Hundreds of pages are being written paying tribute to John Horgan, premier of British Columbia from 2017 to 2022, but in our own small way, we too claim John Horgan as our own.
When John Horgan was first elected as MLA for the Juan de Fuca riding in 2005, he and I connected instantly through his interest in history. For all the succeeding years and his many visits, first to the Sooke Region Museum and then to the Charters River Salmon Interpretive Centre, our discussions also veered into aspects of our history.
Touring the museum on his first visit he took note of our exhibit showing the All Red Route Cable System, illustrating the route of the Trans Pacific cable as it lay on the ocean floor for the many miles connecting Bamfield to Suva in Fiji, and beyond to New Zealand and Australia. Little did I know that he was a student of such matters, having gained part of his university education in Australia.
So the first thing he said was, B次元官网网址淲ell, you need to fix this, youB次元官网网址檝e left out Fanning Island, as the cable connects there.B次元官网网址� Lesson learned, we fixed it. When I toured him through Sooke, we included a stop at Woodside Farm, one of our communityB次元官网网址檚 prized historical landmarks. For several years following, I pleaded with him to buy Woodside Farm for its historical significance to B.C.B次元官网网址檚 history, but in this I was never successful. One year, we got to know John and Ellie even better when their son Evan got a summer job at the museum.
What a thrill it was when, in July 2021, the government of B.C. honoured Woodside Farm and its 100-year owners, the Glinz/Wilford family, with a Century Farm Award. Our photo shows Premier Horgan with Agriculture Minister Lana Popham on the day they arrived to make the presentation. All the invited guests that day, with a long-standing connection to the many years of Woodside FarmB次元官网网址檚 history, were so impressed with the friendliness, and down-home manner of the premier as he chatted with everyone.
We at the museum have also had the great pleasure of working with John on the documentary movie we are producing on Woodside Farm, which includes the history of its founding by the John Muir family in 1851, prior to the Glinz/Wilford ownership period. How grateful we are that John is included in this movie, so his tenure here will be recorded for posterity as well, included in the scenes shot by our videographer Michael Peterson.
JohnB次元官网网址檚 interest in the environment never faltered, as we worked together. When an opportunity came along for Sooke to develop a parcel of land alongside the Sooke and Charters rivers, to the benefit of wild Pacific salmon, he and Ellie never failed to visit with us and demonstrate the support they felt so dearly.
His encouragement of Sooke efforts was too varied and widespread to cover here B次元官网网址� another example of his support was coming to help serve at Vital Vittles at Holy Trinity Anglican Church. John Horgan will live long in our memories.
Elida Peers is the historian with the Sooke Region Museum.