South Surrey Peninsula Neighbours

South Surrey Peninsula Neighbours We are a publication that brings community together, and linking businesses to their community, thro

The South Surrey Peninsula Neighbours is a community publication that seek to bring neighbours together, by featuring local families and their stories, as well as providing local business with opportunities for growth by connecting them to the local market, through micro- targeted approach. We serve all of Crescent, Elgin, Chantrell, parts of Sunnyside and Ocean Park. We are a division of Best ve

rsion Media, a privately owned media group in North America with over 400 publications, all over North America and Europe.

Our Gratitude To South Surrey Peninsula Residents.By Harvinder Sandhu,South Surrey Peninsula Neighbours magazine would l...
01/15/2021

Our Gratitude To South Surrey Peninsula Residents.
By Harvinder Sandhu,
South Surrey Peninsula Neighbours magazine would like to take this opportunity to thank all the wonderful residents who graced our magazine cover and shared their amazing stories of living in this wonderful community. Their humbleness came across as vividly as their love for this community.

I am blessed to know Dee (Darlene) Walmsley; she graced our January cover. Dee has made rescuing and looking after injured urban critters, such as raccoons (her personal favorite), squirrels, and her beloved Sunnyside Acres Park, her life’s mission. From being part of the team that stopped housing development which could have decimated Sunnyside park, to writing and producing local tv shows highlighting environmental and animal issues, Dee is in the forefront. Her video, ‘You Auto Know’, is about oil in our environment, it won the BC/Yukon award. I want to add that I consider her a dear friend and want to thank her from the bottom of my heart for all her support to me through this difficult year.

Douglas Milne, a semi-retired truck driver at almost 80 years of age, works a little “to stay young and out of the house.” He loves classic cars and can be seen cruising on sunny days in his favourite, a 1939 Dodge Businessman’s Coupe. His ancestry goes back to the 1400s, complete with a castle, Gordon Castle in Huntly, Scotland. He, though is living very much in the present, his second joy was spending time with his granddaughter, Ashley, in the award-winning Crescent Beach Legion Pipe Band, “I was lucky enough to be marching and playing bagpipes with her.”

In March I met a wonderful person whose life philosophy will help us all have less stress if we emulated it. Liz (Elizabeth) Stringer came here from Montreal and never looked back. Liz believes in being kind, “Sometimes just saying ‘hello’ or giving a smile can cheer a person.” She also believes, “if you can’t say something nice about someone, then don’t say anything at all.” Wise actions to live life by.

Bill and Margit Tonelli met when Bill came here from Ontario for his best friend's wedding. “I caught the garter and she caught the bouquet and the rest as they, is history.” Their philosophy of life is to, “strive for a healthy work/family balance in both our lives and our kids. It takes hard work and sacrifice, but so worth it.” They believe in helping others, “we may only have another quarter to make a difference in someone else’s life. Let’s keep striving to live a vibrant, caring life!”

In May I met a happy, loving South Asian blended family whose journey here was a long one. After spending a decade living between BC and California, Karthik and Sanjana, a father-daughter duo, moved back to Bengaluru, India, so Sanjana could get a taste of the ancestral home’s culture and language. While there, Karthik met Priya and her son, Ishaan, the four eventually becoming one family. The schools and proximity to the beach was an important factor in their decision to live here. “We really wanted to be as close to the beach as possible,” shares Priya. “I see a sunny day and want to go to the beach, forgetting that it is winter and cold out there!” Sanjana, 16, is now a contributing writer for the magazine on youth issues.

Fred Wickens, 70, and Kathy Booth, 66, are residents of ‘Crescent Heights’, local slang for their Crescent Beach area. Kathy and Fred are known fondly among their friends and neighbours for their generous spirit. Both are very involved in charity work, volunteering in many different organizations. Kathy, a former PHN, volunteered with others in making 250 fabric face masks for essential workers. Fred has helped raise money for the Food Bank through the sale of food cards and breakfast fundraisers, with last year’s breakfast fundraiser raising $7000. True to their nature, they thanked this magazine, “for supporting our neighbourhood.”

