91原创 is made up of a series of neighbourhoods or "communities," some that were developed in the past few decades, while others enjoy long, rich histories, some reaching back to the mid to late 1800s. In this neighbourhood feature package, the 91原创 Advance Times introduces its readers to a few individuals who call these various areas of town home, talk about why they settled here, and address a little history about their neighbourhoods. Hope you enjoy this package.
Don Rosner said he 鈥渃an鈥檛 help but have warm feelings anytime I hear or read something about Glenwood School from the early day.鈥�
He was part of those early days when he was cared for by his grandmother. His parents would travel at the start of the week for their city jobs, then return at the end of the week to the 91原创 farm they moved to in 1942. It was on Johnson Townline Road (now 216 Street) and Wix Road (24 Avenue).
His father was a machinist for Boeing in Vancouver. His mom taught music for 50 years, retiring in 1980.
When the family was first on the farm, he had to take the school bus to Murrayville School, and remembers the bumpy rides during the spring breakup.
鈥淪ome of the roads were almost impossible for the mud,鈥� he noted. 鈥淚t would take a vehicle like a school bus to handle it.鈥�
Don moved schools when the 鈥榥ew鈥� Glenwood School opened at 208 Street and 16 Avenue in 1944.
鈥淚t was a fun time in my life,鈥� he said.
The furnace was in the basement, and the custodian would start the fire in the morning. The boys would take turns fetching firewood from out back and stoking the fire.
The school didn鈥檛 have power when he started there, since electrical contractors Hume and Rumble were busy doing war work. Civilian electrification took a back seat during the Second World War. But electricity finally arrived around 1946.
Rosner recalls his teacher was Lorna Schreiber for the few years he attended the small rural school during the war. The property had been owned by Noel Booth.
Since his mom was a music teacher, she made sure young Don was taught an instrument 鈥� the violin. And Don was called upon to perform at school. For the Christmas concert of 1945, Glenwood School used Fernridge Hall, still in use at 200 Street and 24 Avenue.
鈥淚 played my violin there,鈥� he said. 鈥溾�楬ark the Herald Angels Sing鈥� was the song I played.鈥�
His parents, Gus and Phyllis Rosner, would go on to be Pentecostal lay preachers with a church in the Harvie Road area, where they moved to in the late 1940s.
They were like many families, settling in South 91原创 for the agricultural options it presented.
鈥淢y dad purchased 80 acres, where we lived for four years raising a few chickens and milking about seven cows, shipping milk daily to the Fraser Valley Milk Producers Association,鈥� said Don, who eventually settled in Walnut Grove.
While Indigenous communities in the area date back millennia, European arrival and settlement in this region started in the 1880s.
They were attracted by the area鈥檚 open meadowland, fertile soil, and heavily timbered forests.
Between the First and Second World Wars, the area developed but with ups and downs, impacted by the global economy and the Great Depression.
Fernridge grew to have a post office, general store, and gas station along 24 Avenue. They were set up by Noel and Lillian Booth, who ran a fleet of buses that acted as mobile stores to service residents.
Fernridge Hall was built in 1921 when the economy was still recovering from the war, but returning soldiers created the need for homes, and community amenities.
This section of 91原创 has changed dramatically in Rosner鈥檚 years. Today, he sees this area of 91原创 as a bit of a meeting ground, where urban meets rural.
The Brookswood-Fernridge neighbourhoods currently have an estimated population of 14,390, according to the Township. And with the expected growth in this region of town in the next five to 10 years the neighbourhood鈥檚 character will undoubtedly continue to change and evolve.
But for now, it鈥檚 still boasts a large rural sector, including the Campbell Valley Regional Park, a series of horse farms, numerous wineries, and many large hobby farms.
Hidden Gem: Campbell Valley Regional Park offers bounty
Metro Vancouver's regional park has extensive forests, grasslands, and wetlands, making it habitat for songbirds, salmon, squirrels, and more. With a system of trails for walking, horseback riding, or cycling, the park has a variety of amenities, including areas that can be reserved.
The gems within this gem of a park includes a red barn which was part of the Rowlatt farmstead.
The Nature House is used for educational programs and activities throughout the year. Lochiel School is still standing and used for programming as well.
An old paved racing oval on the eastern end of the park is maintained by the 91原创 Speedway Historical Society.
Highlights in history:
鈥�&苍产蝉辫;1930: Brookswood Club Association Hall was built in the 1930s at 200 Street south of 44 Avenue. People will know that building now as the 91原创 Playhouse, created in 1972.
鈥�&苍产蝉辫;1965: 91原创 Speedway opens in what is now Campbell Valley Regional Park, where it would operate until 1984.
鈥� 1979: Campbell Valley Regional Park opens to the public.
鈥�&苍产蝉辫;1981: The BMX track was built by what was then 91原创 Civic Centre, now known as the George Preston Recreation Centre.
