Tucked between St. John the Baptist Heritage Church and Hatley Memorial Gardens is a piece of land steeped in Colwood history, dating back over 100 years – but most people have no idea it is there.
“Very few people, who have been here a long time, even know that it exists,” says Ron Aubrey, a man on a mission.
That mission is to raise awareness of the Colwood Pioneer Cemetery.
Established in the 1890s on land donated by Alfred Thomas Peatt, the cemetery is the resting place for some of Colwood's founding families, including Peatt, Kelly, Wishart, Wale, Ridley and Pike. All names recognizable from street signs around the West Shore.
Aubrey’s wife Linda has strong ties to the burial site too – her grandparents Bert and Agnes Parker, and her great grandparents Robert and Mary Murray are buried in the pioneer cemetery.
“She homesteaded Colwood in 1918,” says Aubrey about his wife’s great-grandmother, who he likes to call ‘Nanna Mary’. “She had 100 acres of Royal Bay.”
Before ownership of the site was turned over to the City of Colwood in 1993, the cemetery was maintained by the Colwood Women’s Institute since 1925.
Wife Linda’s mother, grandmother and great-grandmother were all members of the women’s institute, explains Aubrey, who says they all played their part in helping maintain the site.
Now he feels he is carrying on the tradition. “There's always been a family tie here,” he says.
And Aubrey has been quick to make his mark, helping to erect two new cedar wood archways, plus new fencing, giving the once unassuming cemetery a more grand and respectful entrance.
Wood used for construction was logged and milled by Aubrey and a small team of volunteers, while the archways were designed by Ray Miller, his neighbour and former principal of Belmont High.
He says the group has been careful to create a design fitting for a historical site, but also one that will last for years to come.
Prior to their construction, it was hard to identify the site as being a cemetery for Colwood’s founding families, says Aubrey, who has more ideas up his sleeve for the site.
As well as restoring more of the fencing, he wants more signage in the area to raise awareness of the cemetery’s historical importance for the city.
An information board with a map of the site, identifying where people are buried, plus details of the cemetery’s history, is also on Aubrey’s list of ideas to attract more visitors.
“So when people come in, they can see the history,” he says. “They can hopefully find where a person's buried … it could be their family member … or it could just be people visiting.”
With more attention given to the cemetery, Aubrey hopes it will inspire others in the community to give their time to help preserve the site.
“This should be a place for the community to respect our past and look to our future,” he says. “There’s so much character here … it’s an awesome place.”
His work at the cemetery is not the first time Aubrey has volunteered his time for the good of the community – he was a volunteer firefighter for Colwood Fire Department for 20 years. He is also a current member of the District of Metchosin's Parks and Trails Committee.
But the 77-year-old, who still runs his own street sweeping business, doesn’t do it for attention or praise. Aubrey says it boils down to his philosophy on life.
“I'm only here for a short period of time,” he says. “If I can help one person in my life, it's been worthwhile being here.”
In return, all he asks is for people to "pass it on."
“If everybody did that, it’d sure be a nice world.”