Michael Gill came to Canada from England at 20 and was living in the West End when he met Karen. Covid19 has made it difficult for them to spend time with their young grandson, but they grateful to have, “a backyard where we can have our family over as many people don’t have that.” And the other big thing Michael has noticed is that “he can’t go have a beer with his friends at the nearby pub, or out to the restaurant”. I know this is important as I have hung out with him and his buddies at their favorite pub. They are a hoot!

Lawrence McCarthy is an artist, a cartoonist, and a writer who, “Love it here. I’m surrounded by big beautiful trees, with squirrels coming and tapping on the window for their breakfast, beautiful birds in the garden, with the beach only a few minutes away, in fact, this is the perfect place.” He is a “self-taught” artist with amazing paintings, cartoons with funny captions, and short stories.

The Rashid’s, Anne-Marie and Haroon. They feel blessed for living and raising their children here, “Softball City and Centennial Park, are world-class facilities for kids to play in this area.” Covid19 gave them a blessing as all their grown children came back home to isolate. “We are lucky that the house is big enough for all of us to have space to do our own thing during the day and hang out in the evening together to cook,” shares Anne-Marie. Haroon shares his perspective on communities, “when we see the same people out walking in the park, shopping at the local stores, at local sports events, you kind of get to know them, this creates a sense of community and being bonded. We can start by just acknowledging each other via ‘simple greetings’ and smiles.” I want to add from myself and Adnan(our awesome freelance photographer), that it was a fun photoshoot with this exuberant family and their five beloved pets, 3 dogs and two cats!

Originally from Saskatchewan, Jack and Betty Rae moved here after Jack retired from the Foreign Service. Having travelled all over the world for his job, Jack felt Crescent Beach was the place for them, “the sun shines here more than anywhere else in Canada and it's not super cold”. I still remember the look on his face when he answered my query, 'share some interesting stories from your time in the Foreign Service', it was stern as he leaned over and said, "If I tell you, I have to shoot you". Then I saw a twinkle in his eyes as he leaned back and laughed. Still no story! Avid volunteers, Jack, a White Rock Rotary Club member helped charities raise money for good causes such as R.E.C. for Kids Society (used recreational equipment for children) to fundraise for $150 thousand dollars needed for a new playground at the Peace Arch Elementary school.

I am so happy to introduce this group of gentlemen. Not only good friends but also members of the local legion, they are a great bunch to hang out and have a beer with. This year they helped make our November issue; which with Covid19 and no access to senior veterans as the legion was closed, was going nowhere until they stepped up. I want to thank Mike & Colin Gill (brothers), Rus Bell, and John Cadeau, for making me laugh with their crazy jokes, constantly pulling my leg as they have a laugh at my expanse, and for showing up on a cold morning for pictures on the beach. They went out of their way to be there. I want to thank them all for sharing the local legion’s history. I especially want to extend my gratitude to Rus Bell for his ongoing support in connecting me to residents who are open to sharing their stories and for the history lessons in the area. Thank you, Rus!

Finally, I want to thank Jody for sharing her beautiful dogs and the story of her and Andrew’s journey to Crescent Beach. The Douthwright’s are transplants from Newfoundland, moving here in pursuit of higher employment with Jody ending up finding her life’s passion; working with dogs. I bet they are not leaving the area any time soon, having found this slice of paradise in BC.

I am grateful for the opportunity to share my experience of meeting these amazing people and humbled by their graciousness in opening their homes and lives to me. To all of you, a heartfelt thank you. I would also like this opportunity to invite residents of South Surrey Peninsula to share their stories with me and the community. I don’t bite, am polite, and fun to talk to. Ask these wonderful folks!

Lastly, Michael and I, want to extend our gratitude to all the local businesses that contribute to South Surrey Peninsula Neighbours magazine's success with their marketing. We appreciate your business and will to continue work hard to bring you success in return.

From New Brunswick to Crescent Beach.By Harvinder Sandhu,South Surrey Peninsula Neighbours Magazine is excited to introd...
12/18/2020

From New Brunswick to Crescent Beach.
By Harvinder Sandhu,
South Surrey Peninsula Neighbours Magazine is excited to introduce Jody and Andrew Douthwright to our readers.

