2005 Community Stewardship Award - Recipients

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Sustaining the Islands – Community Stewardship Awards Program 
 
 
 
2005 Award Winner Profile 
 
Winner:   Mayne Island Japanese Gardens Volunteers 
 
Category: Group/Organization 
Project: Creating a memorial garden to honour the Japanese families of  
  Mayne Island 
Nominator: Brian Haller, Mayne Island 
 
Project Description:   
 
Dinner Bay Park on Mayne Island was originally a Japanese farmstead before 
World War II.  A group of dedicated volunteers have spent endless hours of 
rototilling, weeding, removing trees, and fostering community support for building 
the garden. The park is intended to recognize the efforts of the past settlers and 
enhance the lives of people living on Mayne Island and people visiting the island.  
The park has honoured the descendents of the original Japanese settlers twice.  
In May, 2002 the garden was officially dedicated by Iona Campagnola.  A 
memorial plaque was also erected showing the location of the original 
farmsteads on the island with the names of the families. 
 
All labour has been volunteered, with every plant and feature in the garden 
donated by islanders. The park is self-sustaining through donations from visitors. 
 
Three volunteers were specifically acknowledged in the nomination:  Don 
Herbert, whose vision and untiring efforts got it going and stayed the course; 
Tosh Saito, an inexhaustible workhorse and role model to all of unselfish 
community giving; and, Allan Cheek, resident historian who continually worked 
on the garden, traced all living descendents, and created and paid for the 
memorial plaque. 
  

Sustaining the Islands – Community Stewardship Awards Program 
 
 
 
2005 Award Winner Profile 
 
Winner:   Hornby Water Stewardship Project 
 
Category: Group/Organization 
Project: Water testing and public education to protect water quality 
Nominators: Hornby Island Local Trustees Tony Law and Eleanor Kneffel 
 
Project Description:   
 
The main objective of the project is to help residents protect the island’s 
groundwater through educational seminars and workshops, runoff water testing 
and private well testing.  The second objective is to protect the surrounding 
marine waters from pollution. 
 
When the project was conceived, there were no other communities or islands in 
the Gulf of Georgia on which to base a water stewardship program.  Community 
consultation and involvement were key factors in the success of the project.  
Since 1996 the Hornby Water Stewardship Project has trained 23 water testers 
to Environment Canada standards; organized three septic system workshops; 
conducted more than 800 runoff water tests and produced a comprehensive 
report on the tests; tested wells monthly to determine whether pollution patterns 
correlated with the runoff study results; and, sponsored public meetings on well 
construction/protection and water borne diseases. 
 
The group has also participated in numerous studies and conferences, such as 
the Royal Roads University College s

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