When Lynda and Dennis Koenders’ family farm in Coombs wasn’t attracting enough visitors to keep it afloat, Dennis drove to Victoria to speak with the city’s director of parks.
He wanted to see if there were any properties to start a more centrally located farm.
And there was — the farm in Beacon Hill Park had just lost funding due to budget cuts and was in danger of closing.
The couple’s bid to take over was approved in June 1985, 40 years ago this week. “It’s been a ride, I can tell you,” said Lynda Koenders.
On June 12, Beacon Hill Children’s Farm is hosting an anniversary celebration that includes a scavenger hunt, talks about animals, storytime, colouring pages and prizes.
Stories covered by the Times Colonist over the farm’s lifetime include the escape of Roxanne the turtle in 1987, the live birth of twin kid goats in 1988, and the arrival of a donkey named after Prince George of Wales in 2013.
Koenders said the farm has seen more than 1,500 baby goats in its four decades, with names like Tic, Tac and Toe; Polly and Esther; Winnie and Peg; Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; and John, Paul, George and Ringo.
Some of Koenders’ favourite memories at the farm include the time a child came into the goat area and mistook the black and white ones for cows, or when a long-time volunteer known as Mrs. D was helping a chick learn how to drink by dipping its beak into a pool of water and was accused of trying to drown it.
When Mrs. D. explained she was helping the chick get used to water, the woman said: “but doesn’t it breastfeed?”
Koenders said there have been plenty of difficult moments at the farm, too, especially when beloved animals die. “There’s always lots of tears,” she said.
She recalled some notable animal escapes, including a billy goat who tried to run free, and an incident where a massive cow named Big Bob pinned her against a barn door and cracked her ribs.
“He was running around the farm at 5:30 in the morning, all over the place,” she said.
Diana Teal, who has been business manager at the farm for just three months after coming as a visitor and falling in love with the place, said getting the job made her feel like she “won the goat lottery.”
She said she has loved the experience of watching guests bond with the farm’s many animals.
“Everybody leaves with a smile on their face,” said Teal, who called interacting with the animals “therapeutic.”
“It’s always a good day at the farm.”
Claudia Laube, who has been the farm manager for 15 years, said she likes to see how people learn to be gentle with the animals — “to see that animals are living beings.”
Louise Oliver, who has brought children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren to the farm over the years, said during a visit to the farm last week that she has “wonderful” memories of her visits. “Whenever we have company, we bring them down here.”
Natasha Verdel, who said she has been coming to the farm since she was a child, brought daughter Juna to watch the famous goat run on June 2 — her first birthday — ahead of the 40th anniversary celebrations.
“I think it’s very nostalgic, to come here as a kid and then to bring our kids here,” she said.
Her partner, Nik Puketris, said he also has fond childhood memories of the farm, and enjoyed watching Juna interact with the goats just as he did years ago.
For the June 12 anniversary celebration, children’s activities take place from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a celebratory goat stampede at 5:10 p.m. The farm opens at 10 a.m.
Koenders encourages those young and old to visit, and said she is hoping to see former volunteers and “visitors from years gone by.”
“If they haven’t been in for a while, come on back in and come and say ‘hi.’ ”
