As a young girl, Tina Popoff walked over the Brilliant Bridge many times to participate in her favourite pastime - singing at the "Sobranya". For the young Doukhobor, a hymn or folksong would always satisfy her inner soul. As Tina matured, her powerful melodious voice gave expression and true feeling to the many songs she enjoyed singing. Tina has participated in many choirs including the Expo 67 Jubilee Choir.

The Brilliant Bridge is symbolic to Tina, and her singing neighbours, of the desire to be friends with everybody. This bridge originally united two communities. The Christian Community of Universal Brotherhood and the outside world of the non-communal members.

With all, Tina and her companions wished to be friends, thus she selected the title, "The Bridge of Friendship" This album contains many folksongs of long ago which were sung at weddings, funerals and gatherings of youth, as well as, during the chores of everyday life. Tina is accompanied by her husband John, two sisters, Florence Saliken and Helen Argatoff, and her close friends Florence Chernoff, Helen Makortoff, and Nellie Postnikoff.

This group of singers wishes to share with the young people some of the melodies from the past which to this day are sung by the Doukhobor people.

We hope you will enjoy this recording which is dedicated to youth and to friendship.

The Brilliant Bridge holds on honour unlike any other structure that has survived from the pioneer days of the Kootenays. Built in 1913 to span the turbulent crystal waters of the Kootenay River, the bridge remains to this day a monument to the triumphant work of the people of Doukhobor faith. These people left their Russian homeland in 1899 to face the uncertainties of the Canadian wilderness, overcame many obstacles and by honest toil earned their niche in the Canadian way of life.

Among many community achievements was the construction of this historic bridge which reminds us of the trust these pioneers had in the bright future of this area more than six decades ago. The bridge was constructed prior to the Brilliant-Thrums highway and it served in many ways. Originally the people of Ootischenia and Blagodatnoe used it to go to the CCUB headquarters at Brilliant and in later years it carried traffic to the Castlegar airport which was built at Ootischenia.

The bridge has a span of 331 feet and is built of reinforced concrete towers which rise 48 feet above the road.

This structure, is one our pioneering forefathers can indeed be proud of. Their efforts are embodied in the slogan: "Toil And Peaceful Life"