Born and raised in New Brunswick, Jody met Andrew through a mutual friend while she was attending St Thomas University. They didn’t know they were neighbours before they met, later finding out that they lived across the street from each other! They got married in a beautiful rustic barn on Aug 19th, 2017 in New Brunswick after being together for 10 years. Fast forward 3 years, they are now a happily married couple with 2 dogs, a cat, and living all the way across the country in the South Surrey peninsula area of British Columbia.

Both Jody and Andrew are adventurous people and open to moving and trying out new places. This openness to embracing change and willingness to be adventurous has been a blessing for them.

“Our best memory together is first moving to Newfoundland and then to British Columbia. It was quite the adventure to experience two beautiful new provinces together while we both embarked on exciting new careers,” shares Jody.

Andrew had already been working with Sobeys since he was 16 years old and was on the way up in the company. Their first move to Conception Bay South, Newfoundland, came about when Andrew was promoted to Assistant Manager of the Newfoundland warehouse.

This was supposed to be their long-term residence as Jody described it, saying, “over there, higher management jobs are difficult to come by as the job culture there means people tend to keep their jobs longer than the people here, and that limits the opportunity to advance. People tend to stay till retirement.”

Being ambitious and being willing to move provinces set them up to experience more adventure and climb that management ladder when the opportunity came knocking.

Within a few months of taking on his new job at Conception Bay South, Newfoundland, Andrew was presented with the opportunity to apply for the management job at Sobeys distribution centre in Surrey, BC. He applied and got the job, setting in motion their next adventure of discovering another province in Canada.

How is life different here from New Brunswick and Newfoundland?

“It was definitely an adjustment. Life here is faster-paced here than there, but winter is milder, though summers are hotter there”. Jody shared that it was hard in the beginning because they were so far away from their friends and family. The four-hour time difference also made it hard to keep in touch with everyone back home.

When they first arrived here, they lived in the King George corridor. After a few months, they moved to Crescent Beach neighbourhood as it’s much quieter and as Jody says, “I love how beautiful my neighborhood is and that I can walk to the beach!”

She also gushes about the people she has met here, “I would like to thank my neighbors for welcoming me and always asking how my family on the East Coast is doing. And I want to give a very special ‘Thank-You’ to my neighbour, Loretta, who invited me over to her house on my birthday for a game of cards and a special treat from the local bakery. How nice was that of her!”

Andrew is much quieter. A man of few words, he did acknowledge that in the beginning the winter weather here felt mild, and walking around in one layer was ok and not having to shovel snow was awesome. “You do get acclimatized fast,” shares Andrew as we stand around waiting to take pictures on a sunny and blustery windy day at Crescent Beach. It felt like it was cold enough to snow, to which says Andrew with a smile, “you don’t have to shovel rain.”

Having moved around to support Andrew’s climb up the management ladder, Jody, who had graduated with a major in Psychology and a minor in History, was hoping to get a meaningful job here. Instead, she found it hard to secure gainful employment. She picked up part-time work walking dogs and working in retail. It wasn’t long before she realized her passion was dogs and this realization put her on the path to start her own dog walking business this January.

“I feel like I have been training for this career my whole life. I have always had dogs, loved dogs, begged for dogs when we didn't have one. I always received dog-related gifts, such as books, toys, movies, anything to do with dogs. In fact, growing up, I volunteered to dog-sit our friends and family’s dogs when they went on holiday.” Her business, Dog Days Dog Walking is going through its own growing pains with Covid19 being another challenge to overcome.

Taking photos and photography has also been a hobby of Jody’s since childhood. She has now incorporated this hobby into her dog business, taking photos and videos of the dogs when out walking with them. These adventures then get posted on social media.

They loved going on annual vacations to Mexico with their best friends, Vanessa and Josh. “But we haven't taken a proper vacation in a couple of years since moving provinces and starting new jobs”.

