In a real-life demonstration of how collaboration, creativity and hard work can produce beautiful results, a talented team of Okanagan College trades instructors put their skills to work for the community, designing and building the torch for the 2011 International Children’s Winter Games (ICWG).

“I was approached by ICWG Chair Heather Schneider who asked if I might be able to come up with a concept for a unique torch for the Games,” explained Jim Gamble, Chair of Okanagan College’s Electrical department. “She told me the torch needed to be portable and appropriate for indoor and outdoor venues. So I got to work sketching and came up with what is now known as ‘the napkin blue print.’

“Then all of the Chairs of the various trades departments got together to brainstorm how we could bring the torch to life.”

Gamble put in a call to the Culinary Arts department and ordered the largest stainless steel bowl available. The team envisioned the bowl as a potential base for the cauldron.

Carpentry Chair Alf Leimert and his colleague Marvin Rode were charged with building a base for the torch. In a little more than six hours, Leimert and Rode constructed a four-and-a-half-foot tall tapered pedestal base out of BC lumber.

Click Here to Read More.

January 27, 2011

www.castanet.net