WINTER 2026
HAPPY NEW YEAR !!
Here’s a couple of brief reports on our recent Community Concert fundraiser and other GWA business, plus some info about additional concerts by Granthams musicians to help chase the winter blues away.
REPORT 1: COMMUNITY CONCERT
The Denise Brown Trio playing at Granthams Hall on Dec 14 to a full house (from left: Peter Hill, Denise Brown, Boyd Norman)
- Thanks to all who came out and participated in this GWA Fundraiser !
- We had a great turnout – the Hall was filled to capacity - and over $1,000 was raised !!
- And we all enjoyed some sweet music and good community vibes !!!
- This concert was held during the afternoon on Sunday Dec 14 at Granthams Hall
- Lost & Found – if you left a purple umbrella behind, please let us know – we’ve got it.
- In case you missed it, or you want more live local music:
this band – and three other bands with Granthams musicians –
will be playing during January and February – see the POSTERS below !
REPORT 2: 2025 MEMBERSHIP & DONATIONS
- THANK YOU to the NINETY HOUSEHOLDS that made donations in 2025
to help keep our community wharf accessible, well maintained, and safe ! - This is the second highest number of membership donations received in any year !
– 2025 was the highest year ever with 92 membership donations - But since the number of households continues to grow (currently at 209),
the ratio of donations to total households was only 43% which is less than average. - Please make your membership donation now or as soon as you can to keep the wharf afloat.
- Friendly reminder: minimum membership donations are now $75 per household, starting in 2026
- Watercraft storage remains at $50 per year, and is due by April 30 (in order to retain your spot)
- For more info and payment methods, please see the Donate page on our GWA website
FALL 2025
The GWA Board are pleased to announce this new fundraiser: a Granthams Community Concert with special guests, local musicians Pete N’ Dee.
Come on down to Granthams Hall and enjoy a family-friendly mix of music for everyone !
- Sunday Dec 14 from 3:00 to 5:00pm at Granthams Hall !
- Admission is by donation ($10 minimum please but all are welcome to donate more 🙂
- You can also make your GWA Membership donation or purchase Granthams Cards at this event
- Accepted payments:
- Cash
- Cheque (made out to “GWA”)
- Credit Card
- Debit Card
- Mobile e-transfer (to funds@granthams-wharf.org)
- PARKING: To ensure we are not clogging up Elphinstone Ave & Church Rd, please:
- Carpool/Rideshare with your friends and neighbours
- Drop your passengers off at the Hall if you like
- Park along Fisher Rd and walk down to Granthams Hall
- We will provide a ride back up to your vehicle !
- Refreshments will not be available at this event, but feel free to bring your own.
- Future Community Concerts may feature other local artists.
GWA POTLUCK-AGM-BINGO – REPORT
– held on Saturday, Oct 25, 5-8pm at Eric Cardinall Hall in Shirley Macey Park
A good neighbourly time was had by all with plenty of delicious food, a brief (40-minute) but informative General Meeting with amazing member participation, and 5 exciting rounds of BINGO !
About 35 Granthamites participated, including a few new members. That turnout was a bit lower than average, which we blamed on the Blue Jays game running at the same time …but we managed to broadcast that game during parts of the meeting, as seen in the photos above !
- More photos on our GWA website at About > Photos… > 2025 > …Potluck…
- Check out the AGM Minutes and 2024/25 Financial Reports at Board > AGM Minutes > 2025…
GWA Potluck/AGM/Bingo Night – you’re invited !
– Saturday, Oct 25, 5-8pm
– Eric Cardinall Hall – Shirley Macey Park
– Bring the whole family !
– Invite your neighbours !
Timeline
– Saturday, October 25, 2025
– 4:00 pm – Doors Open for setup
– 4:30 pm – Membership donations for 2025 rec’d
– 5:00 pm – Potluck Dinner & visiting– 6:00 pm – Dessert & Annual General Meeting
– 7:00 pm – Bingo !
– 8:00 pm – Cleanup – doors close at 9:00
NEW Location
– Eric Cardinall Hall – Shirley Macey Park – changed for better parking – Granthams Hall, Elphinstone Ave & Church Rd
Please Bring
– A big main dish, salad, and/or dessert to share
– Your own plates, cups, and cutlery
– coffee, tea, and water will be provided
– A few bucks for Bingo and the 50/50 Draw…
– Cash, Cheques, Credit Cards, Etransfer (to funds@granthams-wharf.org) accepted
AGM Agenda
0. Welcome
1. 2024 AGM Minutes – available on website
2. GWA Board – see notes below*
3. Wharf Report
4. Membership Report
5. Financial Reports – copies will be emailed beforehand
6. Fundraising Report
7. Q&A with Membership
AGM Notes*
- GWA Board – two people have volunteered to serve on the board, which is much appreciated :o)
- Their names will be presented at the AGM along with any other nominations and the current board members for approval by GWA Members.
