005 (retired)
- Kenny Podmore ~ Oak Bay, Sidney, North Saanich ~ 2000-present
- Al Witcombe ~ Central Saanich ~ 2002-present
Unofficial Victoria Town Criers:
- John Charles Butts ~ 1858-1861 (self-appointed)
- Ron Andrews ~ 1974-1983 ~ Victoria Celebrations Society
- Bob Alexander ~ 1986-1993 ~ Victoria Celebrations Society
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