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Title: Interview of Jane & Peter Hammond
Description: Dec 23 2011 Jane Hammond (née Jane Elle Campbell; b. 1949 in Toronto) is the youngest of four children. Her father, Albert McTaggart Campbell (b. 1910 in Strathroy, Ontario; d. 1973) was the eldest surviving son of seven-eight children, two of whom died from appendicitis. Growing up in a farming community, he received his Bachelor’s of Science in
Show moreDec 23 2011 Jane Hammond (née Jane Elle Campbell; b. 1949 in Toronto) is the youngest of four children. Her father, Albert McTaggart Campbell (b. 1910 in Strathroy, Ontario; d. 1973) was the eldest surviving son of seven-eight children, two of whom died from appendicitis. Growing up in a farming community, he received his Bachelor’s of Science in Agriculture from the University of Guelph before teaching science in northern Ontario. After marrying he moved to South Ontario where he became very involved in local politics; he was on the Scarborough School Board, served as mayor of Scarborough, and, beginning in 1970, became a chairman for metropolitan Toronto. Jane has no memory of her paternal grandfather, John Campbell (d.1952-1953), who was first-generation Canadian. Her paternal great-grandfather was possibly born in Inverurie, Scotland; she has neither information about nor memories of him. Jane’s mother, Helen Emily Huber (b. 1910 in Cobalt, Ontario), had one sister. Her maternal grandfather was Wimund Huber (b. in Bracebridge, Ontario) and her maternal grandmother was Bertha May Cornell (b. 1881). Jane had a “normal upbringing” on a hobby farm. She attended the local public schools before receiving her degree in Psychology from York University. Jane then moved out West where she completed a degree in Social Work; her first job was as a child welfare worker in Victoria. She met Peter while travelling on a freighter, the SS Washington, to Japan; they were married within six months. Peter Hammond was born Phillip Edward Scofield (b. 1948 in San Francisco); at the age of two, after his birth parents’ divorce and his mother’s second marriage to Mr. Hammond, his parents changed his name in order to allow Mr. Hammond to legally adopt Peter/Phillip and thus release Peter/Phillip’s birth father from any child support responsibilities. Because of Mr. Hammond’s involvement in the military, Peter grew up on the island of Guam. He held an appointment as a merchant marine at King’s Point, New York before beginning his studies in marine engineering and, after graduation, sailing for some time. For fourteen years he was the chief engineer for the shipping company American President Lines and, in 1996, he became the director of Calhoon MEBA Engineering School in Maryland, USA, a post that he held for four years before briefly retiring. Peter is currently the chief engineer on the Spirit of Vancouver (BC Ferries); at the time of the interview, he had worked for the company for three years. In 1982, Peter and Jane sold their house in Fairfield and bought Glenrosa. Their reasons for buying the acreage included its location and the spaciousness and peacefulness of the property, especially as a place to raise their four children. Growing up on a farm, Jane was used to the rural life and thus the decision to take up sheep farming was not a stretch. However, at the time of purchase, the Hammonds had no knowledge of the history of Glenrosa and the Dunlop-Reid family; they gradually learned about the house’s past by reading the book Footprints and by speaking with locals and the former owners. They also had a luncheon with the Vine family and others. In 1998/9, after hearing about the newspaper articles and letters that John Dunlop-Reid had written, Peter and Jane travelled to Scotland where they undertook some research about Glenrosa and John Dunlop Reid. They visited the archives in Kilmarnock and the Baird Institute in Cumnock; a woman working at the Baird Institute made copies of the newspaper articles and, eight months later, the Hammonds received a package of them. Entitled “Farming Life in British Columbia,” the Ayrshire Press had published numerous articles by John Dunlop-Reid about the conditions in North America; these were designed to encourage emigration, specifically female. At the time of purchase Glenrosa was lacking a proper foundation and proper central heating. In 2002, the Hammonds began to renovate the house, paying attention to the original design. They saved wood from the original building and ensured that the main room maintained the same dimensions as the original house (30’ by 30’), thus the renovations took a long time. According to Ron Reid, “they did a fabulous job of preservation.” When asked about the Dunlop-Reid’s contact with Native peoples living in Mutchosin, the Footprints book mentions employment for harvesting, construction, and other odd jobs on the Glenrosa acreage. The Hammonds’ future plans for the Glenrosa house include continuing as a Bed and Breakfast and potentially reopening Glenrosa as a teahouse. Although the house is built to commercial standards, expansion and development have proven difficult in a municipality that “resists change."
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Date: 2011-12-23