View Royal farm receives Century Award for 100 years on Vancouver Island
A local farm and family are receiving a rare award from the province for operating their farm on Vancouver Island for more than 100 years.
The Pollock Family Farm, located in View Royal, B.C., has been in operation since 1921, and the family was awarded a Century Farm Award from the B.C. Government earlier this month.
The initial farm land was purchased from the Hudson's Bay Company near Six Mile Pub by brothers Neil and Malcolm Pollock.
The brothers then cleared the 24-acre parcel with horses, before building four greenhouses to grow crops in, according to the province.
The Pollock brothers Neil and Malcolm are pictured in a 1927 article. (Submitted)
The farm was in operation during the Second World War and the Great Depression, by which time it also included a barn, milk house and farmhouse.
Decades later, in 1970, Malcom's son, Earl, would sell the land that the original greenhouses were on and move most of the operation to the farm's current location along Atkins Road.
Earl would operate the farm until 1990, at which point his son, David, and his wife, Ingelise, were added to the deed and helped bring in apple and berry crops to the farm's operation.
David fully took over the farm in 2003, and he continues to operate it today.
"Although being in the spotlight makes us apprehensive, our family appreciates receiving the Century Farm Award as it’s a once-in-a-lifetime event," said David in a release Saturday.
"Our family has taken care to preserve both the historic features of our property and its viability as a farm, and I hope to one day hand it down to the next generation," he said.
B.C. Agriculture Minister Lana Popham says the longstanding farm's history is a reflection of the Pollock Family and the surrounding community,
"Family farms are at the heart of our communities, and I want to thank the Pollock family for providing homegrown food to the Victoria area for over a century," she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Mystik Dan wins the 150th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in a three-horse photo finish
Mystik Dan won the 150th Kentucky Derby in a photo finish, edging out Forever Young and Sierra Leone for the upset victory.
London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.