“We have 3 wonderful pets, Jersey Girl, our 12-year-old black lab cross. She was rescued as a puppy. Chloe, our 6-year-old black pug, and Nacho; our all-white cat who is 4 years old. Nacho was adopted from the Oromocto NB SPCA as a kitten. We, of course, brought all our pets with us from New Brunswick to Newfoundland to now, British Columbia. She also volunteers as a Foster home for rescue dogs with Small Dogs Rescue BC. Jody would like to thank the advertisers in this magazine as their contributions make “our neighbours’ magazine possible”.

Their family motto is, ‘When opportunity presents itself, go for it!’ They are definitely living their motto and exploring Canada at the same time.

The RC Legion240 - Crescent Beach Branch.By Harvinder Sandhu,Every year South Surrey Peninsula Neighbours magazine dedic...
12/18/2020

The RC Legion240 - Crescent Beach Branch.
By Harvinder Sandhu,
Every year South Surrey Peninsula Neighbours magazine dedicates its November issue to our veterans, recognizing their contributions, while also highlighting individuals and organizations that support veterans.

One such organization is The Royal Canadian Legion. The legion’s mission ‘is to serve veterans including serving military and RCMP members and their families, to promote Remembrance, and to serve our communities and our country’.

The RCLegion240 Branch is in our South Surrey Peninsula neighbourhood. Usually, we strive to highlight a veteran, due to Covid19 we did not want to put any veteran’s health in jeopardy, instead, we reached out to some members to learn about Legion 240.
Here we have a brief history of this branch and how it is coping amid the Covid19 pandemic.

The Crescent Legion Branch 240 held it’s first meeting at the Crescent Beach Fire Hall on July 14, 1951. The founding members of the Legion 240 were D.W. Brown, F. Fowler, H.S. Johannson, W. Normoyle, G.C. Rydal, S.V. Rigby, and R.D. Tearoe.(1) Back then women played a big part in the legion through the Ladies Auxiliary charter, and Branch 240 was no different. The Ladies Auxiliary held its first meeting in the same hall on August 23, 1951, with 16 ladies present, a Mrs. Edna Johannson was elected as president. Both the Crescent Legion and the Ladies' Auxiliary received their charters at a meeting in the Elgin Hall, on October 4, 1951.(2)

The present location of the legion was purchased in 1953 with construction starting in 1954. The work was done with volunteer labour and salvaged lumbar, with the Ladies' Auxiliary providing hot coffee, sandwiches, and carried water. By 1955, the outside was completed, and the grounds leveled. The first meeting on record was held on December 13, 1955. The official opening of the hall was held on January 27, 1956.(3)

Money was raised via bonds, with the first bond issued being paid off in 1959 with many bondholders donating their bonds to the Branch. The Branch then obtained a liquor license with the bar’s grand opening being attended by local dignitaries on Sept 8, 1962. Unfortunately, the bar took over the large kitchen space being used by the Ladies Auxiliary, relegating the Ladies to a small space which, “they described as a hole in the wall where two round and fully packed individuals couldn't pass”.(4) It will take another seventeen years before the Ladies got a bigger kitchen when the Branch put in addition for the kitchen and the adding of the lounge area.

Colin and Mike Gill share how there was one female president at this Legion, citing, “she did a great job,” continuing on the thread of women’s contribution to the success of the legion in the past, “the ladies played a big part in making the legion financially successful through raising funds by running the kitchen.”

Another member, Rus Bell, shared how, “people think they must have been in the military to be a member of the legion, that’s no longer true. Yes, it was once, a long time ago. Anybody can be a member now; a member is not required to have served first though it does help to be a member if you want to buy off-sales,” he laughs.

Rus continued sharing how so many people have this misconception, citing an interaction he had with a fundraiser attendee at the legion last year to whom he suggested joining the legion. The attendee responded with, ‘I didn’t serve’. Rus wants everyone to know that, “you don’t have to be a member to enjoy frequenting the legion. Everyone is welcomed.”

