Tuesday, April 29, 1986.
IT LOOKS GOOD ON paper.
"A Day in the Life of . . . " photobooks have been produced to celebrate cities, states and nations all around the world.
It's a natural for exposition screens. What better way to introduce fairgoers to your Expo 86 pavilion?
On July 1, 1985, cameramen across Canada went to work to produce the photographic slides for Canada Celebration, the multi-screen show that awaits visitors to the Canada Pavilion's 500-seat theatre. During the eight-minute presentation directed by Paul Smith, 42 computer-coordinated projectors will offer a 14-screen, 15,000 image look at our national mosaic.
Vancouver musicians Brian Gibson and Bob Buckley underscore the patriotic mood with their theme This Is My Home, performed for the occasion by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the Vancouver Bach Children's Choir.
A similar greeting is offered at the Hong Kong Pavilion, where 66 projectors are synchronized to present a 7,000-slide ''day" in the British Crown Colony. A corps of live actors, singers and dancers provide the nine-minute show with its audio component.
The above is a restored version of a Province Expo 86 preview feature by Michael Walsh originally published in 1986. For additional information on this archived material, please visit my FAQ.
Afterword: An early 1990s performance of This Is My Home can be seen in this YouTube video clip. Though specifically written for Expo 86 by Vancouver musicians Bob Buckley and Brian "Hoot" Gibson, the choral piece has enjoyed an honoured afterlife among Canada's unofficial national anthems, and is often heard during Canada Day celebrations. During the 2002 royal visit to the University of British Columbia, a massed choir performed it for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip. Both Buckley, who wrote the music, and lyricist Gibson became involved in Vancouver's performing scene in the mid-1960s. Their professional paths crossed on CBC television's local teen music show, 1967's Let's Go, where Gibson worked as an arranger and Buckley played sax for Probably Us, the house band.
By the time Expo 86 rolled around, both were well established. Buckley was a rock performer and producer, with a Gold Record (for the 1982 single Letting Go) to his credit. Gibson was a choral music director and succesful advertising jingle writer (for such clients as McDonald's, Chevrolet and Coca Cola). Since the fair, both have added significant broadcast and film work to their résumés. Buckley's recent credits include the music for the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and the score for the 2008 feature film Mulligans. In 2015, Gibson added a LEO Award to his honours, winning the best animation score prize for his music for the TV series Pirate Express.
See also: The 13 articles included in this, the first of four Expo 86 special reports, are: