Dear Editor,
They say parks are the lungs of the city and never has this been illustrated more than during the pandemic.
The sprawling King George Park in Cambie has been the heart and the soul of the community when people needed a breath of fresh air as well as practice social distancing — and yet maintain social contact during COVID times.
As someone who is currently visiting from New Zealand, which is equally green and salubrious, I couldn’t help but admire how the well-designed park has been playing a stellar role in terms of the well-being of the community.
It’s been a springboard for people of all ages and races to let their hair down and be.
From toddlers having the time of their lives in the water park area to families having a fun day out playing baseball; young mothers exchanging notes as their young ones expend all that extra energy in the play park; seniors sharing nibbles and barbecues — the park has been a mecca for soccer, cricket and tennis enthusiasts, joggers, fitness freaks and dog walkers.
It feels as if it is not only the Richmond community that converges at the well-maintained park but also people from the North Shore, New Wesminister, Surrey and other areas.
If this sounds like an ode to the King George/Cambie Community Park, it is!
The credit also goes to those who have designed the park and have been upgrading it with new features as well as the municipality for having maintained it. But most of all to the pioneering fathers of the city that gifted the initial land for the park.
I would love to know more about the history of the King George Park but looks like there is not much information on Google. If there is someone willing to share how it is connected to the history of B.C., I’ll definitely be listening!
Farida Master
VISITING FROM AUCKLAND, N.Z.
