Gabriolore.ca

“The Maples” is pretty much the southernmost corner of Gabriola, where South Road turns uphill and away from the water and towards the Community Hall. There was a dock there for many years and those from the other islands would dock at ‘The Maples’ and head up South Road to take the Ferry to Nanaimo. The infamous Brother XII was a regular user of the dock when he came to Gabriola on his way to Nanaimo to get provisions for his cult/farm on DeCourcey Island.

'The Maples' public dock is a memory now, but the site remains - now owned privately.

Things have changed and public access to the old  ‘maples’ dock site is difficult – partly due to the efforts of a neighbour, who has chosen to install a private dock and discourage any local use of the foreshore.  It is a great example of how local treasures are lost through a combination of ignorance, inaction, apathy, and bureaucracy.    For the determined beach lover, there is a public  ’beach access’ at the end of Shaw Road that can get you to the water.   It may not LOOK like a public access, but it is – right there where the yellow cement marker points to the sea.   It’s a bit of a scramble down and up the bank, but there is a knotted rope there to help.  It will take you to a nice bit of southern waterfront where you get a good look at the site of ‘the Maples’ dock.   The photo above was taken there, from the rocks at low tide.

These get pulled out in my neighbourhood every year.

 Every August the Tansy Ragwort (jacobaea vulgaris) blooms on the island, and although the small clustered bright yellow blossoms are attractive enough – the plant is considered a noxious weed that can poison livestock. Traces are also found in honey produced in areas with a high concentration of this invasive weed.

 My first clue that this was not a welcome plant came over 20 years ago, when I would notice Eric Boulton, from Somerset Farm, pulling tansy ragwort from the roadsides near his farm every August, and tossing them on the pavement.  I have followed his example ever since, and encourage everyone to do the same. Ragwort is very easy to pull out (unlike broom) and since each plant can produce upwards of 150,000 seeds – pulling out the blooming plants can make a big difference.

 The plant is known by many other names around the planet. The unpleasant smell of the blossoms inspired the names ‘Stinking Willie’ and ‘Mare’s Fart’.    Not exactly the ideal bloom for a romantic bouquet.

 Tansy Drive is another story. It was built in the ‘80’s – through the site of the old ‘Carr’ farm, which was then owned by Fred Carter. Carter developed the land into several parcels from five to ten acres in size.   The subdivision was popular, being fairly close to the village -but not too close, and the acreages sold quickly at prices that would make current buyers drool.  

 Tansy is the name of Fred Carter’s daughter, after whom he named the road.   Tansy is also the name of another plant in the same family (tanacetum vulgare) – one with a nice fragrance, cute yellow button-like blossoms, and some alleged healing powers. I like to think THAT is the Tansy he named his daughter after.

Descanso Bay is the large one to the south that is NOT in the park

 “Bay of Rest’ is the loose translation for the name of the most familiar bay on the island to most Gabriola residents. The MV Quinsam pulls into Descanso Bay 16 times a day, and residents around Descanso Valley make good use of the beach access there at the foot of Harrison Way.   Much of the land in that area was owned by one of the original settling families here – the Easthoms.

 One local historian and anthropologist theorized that  some of the first humans to come to Gabriola landed in the little inlet next to the ferry, since it offered shelter, water and food, and was close to Vancouver Island.  It is a nice little spot on a hot day – or a windy one, and those waiting in the ferry line often wander down to the shady little bay with their dogs.  

 For many years, there was a public dock in that little bay – just next to the ferry dock.   It was the only public dock on the entire North end of the island and was used regularly by locals and by visiting boaters from Nanaimo.    As the story goes, a ‘storm’ took out the dock one windy night – although reliable sources suggest that is indeed a story, and it was the ferry that crashed into the dock during a particularly bad landing.      All that remained of the old dock were the pilings that held it in place, and when a local man applied to the federal government – under a harbour renewal program – to replace the dock, a new ‘float’ was built by Canada Works.   It made perfect sense to have a public dock there, for boaters safety and for the convenience of islanders when the ferry was out of service.  It was built and ready to be installed, when BC Ferries got wind of the plan and hired a pile-driving company from Nanaimo to come and pull out the pilings that were to hold the small new float in place.     Apparently they did not want to risk running into the dock again, and removing the dock was easier than using due care and attention when docking the ferry.   Since the federal funding was not sufficient to replace pilings, the new float was never installed, and languished in Degnan Bay for years.    Eventually another dock was installed – for emergency service use only.    It should be for public ‘transient’ use just as it was for many years.

This small bay in Descanso Bay Regional Park is not Descanso Bay

  Looking at charts and maps (and Google Earth now) it is hard to imagine that the name ‘Descanso Bay’ was given to a large stretch of Gabriola’s shoreline – from the point at the end of Eastholm Road all the way to Malaspina Point. Between those two points there are several bays and inlets and coves and points – all with their own local names – names that may not show up on mainstream maps. 

 When the Regional District ended up with some beautiful land – including the former Credit Union Campground – they didn’t bother to consult the locals about the name of the bays or points included in the park, or even check their records to see which generous Gabriola pioneer (McDougall is the name I found) had originally given the land to the Credit Union – with the intention of it becoming park.  Neither did they consider that Descanso Bay is universally perceived to be where the ferry lands – over 2km away! With two beautiful coves, many other fine features, and a colourful history,  the park was named  ’Descanso Bay Regional Park’. (Well…it is in the region of Descanso Bay…)   Perhaps a local initiative will someday correct this typically careless bureaucratic misnomer.    As it is, many locals still refer to the park as ‘the campgrounds’.  Regardless of the name…it is a very nice place to explore, from the bays and beaches to the biking/hiking trails across Taylor Bay Road.