Member Donation
- In order to vote at the AGM, ensure your 2025 Membership donation has been made – if not sure, check here
- If not yet paid, you can make your annual donation at the AGM (between 4:30 & 5:00pm) or anytime before, including now :o) – details here
Reference – GWA Bylaws: 6.1 Membership
a. Membership in the GWA is by annual donation
b. Only current paid members may vote at the AGM or any other special meeting of the members
c. Votes must be given in person and each household has one vote
BINGO
– Bingo prizes will be awarded to 1st and 2nd place winners in each of up to 5 rounds
– Bingo cards are $5 for 2 cards – or – $10 for 5 cards
Float Hibernation Plans
We need to get the floats out of the water for storage on land for the winter months.
Wednesday Oct 15 – 2:00pm at the wharf
– pull ramp onto pier – bring gloves
– prep floats (and raft) for towing
Thursday Oct 16 – 8:00am at Gibsons Harbour
– scrape mussels – bring gloves and shovels/big scrapers
– help load floats at harbour and unload at Granthams Park
If you are willing and able to help with the above, please email the GWA at granthamswharf@gmail.com or call/txt/whatsapp Tony at 778-840-7754
THANK YOU to the Float Hibernation Crew
We received a great response to our plea for help with the floats last week !
Even Mother Nature helped out by changing the rainy forecast to sunshine :o)
BIG THANKS to the folks who stepped up to help:
Float Prep, Ramp Storage, and Towing to Harbour (Wed afternoon, Oct 15):
–> Al, Danielle, Hans, Ken, Mark, Randy, Sarah, Sean, Tony – plus cookies baked by Mary :o)
Mussel Scraping, Loading, and Hauling to Elphinstone Park (Thu morning, Oct 16):
–> Doug, Ken, Randy, Tony, Vince
SUMMER 2025
REPORT: Granthams Day – Sat July 12
We enjoyed another fun-filled community get-together at the wharf in July. Starting with our traditional community Jump off the floats, followed by delicious BBQ burgers and fabulous potluck finger foods, salads, and deserts, an exciting 50/50 raffle, and lots of visiting in the sunshine by the sea.
Part of the event this year was a commemoration of David King’s contributions to our community. Mary Burns spoke to all the gathered Granthamites, and recalled that David organized and emcee’d two fundraising concerts to raise funds for the wharf. A playwright and songwriter, his later work was inspired by Grantham’s and community, and he wrote “I Like it Here” to celebrate our special place on the coast. To honour of David’s contributions, Peter Hill performed that song and a new plaque was unveiled during Granthams Day celebration.
A big THANK YOU ! to these volunteers for making this Granthams Day another successful community event and fun for all who participated:
- Gary Gilbert (aka “Dr. Fun”) – for his good energy and great music (and for letting others use his sound system)
- Peter Hill – for singing David King’s “I LIKE IT HERE” song about Granthams Landing and Gibsons
- Mary Burns – for dedicating the new plaque and acknowledging the work of the GWA board and all other volunteers
- Bruno Huber, Adrian Young, Al Townsend & helpers – for prepping and BBQing the Ham-, Cheese-, and Veggie Burgers
- Hans Kuhlman – for taking photos of the event
- Heather Merilees – for trimming vegetation alongside the stairs and those that picked up and removed the debris
- Other Granthamites – who brought tables, canopies, coolers, recycling & garbage bins, etc, and helped with the setup and cleanup.
Mark your calendar for the next Granthams Day on 11 July 2026 !
David King’s contributions to our community
View more photos on the About > Photos… > 2025 > …Granthams Day page…
Lost & Found
The following items were Lost or Found during Granthams Day or thereabouts.
LOST
If you found any of these items, please email the GWA at granthamswharf@gmail.com
- Smith polarized sunglasses
- Large blue cooler bag – with inscription like “cruisin’ the blues, baby”
- Blue clipboard and stationary supplies in a bag
- Oblong glass serving dish - with two bamboo servers
FOUND
If one of these belongs to you, please email the GWA at granthamswharf@gmail.com
SPRING 2025
For more info, please refer to the email message sent to everyone on the GWA roster on Sat June 14.
