The End of an Era audio file

[Background music]

I learned I had terminal cancer. What was going to happen to my Fintry?

I produced a brochure, extolling its virtues as a delightful home and sportsman’s paradise in the sunny Okanagan. I offered all the orchards, cattle, equipment, plus buildings and land, except for Burnside and twenty acres, for just $100,000. The trouble was, the depression was just ending and no-one had the money.

In the end, I gave the estate to Fairbridge Farm Schools, an English philanthropic organization that gave orphans the chance to get an education, learn the science of agriculture, and make new lives for themselves in the colonies. They did a fine job, and many graduates went on to do wonderful things. But my dream of helping young people, of having Fintry become a full-time school, lasted less than ten years. World War II made the Atlantic voyage too dangerous for orphans to attempt, and money couldn’t be sent from Great Britain to keep the schools running.

Fintry was finally sold, and over the years many changes occurred to my beloved estate. I wandered far into the hills in those days. Now, the Friends of Fintry are trying to bring my estate back to life.