Story by Darcy Nybo Photography by Don Denton
When Claire Flewelling-Wyatt isn’t running, hiking, golfing, or exploring with her dogs and husband, you’ll find her hard at work managing the Pemberton Holmes Property Management portfolio for her clients.
“I’ve been working for Pemberton Holmes since 2005. In 2007 we moved our offices to the West Shore,” Claire explains. “My job is different every day, which makes it both challenging and rewarding. I’ve been doing the same job for over 20 years now, because I love the people and the challenge of seeing different properties and finding the right tenants to fit each one. I currently hold four licenses: Strata Manager, Property Manager, Real Estate Agent and Managing Broker. Pemberton Holmes Ltd. handles residential, commercial and strata management.”
“Managing the human factor is unpredictable, especially when dealing with people’s homes. It makes the job extremely interesting. I wear many hats and solve varied problems.” As a Licensed Property Manager, Claire needs to know about building maintenance, construction, how the law works, and how to deal with people in sensitive situations.
Claire loves working and exploring the West Shore. “They are so pro-development here. I love the growth I’ve seen. I have seen some of the first purpose-built rentals being approved out here, and it’s been 30 years or so since this was a reality in Victoria.”
After work, you can usually find Claire outside. “The West Shore has so much to offer outdoor enthusiasts and everything is close and convenient. It’s still pretty untapped as to all the different adventures you can go on. My husband and I are both outdoor enthusiasts. We love to golf, hike and do extreme running, like the Ultras. I do it for the challenge. It’s also a great stress relief. I love pushing my body and my mind to
the limit.” Claire’s constant companions, Johnny and Ginger, are mini Australian Shepherds. “They run with us all the time,” she said. “We love going to the beach and playing ball. They keep us super active.”
When it comes to running, Claire has a few favourite places, too.
“I love Gowlland Tod Provincial Park and Thetis Lake Regional Park. I’ve been running around Thetis since I started with Pemberton Holmes. It’s a challenging little trail and it only takes a half hour to go around. It’s an easy way to get a trail run in from the office.
“Gowlland Tod is where I’ve done a lot of training. It’s super challenging and the views are spectacular. We also run the Sooke Park trail, where we can actually see whales.”
Claire also loves to give back to her community and to causes dear to her heart. “With Pemberton Holmes we serve breakfasts at Our Place. I have also worked a lot with the West Shore Rugby Football Club, where I managed the women’s team for a couple of years. My husband and I continue to be big supporters of the club and its members.”
And then there’s the Run2Revive. “Every year we run across the Grand Canyon,” Claire explains. “Every fall, Run2Revive supporters take on the ultimate challenge and run across the Grand Canyon to raise funds for crucial research in support of ALS and Alzheimer’s. We wouldn’t miss it.”
When it comes time to fueling her body for all these runs, Claire usually eats at home. “We don’t eat out often, but when we do, we go to Browns and Turmeric. They are our favourites.”