To get on that email list, visit the Join page in the menu above.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED !! – posted June 10
Please take the lead or help out with the following two community projects if you can:
1. Cut back the vegetation encroaching on:
(a) the stairs leading down to the wharf (see photo below-left)
(b) the boat rack area (below-right)
2. Chop up and remove the surplus wood at Elphinstone park:
(a) pieces of the dry dead tree that fell on the floats during the winter (below-left)
(b) the lumber from the floats that was damaged and replaced (below-right)
– this is untreated cedar which should be fine for fireplaces or campfires
To discuss, please send an email (to granthamswharf@gmail.com) or txt/call Tony at 778-840-7754.
REPAIRS & IMPROVEMENTS – posted June 10
GWA property at the wharf was lost or damaged during the recent construction project (see CULVERT CONSTRUCTION article below), although we received assurances from the contractor that everything would be put back as it was. We have submitted a claim for reimbursement for all replacement lumber and hardware required, plus the reprinting of the Granthams Landing Historical Panel. Our claim has received approval in principle thus far, and we await a final decision and – hopefully – a cheque. Fortunately, the labour was provided by volunteers from our community (thank you Adrian, Bruno, Hans, Randy, Tony). And a new Granthamite contributed three boxes of high quality deck screws (thanks Brian) !
Here’s a summary of property that was fixed or replaced, as a series of “Before” and “After” photos. Note the two additional improvements in the final two photos completed by folks who had a good idea and made it happen on their own – thanks to Mike & Adrian – much appreciated !
To display a larger view of any image, right-click on it and select Open image in a new tab.
THE FLOATS ARE FIXED AND FLOATING ! – May 12
The floats were badly damaged over the winter (see WINDSTORM DAMAGE article below) but were repaired in late April by four volunteers in 6 hours, with $500 worth of materials – plus a $140 box of deck screws donated by GBS ! New Decking and Rail on damaged float shown in photos below.
The floats came out of hibernation on May 12. This year’s float replacement went smoothly, thanks to our talented volunteer crew (thanks to Al, Brian*, Bruno, Hans, Kelly, Tony, Vince*), which included a couple of *new neighbours. Here are a few photos to chronicle their journey: hauled by truck from Elphinstone Park to Gibsons Harbour and then towed by boat from there to our wharf at Granthams.
CULVERT CONSTRUCTION – posted April ~30
A tremendous amount of work has been done in the parking area, on the hillside, and on/under the patio at the wharf, in order to facilitate a new major drainage culvert from Elphinstone Avenue. The work was done by a company contracted by the BC Ministry of Transportation and Transit (formerly MOTI, now MOTT). Fortunately, a few community members (thank you Mary, Bruno, and Lorelei !) were on site and spoke to the crew foreman about their GWA concerns, and the foreman was responsive and made significant changes to their construction plans to resolve those concerns.
The most significant issue with the original plan was that it specified the drainage culvert – about 2 feet in diameter – would RUN ABOVE THE HILL AND ACROSS THE PATIO to drain on the beach close to the pier. The crew revised this and installed the culvert under the hill and under the patio, and angled the outlet away from the pier, to mitigate possible run-off erosion of the area under the pilings. In the process, they completely cleared the hillside of the tangle of wild blueberries and have since hydro-seeded it so it will be covered with grass.
There’s still work to do, especially due to the erosion caused by heavy rainfall during construction breaks, but we are confident the crew will fix these and finish the project in a satisfactory manner, one that will benefit the community and wharf users.
Here are a few photos taken during construction, displayed in chronological order, the first two photos were taken on March 19, and the last five on April 11. To display a larger image, right-click on it and select Open image in a new tab.
OTHER NEWS – APRIL 2025
OUR FLOATS NEED HELP !
We need volunteers from the community for these two projects !
1. Fixing the Floats
Why? damaged a tree falling on them (see granthams-wharf.org/#windstorm)
When? starting this week, must be finished by May 11 !
Where? Elphinstone Park
2. Replacing the Floats
Why? to get them back in the water for the season
And two guys from our regular crew will be away so more help is critical.
When? Monday May 12, 6:30pm (high tide)
Where? Granthams Wharf
If you are willing and able to help… please reply to this message or call/txt Tony at 778-840-7754
GRANTHAMS DAY
Saturday 12 July 2025
Please add it to your calendar! July 12, Noon to 2pm (setup at 10:30 and cleanup afterwards)
GD is moving back to July as agreed at the last Granthams Day !
