Dunmora: a story of a heritage manor house on Vancouver Island

Step back in time and listen to the walls talking as the writer describes a totally different world through almost ten decades in the life of Dunmora, a heritage manor house on the Saanich Peninsula of Vancouver Island. The reader will relish learning about the different owners and the many visitors that came to the house through the years. Numerous anecdotes of neighbours and faithful Chinese staff will be enjoyed as will the plethora of archival and modern photographs of this beautiful home and estate overlooking the Saanich Inlet. A fascinating, undiscovered gem of history makes for a good read. Dunmora tells an intriguing story of a heritage house on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, built in 1922 by the May family who enjoyed a simple, pastoral existence on the peninsula in the days when wealthy families hired faithful Chinese servants, gardeners and nannies. Spanning the years from the 1920s and 30s, through World War II, the turbulent 60s, 70s and 80s and into the Millennium, the book includes tales of the famous visitors who came to Dunmora such as the Lord Mayor of London during WWII; Flt.Lt. Alex Gardner-Medwin who used the house as a base for conducting bombing drills over the Saanich inlet; friend Cecil Meares (adventurer and dog handler for the Robert Falcon Scott Expedition to the South Pole); and Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and his wife Margaret and other Ministers who came for meetings held there during the 1970s when the house was owned by Donald Cormie of the Principal Group notoriety. Dunmora also hosted celebrities such as Jack Nicholson, David Foster, Gordie Howe, Elizabeth Manley, and Jimmy Patterson. Hollywood came to Dunmora and movies were shot there. The reader is taken on a journey of family ups and downs through six ownerships with much of Greater Victoria's history is also intertwined into the evolution of the house.

History

Green, Valerie

Americas

Hancock House

Step back in time and listen to the walls talking as the writer describes a totally different world through almost ten decades in the life of Dunmora, a heritage manor house on the Saanich Peninsula of Vancouver Island. The reader will relish learning about the different owners and the many visitors that came to the house through the years. Numerous anecdotes of neighbours and faithful Chinese staff will be enjoyed as will the plethora of archival and modern photographs of this beautiful home and estate overlooking the Saanich Inlet. A fascinating, undiscovered gem of history makes for a good read. Dunmora tells an intriguing story of a heritage house on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, built in 1922 by the May family who enjoyed a simple, pastoral existence on the peninsula in the days when wealthy families hired faithful Chinese servants, gardeners and nannies. Spanning the years from the 1920s and 30s, through World War II, the turbulent 60s, 70s and 80s and into the Millennium, the book includes tales of the famous visitors who came to Dunmora such as the Lord Mayor of London during WWII; Flt.Lt. Alex Gardner-Medwin who used the house as a base for conducting bombing drills over the Saanich inlet; friend Cecil Meares (adventurer and dog handler for the Robert Falcon Scott Expedition to the South Pole); and Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and his wife Margaret and other Ministers who came for meetings held there during the 1970s when the house was owned by Donald Cormie of the Principal Group notoriety. Dunmora also hosted celebrities such as Jack Nicholson, David Foster, Gordie Howe, Elizabeth Manley, and Jimmy Patterson. Hollywood came to Dunmora and movies were shot there. The reader is taken on a journey of family ups and downs through six ownerships with much of Greater Victoria?s history is also intertwined into the evolution of the house. That evolution through subsequent ownership has enabled the legacy of family love foreseen by the original owners to be maintained and carried into the future. Today, restored to its former glory, Dunmora is valued as ?the grandest early twentieth-century estate home in Central Saanich on Vancouver Island.? Its story is well worth telling.

In March 1991, Michael Wayne Dunahee was abducted from Victoria, BC, virtually in front of his parents' eyes. Police were alerted within minutes of Michael's disappearance, and a full-scale search of the area was initiated immediately, but with no witnesses to the crime, law enforcement was stymied. The entire city of Victoria quickly mobilized to expand the search for Michael, and Child Find BC and other missing children organizations took up the cause. Soon Michael's face and the story of his abduction were known throughout North America and eventually around the world, as missing child posters were disseminated and details of his abduction were broadcast, including appearances on America's Most Wanted. The Michael Dunahee case initiated the largest missing-child investigation in Canada at the time. The Dunahee family, devastated, nevertheless endured and focused their energy on helping other families undergoing similar tragedy. Working with Child Find BC and Child Find Canada, and supporting initiative such as the AMBER Alert system and the missing persons DNA database, have given them the strength to carry on and rebuild their lives. They threw their support behind annual fundraising and awareness raising events such as the annual Keep the Hope Alive fun run and the Tournament of Hope, with proceeds from both going to support the work of Child Find BC. In spite of nearly 22 years without answers as to what happened to Michael, they still maintain hope that he will one day be returned safely to them; and that steadfast belief has been an inspiration for families of missing children everywhere. Vanished includes an extensive appendices with details on technological advances in finding missing children, tips on preventing child abduction and exploitation, what to do when a child goes missing or a missing child is seen, as well as complete list of Child Find offices in Canada. Part of the proceeds from the sale of this book are being donated to Child Find BC.

