Skip to content

Oak Bay Tea Party reaches new heights - with slideshow

Weekend goes off without a hitch, and double the skydivers
41878oakbayOBTea8PJune1015
Two-year-old Amélie Taylor enjoys some cotton candy.
Oak Bay Tea Party 2015


More of everything, and less of one thing, marked the Oak Bay Tea Party as the best yet.

“It was probably one of the best we had largely due to not only the sunshine and temperature but also no wind,” said organizer Bill Murphy-Dyson.

The organizer also spoke with Oak Bay Police, who reported no problems with the 5,000-plus event goers on each of the days.

“The Friday night and Saturday of the Tea Party weekend were as uneventful as any in recent memory, and the whole weekend event was successful with no major issues,” said Const. Rick Anthony, community liaison officer with Oak Bay Police.

A couple of standouts for Murphy-Dyson include having his daughter and four-year-old granddaughter enjoying the festivities while visiting from Toronto, the Vic High band and doubling up on skydivers.

“The Vic HIgh Rhythm and Blues band on Saturday night, they’re always good but they were red hot this time and the dance floor was used all day Saturday and Sunday, more people used it than ever before,” he said.

Defeated by firefighter Duane Adsett, Mayor Nils Jensen finished second in the annual tea cup race, which he good-naturedly called a win and a ‘silver medal’ on Sunday.

“[Adsett] was very good at it,” said Murphy-Dyson. “He did a good job, and the mayor managed to complete the race and stay dry. He’s never done both before.”

Eight skydivers started Sunday’s airshow and eight more wrapped it, including John Meeks, 78, who has been jumping onto Willows Beach for the Tea Party since 1972.

“He said ‘If you ever don’t see me skydiving at the Oak Bay Tea Party check the obituaries’,” said Murphy-Dyson.

The final proof that it was the best event yet is the amount of beef consumed.

“We sold more baron of beef this year than ever before, 100 roasts cooked by the team led by Rob Westfall. He was there at 5 a.m. Saturday and Sunday morning to get the coals going in the barbecue pit.”