“Be a good ancestor. Stand for something bigger than yourself. Add value to the earth during your sojourn” – Margaret Edelman
Did you know we are part of something unique and historic, a true legacy of the 70s?
That legacy is Community Alternatives Society, a rural-urban community, that began as an idea in 1972, manifested first with the purchase of a 10-acre farm in Langley in 1977 (now 20 acres), and soon after, with the construction of a communal housing Cooperative in Kitsilano. So many have gained from the collective dreams and efforts of a small, visionary group of people who wanted to create a “village” based on principles of communal living, shared resources, consensus decision-making, and an urban-rural connection between Fraser Common Farm Co-op in Langley and the city co-op.
This past summer our elder Kaz Takahashi, who lived in the community since she and her peers first founded it, marked a watershed. She was one of the last of the original founders remaining. With her loss came the realization that many of the ties between the farm and the city co-op were disappearing as new members joined who hadn’t experienced and weren’t aware of the urban-rural foundation of the community. Much of the early history, held by a handful of original members, was in danger of being forgotten.
At the Celebration of Life for Kaz, many people expressed the desire to connect and reconnect with the roots, memories and people of the “urban-rural experiment”. A small ad-hoc committee formed to pick up the threads of an idea that was spawned on that day to create a Memorial Garden at the farm to honour Kaz and others who created and evolved the community, as the first part of a larger project.
As well as the Memorial Garden, the full project envisioned will also:
- Develop an online platform to share stories, memories, and ongoing events, workshops that honour the skills and contributions of current and past members.
- Strengthen the ties between the urban and rural members and the broader network of former community members, families and partners.
- Encourage non-resident members to re-engage with Fraser Common Farm Coop and new people to join.