They need more members as membership fees contribute towards the running of the legion and other organizations in the community. For example, in 2005 membership averaged at 850 with the Ladies Auxiliary membership at 57. The Crescent Beach Legion and Ladies' Auxiliary have honored their commitments by supporting veteran's housing, care facilities, hospitals, schools, community groups, and other miscellaneous appeals too numerous to mention.(5)

The legion was regularly frequented by members and non-members living in the community pre-Covid shutdown. Many members I have met share that the legion is the best neighbourhood hang-out for them as it's near their homes and a place to meet with their neighbours.

“I was playing in a band when I was the entertainment director there,” shares John Cadeau, “it’s a great place to play music, especially for local bands to showcase their talent. Now we have Club240.”

South Surrey peninsula Neighbours magazine have to say some of the best local Jazz bands have played here. Club240 is the brainchild of The Total Music Group formerly of the Semiahmoo Music Consortium, and the Legion Branch 240. Club240 was a win-win idea as TMG got a place to play and bring in different bands, and the legion was able to rent out space that was underutilized and raise funds for the legion at the same time. The community rewarded this initiative by embracing it, packing the place and dance hall on Friday nights dancing to some of the best bands in Metro Vancouver.(6)

Just as other gathering places had to shut down during the initial phase of the pandemic, the legion remained closed till October 4th. It is now attentively opening for three days a week keeping the members and guest’s health in mind by limiting the number of people allowed with pre-booking protocol in place. And just like many other businesses, the legion also lost money during the closure.

One of the ways the Legions across Canada raise money is by offering poppies for Remembrance Day. They are offered free, with almost every person taking a poppy donating money in return. Covid19 has put a stop to having volunteers stand in-front of stores offering poppies. They are ways we can still support the Legions, go to the poppy website, www.poppystore.ca. There is a variety of products from, masks to earrings in the poppy theme to help support the Poppy Fund during this difficult time. I have ordered my masks for the Remembrance Day ceremony as both my paternal and maternal grandfather's served in the British military in Malaysia during the second world war.

Living in the Sunshine.By Harvinder Sandhu,South Surrey Peninsula Neighbours Magazine is excited to introduce our reader...
10/21/2020

Living in the Sunshine.
By Harvinder Sandhu,

South Surrey Peninsula Neighbours Magazine is excited to introduce our readers to Jack and Betty Rae. Jack is from Vancouver and Betty is from Kerrobert, Saskatchewan. They got married in 1963 and have four children.

Jack worked in the RCMP with Foreign Service and Betty was an RN and RPN (psychiatrist nurse). Hearing about his intriguing work, I asked Jack to share some interesting stories from his time in the Foreign Service.

He leaned forward and said, “If I tell you, I have to shoot you,” shares Jack, looking me in the eye. Okay. No cool stories.

What he did share was this, “I worked with the local authorities for our mutual interest and concerns. Anything to do with drug running, fraud; sometimes I helped arrange for people to come to Canada for specialized training. Just whatever that came up.” He describes his job was like a military attaché.

Jack shared how the American movies or tv shows like CSI where they solve the crime in one day is so not true having lived the work that’s portrayed on screen. “I think the British stuff is closer to reality, not the James Bond stuff though. If what the American movies and tv shows portray how they solve crimes, we won’t have any crimes, and if the CIA have all that power that they show in movies, we won’t have any terrorists.”

As they got closer to retirement, they realized they needed a house in Canada to retire in. Jack had already decided he was not moving back to Saskatchewan, so they picked Crescent Beach area as, “Why not”? was the response. Plus, as Jack added, “the sun shines here more than anywhere else in Canada and its not super cold”.

Jack was familiar with the area as his grandparents lived in Vancouver and had a summer cottage in Crescent Beach. Jack and his mom used to come out here to spend summers close to the beach with his dad coming to visit by taking the train from Vancouver and getting off at Crescent Beach. Betty grew up in a farm in Saskatchewan and enjoyed being in nature.

