It was a lovely day and as we drove past the cemetery I noticed that the grass had just been cut. This encouraged us to stop for a bit to wander beween the graves, both old and new, and reflect on the past. I had just been reading The People of Gabriola, by June Lewis-Harrison and had learned that in the mid 1850’s europeans that had come to north america to find a better life began to settle on Gabriola Island. Many took aboriginal wives and they claimed and farmed the land. In 1882 Magnus Edgar donated a small patch of land for a cemetery where he buried his first wife. Over the years additional land was added and a burial register was kept. The section nearest the shore is the old graveyard. I have always called this the pioneer cemetery, but the sign says Gabriola Community Cemetery.