Confetti, marching band and throne set the tone for the sendoff of Oak Bay High’s longest serving principal Tuesday.
Led by teacher Mike Sheffer, Dave Thomson was feted, roasted and gifted with tokens and song in an hourlong event.
Sheffield kicked off telling students, a few things he expected they didn’t know.
Thomson was born in Ontario, his dad was a Member of Parliament and he moved to Victoria in 1965 finishing high school in the area.
Thomson and his wife Twyla (who spent 16 years at Oak Bay High) have three children.
Thomson played football, baseball and hockey as well as lacrosse.
“Deep down, he’s a jock,” Sheffer said. “Here’s some stuff I know you don’t know. He’s in the sports hall of fame.”
Thomson was a member of the Mann Cup champion Shamrocks in 1979 – bringing home the national title after a 22-year drought.
References to Thomson quickly shifted to longtime nickname Lanny – for similarities to the bushy ’stached Lanny McDonald of NHL fame.
Thomson still holds lacrosse league records including top three in most minor penalties in one playoff year and top three in game or match misconducts in a playoff season.
“I checked with some veteran Shamrocks and you don’t get ejected from games for tripping, back then you didn’t get ejected from games for fighting so exactly what he did we won’t discuss here … but if you need someone to watch your back when things get tough that’s he guy for the job,” Sheffer said.
He turned the mic over to a handful of other teachers, including Jeff Weaver, director of bands.
“(Thomson) gives people chances and he opens up doors and he quietly does it a lot of the time. There’s more than one of us in here that has this man to thank for helping us get started and make great pathways,” Weaver said. The biggest door, opened the fall of 2015 with the new school.
“Without his careful input planning and hard work we would not have incredible spaces that we have, including incredible fine arts wing,” Weaver said. “It’s hard to believe a jock who has that many penalties can also be a die hard fanatic.”
After trying on a signed Oak Bay high jersey, donning an Oak Bay letter jacket and testing out a new set of old Oak Bay High theatre seats decked in athletic jerseys in the standard Oak Bay green, Thomson himself took the mic (see related video).