Almighty God, we
have heard your words to us in holy scripture, and know your call to each of
us. In every age you have spoken through the voices of prophets, pastors, and
teachers. We give you thanks that over the years we have heard you speak to us
through the preaching of your word in this place. Grant that those who preach
in this place may proclaim the crucified and risen Christ and interpret your
word with sensitivity and insight, that we may hear that word inwardly and
respond to it in all our life. This we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, your
living Word. Amen.
This
last Sunday in October is often used by churches to celebrate the Feast of
Dedication. Typically, this feast would be on the date of dedication or
consecration of the church. St Peter’s date of consecration is June 14, but as
we didn’t acknowledge our anniversary at that time, I thought that this was a
perfect way to end our 160th anniversary celebrations from last
night. For those who attended, you heard storytelling from various parishioners
who are still with us, talking about the past, the present, and the future of
the parish. This morning, acknowledging that our cemetery is older than the
parish and is a very important piece our of ministry here at St Peter’s, we
will hear stories from those who have died. I have done my best to honour the
stories as best as I could with the information that I had.
Buried
in our cemetery are people from various wars such as the Crimean War, the New
Zealand War, both World Wars, and even the Riel Rebellion. For those who may
not know, there’s a very interesting war memorial outside the south door. It is
a 10 on granite rock with a cross on top. The rock was found in April 1919 by
Carlton Stone and Charles Palmer on Colonel Roome’s property. It took most of
April to move this rock along Maple Bay Road using sleigh, skids, blocks,
cables, and 4 horses!
Charles
Palmer was born in India. His mother died when he was 9 so he travelled with
his father’s military regiment in India. During the Siege of Lucknow in 1857,
he was hiding in a room with his older sister and her 2 children, and his
younger sister. He was 10 years old, and the only one to survive. Small boys
were sent to grind wheat, but he hated it so much that he went off to be part
of his brother-in-law’s army troop as an ammunition carrier and messenger. For
his efforts, Charles received the India Mutiny Medal and Clasp for the Defense
of Lucknow. It’s believed this medal has been buried with him in our cemetery.
During
his adult life, Charles worked in the Public Works Department in India where he
was renowned for his work as an Irrigation Officer during the drought of 1877
and the famine of 1895. He is credited with preventing the spread of cholera by
insisting on the use of permanganate of potash in all wells. Charles eventually
came to Vancouver Island and served on the North Cowichan Council and with the
Cowichan Creamery. He died at 93 years old.
Carlton
Stone was the first of many Stone family members to be part of the Duncan and
St Peter’s community. He was born in 1877 to parents who were farmers. He was 1
of 9 children and just shy of his 15th birthday, Carlton left his family
and his Essex home to follow the sea aboard the barge Hector. Carlton
spent about half a decade on various barges and freighters before deciding that
he was ready to leave his life as a sailor behind him. In 1904, Carlton made
his way to Canada seeking an opportunity for a better living, arriving in
Duncan in 1909. Carlton began working in the sawmills, eventually founding the
Hillcrest Lumber Company, once employing 500 men and ranking 3rd
among the Island’s lumber producers.
Carlton
was a deeply religious man and gave generously to St Peter’s. He embraced the
Christian life and encouraged others to do the same. He had 5 sons and a
daughter who were also a big part of the parish life. The Good Shepherd stained-glass
window was donated to the church in Carlton’s memory, the 1966 organ was
donated by the Stone family, and the grand piano that Ron beautifully plays was
donated by Carlton’s grandchildren, Mike and Barb. Carlton died in 1950 and his
legacy is felt all throughout St Peter’s history.
Of
all the stories that I’ve been told about our cemetery, one that gets repeated to
me often is “Bram Stoker’s brother is buried here.” Lt Col Richard Stoker was
born in Dublin in 1851 and came to the Cowichan Valley at the end of the 19th
century. The Stoker family was quite well-known with one brother a Dublin
physician and another a London physician. And, of course, Bram, author of
Dracula. Richard Stoker was also a doctor and entered the Indian Medical
Service, retiring in 1900. He had active service in the Afghan War, the Sikkim
Expedition, and the Chetral Relief Force. In his retirement years, Richard was
an accomplished zoologist and botanist. His wife was an artist who donated
paintings to the Royal BC Museum. The Stokers owned 25 acres of lake-front land
near Marble Bay at Lake Cowichan, which was eventually donated to the
University of Victoria. It is now the Jeanne S. Simpson Field Studies Resource
Centre.
These
were just three stories from people who decided to make St Peter’s their final
resting place. There are so many more stories out in the cemetery. Know that
you are always welcome to wander the grounds, and please join us every other
year for our Veteran Cemetery Tour.
May
we always honour those who came before us and built St Peter’s into what it is
today.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment