One hundred and fifty people gathered at the Squamish Valley Golf and Country Club on Saturday, April 19, to “roast” Doreen Ramus, a longtime director and actor in our community.
Doreen came to Squamish in the early 1960s and shortly after, was instrumental in starting the Howe Sound Drama Club, which was active until 2000.
Master of ceremonies for the evening was Norman Foote, a home-grown local entertainer and close friend of the Ramus family. Guests were treated to Norm’s songs and wit and there were presentations by former actors Rick Price, Alma Lewis, Skai Stevenson, Richard Cudmore and Karyn Smith. Dr. Cudmore contributed stories about Doreen’s working days as a nurse. Laughter filled the room as Doreen often made a “comment or two.”
The purpose of the evening was to honour Doreen and also raise funds for Doreen’s pet project, the history of the drama club. The committee of Doreen, Eric Andersen, Louisa Jardine-Ourom and Tony Biggin-Pound is currently busy working on the project.
The evening ended with a presentation by Andersen on behalf of the committee. An interesting PowerPoint and many pictures on display outlined the work being done and brought back memories for many in attendance.
Doreen’s family — daughter Helen and family came from Kelowna, son Bruce came from Australia and daughter Sarah and family from Squamish — were in attendance.
Guests attending came from Squamish, the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. It was a rich evening with fine stories and lots of laughter, honouring a great lady and supporting the accumulating history of the Squamish community.