Jack’s work had him living in Italy, Kenya and Tanzania with a few years in between spent working in Ottawa. Betty, who was an RN and RPN, was working as a psychiatrist nurse when they met. She didn’t work when they were stationed out of country, but her education and knowledge was very much valuable when the family lived abroad. In 1996 they moved into the house they live in now which they had bought a few years earlier while still living abroad. Out of their four children, three live in Ottawa and one in North Delta. They also have one granddaughter, Devon, who is eight years old, and lives in Ottawa.

“From 1971 – 1975 we lived in Rome, in Ottawa from 1975 – 1979, back in Rome for another four years till 1983. And then to Nairobi, Kenya, and Harare, Tanzania, after that,” shares Betty.

Hearing about them living in Rome for eight years was interesting enough to ask the question; What was living in Rome like?

“Oh, it was terrible. The food was awful, the wine bad ….,” Jack laughs at me as he jokes. Laughing at her husband, Betty quickly added, “we loved every place we lived in.”

“The first time we were in Rome, the older two kids went to a British school there. My children did not like it. They didn’t like the uniforms or the teachers. When we went to Nairobi, we enrolled the children in an American school. They liked that better and then we kept them in that school system as we moved around for Jack’s work,” shares Betty.

Jack piped up that the best Indian food he had was in Nairobi, with Betty adding, “Somebody here showed me some kind of samosa and I said, ‘that’s not a samosa’! Betty was talking about the flat triangle samosa that is more common in countries like Kenya, not the big dumpling looking samosas that are common here, which are common in Punjab.

“I have been making my own samosas using phyllo pastry, it works really, really, well and you don’t deep fry them, just bake.” An amazing tip from Betty for health-conscious foodies.

As to which country was the best, “all of them were great, though Zimbabwe has its own uniqueness,” shares Jack, ever the diplomat. When he retired, the embassy threw them a farewell party. As they were very much liked by the locals, many more people came then invited to see them off!

Both are in their early 80’s now and busy giving back to their community however they can. Jack belongs to the Rotary, having been a member the last 17 years, is busy volunteering with Peace Arch Hospital, Feed My City, Food Bank, RECs Rotary, IPA.

Feed My City is a charity they are very passionate about especially now during Covid19 pandemic. As many of the local missions and shelters where food was available are now closed, the White Rock Rotary Club in conjunction with the City of White Rock and Peace Portal Alliance Church started serving those with needs a lunch each weekday for upwards of 30 people. Rotarians and generous citizens have been fundraising to support this initiative. As this pandemic goes into the fall season, a fabricated mini shelter has been created to service the lunches. Donations are still required, and Jack is sending this shout-out to the community for support.

Jack also has another request for our readers; join the Rotary if you haven’t yet. It costs between $1000 - $2000 dollars a year through meeting expenses and fundraising. He’s shout-out is to get younger people involved as many members are getting older and it is getting harder for them physically. The Rotary has been fundraising for many good causes, from R.E.C. for Kids Society (used recreational equipment for children) to fundraising for $150 thousand dollars needed for a new playground at the Peace Arch Elementary school. The PAC there approached the Rotary for help fundraising the money. They achieved the goal and now the school has a new playground that is accessible to the community after school hours. Betty also volunteers with the Peace Arch Hospital.

Their family motto is ‘We stick together’.

Best community in the world to raise a family' The Rashids.By Harvinder Sandhu,Introducing the exuberant Rashid Family.A...
09/16/2020

Best community in the world to raise a family' The Rashids.
By Harvinder Sandhu,

Introducing the exuberant Rashid Family.
Anne-Marie and Haroon Rashid moved to BC twenty-five years ago from Nova Scotia where they met while attending Dalhousie University. Haroon graduated in Psychology from there and got his Business MBA from SFU; he’s now Executive in Residence at SFU Beedie School of Business. Anne-Marie graduated Dalhousie’s Business School in Finance & Accounting with CPA, and CMA degrees, she is presently Director of Finance & Operations at Stratford Hall School.

Born and raised in Nova Scotia, Anne-Marie’s family had been there for a very long time. Her mother’s side of the family can trace back to about 1610 in Nova Scotia while her father’s father came to Halifax as a child from Lebanon.

