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Page 3 of 8 Other than health regulations, Savary owners have few limits on what, when and how they build. The result is a wide array of abodes, ranging from an Arthur Erickson beach home to rustic shacks. Creativity also thrives with this freedom, as evidenced by two island outfits.
In the late 1990s, Heider Hennig fashioned driftwood, beach finds and recycled material into a Swiss Family Robinson-style collection of structures for his At the Mint tea house and B&B. A Savary resident since 1995, he estimates 75 per cent of the materials were found or recycled, from the fish farm float ping-pong table to the car windshield tabletops. Decor includes ropes, floats, life preservers and unopened messages in bottles suspended from the ceiling. In Savary style, it has flexed to include a brew pub - Hennig's recipes only - a mini-market and bike and kayak rentals. And don't forget the standbys: tea from his mint garden, grilled cheese on homemade bread and marble cake.
Just down the road is Fort Savary, the vision of a 24-year Savary resident who insists on being called Calypso Bob. With the eye of an artist and hands of a skilled carpenter, he transformed thousands of pieces of driftwood into an exterior wall, two towers, a Jungle Theatre, courtyard, buildings, benches and accents. Chunks of twisted wood serve as artwork. Arching logs and stone mosaics frame a doorway. Look what else the beach dragged in: plastic that casts rainbows when light shines through it, rope from part of a boom chain. "I just thought it looked good."
He has hosted events and video screenings, and is considering lodging, food services, a wine cellar and pub. He sees Fort Savary as a showcase of the island's offerings, promoting its history, culture and mystique. "Some people might think I'm crazy, but I can see it all coming together." It's unlikely these magical places would exist if Savary had typical mainland regulations. But more controls are inevitable, as growth prompts the need for another look at sewage and garbage disposal, the groundwater supply, the dirt road network and emergency services.
The Trillium plan sparked a move towards an Official Community Plan to regulate development, but the islanders never reached consensus on it. While that's on hold, the Savary Island Committee - the island's only elected body and an advisory group to the Powell River Regional District - has started to tackle key problems.
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