Preserving our past

Historic buildings give communities character, charm

Driving around the lovely city of Victoria, B.C., last week reminded me why I like heritage buildings. And when those buildings are kept up and have the added bonus of beautiful trees, shrubs and flowers, it really is spectacular.

I have been following the saga of the two big churches on the western Fundy shore. It is going to be hard to keep up those huge buildings. They are wonderful to see. I also think the work that went into them by the local people is almost more important than either the reason for them or even the structures themselves. Community people can do amazing things when they put their collective minds and backs together.

As we were being driven around Victoria by our daughter and given the history of this building and that one, I was fervently hoping that my new home of Annapolis Royal keeps the feeling and the history alive.

Let us not forget the trees, especially those that line St. George Street. As I look out at the blossoming cherry trees and the magnolias and the rhodies here, I know that our magnolias will be blooming at the courthouse and along St. George Street one of these days. The Historic Gardens is always a delight in our town.

While there are huge sequoias in Victoria, we have those elms which are precious given the dreaded Dutch elm disease which whipped through our part of the world. And we’ve got old growth forest here in Annapolis County as well.

Back to the churches. I am delighted to see some of the little churches have been bought by enterprising folks and turned into living accommodations. While the insides might not be exactly the way they were when the faithful filled those pews, the building still stands as a testament of faith from people of long ago.

And while Victoria is a beauty, I would be totally lost if I suddenly had to live there. And I do mean lost! It is big and it accommodates hills and the ocean. But they have great parks and green spaces for walking and exploring. The birds were back from the south and all the water surfaces had some kind of creature floating around.

The people here made sure the history and the natural beauty blended and were kept in good shape.

We need to be mindful of what we have in our part of the world so when future generations stroll through the town or visit the park where the Upper Clements Park used to be or walk the trail to Delaps Cove or bicycle along the Ernest Buckler Trail, they will thank us for taking care.