Vanished: The Michael Dunahee Story

Biographies & Memoirs

Professionals & Academics

Providence: A Novel (The McBride Chronicles)

Literature & Fiction

British & Irish

Hancock House Publishers

Book Two in The McBride Chronicles series is the story of strong-willed Sarah McBride, only daughter of Jane and Gideon McBride, pioneer settlers in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, in the 1860s. Sarah constantly rebels against being a respectable young Victorian woman during her time spent at Angela College, a prestigious girls’ school in Victoria, and later at a Finishing School in Dresden, Germany, which leads to her presentation at Court in London before Queen Victoria. 
Against a backdrop of British Columbia’s rich history, Sarah’s life plays out with both joy and tragedy back in Victoria with events such as the collapse of the Point Ellice Bridge across the Gorge Arm, and later meeting and falling in love with a man, knowing the truth about their relationship could destroy the McBride family. Is she strong enough, like her mother, to overcome her heartbreak and follow her true destiny to find happiness?

Destiny: A Novel (The McBride Chronicles)

Genre Fiction

Book Three in The McBride Chronicles series is the story of Sarah McBride's two sons, Stephen and Caleb. Stephen's story tells of his love for Letty Caldwell and their heart-breaking experiences during WW1 and the effect this all has on the family back in Victoria. Their story also includes the spread of the Spanish Flu around the world after the war. Sarh's own life continues as she travels aboard the ill-fated SS Princess Sophia from Alaska to Vancouver in 1918. Her younger son, Caleb (Cal) is passionate about flying and his life story encompasses the birth of aeronautics in British Columbia, including both barnstorming and bush flying. His WWII experiences take him to England where he earns a distinguished merit award as a bomber pilot. In England he meets Maggie Graham and fate once more plays an ironic part. Upon the death of Providence's matriarch in Victoria in 1945, will the future of the McBride dynasty survive and the legacy continue?

Legacy: A Novel (The McBride Chronicles)

Historical

Tomorrow: A Novel (The McBride Chronicles)

The popular view of Victoria's genteel history—all aristocratic colonists and Royal Navy dances—is about to be exploded. Yes, there were wealthy and well-born settlers, but the city's pioneers also included madams and murderers, seamstresses and saloonkeepers, who would never have been seated at the dinner tables of the upper class.
But all these people, upstanding citizens or impudent criminals, made their mark on the life of the little settlement perched on the Pacific; the New World meant a fresh start for everyone.
In Upstarts &amp; Outcasts, Valerie Green has collected a rich variety of stories, including those of Arthur Bunster, the bombastic brewer; Soue Kee, the laundryman who served the fleet; Ellen Timmens, the disgruntled housemaid; Mr. Badger, the butler with bad feet; and Stella Carroll, the bawdiest of the many brothel owners—to mention just a few of the fascinating characters of Victoria's early years.
Victoria may not have been as prim and proper as legends have it, but it was much more colourful!

Upstarts & Outcasts: Victoria's Not-so-proper Past

Touchwood Ed

How many times have you walked by or through an interesting old house, wondering about its past and what tales its walls could whisper if they could answer your questions? Although many of Victoria's heritage homes have disappeared, some remain—some rich and elegant and some working class. All have stories to tell.
Valerie Green offers the stories of fifty houses and the people who lived, loved and died in them. The homes are illustrated by architectural artist Lynn Gordon-Findlay in exquisite detail. InIf These Walls Could Talk, Valerie and Lynn celebrate Victoria's splendid old houses and the history of another era. They include only those residences still standing. The time span ranges from the 1850s to the 1930s and covers a wide spectrum; there are stories about famous houses of historical importance as well as some less familiar, like the Rockland home that rocked with scandal and a farmhouse with a connection to Harrod's, the famous London retailer. Maps have been included to show exact location.

If These Walls Could Talk: Victoria's Houses from the Past

A Woman’s Journey to Health, Fitness, and Wellness: Commit to Stay Fit at Any Age!

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Reference

Independently published

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Green, Valerie. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Green, Valerie

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Green, Valerie. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Dunmora: a story of a heritage manor house on Vancouver Island

Dunmora: a story of a heritage manor house on Vancouver Island

Vanished: The Michael Dunahee Story

Providence: A Novel (The McBride Chronicles)

Destiny: A Novel (The McBride Chronicles)

Legacy: A Novel (The McBride Chronicles)

Tomorrow: A Novel (The McBride Chronicles)

Upstarts & Outcasts: Victoria's Not-so-proper Past

If These Walls Could Talk: Victoria's Houses from the Past

A Woman’s Journey to Health, Fitness, and Wellness: Commit to Stay Fit at Any Age!