Details to follow in June
MEMBERSHIP DONATION
– please consider renewing your membership now
– 15+ years and still holding at $50 per household annually !
– but if you can afford more, please be generous*, especially if you use the wharf
(*the GWA is preparing for a major capital expense of replacing the floats
in the next 5-10 years, at an approximate cost of $30K.)
WATERCRAFT FEE
– please pay this fee if you have a watercraft stored on the boat rack, or will use the dinghy dock
– the annual fee is $50 per watercraft, in addition to your GWA membership donation for the current year
– due on April 30 – starting May 1, any unpaid spots become available to other GWA members
– if you have removed your watercraft and no longer want your space, please reply to let us know.
– more info on the GWA website: Watercraft > Inventory and Watercraft > Policies
EASY-PEASY PAYMENT
– simply click this link –> Pay with Credit Card – or E-transfer to: funds@granthams-wharf.org
– other options and more info on the Donate page on our website
2024 News
FALL 2024
POTLUCK / AGM / BINGO NIGHT
This year’s event (held on Saturday, Nov 2, 5-8pm) was a great success ! …and enjoyed by the 45 people who participated in the delicious dinner, brief-but-informative Annual General Meeting, and three hilarious rounds of bingo, with great prizes for first- and second-place winners in each game.
We thanked Janet Young for her three years of service on the board and welcomed Vince Olfert. Ann Oosterhuis had planned on retiring after four years of serving on the board, but has since graciously agreed to stay on the board for another year. You can check out the AGM minutes at Board > AGM Minutes > 2024.
Two young bingo players at this year’s Potluck / AGM / Bingo Night on Nov 2. This is the only photo taken by a board member… if you have any photos from this event, please send us a copy at granthamswharf@gmail.com.
WINDSTORM DAMAGE
The windstorm on the night of Nov 7/8 knocked down a tree that fell on our floats in Elphinstone Park (where they are stored for the winter), which damaged over a dozen of the 2×6″ deck planks and parts of the 4×4″ rail, and broke one of the main 4×10″ beams. Likely about $600 of lumber and hardware along with some good volunteer labour will fix up the floats in time for next summer. Our GWA liability insurance does not cover this damage.
CREDIT CARDS NOW ACCEPTED !
Credit Card payments are now accepted for GWA membership donations and merchandise !
Simply click the Credit Card button on the Members > Donate page or the Merchandise > Grantham’s Cards pages.
The previous payment methods (Etransfer, Cheques, and Cash) are still accepted as well.
MEMBERSHIP DONATIONS
- Thanks to the 88 households that have made their 2024 Membership Donation !
- It’s not too late to make your donation, especially if you used the wharf last summer.
- The members present at the AGM on Nov 2 discussed several ideas to raise the GWA annual donation amount… but after some discussion, the board has decided to leave the minimum donation at $50 as it has been for about 20 years. Members are encouraged to donate more if they are able, and to donate every year.
- Use the Members menu above or click these links:
- You can also make your 2025 Membership Donation and, if applicable, pay for your watercraft storage (which is due by April 30 in order to reserve your spot).
- All GWA funds are used for paying for regular maintenance, repairs, and insurance of our community wharf, and to build up our capital fund to deal with emergency expenses and eventual float replacement.
- Examples of regular GWA expenses include:
- removal/replacement of the floats every fall/spring
- materials for repairs (e.g. for the tree damage reported above)
- improvements to the ramp planned for this spring
- liability insurance, etc.
- Everyone associated with the GWA is a volunteer, there are no paid positions or stipends of any kind.
NEW WEBSITE FORMAT
This GWA website has been overhauled… but most of the changes are cosmetic. The structure and content are mostly unchanged. One exception is that the GWA NEWS – invites and info to upcoming events and reports & photos of previous events along with other community news – will now be listed on this Home page. GWA emails will refer to this content, rather than repeating it all in the email message.
If you have any problems or suggestions re the website, please email us at granthamswharf@gmail.com.
FLOAT HIBERNATION
This year’s crew (Adrian, Hans, Al, & Tony – regrets: Bruno & Stu) along with Erik in his Beachcombing boat got the floats disconnected and the ramp pulled up onto the Granthams pier on Tuesday Oct 15 as planned. With the GWA’s new swim ramp as the caboose, the three big floats were towed to Gibsons Harbour at high-tide and pushed up on the beach as usual.
