CARLYLE - You rarely see a family move from Vancouver Island to the Prairies, but in this case British Columbia’s loss is Carlyle’s gain.
The Observer recently caught up with Brent and Carolynn McKinnon and welcomed them to town. The Mckinnons have been married for 44 years and both had good government jobs with the Province of B.C.
Brent was a food and beverage manager at Westshore Parks and Recreation for over 20 years. Carolynn was employed for 20 years as a community resource administration supervisor with the Vancouver Island Authority. Both retired over 10 years ago.
They have a son and daughter and five grandchildren, and lived in suburban Parksville.
With the warmer weather and recent COVID issues, the McKinnons started having thoughts of making a move from the island. Vehicle traffic was increasing and there were many people heading to B.C. from Western Canada instead of going south to Arizona. With the warmer climate, there were more and more homeless on their streets and the ferry crossing to the mainland was arduous and expensive. They made a decision to move.
Brent has a brother in Manitoba and this summer they drove down to visit him. They travelled through many towns and cities along the way and then one day in August stopped for gas at the Co-op Convenience Store at the junction of Highways 9 and 13. They drove down Main Street Carlyle, looked at each other, and said, this was the place.
Said Carolynn, “Carlyle just had the right feel to it, lots of small businesses, no empty buildings, no graffiti, and of course the unique centre lane parking. We were hooked.”
After visiting Brent’s brother, the McKinnons returned home to Parksville, and made an offer on a house without setting foot in it. After a home inspection, they made the offer, which was accepted. Brent and Carolynn have many hobbies including gardening, fishing and woodworking. They plan on trying out cross-country skiing and snowshoeing this winter.
The McKinnons are loving the friendly personality of their fellow neighbours. Added Brent, “Carolynn and myself are very happy to have selected Carlyle as our home. The people are wonderful and everyone seems so obliging.”
