The sun was shining and the camas were blooming when the Old Cemeteries Society held a tour on Sunday, May 4th in St. Luke's Cemetery featuring the Farmers, Florists, and Gardeners resting there.
Yvonne Van Ruskenveld, of the Old Cemeteries Society, and family members and friends of those resting in St. Luke's cemetery shared their stories. Ruth Crawford Jennings spoke about her grandparents and the start of Jennings Florists; Wendy Gedney spoke about her grandfather and father and the Vantreight family farm; Mike McHugh, the past president of the Victoria Horticultural Society, spoke about Horace Whiteoak, founder of the Victoria Horticultural Society; and Corey Scholefield told about his great-grandparents, George and Edith Scholefield and their farm at Cadboro Bay. Yvonne shared more stories of gardeners and farmers including Seneca Lent McMullen, William Trevellick and Eliza Edwards, James Tod, James and Sybil Grant, and the Aitkens family.
After the tour, the church was open for those attending to look around. All agreed it was an interesting and informative tour!