We lost our dear friend and neighbour Barry Godfrey on October 28th. Barry and his wife Terry moved to Vancouver Island from the Kootenays in 2010 and a year later took up a caretaking position on the property adjacent to the McLoughlin Gardens. At that time, Brian and Sarah McLoughlin were still spending several months a year in Merville. Barry was a frequent visitor in the garden, walking through on his daily walk and stopping for a chat with his dog, Eli at his side.
When the McLoughlins passed their property to the regional district in 2016, Barry took on an informal role as caretaker and steward. He assisted with opening up and closing down the cottage every year, which involved climbing down into the crawlspace beneath the house to turn off the U.V. system. Barry's presence nearby and his availability to keep an eye on water levels in the reservoir was critical to the success of our residency program. Whenever he noticed the level was dropping he would fire up the pump and fill the reservoir. Knowing that we would be losing Barry this year was the main impetus for installing our new water system. Barry was also a welcoming presence for guests, answering questions about the operation of the wood heater and sharing stories of wildlife sightings.
Barry loved living at the beach, and didn't have much interest in travelling. Like Brian and Sarah McLoughlin he would save up his town errands for a weekly trip into Courtenay, preferring to be down by the water, puttering about and tending to things, keeping an ear out for the sound of eagles, loons and herons. He enjoyed meeting the many artists and writers who spent time at McLoughlin Gardens and easily found an anecdote to share with them that connected in some way to the place they were from or the work they were doing.
Recent visitors John England and his wife Catherine met Barry in the summer of 2023 and enjoyed meeting him again when they were in residence in September this year. John concluded his report on his residency with some words of appreciation: “Barry and his gentle companion Eli added further hospitality to our visit, passing by unobtrusively every morning to check up on us and stopping occasionally for an always informative visit about the Gardens. Barry’s kindness personalized and elevated the enjoyment and memory of our visit, indeed was an important part of it for Catherine and me.”
