We departed Cadburo Bay BC at about 9:00 AM bound for Sidney BC. We had a very pleasant trip over. The weather was sunny and mild. We arrived at Sidney North Saanich Yacht Club at about noon. We enjoyed showers at the yacht club before joining Mary's friends Gavin and Heather for lunch at the Sea Glass Waterside Grill at Van Isle Marina.
Gavin was born in the UK. He grew up in a rural coal mining village in the midlands, some miles from Birmingham. He attended grammar school there where he was accomplished in both soccer and mathematics. After graduating from 6th form at the grammar school, he attended college where he majored in Physical Education and Mathematics. His goal was to be a teacher. Seeking adventure, he accepted a two year teaching assignment in a small town in Saskatchewan. In a effort to attract teachers, the town would pay all expenses of anyone who was willing to teach on the cold and wind swept prairies of Saskatchewan.
After visiting a friend, who was teaching in British Columbia, Gavin move to British Columbia to study mathematics at the University of Victoria. He also served as the proctor for his university residence hall. After finishing his training in mathematics, Gavin joined the teaching staff in the Victoria school system. He taught mathematics in a special program for troubled boys. The boys would alternate between one day of academic study and a day working in the forest harvesting fire wood. The boys were paid a small sum for their work. He enjoyed working with the boys and was always happy to see boys turn their lives around. After four years in his teaching role, he was contacted by the University of Victoria. They offered Gavin a job managing all of the University of Victoria's student dorms, graduate housing, and food services. He did that job for 30 years before retiring.
While Gavin was at the University of Victoria, he met Heather. Heather is from Ontario. She grew up on a 100 acre farm in Southern Ontario. After attending university in Ontario, she moved from Ontario to the University of Victoria to do salmon research. Unfortunately, the professor she was slated to do that research with, left the University of Victoria to accept a job in an island nation in the Pacific. With the opportunity to do salmon research gone, Heather went on to do other things.
Gavin and Heather are now both retired. They live in Saanich, where they tend a five acre farm where they grow fruits and vegetables. Heather dries fruit and cans pickles and jams. They sell fruits, vegetables, dried fruit, pickles, and jams from their farm stand.
We spent the entire afternoon talking with Gavin and Heather and had a wonderful time.
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