For months now people all over town and even — believe it or not — right across the continent and across the Pacific in Japan have been folding graceful and colourful origami cranes. In fact, more than 10,000 have been created and they will be one of the central elements of this evening’s Commemorative Service at Grizzly Plaza.
The paper birds have been made by pre-schoolers, by elementary and high school students, parks officials, soldiers, journalists, businessmen, secretaries, moms, dads, grannies and grandpas. In short, they have been made by people from just about every walk of life.
Many of these people have learned how to make the cranes under the gentle guidance of Alice Weber and Yuko Fujimura. All of them have been inspired the desire of this community to avoid another horrific disaster like the Rogers Pass avalanche of 1910 that killed 58 men exactly 100 years ago today. According to Japanese legend if you fold 1,000 cranes the gods will grant your wish.
Parks Canada’s Rob Buchanan has been photographing and filming many of the local crane-folding sessions and kindly granted permission to The Current to run 30 of those images. Enjoy.
Arrow Heights Elementary student Zoe Kramer loved making cranes. Photo courtesy of Rob Buchanan/Parks CanadaArrow Heights Elementary students work on their cranes with RSS leadership student Mitchell DeMone. Photo courtesy of Rob Buchanan/Parks CanadaAn aerial view of AHE students busy folding and unfolding their origami cranes. Photo courtesy of Rob Buchanan/Parks CanadaAHE students made about 1,000 cranes. Photo courtesy of Rob Buchanan/Parks CanadaThese AHE students seem very intent on ignoring the photographer. Photo courtesy of Rob Buchanan/Parks CanadaRevelstoke's oldest citizen, Thelma Nilsen, was one of many seniors at Mount Cartier Court who made cranes. Photo courtesy of Rob Buchanan/Parks Canada Alice Weber of Parks Canada and Yuko Fukimura teaching seniors how to fold their cranes. Photo courtesy of Rob Buchanan/Parks CanadaAlice and Weber and Yuko Fukimura patiently explain how its done. Photo courtesy of Rob Buchanan/Parks CanadaSeniors greatly appreciated Alice Weber and Yuko Fukimura's efforts. Photo courtesy of Rob Buchanan/Parks CanadaDaniel Blackie of Mountain View School got a kick out of making cranes. Photo courtesy of Rob Buchanan/Parks CanadaJake Dombicki of Mount View School shows off his crane. Photo courtesy of Rob Buchanan/Parks CanadaParks Canada's Joe Daniels carefully works on his crane during a recent origami event at Okanagan College. Photo courtesy of Rob Buchanan/Parks CanadaJordan Lenzi works on a crane at AHE. Photo courtesy of Rob Buchanan/Parks CanadaMas Matsushita of Parks Canada takes a few moments to fold a crane. Photo courtesy of Rob Buchanan/Parks CanadaA Grade 7 student at Mountain View peers at the camera over top of a mound of colourful cranes. Photo courtesy of Rob Buchanan/Parks CanadaA Grade 7 Mountain View students concentrates on a crane. Photo courtesy of Rob Buchanan/Parks CanadaA Grade 7 student at Mountain View carefully works a crane. Photo courtesy of Rob Buchanan/Parks CanadaBombardier Wesley Trott of the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery pays close attention to Yuko Fujimura's instruction. Photo courtesy of Rob Buchanan/Parks CanadaPam Doyle gets a kick out of her crane-stringing efforts. Photo courtesy of Rob Buchanan/Parks CanadaPakrs Canada's Karen McColl (right) works with an RSS Leadership student stringing cranes. Photo courtesy of Rob Buchanan/Parks CanadaCranes, cranes everywhere... Parks Canada's Karen McColl and RSS Leadership students string cranes in the Parks office. Photo courtesy of Rob Buchanan/Parks CanadaMaster Bonbardier Colin LeBlanc is framed by the arms of his mates in the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery as he works on an origami crane. Photo courtesy of Rob Buchanan/Parks CanadaAn RSS Leadership student helps Grade 7 students at Mountain View School. Photo courtesy of Rob Buchanan/Parks CanadaRSS Leadership student Lindsay Grant help another student fold a crane. Photo courtesy of Rob Buchanan/Parks CanadaRSS Leadership student M'Liz Lee works with Chris Meade on cranes. Photo courtesy of Rob Buchanan/Parks CanadaFive-year-old Sam Larson was no slouch at crane folding. Photo courtesy of Rob Buchanan/Parks CanadaTayla Koerber of Mountain View greatly enjoyed folding the delicate paper birds. Photo courtesy of Rob Buchanan/Parks CanadaWho'd have thought such large hands could fold something so small? Master Bombardier Kevin Weir of the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery shows off his tiny origami crane. Photo courtesy of Rob Buchanan/Parks Canada
