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Friendships Come Easy Here!
For some, the idea of moving to a new city where you don't know anyone would be a daunting prospect. But it hasn't been the case for many of the residents at The Village at Gallagher's Canyon at all. In fact, for many couples it's been an opportunity to create some very strong new friendships.

Peter and Merial Barwin moved to The Village after spending several years living in Victoria. "It was our Y2K change," Peter jokes. "We came here and absolutely fell in love with Kelowna and Gallagher's." They didn't know a soul, but that didn't worry them. "We're both pretty independent people. We figured if it didn't work out, we could always move back to Victoria." As it turned out, they made friends in Gallagher's before the first foundation was poured. "We were standing on the lot we just bought and Craig and Gladys (their next door neighbours) came out to say hi and invited us for a glass of wine. That's how it started."

"Yes…they were walking around kicking dirt like they owned the place, so we went and said hi," confirms Craig Gillespie. "That's how it is here. It's a very friendly neighbourhood. And you find your circle of friends constantly growing as you make new friends and meet their friends. It's like ripples in a pond." Ironically, Craig and his wife Gladys had also lived in Victoria for several years, but didn't know the Barwins before moving to The Village at Gallagher's Canyon.

Peter Barwin agrees whole-heartedly. "I was blown away by people inviting me over at the drop of a hat. It's a different mindset here. If there's chemistry, relationships develop very quickly. There's a natural tendency to trust and be open. Everyone is just so friendly here!"

Another of the couples that have become part of this circle of friends is Ann and Vic Marko. They met the other couples on a hiking trip. "It's a great place to meet people. We go for 2 hours on a Tuesday morning. You have a lot of time to talk to the 8 or ten people on the hike. And invitations come easy here. The next thing you know, you're invited over for drinks or dinner."

Another example of the community spirit of Gallagher's can be demonstrated just by going for a simple evening stroll. "It's a bit like running the gauntlet," jokes Peter Barwin, "You never achieve your objective of just going for a walk. You start talking to other people walking or gardening in their front yard."

Another couple who have been welcomed into this circle of friends is Henrietta and Gunther Switzeny. Gunther has also found that walks can never be completed within the estimated timeframes. "Oh yes, you go for a 45 minute walk and the next thing you know, you've been gone for 2 hours."

The Switzeny's found the number of group activities that Nikki Blanleil (Gallagher's Activity Co-ordinator) schedules made it very easy to meet new people. "Nikki always has things happening. You meet people on hikes, in the gym, in the pool, on outings," remarked Gunther. Gallagher's also hosts an open house for new residents on a regular basis. Here, longer-term residents can come and welcome the newcomer and get to know them. All of the couples mentioned that this was a great way to make new friends.

This variety of activities also gave Ann Marko a way to meet new friends. "Something that's quite unique here is that if you don't do a sport or activity, like tennis or skiing, there's always people willing to help introduce you to the activity. There's a real diversity of people and interests here. I feel like I'm in Summer Camp!"

Another part of friendship is knowing that friends are there to help, and that's something that's very apparent at The Village at Gallagher's Canyon. Craig Gillespie offers just two examples, " We have a pretty large group of children and grandchildren coming for Thanksgiving. I've had at least 6 people offer their basements or guest rooms to help put them up so they don't have to stay in hotels. And with the Barwins, we had only knew them for one month when they offered to drive us to the airport to catch our flight to Hawaii. And they had to get up at 6 in the morning to do it!"

Gunther Switzeny summed up their feelings about their new community. "We really moved here initially for the quality of the homes and construction. But it's the people that live here that really make it special. We can go to an event at the activity centre and we can talk to people at every table." The Barwin's say it a little more succinctly. "We've never been so happy in all our lives!"

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