Everett Crowley trails destination walk

Originally a coniferous forest of cedar and hemlock trees, this area was defined by its natural ravine, salmon bearing creek and waterfall.  

Since being colonized by European settlers, it has continued to go through multiple phases of use including hunting, logging, and orchard land.

In 1944, the area became the Kerr Road Dump, and functioned as a landfill until 1967. So much waste had been deposited that when the dump finally closed, the fill was up to 49 metres deep in places. The old dump boundaries are now wooded pathways, and steam vents show that the garbage buried beneath the surface is still decomposing. 

Twenty years later it was officially opened as a park, and named after Everett Crowley, a Park Board Commissioner serving from 1962-1964.

Avalon Pond

Everett Crowely was the owner of the last operating dairy in Vancouver called "Avalon." It is fitting that the water feature in Everett Crowely park is named for his own business and one that is a significant part of Vancouver and British Columbian history.

Kingscross Creek

Once a salmon bearing creek, it is only now recovering from a century of colonial settler interference.

Bright Futures - Brent Sparrow

Located at the Killarney Community Centre, the piece is a sandblasted glass whorl on a stainless steel base.

Bright Futures reflects an image of the Coast Salish people and acknowledges their ancestral ties to this part of British Columbia.

In the centre of the glass whorl is a large face, representing the Coast Salish people.  The large triangular wedges represent contemporary athletes while the smaller faces are symbolic of future athletes.  Within the stainless steel frame is LED lighting, which lights the design.  

Brent says his sculpture is intended to welcome visitors and athletes, now and in the future, with warmth and open arms.  He says his knowledge of Coast Salish art and culture began with his mother, the artist Susan Point.  

This mutual interest has created a source of inspiration and a continuous learning experience he shares with his mother every day.  As a young Salish artist, Brent is committed to contributing to his culture.

Journey and Protector - Stephen Peltonen

Located inside the Killarney Community Centre, this piece is two acrylic paintings on canvas.

The image illustrates Stephen’s vision of the spirit of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. A birchbark canoe is travelling from east to west, where the games will take place.

Within the canoe is the figure of a chief wearing a headdress, who wishes to share his gifts and culture.  The little birds in the canoe represent the stories of Stephen’s people.  The squiggly lines emanating from the chief’s eyes to the Olympic Flame are mercy lines, indicating the chief’s merciful nature.  The circles are symbols of the healing of land and spirit.  

Behind the canoe is a teepee, representing the homeland of the Cree First Nations.  The television set serves as a modern symbol of the effort to communicate.  

In his work, Stephen seeks to present the stories of his people, using traditional symbols and images.

The Eyes of the People - Dionne Paul

Located inside the Killarney Centre this piece is contemporary and vintage/recycled stained glass in wooden frame.

The Eyes of the People features a contemporary Coast Salish eye motif suspended in a pattern representing woven cedar bark.

The eye is a central image in Northwest Coast Aboriginal art - timeless and universally recognized.  Here the eye pattern flows like water, symbolizing the eyes of all people, past, present and future.  At an Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, a spectator’s eyes observe the athletes competing, the results of the judges who render their decisions and the remarkable overall spectacle.  

The colours of the woven pattern signify mountain goat wool, and red and yellow cedar trees, natural resources treasured by the First Nations people of the Northwest Coast.  

To connect the work to its location, the blue glass has been recycled from the site’s previous ice rink.

Dragonflies

“To Northwest Coast Aboriginal peoples, Dragonfly is a symbol of change, transformation and swiftness. First Nations people of the Northwest coast observe the Dragonfly to be a creature of the wind and also of the water. He represents a symbol of change in the view of self understanding and the kind of change that has its source in mental and emotional maturity and the insight of the deeper meaning of life. The Dragonfly’s swift flight and its ability to move in all six directions radiate a sense of power and poise something that comes only with age and experience.”

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Invasive Species

You will see many examples of invasive species in this newly developed park.  Some of which are the himalayan blackberry and english ivy.  

“Invasive species are those which occur outside their natural range and can have significant ecological, social and/or economic impacts once established. These species have been introduced to BC without their natural predators and pathogens that would otherwise keep their populations in check in their countries of origin, giving them a competitive advantage over native species.”

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