This non-descanso bay is also in Descanso Bay park.

'Joint Point' and the bench on a fine spring day

  Over the years various Gabrioloids have successfully applied for grants from the federal or provincial government. In the 60’s there was a project to mark all the ‘beach accesses’ that had become overgrown or hijacked by adjacent land owners who preferred to keep the public away and use the land for their own devices. Several concrete ‘beach access’ markers still point the way down these handy pathways to the shore.

   One such project involved some work at Drumbeg Park – one of the nicest places on the island to spend an afternoon. The park was named by ‘Doc’ Nichols, who owned lots of real estate in the area – including the land that is now the park. Apparently the area reminded him of part of coastal Scotland called Drumbeg. Besides a place on Breakwater Island – which he also owned – he had a homestead in what is now the park. Although a few of the trees he planted remain, the last of the house and chicken coop was burned down by the volunteer fire department as an exercise back in the late 80’s.

   Part of the project at Drumbeg Park included installing benches at some scenic spots in the park, and one such spot was at ‘Joint Point’, at the entrance to Gabriola Passage. From this fine wooden bench, relaxed park users (no pun intended) can watch boats come and go through the passage between Gabriola and Valdez Islands. Although the name does not appear on too many official publications, it is usually carved into the bench by artistic park patrons who sit and enjoy the view.  Most locals know the name – almost instinctively. It seems to make scents.

Inviting place to sit and watch action in Gabriola Passage

   If the view of Valdez and Kendrick Islands and the Passage is not entertaining enough, peering over the rocky outcrop on a sunny day, one may also spot some Gabrioloids ‘au natural’ catching some extra vitamin ‘d’ and an all-over tan.

At least one deck on Pat Burns Ave has this view of Nanaimo's Mt.Benson

     Depending on your age and inclinations, Pat Burns is either a hockey coach or a controversial radio talk-show host from Vancouver. As far as the local avenue in the ‘Harrison Estates’ development – Gabriola’s largest subdivision – the late radio personality is the man for whom it was named.

   Not only did the once popular radio host have a fine avenue named after him,  he earned a lot or two into the bargain for his part in the promotion of the 600+ lot development in the 1960’s.  Blasting across the airwaves of CJOR, Burns would plug the gulf island development regularly, and would-be buyers were offered flights over the island to see the wonderful half-acre lots that were for sale at bargain-basement prices.  Burns became a radio sensation primarily through his entertaining – almost abusive – style. He had many unpopular views –  but he never enjoyed the view from his property on Pat Burns Avenue.  The lots were sold several years ago without Mr.Burns ever having enjoyed life on the island.  

   Several years ago, a group of local residents (presumably from Pat Burns Ave) petitioned to have the name changed to ‘Madrona’ but have not yet succeeded. Perhaps too controversial?

Part of the original trail constructed in 1988 at Huxley (Huckleberry) Park

   Although there is some controversy over the name and ownership, there is no doubt that this piece of land played an important part in the development of the ‘village’ of Gabriola.

  Originally the land where the park is now was part of a five acre parcel that included the spot where Folklife Village is today. That vacant and treed five acre parcel was for sale for about $25,000 and languished on the market for some time. The folks moving to Gabriola back in the late eighties were not interested in buying such expensive  land so close to ‘downtown’ when they could get five nice acres elsewhere on the island for less than $20k.

   When the proposal surfaced to relocate the ‘folklife pavilion’ from Expo ’86 to Gabriola Island and create a shopping center, that parcel of land became of interest, and the owner at the time – aware of the folklife proposal at hand – applied successfully to rezone her land from ‘rural residential’ to ‘commercial’.   Since the location was just about perfect for ‘folklife village’, the Island’s Trust agreed to the rezoning application.    Part of what sold  the rezoning deal was the requirement that a portion of the land be dedicated to the community as a park.    The deal was embraced by the overwhelming majority of islanders (there were half as many of us then),and the rezoning went ahead.  The commercially zoned land  then sold to the owners of Folklife, who paid $137,000 for their portion.  The island watched with glee as the project got underway to create what is now the focal point of Gabriola’s village community. 

   To develop the park, an unemployed local man put together a complex funding application that saw the provincial government grant him a large sum to spend on employing islanders to improve local provincial parkland.   Along with work at Twin Beaches Park and Drumbeg,  the project included establishing the  new downtown park.  It included a small clearing for parking, a walking trail, and a horseshoe pitch(since destroyed by a careless equipment operator when the tennis courts were established a couple of years later).  The crew of a dozen local workers spent six months on the projects – most of the work done by hand.  

    The recreation commission of the day was overseeing the project, and asked the hard-working crew to select a name for the new park.   Not only did the workers select a name that represented the natural vegetation, but they created a large sign welcoming the public to ‘Huckleberry Park’.   Then things got ugly. Infighting and politics  saw the name changed to reflect the name of the person ( a  rec commission member) who had sold the land – and made a tidy sum in the process.    The  ’Huckleberry Park’ sign promptly disappeared and the ‘politically correct’ one was installed.    Perhaps “One Hundred Thousand Dollar Park” would have been a better name, considering the benefits accrued by the ’generous’ donor.   

The Huckleberry bush that inspired the original name of the park over 20 years ago still thrives here. Huxley has long since left the island.