When three of us met casually and started talking about pulling our neighbourhood together, the first question was how to get started. After meeting a few times, we decided an easy way to start would be with “neighbourhood walks.” McGillvary Avenue, on Gabriola Island, is actually a crescent, and many in the neighbourhood walk it as a loop almost daily, which gave us a neighbourhood name, “McGillvary Loop.”
So we decided to pick a day and time (Saturday at 9:30), publicize it, and see who shows up! We also picked a theme of “water,” because in summer, everyone on Gabriola is thinking about water (as we are almost all on well systems).
But how to get the word out? Rainie, one of the originating three, is an artist, and she created a large, eye-catching poster to go on the bulletin board at our community mailbox. She also painted a smaller, colourful flyer, which we printed many copies of and distributed to every household in our designated neighbourhood. That was an adventure in itself, meeting many local doggies and figuring out where to put the flyer for those long, often gated driveways. (Under a car windshield wiper was popular.)
Word went out, and one Friday in June, some 15 people (plus 4 dogs) showed up. After a round of mutual introductions, we set off, conversations happening and lots of information exchanged about neighbours current and past, and details about the neighbourhood itself. It took under an hour, but everyone came away pleased.
A second neighbourhood walk in July showed the idea had legs. One of the organizers, Greg, is an online enthusiast and set up a neighbourhood website (mcgillvaryloop.wordpress.com) and an email list at groups.io/g/McGillvary-Loop (both free).
By this time, we had applied for and received a Neighbourhood Small Grant and were planning a neighbourhood BBQ, as a fun but manageable project to bring us all together. This involved exploring neighbourhood expertise and resources to find out who knew most about party planning, who had barbecues, and who might have the space to host it. There were a couple of fun shopping trips for burgers and buns, veggies, paper plates, and the like.
August 28th lucked out clear and temperate, and about 40 people came together at Donna (our 3rd main organizer) & Ken’s to share burgers and hellos. Several people met (or re-met) each other, and much local info was exchanged as two barbeques pumped out burgers. We had a guest appearance from Carol (FireSmart) and Shirley (Neighbourhood Emergency Preparedness Planning), who opened some eyes with their informative talk. Pics on our website at mcgillvaryloop.wordpress.com/2025/09/12/bbq-28-august/.
Going forward, we plan to keep going with the walks, and look forward to our next neighbourhood event.
