Who has the answer?

I am trying to find out just exactly whose pioneer farm the new Greenwoods Assisted Living facility is located on. I believe it was people by the name of Blain (hence Blain Road) and that they used to have a dairy farm which incorporated the area where the bowling alley is now located. The bowling alley I remember was converted from an old cow barn years ago. If there is any way you can track down this information I would be very grateful. I did speak to Denise Crofton who is in Extended Care and she remember the name but little else. She did say the Croftons and McDermotts did have adjoining property at one time.

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It was the King family that had the dairy farm in the '30's (+-), where the
bowling alley is today. I know that very well, partly because I walked one
of our cows there once when I was a kid, to get it bred by one of their bulls.
I don't know about the property across the road to the south, though.
I sort of thought it was the Corbett property. (John Crofton and Sylvia Gale's
father, Desmond, married Mrs. Corbett, a widow, who had a son Donald).
As far as I know, Paul King (my vintage) is still alive. I could ask him about the
property to the south, if you'd like.
Bob
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Just finished talking to John Crofton.
The property on the south side of Blain Road originally belonged to Fred Crofton (John's grandfather), part of the hotel property.
After Mrs. Corbett's husband was killed in 1918 in WW1 she met and married John's father, Desmond. Eighteen acres was split off from the hotel property and
purchased by Desmond and his new wife (ex Mrs. Corbett).
Hence the definitive answer to your original question, Frank, is that the property where the hospital and Greenwoods is now, was part of the Crofton property.
Bob
P.S. John doesn't relate it to either Smiths nor McDermotts
nor Blains, either.
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Bob and I agree it was the King Farm. Ivan and I visited Mrs. Colin King in Oak Bay some years ago. Her husband and his brother ran it as a dairy farm. All she talked about was how much she hated SSI and spent her time running off to Victoria at the drop of a hat. I think she had been on the stage. I either have some notes or a tape somewhere I think. I will look through my stuff at the archives. I am having tea with Mary Mollet and Evelyn Lee tomorrow. They are very good. By the time I came in '46 the McDermott's were living where the original Greenwoods stood.. They came when their daughter Beth Peterson (later Degnen) came to be matron at Lady Minto. There is a lovely story about Luke Harrison getting the contract to tear down the house McDermott's had on the site of Greenwoods (not the Eldercare). The story goes that he went to Harbour House and showed some old Canadian coins that he said he had found between the walls. The house was supposedly torn down in short order by his pub friends. The house across from Eldercare was the King farm house however. Di Shove (Diana Wilson, Nona Crofton's sister) lived in the house that is now the Day Care behind Senior's of Seniors. The Shoves' likely had a few acres originally. Their daughter Nonie lives in Victoria and is on the Old Timers list. I think her name is McDonald now.

Cheers, Sue

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Re: this Di Shoves you mentioned. Could she be Nona Crofton's niece, rather than her sister?
Mary
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from Patti and Mike Morris:

Mike's grandmother was Florence Muriel Wilson, daughter of Rev. Wilson.seventh child of 11 children Muriel married George Borradaile 1904 and had 4 children one of which was Gladys Muriel who married Raymond Morris of Fulford Harbour 1934 who had Michael born in 1935.
The McDermott family (Pat's family) came from Alberta in 1938 to lease the Fruitvale Farm from the Parson's.. They moved onto the King Farm on Blain Road and finally purchased the property which Greenwoods is now situated.