We had a very short low-tide window the next morning, but our regular truck hauler (Lonnie) was not available. So we arranged with the good guys at Readi-Mix to bring their truck to the beach for haulage. Their truck bed is 22 feet long, and our floats are close to 25 feet long, but we didn’t expect that to be a problem (since the floats can hang a few feet off the back of the truck)… until they showed up at 8:00am on Wed Oct 16. Their crane was mounted at the rear end of the truck bed !… so 22 feet was their absolute limit. So there was no way we could haul the floats… instead we used the opportunity to lift the floats and scrape the mussels (thanks Adrian, Randy, Al, and Tony!) to keep the neighbours and the ducks happy.
Our floats rested in Gibsons Harbour for the next 9 days !… until a sufficiently low tide and Lonnie (with Bruno and Tony as helpers) were available on Friday Oct 25 to get them off the beach and into Elphinstone Park by our Community Hall. It all worked out in the end, even for the ducks… and here’s the photos to prove it :o)
Towing (on Oct 15), scraping (Oct 16), and finally hauling (Oct 25) the floats to their hibernation spot in Elphinstone Park.
More photos at About > Photos > 2024 > Float Hibernation
To join the Wharf Crew and receive notifications when help is needed, please email granthamswharf@gmail.com or call/txt Tony at 778-840-7754.
SUMMER 2024
GRANTHAMS DAY
Potluck & Community Jump & at Granthams Day
More Photos at GWA Site > About > Photos… > 2024 > Granthams Day
We enjoyed another fun-filled community get-together at the wharf on August 10. Starting with our traditional community Jump off the floats, followed by delicious BBQ burgers and fabulous potluck finger foods, salads, and deserts, introductions of the GWA Board and new members, an exiting raffle with multiple marvelous prizes, and lots of visiting in the sunshine by the sea.
Based on the vote held at the event, we are switching back to the 2nd Saturday in July so the next Granthams Day will be on 12 July 2025.
A big SHOUT OUT these local businesses for their generous contributions to our Raffle prizes (and to Katherine for drumming up all the support) !
- Sunshine Coast Olive Oil Co.
- London Drugs – 3 x 25$ gift cards
- IGA – 50$ gift card
- Dorado Beauty Bar – Joyco Hair Products, nail polish
- KW Nails&Esthetics – Dermalogica Skin Care products
- Supervalu – 2 x 24 cases of bottled water
- Starbucks – basket of goodies
- Gibson’s Pet and Food Supplies – dog toys, massive bone, and treats
- Black Bean – fresh coffee beans, touque, playing cards, frisbee.
- Swish – 25$ gift card, scarf, sunglasses
- Mike’s Place – gift card for Mike’s gelato cake.
We still have a few of the above prizes to give away to the Bingo winners on Nov 2.
SPRING 2024
- May 7: The floats are back in place! And the sun is shining (most of the time) !
- Thanks to the crew for replacing the floats from their winter storage in the park: Mary, Bruno, Betty, Janet, Adrian, Randy, Al, Kelly, and Tony !
- And special thanks to Adrian and Bruno for welding, painting, and installing the new steel braces on the overhead gate at the end of the pier, so we can now lift/lower the ramp every fall/spring without pulling the wharf apart !
- GWA members didn’t waste any time making use of the floats this season, some folks started swimming the very next day.
2023 News
- Check out the photos from our 2023 Granthams Day event !
What is the GWA ?
The Granthams Wharf Association (GWA), established in 1968, is a registered Canadian charity with the sole responsibility of maintaining the wharf and the surrounding area for use by the Community.
The association receives no government funding and instead relies on the financial contributions and volunteer labour of its members to keep this community wharf in good condition. All Granthams residents – homeowners, long-term rental tenants, and seasonal residents – are invited to join the GWA and help maintain the wharf by making an annual donation of $50 per household, and to volunteer on work crews if and when possible.
Notes re Wharf Access:
- Family and friends who are visiting a GWA member are also welcome to use the wharf.
- Homeowners who host short-term rental guests should donate an additional $50 annually if any of those guests intend to use the wharf.
- Any other persons living outside of Granthams must become GWA Members and be current with their annual donation in order to use the wharf.
GWA members may also store canoes, kayaks, surfboards, paddleboards, tenders and small inflatables on the boat rack, on the hillside or at the dinghy dock for an additional $50 per watercraft.
For additional information, visit the various pages on this website (using the menu at the top).
Still have questions? Please email us at: granthamswharf@gmail.com
To become a GWA member, click here.
Aerial View of the Granthams Landing Community and the Wharf