Haroon’s family is from Hyderabad, India. He was five when his father went to the US to study and work. After nine and half years in the States, they emigrated to Nova Scotia where his dad worked for Bradford Institute of Oceanography. Haroon’s father was an Organic Geochemist and elevated Canada ‘through his work and book in his study of the role of dissolved organic matter in sea water and marine phy- toplankton and sediments’. (www.goodreads.com)

“We were lucky to have Canada and Canada was lucky to have my dad.”

They married in 1983 and moved to BC eventually moving into the neighbourhood they live in currently, in the Elgin area. Here is where their five children, three boys, and two girls, grew up. Between 24 to 31 years old with Armand being the eldest, followed by Jared, Nastassia (Tasha), Alyssa, and Magnus being the youngest. Like many families, Anne-Marie and Haroon also feel blessed as the silver lining of Covid19’s dark cloud has given them the opportunity to spend extended time together with all their grown children during the lockdown. Those living out of town came home.

“We are lucky that the house is big enough that all of us had space to do our own thing during the day and we hung out in the evening, making meals together,” shares Anne-Marie. It’s a busy household with 3 dogs, an Italian water-dog breed called Lagatto, named Tika, a Havanese named Nero, and Bichon Havanese cross named Bitsy. They also have two cats that are siblings; brothers Hemi and Wilde.

Their house backs on to the Dogwood Park which in Haroon’s opinion, “it’s a spectacular area to be a part of, you go out from the backyard, through Dogwood Park, and an hour’s walk will get you to Crescent Park; a walk that is peaceful, beautiful and pristine. I feel this the best community in the world to raise a family in.”

Such praise comes from having lived here for over 25 years. The Rashid family has been hands-on in their community, from Haroon coaching in sports his kids were involved in to being part of neighborhood block-watch and organizing Halloween block parties with fireworks (back when it was legal, of course!). Their kids actively competed in sports at the local level, all of them played soccer with both the girls also obtaining a black belt in Tae Kwando discipline.

“I coached a lot of hockey and baseball, one of the things you realize is this unique aspect of this area is just how good, even with the shortage of ice time, but having said that, this very unique baseball diamond, the soccer field, really from the community perspective, it’s the amazing facilities they built down here,” states Haroon, “not only amazing that we have these natural parks, but between softball city and centennial park, we have world-class facilities for kids to play in.”

Anne-Marie chimed in sharing her memories of that time, “We really enjoined spending time as a family going to tournaments together, be it hockey or baseball, and really enjoyed all of the other people and their kids that lived in South Surrey that played on our kids’ teams. This gave us a chance to get to know people out of our neighbourhood. In fact, our kids are still friends with some of the people they played sports with.” Adding, “this was such a great community for our kids to grow up in”.

Haroon shared his perspective on communities, “when we see the same people over and over again, out walking in the park, shopping at the local stores, at local sports events, you kind of get to know them, this creates a certain sense of community and being bonded. We can start that process just by acknowledging each other via ‘simple greetings’ and smiles.”

They are also part of block-watch and are excited that the newer neighbours are also starting to participate in these neighbourhood activities. Now that their kids have grown up and some of the older neighbours have down-sized, Anne-Marie is excited to see young families moving into their neighbourood.

“It’s nice to see young children back in the area, playing around outside, though we do still have older neighbours who have been around as long as us.” On the question of them downsizing? Definitely not for a very long time. “This is a great area and what we have here, we can’t get anywhere else.”

Coming together from different backgrounds prompted the Rashid family to ‘adopt’ their kids’ friends from universities, inviting those stuck with no family or community here, for the holidays to their home for Christmas stay-over dinner with all the trimmings, stockings and gifts. Kids from all backgrounds and religions have been included.

For hobbies both Haroon and Anne-Marie love doing yoga, walking in nature, especially at Crescent Beach during fall and winter seasons with their dogs. Anne-Marie especially loves rainy days as fewer people are at the beach. As a yoga master, Anne-Marie explains how yoga “keeps you grounded, feels good, and is good for a person’s mental and physical health.” Haroon meditates daily and has practiced Vipassana meditation for over a decade.
Feeling blessed for living and raising their family here.

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